Minato wasn't particularly eager to meet this man—Orochimaru, a senior from the Hidden Leaf Village and a contemporary of his mentor, Jiraiya.
It wasn't because they had once competed for the position of Fourth Hokage. Rather, it was because of Orochimaru's uniquely colored eyes, which always carried a particular emotion—one Minato knew he could never match. It was an absolute calmness filled with indifference and contempt toward all forms of life.
"Lord Orochimaru, is there something you need?" Minato asked. Due to the ongoing war of attrition, Jiraiya-sensei was currently the only one among the Third Hokage's disciples deployed to the battlefield in the Land of Rain.
Orochimaru had stayed behind to lead the village's defensive operations, working alongside Tsunade on this mission.
"Not much," Orochimaru said with a slight smile. "I'm simply here to inform you that your teacher, Jiraiya, has sent intelligence from the front lines. It appears both Sunagakure and Kumogakure have grown weary of this prolonged conflict and are preparing to take decisive action soon."
Upon hearing this, Minato didn't seem particularly surprised.
The Land of Fire, the Land of Earth, and the Land of Wind were all considered major nations, yet their strength paled in comparison to the Land of Fire.
This disparity stemmed from geographical differences—the Land of Wind lay within a vast desert where most of its territory was barren wasteland, while the Land of Earth consisted mostly of desolate cliffs and rocky terrain.
In contrast, the Land of Fire not only had the largest territory but also enjoyed superior geography and abundant resources.
After three or four months of exhausting warfare, Konoha and the Land of Fire barely felt the impact, but the Land of Earth and the Land of Wind could no longer afford to remain passive.
Looking at Orochimaru, Minato spoke with mild surprise. "Lord Orochimaru, what you've just told me sounds like classified intelligence. Isn't it somewhat inappropriate to reveal this information so casually?"
Although this intelligence wasn't critical enough to require strict secrecy, it certainly shouldn't be spread around carelessly either.
Especially considering Minato was only a recently promoted Genin, such information might easily cause panic within the village.
Orochimaru had been watching Minato closely, searching for any sign of fear—but he saw none of what he was expecting.
"Indeed," Orochimaru said with a smile. "Normally, this kind of information wouldn't be shared with just any Genin, but you're different."
"Different?" Minato questioned.
"When Jiraiya reported this to the Third Hokage, he made a special request—that you be sent straight to the battlefield in the Land of Rain to take part in the major operation," Orochimaru explained with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Minato's expression shifted slightly.
"Your teacher sure doesn't waste time throwing his own student into the bloodshed of war," Orochimaru remarked, hoping to see fear in Minato's stunned eyes.
He dismissed the words Minato had spoken at Lady Mito's memorial as nothing more than hollow idealism.
But when Minato's shocked expression gradually returned to calmness, the reaction Orochimaru had anticipated failed to appear on the young ninja's face.
"I see."
Minato replied calmly, then respectfully turned to Orochimaru again and said, "Thank you for informing me about this, Lord Orochimaru."
Seeing this, Orochimaru's tone changed slightly as he spoke, "Kid, do you even understand what war truly means? You could lose your life on the battlefield anytime!"
Normally quiet and reserved, Orochimaru couldn't help but feel irritated by Minato's calm, unchanging expression.
"I know," Minato answered, his bright blue eyes remaining as tranquil as ever. "But as I mentioned before, inheriting the will of our predecessors isn't just empty words for me."
Orochimaru was at a loss for words—just for a moment, but still rare for him. This was only the second time in his life he had been outdone—and both times were by the same brat.
And to make matters worse, this brat was none other than Jiraiya's famously dense disciple.
"If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave first. I should prepare some supplies. Thank you again for telling me all this."
After bowing to Orochimaru, Minato turned and left.
Orochimaru stood rooted to the spot. Gradually, a question formed in his mind.
Was this kid, Namikaze Minato, really just ten years old?
...
Back at home, Minato sealed more than a dozen Flying Thunder God Kunai he'd already prepared into a Ninja Tool Scroll.
Since he couldn't yet fully master the Flying Thunder God technique, he hadn't prepared many kunai this time.
That was all he needed—he didn't require any extra preparations.
Regarding Jiraiya's decision to send him to the battlefield, Minato felt only a brief moment of surprise. He had a rough idea of what his teacher had in mind.
Since the Great Toad Sage had mentioned that he might have an opportunity to prevent that impending disaster threatening the ninja world, he couldn't remain indefinitely confined within Konoha.
Currently, the only thing he truly concerned himself with was understanding the actual situation at the Rain Country battlefield. Although Orochimaru had given a general outline, Minato knew the reality would surely be far more complex.
With Konoha, Iwagakure, and Sunagakure planning major operations, Amegakure wouldn't simply sit back either. Of course, there remained the possibility that Hanzo would adopt a wait-and-see attitude toward the conflict between rival forces.
Minato believed the Third Hokage must have considered these concerns. Actually, the most unpredictable factor was Cloud Village, which hadn't directly joined the war.
Cloud Country's actions were difficult to foresee. According to the historical timeline Minato remembered, Kumogakure would launch an attack against the Land of Earth in approximately one year.
Geographically speaking, although the distances from Lightning Country to both Land of Fire and Land of Earth were similar, Land of Fire sat between itself and Land of Earth, along with Hot Spring Country, Hidden Hot Spring Village, and several smaller countries.
Between Lightning Country and Land of Earth, however, lay nothing but uninhabited deserts without any nations.
Although history still seemed broadly consistent with Minato's recollections, specific details had already begun diverging.
Previously, during this period, war should have already erupted within the Land of Rain.
Among the most famous events would have been the battle between The Sannin and Hanzo.
Nawaki should also have been on the battlefield. In approximately a few months' time, he would meet his death due to an enemy trap.
However, the current generation of ninja from Nawaki's time was still engaged in village defense missions, just like Minato and others.
Therefore, if Nawaki had remained in the village until the end of the Second Great Ninja War, his fate might have taken a different path.
During the Second Great Ninja War, Kirigakure—the Land of Water's hidden village—played only a minor role. And several years after the war ended, it became a completely isolated nation.
Yagura, Kirigakure's Fourth Mizukage, also began enforcing an extremely brutal rule.
Thus, in Minato's time, Kirigakure gained a particularly bloody reputation.
[Village of the Bloody Mist]
Minato quickly compared his memories with the current intelligence but found little that could be useful.
Because the war now felt nothing like the ones he used to know...
...
(To be continued.)
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