Lishi Fortress had once been a small oasis at the edge of the Yellow Floating Pagoda Desert, first built in the waning days of the First Kazekage, Reto. Its original purpose was to serve as an eastern outpost, keeping a wary eye on the growing might of Konoha. The Second Kazekage, Shamon, later expanded it, and during the Second Great Ninja War, the Third Kazekage, Jinghang, made his name here—defeating eight hundred enemies single-handedly and capturing Konoha's White Fang, Sakumo Hatake.
A decade had passed—clouds shifting, fortunes changing. Now, looking at the rusted iron plates "welded" to the main keep, Jinghang was flooded with nostalgia. He couldn't help but recall that famous poem:
"Back then, the battle raged fierce, bullet holes riddled the village walls. Now, these passes, adorned by war, seem even grander than before."
The scene was almost too fitting.
But this return wasn't for reminiscing about "revolutionary days." He was here to survey the battlefield.
Since the end of the Second Great Ninja War, Lishi Fortress had been abandoned, its garrison withdrawn. With peace came no need for a forward outpost. More importantly, in Jinghang's original defense plans, the first line was always the desert itself—a natural barrier. During the anti-bandit campaigns, they'd seized Lao Wan Camp, whose location let them cover the entire Yellow Floating Pagoda Desert, making Lishi Fortress less strategically vital.
But now, everything had changed. With Konoha's main force pressing in, active defense meant pushing the strategic center forward—preventing Konoha from establishing a foothold or logistics hub here. The desert before the fortress was the perfect battlefield; in basketball terms, this was "fronting defense."
Over ten thousand Sunagakure field troops had quietly redeployed to Lao Wan Camp—a day's journey by warship, even less for Jinghang in his Lightning Armor. He'd rushed ahead to inspect the site and gauge the work needed to restore the fortress.
Plop!
Jinghang tossed a stone into the fortress well.
"Not bad. The well's still good."
With water, the basics for a garrison were met. There were two wells in total, both still flowing—enough for a force of ten thousand.
The buildings were old, but solid. Back when Shamon expanded the place, he'd set a rule: three hundred defenders should be able to hold out five days against two thousand attackers. The design was clever, the construction robust. If the Rain Country war hadn't forced a mass troop withdrawal, even Sakumo Hatake wouldn't have come close to taking it.
But the fortress was far too small for ten thousand men. Jinghang paced through the cluster of keeps, sizing up the area. Should he tear it down and rebuild, or simply expand on the old foundations?
As he walked, something in the corner of his eye caught his attention—a smudge in the corner of a wall.
"Wait... something's off!"
A surge of caution hit him. Instantly, a shell of iron sand snapped up to shield the back of his head, and he unleashed a powerful backward kick.
Clang!
The iron sand blocked a forked kunai, and his kick was stopped by a sturdy armguard.
"Kazekage-sama, it's been years, but your reflexes are as sharp as ever!"
Minato Namikaze's face wore a confident smile.
"What are you smiling at? That smug look of yours pisses me off the most!"
Jinghang scowled.
Minato gave a sheepish grin at the accusation.
There was a bit of personal grudge in those words.
Before transmigrating, Jinghang actually liked Minato—he'd easily make his personal top three. But after living in this world, it was a different story.
The more he saw, the less he liked.
Good-looking, sunny, generous to his allies, ruthless and cautious with his enemies, smart, strong—every girl's dream. In the ninja world, the last man this perfect and unmarried was Jinghang himself.
And to top it off, this guy was the future Fourth Hokage.
As the saying goes, a talented rival is a threat to your own nation.
So it was only natural for Jinghang to find him insufferable.
"I'm curious, Kazekage-sama—how did you develop such lightning-fast reflexes?"
Minato's tone had a hint of respectful flattery.
"Hmph."
Jinghang pointed disdainfully at the corner, where a marking was clearly visible.
"Look at you—so full of yourself. 'Sword of Ninja Love'? We Sunagakure shinobi don't scribble graffiti everywhere."
Minato looked properly chastened.
"Sorry about that..."
But Jinghang remained impatient.
"Are you for real? Chatting with me while secretly placing jutsu marks, and then playing dumb? Could you make those Ink Movement Technique hand seals any more obvious?"
Minato's face turned deadly serious.
"I didn't realize Kazekage-sama was so well-versed. Impressive..."
"Cut the crap!"
"Why so rude, Kazekage-sama?"
"To invaders, you won't get any polite words from me!"
For a moment, Minato was speechless.
"This is a Sunagakure military fortress. You, a Konoha ninja, show up here—if that's not an invasion, what is?"
Minato's expression darkened.
"Then what does Kazekage-sama intend to do?"
"Either surrender—or die!"
Jinghang barked.
"Then I suppose I'll have to see for myself what makes Kazekage-sama so formidable!"
Minato drew his signature forked kunai, spinning it with a flourish.
Tch, if you want to fight, just fight—why pose? That handsome face was getting more annoying by the second. Might as well strike first!
Magnet Release: Iron Sand Drizzle!
A barrage of iron sand bullets swept toward Minato.
He vanished instantly, reappearing at the marked corner from before. With a flick, he hurled a special kunai at Jinghang, then charged in.
Jinghang caught the move with a sidelong glance, sneering inwardly.
Trying to pull a Flying Thunder God double strike on me?
If you're going to play, don't use a kunai!
As the kunai closed within two or three meters, Jinghang activated Magnet Release—and the kunai shot back even faster.
"Ugh!"
With a heavy thud, Minato, clutching his kunai, slammed into the wall.
"Perfect timing," Jinghang grinned.
Guess all those years reading manga paid off.
This was Minato's classic tactic: throw a kunai that seems aimed at the enemy, but actually misses by half a body length. Veterans know not to focus on a kunai that can't hit them—they keep their eyes on the charging enemy.
Then, at just the right moment, Minato would teleport to the kunai, which by then was usually right next to the target. The sudden appearance often caught opponents off guard.
But Jinghang played dirty—just as Minato was about to appear, he made the kunai smash into the wall. Knock you down first, then talk.
Minato's eyes now burned with killing intent. He pushed himself up, hand against the wall.
"What are you glaring at? Keep it up and I'll gouge out your eyeballs and use them as stepping stones! Still glaring? Magnet Release: Tightening Curse!"
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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