Are They Coming?

The Seven Ninja Swordsmen set off together!

They had already accepted the arrangement set by Aoba, and Juzo had been explaining this to them along the way.

Their current mission to assassinate Namikaze Minato was not intended as an actual attack on Konoha, nor was it to start a war between the two villages. It was purely in cooperation with the Third Hokage of Konoha, aiming for a win-win situation for both villages.

Because of this reason.

The Seven Ninja Swordsmen seriously accepted this setup and did not question it. As far as they were concerned, this was the nature of the mission.

Aoba stood still, watching as the Seven Ninja Swordsmen advanced; he did not continue forward. His only goal was to bring these seven here, and he would leave the rest to them without interfering in the battle.

Of course.

When he says he won't go in.

He means he won't enter as Satsuma Rentaro!

After all.

As Satsuma Rentaro, his supposed strength does not qualify him to participate in this mission. He left the impression with the Seven Ninja Swordsmen that he was a strategist, not one known for his physical prowess.

Now, their task was to complete the mission: kill Namikaze Minato swiftly. So, there was no need to bring him along.

During their journey here.

Juzo had asked Aoba once what his plans were during their mission execution. Aoba's response was very straightforward.

He was to meet Danzo at the arranged location, drawing Danzo's Root ninja here so they could coordinate an assault to assassinate Minato.

Juzo readily accepted this explanation.

After all, from the beginning, the mission had been directed solely by Aoba, and he was the only one with contact with Danzo.

Thus...

They naturally accepted this reality.

After all, in ninja missions, it is common for everyone to have their specific roles, performing different tasks, but all aim to achieve the same objective.

Rustling...

As the Seven Ninja Swordsmen disappeared from his sight, Aoba's body began to change; the sound of rustling papers emanated, and he transformed from the appearance of Satsuma Rentaro into another person.

This person was a Konoha ninja.

Aoba had seen him during the Third Ninja World War and noted his appearance, which wasn't particularly outstanding but rather ordinary and suited his disguise purpose.

As for this person's name...

Aoba hadn't accessed his memories and didn't actually know his name; he was just casually using his face.

Whoosh!

After completing the change of identity, Aoba vanished in a flash.

Meanwhile.

A large number of Root ninjas had left Konoha and were rapidly heading towards the ninja army. They were moving at a breakneck pace, desperately racing against time.

Their mission was to kill Minato before he could return to Konoha.

This had to be done before the ninja army returned!

Root typically would only operate within Konoha, and Danzo himself led the few times they did. This time, however, they were operating in freely formed teams outside the village to eliminate a common target jointly.

This was a mission they had never undertaken before, making them very nervous. They also understood that such operations must be carried out outside Konoha, in secrecy, killing any witnesses to ensure the incident remained unknown. Even if the villagers suspected something, they wouldn't have any concrete evidence, thus guaranteeing the Third Hokage's position remained secure.

Indeed.

The Root ninjas were well aware.

They were working for Danzo, but all their actions were designed to stabilize the Third Hokage's position, a consistent pattern for many years without change.

Now, they also understood that Namikaze Minato was likely the next Hokage. If it were any other ninja, such a mission might not be undertaken, possibly even causing a severe backlash against the Third Hokage, leading to significant problems.

But for them, such a task was entirely without issue.

For many years, Root had handled numerous shady operations within Konoha. Many among them were aware of various secrets within the village, but due to the seals on their tongues, they were unable to speak of these secrets. This very seal allowed them to know and participate in these secrets.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

One by one, the Root ninjas became shadows swiftly moving through the forest. They had locked onto the location of the ninja army before setting out.

Aoba gave these Root ninjas orders as Danzo, but he did not specify Minato's location. An important reason for this was that Konoha's Intelligence Department actually knew the location of the ninja army.

These Root ninjas wore masks with various patterns, appearing like emotionless or frozen-faced individuals at this moment. They had become tools for completing missions, even prepared to do anything necessary to achieve their objective.

If Minato did not die, there could only be one reason: they are all dead.

...

Location of the Konoha Ninja Army.

"Are they coming?"

Minato's face was grave. Based on his understanding of the current situation, he didn't believe the people from Kirigakure would get involved in such matters; something unknown must have occurred.

But...

What exactly happened?

Minato's mind was filled with questions. He faintly felt that behind these events, someone was manipulating the situation, or perhaps eyes were watching them.

But he felt nothing and saw nothing...

He was utterly in the dark!

Regardless.

He didn't have much time left.

Facing the impending crisis...

Minato knew all he could do was to meet force with force and cover all bases as much as possible, aiming to lead his people safely back to Konoha.

He now deeply understood that the path to being Hokage was long and arduous, not easily attainable. Moreover, reaching the position of Hokage was not the end of the journey but the beginning of a new one.

"Let's give it our all to face this!"

Minato slowly stood up, his blue eyes blazing with resolve. As the leader of these people, he could not afford any lapse in his will.