A week after returning to the village, Namikaze Minato successfully used the Flying Thunder God Technique before Yōkō's eyes.
Yōkō was somewhat surprised, even a bit envious. This is what a true genius is like.
Yōkō had dismembered himself the first time he used Flying Thunder God. "Minato, the first time you used Flying Thunder God, were you missing any... parts?"
"Parts? What kind of parts?"
"Parts of your body. Missing some flesh or something?"
"No... Does the Flying Thunder God have side effects?"
Yōkō rubbed his temples. The Flying Thunder God Technique seemed tailor-made for Namikaze Minato; it was incredibly smooth in his hands. Yōkō used Flying Thunder God for travel and, at most, ambushes. Minato was different; he used it as naturally as breathing.
After another week, Minato had completely mastered Flying Thunder God. Yōkō formally handed Minato a mask. Minato took the mask and saw it was a black demonic face mask with red wind-wave patterns. This was the symbol of his identity within the Calamity Organization. Lord Fox was the organization's leader, Thunder. He was the organization's Wind.
"Minato, this is your 'Wind Calamity' mask," Yōkō said. "The other four great villages besides Konoha are secretly plotting an alliance to jointly deal with Konoha. Minato, having mastered Flying Thunder God, your strength has reached maturity. I assign you an S-Rank mission: go to the Land of Wind, cooperate with Fire of the Calamity Organization, and disrupt Sunagakure's war preparations. This is crucial for Konoha. Konoha cannot fight on four fronts. Before the great war, we must eliminate the threat from one direction. The weakest, Sunagakure, is our breakthrough point."
Minato nodded repeatedly, understanding Lord Fox's plan. Yōkō continued, "Additionally, you must cooperate with Pestilence of the Calamity Organization to spread the faith of the Three Gods Religion, accumulating soul power for the Three Gods to combat the Ōtsutsuki in the future."
Minato put on the mask and vanished with a Body Flicker.
Yōkō watched Minato leave, thinking it was good he wasn't taking action himself; it was more covert. Whether it was Ōnoki or Nagato, they certainly wouldn't expect Minato's strength to be this formidable now.
Minato appeared on a power line pole outside the Senju Clan grounds with a Body Flicker, looking from afar at Kushina. The Uzumaki clan had settled within the Senju grounds. The Hokage had personally authorized granting Uzumaki ninja Konoha ninja ranks such as Jōnin and Chūnin. Over time, the Uzumaki clan would fully integrate into Konoha.
Kushina had been very happy lately; she had gained so many family members. Uncles, aunts, cousins... Kushina was no longer alone.
Minato felt a tinge of regret that he couldn't accompany Kushina for some time. Lord Fox's mission was more important. Lord Fox had said that if Kushina could master seven-tailed Nine-Tails chakra, she could also leave the village freely. In his absence, Kushina would help train his three students: Kakashi, Rin, and Yōmomo.
Minato arrived at Konoha's main gate and presented his permit. The gate guards, seeing it departure was signed by Advisor Tsunade, immediately let him pass. To ensure mission secrecy and prevent identity exposure, all mission scrolls Yōkō gave Minato were issued by Tsunade.
Minato walked several kilometers out of Konoha, left the main road, and found a secluded spot. He opened a scroll covered in dense sealing formulas. In the central circle were the silhouettes of three divine statues and a trident emblem. This was the Three Gods Religion's teleportation scroll. God formula. Members of the Calamity Organization could use the altars for travel, a technique called the Flying Altar Technique.
In the next instant after forming a hand seal, Minato suddenly heard the sound of waves. He had appeared at Shapo Port in the Land of Wind, facing the layered waves of the sea. Using the power of the Three Gods Religion, he had arrived near Sunagakure.
Donning his Wind Calamity mask, Minato used Body Flicker and left.
Two days later, Minato arrived outside Sunagakure. Shaking the sand off his feet, he thought, I wonder when the Three Gods Religion will be able to set up an altar within Sunagakure itself. Then we could come and go as we please.
Minato formed a seal and used the Three Gods Religion's Phantom Blood Shadow Technique. He closed his eyes, and his consciousness appeared in the religion's Divine Hall. No matter how many times he came here, he was always awed by its grandeur. On the left was boundless gray mist, on the right an endless blood pool. In the middle stood three colossal divine statues reaching for the heavens: the cold, ferocious-eyed Shinigami on the left, the blood-shrouded Evil God on the right, and the three-headed, six-armed Vidyārāja in the center.
Soon, the Phantom Blood Shadows of others appeared in the Divine Hall. Leader Thunder, and Fire.
Minato spoke first: "Fire Calamity, I have arrived outside Sunagakure. Shall we meet in person outside, or discuss matters here?"
"In person," Pakura said. "Rasa is making the final preparations before the war—the weaponization of the One-Tail, Shukaku. We must prevent Shukaku from being deployed on the battlefield."
Hearing this, Minato immediately grew tense. If the One-Tail Shukaku were deployed, the blow to Konoha would be immense. Kage-level ninja might not fear Shukaku, but ordinary ninja would be harvested like straw before a Tailed Beast.
"Good. I'll wait for you in a sand pit 12 kilometers southeast of Sunagakure."
The two Phantom Blood Shadows disappeared. Yōkō hadn't spoken from beginning to end. He was very satisfied with their initiative.
Minato, of course, would never allow a top-tier war weapon like Shukaku to threaten Konoha. The Fourth Kazekage Rasa was Pakura's enemy, and she also didn't want Sunagakure dragged into the Third Great Shinobi War. Combined with the will of the Calamity Organization, these two cooperated very well.
Outside Sunagakure, Pakura found Wind Calamity in a sand pit. They had only seen each other's silhouettes in the Divine Hall and didn't know each other's true identities.
Pakura said, "Wind Calamity, Sunagakure's Tailed Beast, the One-Tail Shukaku, is currently sealed within a senior monk. Kazekage Rasa is studying that monk and Shukaku, wanting to deploy Shukaku on the battlefield. However, it's not going smoothly. That monk is unwilling to have blood on his hands. The reason he has firmly sealed Shukaku for over thirty years is his serene, unchanging state of mind, maintained day after day for decades. Rasa has grown impatient and is preparing to forcibly push forward with the Tailed Beast weaponization. From what I know, Rasa's plan is to extract Shukaku from the monk's body and seal it into a 'Shukaku Tea Kettle.' the war, he would throw the kettle onto the battlefield and let Shukaku attack freely."
Minato thought to himself, Sunagakure's method of Tailed Beast weaponization is too crude. Konoha was, of course, also researching Tailed Beast weaponization, but Konoha's approach was to give Kushina special training. Kushina's growth was visible to the naked eye. The Nine-Tails chakra was no longer a cold, uncontrollable, violent chakra but a tool tamed by Kushina. Her growth was due to Lord Fox's continuous special training for over four years. What other village had a strong individual like Lord Fox who could suppress a Tailed Beast? Even if they did, could they patiently nurture a Jinchūriki like Lord Fox did?
***
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(End of Chapter)