[Minato Namikaze – Golden Flash]
[Ninjutsu 1: Flying Thunder God – Skip your current turn entirely.]
[Ninjutsu 2: Will of Fire – After being killed, immediately revive one chosen ally.]
"Minato's two abilities look seriously strong," someone muttered while studying the new card. "The first one is pure survival. The second one lets you protect your whole team. If the player's a loyal retainer, it's basically giving your leader two lives."
"Fits Minato perfectly," another player agreed. "He sacrificed himself to seal the Nine-Tails and save Konoha. A hundred-percent loyal shinobi. Sunagakure actually respects him."
Some fans guessed Rasa must admire Minato too. The two had fought to a standstill and clearly recognized each other's strength. Rumors even claimed Rasa had once tried to recruit him. "If Minato had been in Sand, he probably wouldn't have died during the Nine-Tails rampage. Rasa's really good at handling Tailed Beasts."
Konoha fans immediately pushed back. "Sand only has the One-Tail. We've got the Nine-Tails. Completely different levels. Rasa handling Shukaku doesn't mean he could've stopped Kurama."
Others questioned the timing. "Why did Sand suddenly drop a new Ninja Kill update right after Minato died? The game needed fresh cards, sure, but this feels too convenient."
Guesses flew everywhere. Some said it was pure coincidence—players had been begging for updates and the bootleg versions felt cheap. Others thought Rasa was defending Minato's honor. "Rasa and Minato respected each other. Rasa's pissed that Konoha let Minato die, so he gave him the 'Will of Fire' ability. It's a subtle way of saying Hiruzen should've sacrificed himself instead."
Inside the Hokage Tower, Hiruzen stared at the five new cards with a face like thunder. The other four didn't matter. Minato's card made his blood boil the second he read it.
"That little desert rat did this on purpose," Hiruzen growled. "He's humiliating me. Giving Minato the 'Will of Fire' as a personal jutsu is basically screaming that I should've been the one to die. I'm old, so I'm expendable? That's the Will of Fire now?"
He crushed the card in his fist. "Rasa's good at steering public opinion, I'll give him that. A talent like him coming out of that barren wasteland is almost impressive."
The more Hiruzen thought about it, the angrier he got. Age had only made him more obsessed with reputation. Whispers and newspaper articles eventually faded, but Ninja Kill was different. The game had staying power. Every time someone played Minato, they would remember those two abilities. Minato would become the symbol of the Will of Fire… and Hiruzen would become the symbol of everything opposite.
"Perfect. Just perfect," he muttered through clenched teeth.
He called for Danzo and Homura.
Both men arrived quickly and stood on opposite sides of the room, barely acknowledging each other. Homura was genuinely furious about the Uchiha interview and the new cards. Danzo wore the same angry mask, but inside he was practically cheering. Maybe this would finally force Hiruzen to step down. Orochimaru would take the seat, and Danzo would run everything from the shadows.
Hiruzen killed that hope in one sentence.
"I need the two of you to work together on something," he said flatly. "Sand went too far. The Nine-Tails disaster was already a nightmare for us, and now Rasa is using it to twist the knife. We can't just sit here and take it. If they can spread rumors, so can we."
Both advisors leaned in.
"What rumor are we spreading about Sunagakure?" Homura asked.
Hiruzen's voice turned ice-cold. "We say Sasori of the Red Sand was actually murdered by Rasa. He killed his own rival to clear the path to the Kazekage seat. We also tie the Third Kazekage's disappearance directly to him."