"If the Shimura clan is this rich, the Sarutobi clan must be rolling in it!" Kushina muttered indignantly.
"Is this what protects Konoha? Root and the Hokage? They sound more like leeches sucking the village dry!"
"Leeches is too kind," Kurama grunted in agreement. "They're tumors. Rotting the village from the inside out."
"They embezzle the assets of the fallen," Kushina spat. "Disgusting."
"Kill them all," Kurama said, sounding entirely serious. "Leave no one standing."
Minato tuned out the violent chatter from his wife and the fox. "We aren't here for revenge or slaughter. We need to keep the noise down."
He pointed toward the rear of the mansion. "We aren't stopping here. The shrine Menma mentioned is deeper in."
Hidan scratched his head, looking genuinely confused. "Not killing? Then why'd you call me here? You didn't just want me for a cardio workout, did you?"
Minato sighed. It seemed the only word Hidan had actually listened to during the briefing was "kill."
"Hidan, let me repeat the objective. We raid and destroy the two Root bases your master mentioned. I'll handle the blood collection. You'll use your curse ritual to take them out instantly. Kushina and Kurama will block the exits."
Minato paused, making sure he had their attention. "We move fast, we hit hard, and we stay quiet. Understood?"
As a mere chakra fragment—essentially a shadow clone—Minato's physical form was fragile. He planned to rely entirely on the Flying Thunder God Technique for hit-and-run strikes, avoiding direct combat. Since he was linked to Menma's chakra, he wouldn't run out of energy. Even if Menma couldn't keep up, the Nine-Tails served as a reliable backup battery.
"Understood," Hidan grinned, twirling his Three-Month Scythe. "I guarantee the victims will feel the blessing of Jashin-sama. They'll experience the ultimate pleasure!"
Minato stared at him. So he only heard "blood" and "kill." Everything else was white noise.
"Hahaha! You're entertaining, kid. I like you," Kurama laughed, slapping Hidan on the shoulder. Hidan flinched away, looking disgusted.
Kushina smiled sweetly. "Minato, you're so thoughtful and—"
She cut herself off, her hair whipping around her as her expression turned demonic.
"Just kidding! If you keep yapping, I'm going to make you regret it!"
Minato flinched at the shout. "Right! Follow me!"
---
Shimura Clan Shrine
Two Root ninjas patrolled the dark underground passage. Suddenly, a kunai etched with strange markings flew out of the darkness.
Reacting on instinct, both ninjas twisted their heads to dodge, but the kunai didn't pass them—it vanished.
In its place stood Minato, draped in a pure white divine robe.
"Guh—"
They tried to scream, but their voices came out as hoarse wheezes. A sharp, searing pain shot through their throats, followed by a warm, wet flow of liquid.
Blood. Their own blood, spilling from slit throats.
"Eleventh. Twelfth," Minato whispered, his voice echoing like a phantom's.
These were just chunin-level Root agents. Even in his weakened form, he could drop them with a single strike.
As the bodies hit the floor, a barrage of shuriken erupted from the depths of the base.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
"The Fourth Hokage? Minato Namikaze?!"
"No way! It's impossible!"
Minato dodged the projectiles with a sigh. "Discovered so quickly? Their security isn't bad."
He looked toward the voice. "A Jōnin of the Shimura clan? I remember you. We met once, about a decade ago. Looks like there are a few surprises hidden in this base."
He flicked his wrist. Several kunai tagged with the Flying Thunder God seal materialized in mid-air, shooting off in different directions.
"Who are you?!" the Shimura Jōnin roared, shock and rage warring on his face. "Kill him! Anyone impersonating the Fourth Hokage dies on sight!"
The Jōnin didn't demand capture alive—his torture techniques required intact heads, and that was it.
"Call it whatever you want," Minato said. "You'll find out the truth soon enough."
His body flickered out of existence, replaced instantly by a kunai in the distance. He reappeared directly in front of the Shimura Jōnin.
"Flying Thunder God Technique!"
"No! That's impossible!"
The signature ninjutsu shattered the Jōnin's skepticism. If he had doubts before, they were gone now.
"The Fourth Hokage is alive! Everyone, run! Get the message out!"
The Jōnin barely dodged Minato's strike, taking a shallow cut to his arm. He screamed at the top of his lungs, knowing exactly what he meant for the Hidden Leaf. In the Third Shinobi World War, the Yellow Flash was the one enemy you were allowed to abandon your mission and run from.
Now, he had returned. And he was hunting Root.
"There's no escape," Minato said softly. He failed to land the fatal blow, but he didn't attack again. Instead, he gently flicked the bloodied kunai away, teleporting it to safety.
"But don't worry. It'll only hurt for a moment."
The gentle tone sent a chill down the Jōnin's spine. Before he could speak, Minato vanished. In the distance, flashes of yellow light flickered, and bodies crumpled to the floor.
The Yellow Flash. The nightmare of every battlefield.
"I have to run! While he's distracted!" The Jōnin snapped out of his terror a few seconds later. He spun around to flee.
He barely lifted his foot before a piercing pain shot through his chest.
It felt like a steel needle had pierced his heart. He looked down, touching his chest. It was wet and warm.
"Why..."
Confusion and fear froze on his face as he collapsed heavily to the ground.