While everyone was discussing the battle plan, the target village was still living in blissful ignorance, with only one person aware that danger had quietly arrived. Of course, it was debatable whether this individual could even be considered human.
"The Konoha ninja have already arrived here," Black Zetsu muttered, slowly emerging from the ground in one of the village houses.
Although the Jashinists had enhanced their strength by consuming secret medicine, they were very unskilled in traditional ninja techniques. They couldn't detect the Anbu and Intelligence Division members outside the village; every movement of theirs was closely monitored and recorded.
At this time, most of the Jashinists were in the village. Although a few had left, they were insignificant, as Anbu members would deal with them. The Aerial Combat Unit only needed to eliminate all the gathered Jashinists.
While these Jashinists remained oblivious, Black Zetsu, who was accustomed to appearing and disappearing like a ghost, had long noticed someone monitoring the area. Relying on his unparalleled stealth abilities, even Konoha's Anbu hadn't detected Black Zetsu's movements. After a quick reconnaissance, Black Zetsu keenly sensed a change in the atmosphere, knowing that the Konoha ninja were preparing to close their net.
Uchiha Kokuya had stated that only the immortal Jashinists needed to be taken away. In the upcoming battle, only these individuals might still be useful; the other Jashinists were merely ordinary cannon fodder.
Although Black Zetsu had managed this village for years, he felt no affection for humans, only a utilitarian mindset. Upon learning of the Konoha ninja's impending attack, Black Zetsu had no intention of warning the Jashinists, thinking it best to let them perish.
Honestly, these Jashinists were a group of fanatics whose minds had been warped by their faith. Black Zetsu felt no pain for them. If not for the unauthorized actions of a few Jashinists back then, their demise might not have come so quickly.
This was the result of their own actions. Black Zetsu believed it was the Jashinists' destiny, and since it was destiny, they should accept it willingly.
"Speaking of which, the Konoha ninja have really created some remarkable things," Black Zetsu mused, recalling the Aerial Combat Unit he had seen during his reconnaissance. Although they were somewhat scattered and flew high, they couldn't escape Black Zetsu's sight. This operation would likely involve these flying ninja.
Black Zetsu had read the Konoha Ninja Village newspaper and had seen this unit appear in the Konoha Ninja Village's athletic tournament. At that time, they seemed like mere flashy novelties, but now they appeared to have become a formidable force. He wondered how they would perform.
Black Zetsu suddenly considered whether he should still warn the Jashinists, to see how vigilant Jashinists would perform against such a combat unit. Although he didn't know what combat methods the Aerial Combat Unit would employ, he understood that a surprise attack and a prepared response were two different things.
Of course, this was assuming the difference in combat capabilities wasn't too great. If the disparity was too vast, their performances wouldn't be significantly different.
Black Zetsu, cloaked in a black robe, walked out of the room. He saw the Jashinists outside, dressed like farmers. They appeared simple and honest on the surface, but secretly they were a cruel and violent bunch. Having lived for so many years, such humans still surprised Black Zetsu.
Black Zetsu silently entered a room. There was a secret passage here. He had someone call over the immortal Jashinists, saying he had something to discuss.
After entering the secret passage, there was a hidden room where people could talk. Black Zetsu waited there. After a while, three men walked in. They had changed out of their common clothes and into their prayer attire. Upon entering the room, they bowed to Black Zetsu.
Black Zetsu's existence was very peculiar, completely unlike a normal human. Uchiha Kokuya even referred to him as his clone, which immediately stunned these shallow-minded Jashinists. They had heard of the unique clones of each ninja village, such as Water Clones and Sand Clones, but Black Zetsu's "clone" was clearly more advanced, beyond their imagination.
Therefore, even though Uchiha Kokuya himself was not present, Black Zetsu still commanded the reverence of the believers. However, he was still not comparable to Uchiha Kokuya, otherwise those few Jashinists wouldn't have acted on their own.
"I called you here today to tell you something," Black Zetsu said, getting straight to the point without beating around the bush. "I have received intelligence that the Konoha Ninja Village has decided to take action against this village. This village is doomed."
"What? My lord! Is what you say true?" one of the believers asked in surprise.
