— — — — — — —
"Ugh..."
"Hah... Hah..."
With every breath, another Grass Ninja had their throat slit, collapsing lifelessly.
In less than three minutes, the Kusakage realized that all his subordinates had fallen. He now stood alone.
"You... you monsters! Demons! How dare you?! Have you forgotten the alliance between the Grass Village and Konoha?!"
"I'll report this to your Hokage! That's right—I'll file a complaint!"
Even at this moment, this fool was still trying to threaten Renzo and Minato.
The two men's expressions grew even colder.
Step. Step. Step.
Renzo and Minato approached the Kusakage from opposite sides.
"Die!"
A flash of determination appeared in the Kusakage's eyes. He suddenly drew a kunai and lunged at Renzo's abdomen.
Even now, he still believed that Renzo was Minato's real body, while the Minato beside him was just a shadow clone.
He was convinced that Minato wouldn't be able to dodge this fatal strike.
The close distance, the sudden attack—how could anyone react in time?
That's why he always warned his ninjas to never let their guard down!
"Konoha's crisis training is lacking!"
That was the last thought that crossed the Kusakage's mind.
"Heh! Courting death!"
Renzo sneered. In a split second, he lifted his leg and delivered a brutal kick.
How could the Kusakage's speed possibly compare to Renzo's reaction time and strength?
Boom!
The sheer force of the kick sent the Kusakage flying dozens of meters, crashing through multiple wooden and earthen walls before finally stopping.
By then, his internal organs had been completely shattered.
Minato, who had followed at a more leisurely pace, looked at the scene and sighed in exasperation.
"Did you really have to hit him that hard? This guy's beyond saving now!"
"He was a village leader, and yet he died that easily? Should I be impressed by your strength, or should I just call him a weakling?"
Even Minato's tone carried a trace of disdain.
This guy really was a joke of a Kage—no wonder he was called the Grass Kage.
"Well, who knows?" Renzo shrugged with a smirk, then teased, "But Minato-sensei, I'm surprised. You're even swearing now?"
"That's your fault! Besides, who says I can't swear? I'm human too, you know!"
Minato rolled his eyes.
Did people really think he was some kind of saint just because he usually acted polite?
"S-Save me... Get Uzumaki Rena over here for me... I don't want to die... I don't want to die..."
"I need her blood!"
The Kusakage, barely clinging to life, weakly reached toward Renzo, grasping at the air, his eyes filled with desperation.
Renzo and Minato simply responded with cold smirks.
They ignored him, leaving him to slowly perish in despair.
Dying too quickly wouldn't be satisfying enough.
"What's your next move?" Minato asked, glancing at Renzo.
"I'll loot the Grass Village, see if there's anything useful, and then I'm out."
"After that, this whole mess is your problem."
"I was never here. I never even left the village. Isn't that right, Minato-sensei?"
Renzo flashed a mischievous grin at Minato.
The whole reason he brought Minato here was to take the blame for everything.
There were still plenty of surviving Grass Ninja and civilians who had witnessed the battle.
They all saw Minato and heard the Kusakage call Renzo 'Namikaze Minato.'
So, officially, this would be the story:
Minato discovered an orphan of the Uzumaki Clan suffering under the cruel treatment of the Grass Village.
He tried to take her away peacefully, but the Grass Village attacked him without hesitation.
Left with no choice, he fought back.
And somehow, in the chaos, he accidentally wiped out almost the entire village...
---
Meanwhile, in another part of the world—
"What the hell is this nonsense?! Which idiot wrote this report?! Do they take us for fools?!"
Upon receiving the intelligence report, Ōnoki furiously tore the paper apart.
He immediately summoned an elite ninja.
"Send a team to make contact with the Grass Village survivors. This is a golden opportunity! If we play it right, we might be able to rally them against Konoha!"
Other major villages—Kumogakure, Kirigakure, and even Sunagakure—also received the news.
Minato, single-handedly eliminating the Kusakage and nearly annihilating the entire village, had sent shockwaves through the ninja world.
Each faction had its own reaction, but one thing was certain—Minato's name was now feared and respected like never before.
Back in Konoha, the Third Hokage had also received the report.
At that very moment, a "helpful informant" passed the information along to Tsunade and Uzumaki Kushina.
Both of them had stormed into the Hokage's office, fuming with rage.
Along with them, Danzo, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura had also rushed over after hearing the news.
