Mercy Toward the Enemy

Kushina hadn't expected the enemy to arrive so quickly; she hadn't even considered the possibility of an attack, especially after recent incidents involving the Sunagakure and Kumogakure. She thought there wouldn't be any other significant issues for a while.

"Are they the same people from Kumogakure earlier?"

Sakumo asked with a grim expression. He hadn't expected to become a benchmark for measuring chakra, but with there being seven individuals with chakra like his, he started to doubt their origins.

Of course.

Sakumo didn't realize he had become a standard benchmark; indeed, being used as a benchmark was somewhat of an accolade.

To reach such a level was rare! In Kushina's mind, anyone who surpassed Sakumo's chakra level was considered a formidable opponent.

This was not a bad thing.

Sakumo was unaware that his son, Kakashi, in the original course of history, didn't even qualify to be a benchmark and instead became a unit of chakra measurement.

So much so that many people began using "Kakashi" to denote certain levels of chakra strength.

"No!"

Kushina shook her head. She had just sensed those from Kumogakure, so these people were not the same individuals but a different group.

This was her greatest concern.

"These aren't ninjas from the Iwa, Suna, or Kumogakure..."

Kushina added another line.

What she didn't say aloud was...

These individuals were not from Konoha either.

She felt it redundant to state this; it wouldn't change anything for the ninjas present.

Suddenly.

The ninjas on the scene fell silent.

Everyone had their judgments.

After all, any ninja who wanted to survive on the battlefield needed to be able to analyze and judge the situation. Some were better at this than others, but it was a necessary skill; with it, they would be able to charge forward, which was unacceptable.

Now, even using simple elimination, they knew that the only people who could be approaching them with such force at this moment were ninjas from Kirigakure.

"Damn!"

"The Kirigakure ninjas are here too!"

"It really is a troublesome time!"

"I thought it was over..."

"Why are they coming now?"

"Is this ever going to end?"

"..."

After a moment of silence, the ninjas from Konoha collectively unleashed a barrage of complaints.

They were very dissatisfied!

The string that had just relaxed within them would be tensed again so soon, leaving their bodies in extreme fatigue.

Before they could recover, this new development sparked a surge of anger.

They felt they were being unfairly targeted!

Since when had Konoha become such a soft persimmon?!

Only one problem arose.

Out of the Five Major Ninja Villages, four had taken action!

The only one that hadn't was their own!

It was as if they were enemies against the whole world!

These ninjas from Konoha hadn't even realized it; in their memories, Konoha was still the foremost of the Five Major Ninja Villages. Now, it seemed like any village could come and bully them at will, then just walk away without any consequences.

Even if Konoha wanted to respond, they had to consider the bigger picture.

This made their previously comfortable lives suddenly become passive.

They understood.

They had figured it out.

At this point, they had thought it through.

The reason Konoha had fallen to this state was the need for a powerful leader, the Hokage.

The current Third Hokage was formidable compared to a Jonin, but in the eyes of the ninja world, he was not the strongest among the Kage, possibly even the weakest.

This was exactly the problem.

It made Konoha appear less formidable.

The recent rise of Kumogakure exemplified this!

Kumogakure had shown formidable strength during the Second Ninja World War, and although they suffered heavy losses and the Second Raikage died in the war, they were greeted by an even stronger Third Raikage.

For a moment.

Intense anticipation flickered in the eyes of those looking towards Minato; they hoped he could successfully become the Fourth Hokage and lead Konoha back to its rightful place, to continue enjoying the respect and admiration of the other four villages, no longer feeling like they were being trampled upon.

Minato felt the gazes of those around him and hadn't expected the attack from Kirigakure to actually work in his favor, solidifying the resolve of those who were already beginning to waver to support him.

But such a truth was indeed not difficult to understand!

These ninjas were like people stuck in a mire; they needed someone who could help them escape their current predicament, and Minato was just that person.

However...

Minato hadn't expected this, but Aoba had already foreseen it!

Elsewhere.

Aoba, leading the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, was rapidly advancing toward Minato's location. He suddenly felt a chakra sweep over them, and a knowing smile crossed his face. He controlled his chakra to restrain it, making the sensing individual believe he was just an ordinary Genin or Chunin.

"Kushina, huh..."

Aoba was very aware of the chakra's owner; he was quite familiar with Kushina, having previously spent considerable time with her in the ninja world. She was one of the few ninjas he knew well.

This included Kushina, Minato, and even Fugaku.

Each person's chakra was like their unique DNA, all recorded by Aoba, allowing him to determine their positions whenever he wished.

When Aoba realized that Kushina's chakra had just scanned them, Minato should have known they were coming, so his smile grew even wider.

Everything was going according to plan!

While the plan might have included some unexpected episodes, they were less significant than they are now. Aoba had initially thought of letting the Seven Ninja Swordsmen launch a direct surprise attack, but Kushina discovered them in advance.

Of course.

This fact that Kushina detected them in advance would not be disclosed to the Seven Ninja Swordsmen!

At this moment.

The Seven Ninja Swordsmen followed Aoba, heading toward Minato's direction.

"Are you sure they are just ahead?"

Juzo questioned, his mind filled with doubts along the way. They hadn't taken the usual roads but had been cutting straight through the woods, which had significantly shortened their journey and increased their speed, but this required precise knowledge of the opponent's location.

Such knowledge wasn't easy to come by.

It required clear intelligence!

But...

Juzo needed clarification on how Danzo had come to know this information...

Throughout the journey, whenever he asked, the answer was always that Danzo had told him. Further inquiries led back to the same source—Danzo. Juzo didn't understand how Danzo had communicated this information to Rentaro.

Even when he asked how Danzo had told him, it was still Danzo who had told him...

Jozu eventually ran out of questions and stopped asking. Since he had already set foot on this path and made a decision, what he could do was trust Rentaro.

Now, Juzo was betting on the future of Kirigakure in this thrilling venture.

"Just ahead!"

Aoba suddenly paused, pointing ahead to where Minato and his group were, then slowly said to the following Seven Ninja Swordsmen.

"Now, they haven't noticed us yet. It's the best time to strike at them!"

"Remember!"

"This operation has been agreed upon with Danzo!"

"Inside and outside together, we execute the mission to kill Namikaze Minato!"

"Our only target is to kill Namikaze Minato. Other people and tasks are irrelevant. If there is no substantial obstruction, do not easily harm their lives!"

Aoba spoke methodically, briefing the Seven Ninja Swordsmen on the mission-related topics. Such talk would normally be very puzzling—why show mercy to the enemy during a mission?

But.

This was the situation now.

And Aoba had provided them with a very reasonable explanation...

"I understand."

Juzo nodded, fully embracing the concept under Aoba's guidance.

After all, this mission was to cooperate with the Third Hokage of Konoha.

As long as Minato was eliminated, the mission would be considered complete.

This way.

Konoha and Kirigakure could maintain a very friendly relationship.

So, wherever possible, it was best not to harm Konoha's ninjas. Juzo has fully comprehended and understood this premise. He saw no issues with Aoba's instructions; instead, it made them more rational in executing the task.

"Brothers!"

Juzo's gaze swept over the other six members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen; then he commanded, "Let's go!"