"Of course it's true. They are already in the vicinity. Time is urgent, and we must immediately make arrangements for withdrawal," Black Zetsu said indifferently.
Upon learning that the Konoha ninja had arrived nearby, the three believers were shocked. Then another believer spoke, "Since they've come, let's fight them. It's a good opportunity to display the power of Lord Jashin and let those Konoha ninja know we're not to be trifled with!"
After the Jashinists were severely suppressed by the Konoha Ninja Village-led purge operation years ago, every Jashinist harbored hatred for the Konoha Ninja Village.
"Hmph, reckless bravery. Although your abilities are decent, the gap with others is quite large. The Konoha Ninja Village has come meticulously prepared this time; one or two of you alone cannot turn the tide," Black Zetsu glanced at them. "The most important thing now is to preserve our strength. I will take you to meet the cult leader. The cult leader needs your power, and it won't be too late to retaliate against the Konoha Ninja Village then."
Upon hearing that they could assist the cult leader, the three immediately showed expressions of pleasant surprise. They hadn't seen the cult leader in a long time, but due to the cult leader's consistent actions, they were deeply impressed and believed that the cult leader was the earthly manifestation of Lord Jashin, willing to sacrifice everything for him.
Since the cult leader needed their power, they naturally had no intention of fighting here in vain. The remaining person then asked what to do about the other believers.
"The cult leader will soon undertake an earth-shattering operation, and for that, time must be gained. They are to remain here to deceive the Konoha Ninja Village. Do not grieve for them; this is a necessary sacrifice for Lord Jashin's descent into this world. They will surely feel honored," Black Zetsu said.
The three immediately nodded. As fanatical believers, they would spare no effort for the needs of Jashin, even their own lives. Everyone in this village shared this resolve.
So, all three abandoned the idea of trying to protect the villagers and help them escape, because it was the cult leader's command, and the believers who sacrificed themselves for it would surely feel joy.
"Alright, let's plan how to leave here. Konoha Ninja Village's Anbu has put this place under surveillance. Although there are some underground passages, it's uncertain if they've been detected," Black Zetsu said.
While they were halfway through their map-based calculations, a sudden change occurred. A dull sound came from outside, and even the secret room seemed to shake.
The four looked up and exchanged glances. Black Zetsu immediately realized that the Konoha Ninja Village had launched an attack. He hadn't expected them to arrive so quickly. Despite being newcomers, they initiated the battle at such a rapid pace, indicating great confidence in their strength.
"Let's go out and see what's happening," Black Zetsu said. He couldn't just leave; he still needed to see how Konoha Ninja Village's new unit would perform.
At this moment, the Aerial Combat Unit was above the village, dropping spherical ninja tools one by one. Their appearance easily brought bombs to mind, but these were not explosion-based ninja tools primarily using Fire Release. Instead, they were made using the principles of Lightning Release and Wind Release, emitting loud noises and flashes of lightning.
Although they lacked the powerful destructive capability of explosive tags, they were highly effective in rapidly weakening the opponent's physical state. This was a new tool developed by the Research and Development Department after the Second Shinobi World War, representing a further advancement in new ninja tool manufacturing concepts.
By the time the villagers noticed the Aerial Combat Unit in the sky, it was too late. A barrage of projectiles rained down. Although the villagers instinctively grabbed the nearest weapons, the sudden explosions and bright flashes still caused ringing in their ears, blurred vision, and a faint sensation of paralysis in their bodies, causing them to lose balance and fall to their knees or lie prostrate, in various positions.
Immediately after, the members of the Aerial Combat Unit threw a large number of kunai, sweeping towards the ground. Each kunai was imbued with wind-nature chakra. Those in open areas were instantly struck in vital points and fell to the ground.
However, the condition of these Jashinists was different from ordinary people. The secret medicine they consumed was carefully formulated by Uchiha Kokuya, which, while enhancing chakra, also gradually "puppetized" their bodies. This didn't mean they literally turned into puppets, but rather, like puppets, they became fearless of pain and death, their human emotions slowly disappearing until, in the final stage, they would be like true puppets.
