Namikaze Minato is injured

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Cough cough.

Muzan was in the process of evolving his body. His nerves were gradually connecting to his brain, and after absorbing enough nutrients, they had begun to extend slowly toward his heart. The activation technique Orochimaru had given him was saving him a great deal of time and proving to be extremely effective.

Just as Muzan was immersed in his experiment, he suddenly heard urgent shouts from outside.

"Muzan-sama! Muzan-sama!"

The calls pulled Muzan out of his concentration. His hands trembled slightly, damaging the newly connected nerves. His expression turned cold and arrogant as he stood, exuding an aura of menace.

The blood-red eyes beneath his black robe bore down on the ninja who had disturbed him. Muzan's gaze was sharp and intimidating. If the ninja didn't have a proper explanation, they would soon understand the true meaning of cruelty.

"What happened?" Muzan demanded icily.

The ninja shuddered under his gaze and, with a trembling voice, explained the situation.

"Minato-sama is injured."

"How could that be?" Muzan asked, narrowing his eyes.

If Namikaze Minato had wanted to escape, no one could stop him. Not even the elites of Kumogakure could lay a hand on him.

Following the ninja, Muzan arrived at the medical camp at the rear. A faint, foul odor hung in the air around Minato, causing Muzan to frown. This was no ordinary injury.

Several medical-nin were gathered around Minato, desperately trying to suppress the effects of the poison. When they noticed Muzan approaching, one of them quickly reported:

"Muzan-sama, Namikaze Minato-sama has been poisoned. We've done everything we can, but nothing is working."

Muzan brushed past the crowd and approached Minato, who lay pale on the bed, the corners of his mouth tinged with a purple hue.

Wasting no time, Muzan opened Minato's chest and saw a black line slowly creeping toward his heart. If the poison reached Minato's heart, even someone as powerful as him wouldn't survive.

"A ninja's strength is in offense, not defense," Muzan muttered, his voice low. "Even the fastest shinobi can be brought down by a lethal poison."

He inspected Minato's palm, where the black wound continued to seep toxic blood. Muzan quickly used a chakra scalpel to delay the spread of the poison, carefully excising the toxic areas. Then he employed a cell activation technique along with a self-healing jutsu to hasten the recovery.

In the past, Muzan wouldn't have dared to perform such a delicate procedure, but now, with his enhanced abilities, he worked with unmatched precision.

"Prepare a blood transfusion," Muzan ordered.

His method was straightforward: after removing the poisoned tissues, he squeezed out the remaining toxins from Minato's body. Using his refined chakra control, Muzan navigated through Minato's bloodstream, cleansing it of the poison.

Then, Muzan made a small cut on his own wrist, letting his own blood mix with Minato's, accelerating the detoxification process.

The operation took a full hour, and by the end of it, Muzan had removed all the poison. Minato's life was saved, but he would need time to recover.

However, Muzan couldn't help but wonder—who was capable of injuring Namikaze Minato?

To ensure Minato's condition stabilized, Muzan remained at the camp after the operation. When Minato eventually regained consciousness, Muzan immediately asked:

"You went after the One-Tail's Jinchuuriki, didn't you? Shukaku isn't known for using poison. How did this happen?"

Cough cough.

Minato, still pale and weak, coughed softly and leaned back against his pillow.

"There were no issues at first," he began, his voice hoarse. "When I was about to unseal the One-Tail's Jinchuuriki, a toxin was released from the Jinchuuriki's body."

"Ebizo of Sunagakure was with the Jinchuuriki."

Everyone in the room knew Ebizo. As Chiyo's brother and a revered figure in Sunagakure, he was a formidable opponent. It explained why he hadn't been seen during Konoha's attack—he had been lurking in the shadows, protecting the Jinchuuriki.

"I also encountered a concealed weapon," Minato added. "It was ejected toward me, and I tried to destroy it using the Flying Thunder God, but it grazed my hand."

"The mission was still a success, though."

At the last moment, Minato had struck a nearby pillar with his Rasengan, creating enough chaos to escape and return to Konoha.

"That's good enough," Muzan said quietly.

Konoha already knew that the One-Tail's Jinchuuriki, the elder monk, was long past his prime. Orochimaru's mission for Minato was simply to speed up Sunagakure's timeline. Failure had minimal consequences.

Even though Sunagakure had sealing techniques, their methods for controlling tailed beasts were far inferior to Konoha's. Finding someone capable of keeping Shukaku in check wouldn't be easy, especially during a war when so many had fallen.

"They won't dare use the One-Tail," Muzan added with certainty.

Just as Muzan was finishing his thoughts, footsteps echoed from outside the tent. Orochimaru entered, his eyes briefly widening at the sight of Minato's condition before he turned his attention back to Muzan.

He didn't inquire about Minato's injury; all that mattered to him was whether the mission had succeeded.

After hearing Minato's account, Orochimaru pondered for a moment.

"It all depends on how Sunagakure reacts."

Sunagakure's forces were still stationed at the border. If they retreated, it would mean the mission was a success.

"We'll wait for the report, but the likelihood of success is high."

If anyone could claim the title of Hokage, it would be Namikaze Minato. Among the powerful shinobi of Orochimaru's generation, none sought the position of Hokage. That left Minato, who was already as strong as the Third Raikage, to assume leadership.

Orochimaru had no desire to kill Minato. In truth, he cared little for rivals—becoming Hokage only meant dealing with problems that interfered with his experiments.

Shortly after, a ninja entered the tent with a report.

"Sir, Sunagakure's forces have begun retreating!"

This confirmed it—Minato's mission was a success. Even if the One-Tail's Jinchuuriki wasn't dead, he was likely in poor condition. Sunagakure would now scramble to find a new Jinchuuriki, and they would need powerful protectors to oversee the process. If another riot like the last one occurred and no one could suppress it, it would spell disaster for Sunagakure.

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