From their headbands alone, it was clear—one was a Sand Shinobi from the Land of Wind, while the other was a Leaf Shinobi from the Land of Fire.
At this moment, however, they shared another identity—Rogue Ninja.
That was the main reason why Minato's team was so taken aback.
Veigar Koshima and Kakashi Hatake had no idea who this Konoha rogue ninja was, but Minato Namikaze recognized him instantly. In fact, he knew that this man had once been a Special Jōnin of Konoha.
"Ohhh~~"
"It's been a long time, Minato."
The Konoha rogue ninja, whose forehead protector bore a deep scratch, smiled as he greeted Minato.
"Yuma Goyama… I never expected to see you here."
Minato's voice was heavy as he addressed Yuma Goyama.
"Yuma-kun, is this an old friend of yours?"
"You're not going to go soft on him just because you know him, are you?"
The Sand rogue ninja on the left suddenly interjected.
"What do you think, Fukiishi?"
Yuma Goyama turned to the Sand rogue ninja and asked in return.
At the mention of the name "Fukiishi," Veigar Koshima and Kakashi Hatake remained tense, but Minato's expression changed once more.
"This is trouble…"
Minato silently thought to himself as he quickly considered how to handle the situation.
Fukiishi—full name Fukiishi Kaneda—was once an elite Jōnin of Sunagakure, known for his mastery of Wind Release jutsu. Three years ago, he was branded a rogue ninja after stealing a scroll containing village techniques.
Sunagakure had issued an A-rank bounty on him, and Yuma Goyama carried an A-rank bounty from Konoha as well.
In other words, both of these rogue ninjas were formidable A-rank fugitives.
"Hehehe…"
Fukiishi Kaneda chuckled, then grinned at Yuma Goyama and said, "Since you know him, I'll take him on."
"As for the rest… they're all yours."
Pointing at Minato, Fukiishi Kaneda spoke with confidence and arrogance.
...
Meanwhile, three Konoha shinobi—Chōza Akimichi, Shikaku Nara, and Inoichi Yamanaka—were speeding toward the border of the Land of Rain under direct orders from Hiruzen Sarutobi.
According to the Third Hokage, someone had accepted an underground bounty to assassinate Minato Namikaze.
Moreover, the one who took the contract was none other than former Konoha Special Jōnin, Yuma Goyama.
If it had been just Yuma alone, Sarutobi wouldn't have been overly concerned—Minato's strength was undeniable, and Yuma was certainly no match for him.
However, intelligence reports clearly indicated that Yuma was not alone. Two other rogue ninja, brought together by mutual interests, were involved.
Fukiishi Kaneda from Sunagakure, an A-rank rogue ninja, and Kaimon Asuka from Kirigakure, another A-rank rogue ninja.
With three A-rank fugitives coordinating an attack on Minato's squad, it was clear that the situation was far more dangerous than initially thought.
Thus, Sarutobi had dispatched the Ino-Shika-Chō trio as reinforcements.
Back in Konoha's underground chamber, Danzo Shimura grinned as he learned of Sarutobi's decision.
"Hiruzen, Veigar Koshima will be mine."
"Ahahaha…"
...
While the Ino-Shika-Chō trio hurried forward, Shikaku Nara, bringing up the rear, spoke to his teammates.
"There's a good chance Minato's team is already engaged in battle."
Having complete trust in Shikaku's strategic mind—and knowing that the Nara clan members were renowned for their intelligence—Chōza and Inoichi nodded immediately.
Then, Inoichi asked, "Shikaku, should we pick up the pace?"
"Yes," Shikaku responded quickly. "We need to get there as soon as possible and support Minato."
Before Shikaku had even finished speaking, the three of them instinctively accelerated.
...
Without warning, Fukiishi Kaneda swiftly formed a seal, unleashing a jutsu he had prepared in advance.
"Wind Release: Pressure Damage!"
With a single breath, he launched a devastating wind-based jutsu.
A massive sphere of compressed wind roared toward Minato's team like a raging storm cannon.
Veigar Koshima and Kakashi Hatake instinctively retreated, struggling to maintain their footing against the sheer force.
"Ahhh…!"
"Help…!"
Kazuo Yoshino and his merchant caravan were caught in the blast. The traders and their wares were thrown into the air, their screams echoing in terror.
At the forefront, Minato barely held his ground against the storm's force. Squinting against the howling winds, he kept his gaze locked on Kaneda Suishi.
"Minato-sensei…!"
Veigar Koshima and Kakashi Hatake, having taken cover behind a sturdy tree, shouted in concern for their teacher.
As the winds dissipated, the area where Minato's team had been standing was now in complete ruin. The merchant caravan had been utterly destroyed, and all the traders had perished.
The sole survivor was Kazuo Yoshino himself.
The reason he survived, however, sent a surge of fury through Veigar Koshima and Kakashi Hatake.
Kazuo Yoshino had shed his merchant disguise—revealing himself to be a shinobi, chakra coursing through his body.
"Veigar, Kakashi, are you both alright?"
Minato, having steadied himself, immediately called out to his students.
"You still have time to worry about your students? Die!"
At that moment, Fukiishi Kaneda launched another attack—
"Wind Release: Shuriken Storm!"
A flurry of razor-sharp, high-speed wind projectiles hurtled toward Minato's vital points, forcing him to dodge swiftly.
At the same time, Yuma Goyama targeted Veigar Koshima and Kakashi Hatake, exhaling a giant fireball toward them.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
As a former Special Jōnin of Konoha, Yuma Goyama specialized in Fire Release, and the Great Fireball Jutsu was one of his signature techniques.
With the massive fireball roaring toward them, Veigar Koshima and Kakashi Hatake had no choice but to evade as quickly as possible.
-----------------------
Want to read ahead of schedule?
Join here for advance chapters: PATREON.COM / PRIMALDEMON