Coupled with the effects of chakra, the believers below quickly recovered—or perhaps they hadn't truly recovered, but their diminished senses made them ignore their physical abnormalities—and hastily sought cover. Although the wind-enchanted kunai were incredibly sharp, it was indeed difficult to eliminate everyone below at once.
"As expected, it's not that easy to deal with," Hattori Hanzo observed, nodding slightly. If he hadn't been concerned about preserving clues, he could have ordered them to throw explosive ninja tools, leveling the village. Unless they were hiding underground, no one would have survived.
However, the Aerial Combat Unit couldn't do that now. They had to eliminate the enemy Jashinists as "gently" as possible. Fortunately, there was one person who could be the core of this combat method.
"Switch to special kunai," Hattori Hanzo commanded.
All members of the Aerial Combat Unit immediately switched to new kunai. During this time, the believers on the ground attempted to counterattack, but lacking long-range attack methods, they couldn't threaten the Aerial Combat Unit in the sky. They could only watch them switch weapons, unable to do anything.
It was like slowly approaching death, causing a faint sense of dread among the believers on the ground. However, their senses, numbed by the secret medicine, quickly made them ignore this, and they attempted various counter-attacks, all in vain.
The Jashinists had little in the way of ninjutsu traditions, focusing mainly on taijutsu. In other ninja villages, they might not have been able to use ninjutsu to attack targets so high up, let alone them.
And then, the special kunai once again rained down. Although still incredibly sharp, they could somewhat endure for a while by using the cover of buildings.
However, they would soon realize that this was a mistaken notion.
The entire village was covered in kunai; either they were dodged, or they were endured. As long as a vital point wasn't struck, they could still move, giving the impression that they wouldn't stop until their bodies were completely ruined.
"Now, I'm counting on you," Hattori Hanzo said, looking at Minato Namikaze.
"Yes," Minato Namikaze nodded. This was the main battle plan: to fill the village with Flying Thunder God kunai, and then have Minato Namikaze use the Flying Thunder God to rapidly jump and kill. This was precisely to demonstrate his qualities as a Flying Thunder God user.
From the current perspective, the Jashinists had nothing impressive to offer. Having the Aerial Combat Unit perform high-altitude dives seemed to be no problem, but due to the buildings, their speed might be hindered by obstacles, allowing the enemy to seize an opportunity. The only way to avoid this was with the instantaneous jumps of the Flying Thunder God.
In close-quarters combat, the only one who could ensure absolute safety was Minato Namikaze. Minato Namikaze could sense the location of every Flying Thunder God kunai. He could precisely sense the jutsu formulas on them, and at this moment, the Yamanaka clan transmitted the positions of personnel whose vision was blocked by obstacles into Minato Namikaze's consciousness through a secret technique.
Minato Namikaze quickly reviewed them, then began forming hand signs. This was not a simple Flying Thunder God jump, but a secret technique of multiple jumps for assassination.
"Flying Thunder God: Flashing Spiral."
As the words fell, Minato Namikaze's figure vanished. A golden afterimage instantly appeared on the ground. A nearby believer had only just seen it when his neck was severed. In his fading consciousness, he could only see a golden figure swirling away like a whirlwind.
If viewed from high above, it looked as if a golden whirlwind had erupted on the ground. Due to the continuous jumps to multiple positions, it resembled a golden vortex, and anyone caught within it would lose their life.
"Is this the true power of a Flying Thunder God user?" Hattori Hanzo had heard of the legendary secret technique of the Flying Thunder God, but even the Second Hokage had never used it in such a way.
Minato Namikaze had pushed the Flying Thunder God Technique to an entirely new realm, perhaps completely surpassing the Second Hokage, the previous Flying Thunder God user, to become an even more powerful Flying Thunder God user.
When Minato Namikaze soared from the ground to high altitude, there were no longer any living people on the ground. In a short time, Minato Namikaze had eliminated at least eighty Jashinists in one go.
This achievement was enough to astonish anyone. Eliminating eighty or more people was not difficult; renowned strong individuals in the ninja world could do it. However, to accomplish it in such a short time was practically unprecedented.
Watching Minato Namikaze's performance, Hattori Hanzo thought that if the ninja world were to bestow a lasting title upon Minato Namikaze, he should be called the Yellow Flash.
Only this title could match Minato Namikaze's current performance.