The Hokage's office was bustling with activity.
Koharu and Homura were taking the matter seriously, considering the future of the Jinchūriki and the importance of Uzumaki Rena and the child she carried.
Danzo, on the other hand, was there purely out of greed. He was hoping to get his hands on them.
After all, this was a survivor of the Uzumaki Clan!
But the moment he saw that Tsunade and Kushina were also present, he knew his chances were dead on arrival.
So he didn't embarrass himself by pressing the issue too much. Instead, he just emphasized one thing:
"We must ensure Uzumaki Rena is properly settled. If the Third Hokage finds it difficult to make arrangements, I can take care of it."
"There's no need for that!"
Before the Third Hokage could even speak, Kushina immediately cut in, her tone firm.
As she spoke, she shot Danzo a sharp glare, as if warning him not to get any ideas—or else.
She had to save a fellow Uzumaki. There was no way she would let Danzo touch her.
And anyone with a brain in the village knew Danzo was rotten to the core.
Danzo, feeling frustrated, thought to himself, "Damn it, did I wake up on the wrong side of the bed today? I was actually being sincere, but no one believes me?!"
Good intentions turned into a pile of trash!
This is all Hiruzen's fault!
If he hadn't made Danzo take the blame for so many things over the years, his reputation wouldn't have been this bad!
The Third Hokage exchanged glances with Tsunade, Koharu, and Danzo before nodding in agreement.
"Since Kushina insists, we'll settle Uzumaki Rena in the house next to yours."
"That way, you'll be close by and can take care of her."
"She's pregnant, after all. She'll need proper care."
Finding out there was a surviving Uzumaki—and that she was carrying a child—was a pleasant surprise for the Third Hokage.
As for what happened with the Grass Ninja Village, he decided to wait until Kushina and Tsunade had left with Rena before discussing it.
Once they were gone, he finally turned to Minato with a heavy sigh.
"Let this slide this time. But next time, don't go so overboard! At the very least, give me a heads-up first! That way, I can handle the clean-up and shut the other villages up."
In his opinion, Minato had handled things too recklessly.
Of course, if Minato were the scheming type, always planning ahead and being overly cautious, the Hokage would have actually been worried.
If Minato was that kind of person, the Third Hokage would have had to seriously reconsider pushing him as the Fourth Hokage candidate.
But from what he saw, Minato was still a bit of a reckless hothead.
And people like that are easier to control.
Besides, being sentimental wasn't necessarily a bad thing—it made people easier to manipulate through their bonds.
"Yes, Lord Hokage!"
Minato responded respectfully.
"This time, I acted on impulse. The situation was urgent, and I didn't have time to inform you or the village. I sincerely apologize!"
"It's fine, it's fine. It's already done. Now, go home before Kushina comes storming in here!"
The Third Hokage waved him off with a smile.
That crazy girlfriend of his was no joke.
"Understood!"
Minato left feeling pretty pleased with himself.
To be honest, he liked the way Kushina handled things.
Because of her, the Third Hokage was always careful when dealing with him, as if afraid of setting her off.
Once Minato was gone, the Third Hokage sighed.
Thinking about Uzumaki Rena and her unborn child... then thinking about the fiery-tempered Kushina... he suddenly had a thought:
"Maybe, when the time is right, we should switch to a Jinchūriki with a more stable personality?"
Clearly, he had been dealing with Kushina's temper for too long.
Of course, this was just a passing thought.
Right now, Kushina was perfectly fine, and no one would dare try to replace her as the Jinchūriki.
Besides, this kind of decision wasn't up to just him—it would involve Minato, Tsunade, and even Jiraiya.
One wrong move could stir up a massive storm.
---
Meanwhile, Renzo had already returned to his secret lab, staying completely under the radar.
He began analyzing Uzumaki Rena's blood and tissue samples using his ocular abilities, breaking them down and studying them in detail.
However, by the next day, he had no choice but to return home.
Minato had invited him to a gathering, so he had to bring Kurenai, Asuma, and the others along.
"This time, I really owe you one! And from now on, don't call me 'Minato-sensei' anymore—just call me 'bro'!"
Minato secretly expressed his gratitude to Renzo.
These past two days, Kushina had been in an incredibly good mood.
Which meant she had been treating Minato exceptionally well, too.
"Alright, Minato-bro!"
Renzo grinned as he called out.
Look at that—mission accomplished. Relationship upgraded!
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