34 - Yuto Souta’s Plan

Minato Namikaze bowed slightly in greeting.

The visitor was none other than Orochimaru, who should have been heading to the front lines in the Land of Wind.

"No need for that, Minato-kun… This is just a clone."

Orochimaru's voice remained hoarse, though it carried a hint of amusement.

"I've been working on a Wind Style ninjutsu lately. If you have time, Minato-kun, we could chat about it before this clone's chakra runs out."

Orochimaru stated his purpose.

Minato Namikaze hesitated for a moment before nodding.

"Kushina's already asleep. If you don't mind, Lord Orochimaru… shall we move somewhere else?"

"Fine by me."

Orochimaru went along with it easily.

He could sense the respect this junior had for him, mixed with a lingering wariness that hadn't faded.

Perhaps it was a clash of their ninja philosophies…

Orochimaru acknowledged Minato Namikaze's talent, but his personality… it was too naive.

He didn't like it.

Still, that didn't stop their conversation…

Time ticked by, from night into day, until the midday sun blazed overhead.

As one of the three legendary Sannin, the Cold Lord Orochimaru used the pretext of discussing ninjutsu to talk with Minato Namikaze for quite a while.

Until the clone's chakra dissipated.

Or perhaps for some other reason… Orochimaru finally ended this so-called discussion.

It had to be said, Orochimaru's knowledge was undeniable.

At least when it came to insights on ninjutsu, Minato Namikaze gained a lot from it.

Still unsatisfied as he bid farewell to Orochimaru's clone, Minato Namikaze was about to head home to cook when he ran into some colleagues on the way.

They were the two chunin responsible for guarding Konoha's main gate.

"Lord Minato, there's something we need to confirm with you."

"It's not a big deal, but it's part of the job. Could you cooperate?"

The two chunin explained their purpose.

Minato Namikaze raised an eyebrow, his sunny smile still on his face.

"No problem… What happened?"

"Oh, it's like this." One of the chunin pulled out a scroll—the daily log of everyone entering and leaving Konoha.

"Your three students said they were going out for training under your orders. They left the village late last night."

The smile on Minato Namikaze's face gradually froze…

…

Meanwhile, at the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Earth.

Three figures were racing forward at high speed!

They were none other than the three students of Minato's team.

After a night of relentless travel, they had rested for only two hours before hitting the road again.

The high-intensity journey left them somewhat physically and mentally drained, but at this moment, all three were in a state of heightened excitement.

They were getting closer to the battlefield…

The smell of gunpowder and blood was starting to fill the air.

The occasional distant booms and the frequent signs of war they passed by were all stimulating the three youths' nerves.

"Once we pass this forest, the battlefield's up ahead."

In front of a small forest, the trio finally stopped.

Yuto Souta pulled out a kunai and began scratching lines into the ground.

His science-student precision shone through, and soon, a simple map appeared on the dirt, with clear, accurate lines and markings.

"Here's where we are. And here's our target," Yuto Souta said, pointing to two spots on the ground.

Their current location was still some distance from their final destination.

And that distance was occupied by a battlefield locked in fierce combat…

"Right now, we've got two options in front of us," Yuto Souta said in a low voice after a moment of thought.

Kakashi Hatake and Obito Uchiha immediately perked up their ears.

It was starting… Souta's one-day battlefield tour plan.

Truth be told, after a night and half a day of rushing, their nerves hadn't dulled—instead, they'd grown even tenser.

Compared to the petty squabbles back in the village.

This was the real hell of carnage!

Even Kakashi Hatake's father, one of Konoha's few elite shinobi, the White Fang, had left a lifelong stain on his record here!

And now… three freshly graduated genin had snuck over with the mindset of turning the tide?

"The first plan is safer… We can borrow Teacher Minato's name again and join Konoha's combat forces."

This plan would be more stable.

Based on Yuto Souta's analysis… Konoha's current strategy likely still revolved around attacking the Kannabi Bridge.

It wasn't hard to figure out.

First, Sakumo Hatake's failure had exposed Konoha's strategic objective. Since Konoha hadn't chosen to retreat under these circumstances, it clearly hadn't given up on targeting the Kannabi Bridge.

However, this attack had now turned into a prolonged tug-of-war, until Minato's team took over in the future…

"But this plan relies a lot on luck…"

As Yuto Souta spoke, his gaze fell on Kakashi Hatake.

"There's no guarantee we can finish the mission before Teacher Minato finds out and catches up."

"And if things go wrong, the worst-case scenario… we might end up dragging both Uncle Hatake and Teacher Minato down with us."

Kakashi Hatake nodded.

With his intelligence, he naturally understood what Yuto Souta meant.

A father who ignored mission orders, leading to failure.

A son who broke ninja regulations by leaving the village without permission…

The consequences were easy to imagine.

"So, I think the second option suits us better."

Yuto Souta was finally about to reveal the real plan.

His goal had never been to just swing by and leave…

"The second plan is riskier…"

"Before I explain it, I need to confirm something first."

Yuto Souta said, first glancing at Obito Uchiha. After getting a half-confused, half-excited big-eyed stare in return, he quietly turned to Kakashi Hatake.

"How's your Transformation Technique?"

"Can you mimic Uncle Hatake? The kind where you don't even need to talk to pull off the cool vibe?"

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