They were simply on a completely different level of power!
Not to mention, his survival was a testament to the opponent's restraint.
What was truly terrifying was the opponent's age!
He dared not imagine what kind of monstrous existence Minato would become at his peak—
"Let's drop this matter," the Third Raikage said, shaking his head. "Send word to B and the others. Tell them to return immediately."
His subordinate looked worried. "But Lord Raikage, must we really hand over the Tailed Beast? Without it—"
"Even without the Tailed Beast, we remain one of the Five Great Nations! Kumogakure was established without one, but had they refused to surrender theirs, they would have been destroyed long ago."
The Third Raikage's eyes flickered. "Besides—if none of us possess Tailed Beasts, the gap between us will vanish."
Judging by Minato's demeanor, it was clear he cared little for anything beyond the Tailed Beasts.
Or perhaps the opponent had only come for the Tailed Beast, and our fight was just a side event.
"Also, inform the Daimyo's Office to lift the pressure on the Land of Fire. Keep a close watch on the villagers these few days and don't provoke that guy," the Third Raikage instructed.
"Understood!"
Despite his recent defeat at Minato's hands, the Third Raikage's prestige remained undiminished, a testament to Kumogakure's unique system.
Want to become the Raikage?
It's simple!
Defeat the current Raikage, and you immediately inherit the position.
Unlike Konoha, Kumogakure—from top to bottom, whether hawks or doves—was a nation of pure martial prowess!
Thus, even though the Third Raikage had lost to Minato, no one doubted his strength.
And don't be fooled by the Laser he just took. He lost due to stat and mechanic differences. As a man who once fought ten thousand ninjas for three days and three nights, he still had more than half his health bar left!
Anyone who dared to cause trouble at this critical juncture would quickly learn the meaning of a "prison break elbow strike."
In the blink of an eye, three days had passed.
News of Minato's consecutive victories over the Third Mizukage and the Third Raikage spread like wildfire across the entire Shinobi World.
In the Tsuchikage's office in Iwagakure, Ōnoki, with his remaining single arm, held his forehead, his face etched with worry.
"That bastard Raikage... he lost too? Hmph—"
To be honest, he was somewhat pleased that Minato had defeated the Third Raikage.
Yet he was also disappointed. The Third Raikage hadn't died, and among the four Kage defeated by Minato, he had suffered the least.
The Kazekage and Mizukage were already dead, and Ōnoki himself had lost an arm. Yet the Third Raikage had only taken a single Laser blast!
While such an injury would be fatal to an ordinary person, for a blood tank like the Third Raikage, it was barely a scratch.
Hmph, that guy must have been groveling at the feet of that brat!
Ōnoki thought bitterly, before sighing again.
According to the intelligence, after defeating the Third Raikage, Minato had demanded that Kumogakure surrender the Two-Tails and Eight-Tails, and the Third Raikage had agreed.
That spineless bastard!
Why doesn't he just die already?
Given the fiery tempers of Kumogakure's ninja, had the Third Raikage died, they would have surely charged blindly into battle against Minato, fighting to the death.
That would have allowed Minato to obtain the Tailed Beasts, but it would have also led to the destruction of Kumogakure—
Anything was better than the current situation!
Without a doubt, once Minato obtained those two Tailed Beasts, their next target would inevitably be Iwa—after all, they were neighbors.
He hadn't considered sending assassins to intercept Kumogakure's Jinchūriki, but he feared that if the Jinchūriki died, Minato would immediately turn his attention to Iwa.
Besides, these were two Jinchūriki, not easy opponents to defeat.
He even considered killing their own Jinchūriki, letting the Tailed Beast wait for resurrection. Even if they had to pay a price to recapture it later, it would be better than letting Minato seize it.
While Ōnoki was agonizing over his decision, in Sunagakure—
Bunpuku, the One-Tailed Beast Jinchūriki, stared at the kunai thrown at his feet and the heavily armed figures outside the cell door. Slowly, he clasped his hands together.
"It seems my life ends here."
Thud.
The blade sank into flesh. Amid Shukaku's furious curses within the Sealing Space, Bunpuku's life gradually faded.
Chiyo stood outside the cell door, her expression complex.
She and Bunpuku had been old friends since the founding of Sunagakure; he had already been the One-Tailed Beast Jinchūriki back then.
After decades of friendship, he had been confined to this Sealing Ground all along.
Seeing a contemporary pass away, one couldn't help but feel a pang of empathy, like a rabbit mourning a fallen comrade.
"At least Shukaku won't be stolen now," Ebizo said quietly. "But this also means Sunagakure will be without the power of a Tailed Beast for the time being. And if we provoke them—"
Chiyo shook her head. "Sunagakure can lose anything but Shukaku."
Unlike the other major Ninja Villages, Sunagakure already suffered from weak military strength, economic hardship, and a harsh environment. If they lost Shukaku as well, the village might truly fall into complete decline.
She had long known from her son and daughter-in-law that Minato had spared their lives out of compassion.
While Chiyo was deeply grateful and personally willing to owe Minato a favor, she now temporarily held the position of Kazekage and had to prioritize the village's welfare.
In contrast to Sunagakure's gloom, Konoha was buzzing with festive excitement.
"Did you hear about Kumogakure?"
"Ah, just as expected of Lord Minato!"
"He's defeated the Third Kazekage, Third Tsuchikage, Third Mizukage, and Third Raikage in succession—could the next target be the Third Hokage?"
"Hahaha, what are you talking about?"
"Didn't they say he'd already defected from the village?"
"I heard it was because other countries were putting pressure on him. Lord Minato didn't want to involve anyone else, so he defected alone to confront those Ninja Villages and demand an explanation."
"That's amazing! I heard he's already been named the top candidate for the Hokage position."
Throughout Konoha, people were buzzing about Minato's glorious act of confronting the other villages.
This wasn't an attack; it was a full-blown assault on their very gates, where he pinned their Kages to the ground and made them grovel!
Such courage, such power—every Konoha resident was overcome with excitement and pride.
Kushina and Mikoto, out shopping together, couldn't stop smiling as they overheard the conversations, their hearts swelling with pride for Minato.
"He truly lives up to his name, Minato!" Kushina exclaimed, her face flushed with excitement. "I've decided—I'm going to become a master chef! When Minato returns, I'll make him a feast to properly reward him!"
Mikoto smiled warmly. "Count me in."
Hand in hand, they walked through the streets, their laughter echoing in the air.
Suddenly, Kushina's eyes lit up, and she waved to someone ahead. "Huh? Isn't that Nonou?"
"Kushina!"
Nonou turned her head at the sound of her name, a perfectly measured expression of surprise in her eyes.
Beside her stood a young girl with blue hair—
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