Seeing Yuhi's fierce killing intent, Aoyama Ryuyun couldn't help but laugh.
"Oh my, Liu Yun, how can you still be laughing at a time like this!"
Aoyama Ryuyun's calm, almost teasing demeanor left Yuhi feeling helpless.
That was the credit for defeating the entire Hidden Cloud Village! Even Hiruzen Sarutobi, after living so long, had never achieved such a feat.
If Minato Namikaze succeeded now, he could very well be named the next Hokage.
Facing Yuhi's worried and indignant gaze, Aoyama Ryuyun simply smiled and asked,
"Tell me, Yuhi — do you think the Hidden Cloud Village is weak?"
"Uh... a little, I guess!"
Yuhi didn't dare say it outright, but she still nodded hesitantly.
After all, for the past year, with Aoyama Ryuyun stationed on this battlefield, every single assault launched by the Hidden Cloud Village had failed miserably.
Not only had none of their attacks succeeded, they were crushed every time by Aoyama Ryuyun himself.
Not only Yuhi — the entire Shinobi World had begun to wonder if the Hidden Cloud Village had simply grown weak.
Otherwise, how could a war drag on this long without them achieving even a minor victory?
"Hahaha!"
Aoyama Ryuyun suddenly burst into laughter.
"What's wrong?"
Yuhi looked at him, confused. She couldn't understand what was so funny about any of this.
"Hidden Cloud Village seems weak only because they met me," Aoyama Ryuyun said, still smiling. "Minato Namikaze's Flying Thunder God Technique may be fast, but speed alone can't win a war."
He had crushed Hidden Cloud Village for a full year, and yet the world attributed it to the enemy being weak — not to him being too strong.
Hiruzen Sarutobi must have shared that same delusion, which was why he sent Minato Namikaze here.
But the truth was very different.
Even with one arm gone, the Third Raikage remained an indestructible spear.
Over the past year, Ay — the Fourth Raikage — had risen to true Kage-level power, and Killer Bee, the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki, had mastered control of his tailed beast's chakra to a frightening degree.
At this point, the Hidden Cloud Village's strength was on par with any other major Hidden Village.
The reason they hadn't made any progress was simple — Aoyama Ryuyun alone had been able to suppress the Third Raikage, the Fourth Raikage, and Killer Bee simultaneously.
And he did it with ease.
That was Aoyama Ryuyun. Minato Namikaze did not have that kind of strength.
"Is that so…"
Yuhi nodded slowly. She didn't completely understand, but her trust in Aoyama Ryuyun was absolute.
"Alright! We're almost at Jiraiya's position. Let's move."
"Mhm!"
Yuhi nodded and quickly followed behind Aoyama Ryuyun.
---
"Yo! Long time no see, Liu Yun!"
In the Konoha camp, Jiraiya greeted Aoyama Ryuyun with his usual grin.
Beside him stood Hyuga Hiashi, as well as representatives from other clans — the Inuzuka, Aburame, and several others.
"Lord Liu Yun!"
With Aoyama Ryuyun's current status and strength, even Kage-level figures treated him with respect.
"Mhm."
Aoyama Ryuyun gave a faint smile and nodded slightly.
As he approached, Jiraiya leaned closer and whispered,
"Thanks for what you did for Minato."
Jiraiya knew full well what Hiruzen Sarutobi was doing — giving Minato Namikaze the credit that should've belonged to Aoyama Ryuyun.
It was unfair, but Minato was his disciple. Any master would want their student to rise higher.
Aoyama Ryuyun not only didn't make things difficult for Minato, he had willingly handed over the entire Hidden Cloud battlefield.
Jiraiya was genuinely grateful.
"You're welcome," Aoyama Ryuyun replied with a calm smile.
Everyone seemed to think Minato Namikaze was about to claim victory over Hidden Cloud Village.
Naive. Utterly naive.
"Hahaha! Perfect timing! The Iwagakure side's been unusually quiet. Let's celebrate — Liu Yun's here!" Jiraiya said happily.
One Yellow Flash had left, and an even brighter Golden Lion had arrived.
Many of the shinobi in camp breathed easier.
After all, Aoyama Ryuyun's achievements spoke for themselves.
During the Second Shinobi World War, he had defeated the One-Tails Jinchūriki.
Now, in this war, he'd severed the Third Raikage's arm, shattered the Eight-Tails' Tailed Beast Bomb, and captured the Two-Tails Jinchūriki alive.
These were not victories won by luck — they were proof of absolute power.
---
Meanwhile, in the Konoha camp overseeing the Sunagakure front—
"Ah! That old man's lost his damn mind!"
With a furious roar, Tsunade's fist came crashing down on the desk, splintering it into pieces.
She had just received word of Hiruzen Sarutobi's latest decision — to swap Aoyama Ryuyun and Minato Namikaze's battlefields.
In Tsunade's eyes, it was nothing less than stealing Ryuyun's hard-earned merit and handing it to Minato.
How could she not be livid?
"Hiruzen-sensei's 'magnanimity' seems to shrink with age," Orochimaru said dryly, shaking his head.
He had once admired the man who'd been his teacher. Now, he felt only disdain.
"To come up with such a petty trick… is that still the Third Hokage, the so-called 'Professor of Ninjutsu'?"
"Orochimaru, do you have any ideas?" Tsunade asked, exhaling sharply, her anger barely restrained.
She hoped he had some kind of solution.
But Orochimaru merely smiled, setting down the scroll in his hands.
"Do you really think Minato Namikaze can defeat the Hidden Cloud Village?"
His tone was calm — but his smirk carried venom.
Hidden Cloud Village, weak? Hardly. They were terrifyingly strong.
It was only because Aoyama Ryuyun had been on that front that they appeared weak at all.
"Uh…"
Tsunade paused, her anger faltering.
To be honest, she hadn't realized that either.
Like everyone else, she too had assumed the Hidden Cloud Village was just too weak.
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