Within his sight, six figures appeared. They were divided into two small squads of three.
"Nara Shikaku, Yamanaka Inoichi, Namikaze Minato... The other three are women. Judging by their markings and the ninja dogs they carry, that's Inuzuka Tsume?"
He made quick assessments of their identities. The distinctive appearances associated with the Yamanaka, Nara, and Inuzuka clans were still recognizable at a distance. The appearance of Namikaze Minato stirred something in him, though he kept his composure.
These members of Konoha's golden generation were all several years older than him. This was also the first time he had seen them face to face.
Of course, it was possible that he had already clashed in a previous encounter with Yamanaka Inoichi and Nara Shikaku when Konoha had sent pursuit forces after his squad in the Land of Grass. But it wasn't entirely certain whether those two had been among the members of that particular team.
Although they were all plot characters, if one considered their current fame in the ninja world, the Ino-Shika-Cho formation of this generation was slightly more prominent than the others.
A name like Namikaze Minato, at this point in time, didn't yet carry much presence in the wider ninja world. These six people combined might not have more weight of reputation than he and Sasori currently held.
He continued his analysis without pause.
Ino-Shika-Cho was not at full formation here. Yamanaka Inoichi was a sensory ninja. Nara Shikaku was a strategist. Sarutobi Hiruzen sending these two was clearly for the purpose of quickly investigating the Sand Village's movements in the border combat zone and analyzing them in real time.
Inuzuka Tsume's squad had at least two Jonin among them. But among all six, the most dangerous was without question Namikaze Minato.
His brain moved through the analysis rapidly.
Namikaze Minato's speed was in a category of its own among Leaf Village ninja. As the leading member of the forward team, completing the village's strategic reconnaissance mission, he was the most suitable candidate available.
Furthermore, Yuji's ocular jutsu allowed him to observe multiple people from a distance simultaneously and perceive the chakra flow within their bodies clearly, which let him form accurate assessments of each target's current strength.
He was also wondering: who was commanding the Leaf Village's rear forces? Orochimaru? A senior official? Or was the Hokage himself entering the field?
Hmm.
At that moment, Yuji noticed something. Among the six, Namikaze Minato appeared to be speaking quietly to the others. And then, the chakra flow within all six of them changed in a clearly deliberate way.
Interesting.
They had been detected. His and Sasori's concealment had been thorough, yet they had still been found. As much as he didn't want to accept it, the chakra signatures within the group made the situation clear.
And the first one to notice something was wrong had not been Yamanaka Inoichi. It had been Minato.
His gaze sharpened.
Was Namikaze Minato's sensory perception actually superior to Yamanaka Inoichi's? That was somewhat extraordinary.
Mastering an S-rank space-time technique like the Flying Thunder God already required exceptional talent, but Minato's level of situational awareness and perceptive ability exceeded what the technique alone demanded.
The Flying Thunder God Technique required far more than simply knowing the jutsu. The user had to be capable of recognizing and locking onto spatial coordinates simultaneously, which was just the foundational requirement.
Because the movement speed was so extreme, the user's reaction time had to match it. Otherwise the technique could never be pushed to its full potential. And to keep conscious awareness operating at that speed, chakra manipulation and control could not be slow.
The Flying Thunder God demanded comprehensive ability from the practitioner across every dimension, not exceptional skill in one isolated area.
To possess this kind of aptitude, to potentially surpass even the technique's creator and master, exceeding the level of the Second Hokage Senju Tobirama, only Namikaze Minato was capable of it.
No wonder. In the Great Ninja War to come, the order that would eventually be issued across all the great villages to temporarily abandon their missions and prioritize escape if they encountered the Yellow Flash of Konoha on the battlefield was not unreasonable at all.
"Namikaze Minato was part of this group," Yuji said quietly, continuing to relay information to Sasori while observing. "Be careful. We may have already been detected."
"Were we discovered? How did the enemy manage it?"
Although Sasori's expression remained cold, a brief flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
A moment later, as the six members of Minato's group quickly closed the remaining distance, they finally appeared at a nearby intersection.
The future Fourth Hokage.
Yuji's gaze settled on the figure with the bright blond hair.
The six moved along the road in a front-and-back formation, their expressions showing no outward sign of anything unusual.
If he hadn't been observing them through his ocular jutsu from the beginning, their expressions and reactions alone would not have revealed that he and Sasori had been detected.
Soon, both teams passed below the mountain where he and Sasori were concealed. This was the closest point between them, one side in the open and one in the shadows. The six people appeared to still be in a hurry to reach their destination.
Then, following a sudden subtle gesture from Minato, the entire group's formation shifted and transformed in an instant.
They launched themselves upward like bolts of lightning, shooting toward the two figures hiding in the mountains and forest.
If it hadn't been for the early warning, the six might have caught them completely off guard with the suddenness of the formation shift.
"Woof!"
As they darted into the forest, Inuzuka Tsume let out a sharp bark.
"Here!"
The woman's cold laugh cut through the air, her eyes locking instantly onto the two figures concealed behind the trees.
"Gatsuga!"
Beast Imitation Technique. The ninja dog Hira transformed into human form with a heavy thud. Working in perfect coordination with Tsume, the two spun rapidly, becoming two tornadoes of force that struck toward the hiding figures with astonishing power.
Every member of this vanguard team had been assigned here for a reason. They were each capable of handling unexpected situations of any kind.
Even though Yamanaka Inoichi's secret techniques had failed to detect any enemy presence, the Inuzuka clan's sense of smell combined with Minato's perception abilities had provided the supplementary means to sense the hidden danger and ensure the team's safety on the approach to the combat zone.
The team maintained excellent mobility and comprehensive defensive awareness even while moving at speed. They were concealed and undetected themselves while actively observing the surrounding environment and relaying information back to the main force rushing toward the village.
Boom.
Yuji and Sasori dodged in the same instant. The two separated, each pressing against a large tree trunk as the attack struck where they had been standing, the trunk exploding in a flash and sending splinters of wood spraying outward in all directions.
Yuji leaped clear.
His eyes were focused and sharp.
This technique again. He had once fought against a member of the Inuzuka clan before, and that encounter had left a deep impression. He understood exactly how powerful the Beast Imitation Technique was.
Rumble, rumble, rumble.
The two terrifying physical whirlwinds, after shattering the tree trunks, showed no sign of stopping. They shifted their trajectories and continued pressing forward, following closely behind the two moving figures. Trees were destroyed in rapid succession along their path as the Gatsuga drove through the forest.
Swoosh.
At that very moment, a figure moved from a concealed position, seemingly in advance of where Yuji was about to land, anticipating his movement and rushing forward.
A projectile came in.
A single drop of blood deflected it mid-air.
Namikaze Minato.
Yuji recognized his fighting style and technique immediately. He could not allow what was about to happen to proceed unchecked.
Minato discarded the deflected weapon without hesitation, because a weapon that had come that close was very likely already marked with a Flying Thunder God seal. But just as Yuji was calculating that, Minato's body had already shifted, moving ahead of the trajectory in a hunched posture, reaching behind himself and producing an entirely new weapon from a different source.
He raised his face slowly.
…
Bonus @200 PS