Naruto: Fate System

The repeated leaps of Gamabunta had successfully torn through the enemy formations, and the morale of the Konoha forces had soared.

The massive toad's powerful legs sent tremors through the earth with each landing, scattering enemy shinobi like leaves in a storm. Based on Minato's past experience, the battle was practically over at this point.

What followed should simply be Konoha's mop-up operations.

According to his usual expectations, the battle's flow should have gone exactly like this.

Yet now, an unexpected turn of events arrived without warning.

"Earth Style: Dark Swamp!"

A vast expanse of marshland hindered Gamabunta's movements, the thick mud pulling at his massive legs. The great toad's powerful muscles strained against the sucking earth, prompting him to grumble in annoyance.

"Minato, this enemy is a bit tricky, huh? Who exactly are they?"

Meanwhile, the Konoha squads assisting in the offensive occasionally let out startled cries, their coordinated attacks falling into disarray. Blood sprayed as hidden traps caught them mid-charge.

"Why haven't they broken yet?! Ahhh! My hand! My right hand!" a young chunin screamed as an explosive tag detonated, taking his fingers with it.

Before the next explosive tag could detonate, a yellow flash appeared beside the injured ninja, and Minato teleported him to the medical unit. Three more marked kunai flew through the air as he returned to the front line.

"We've already killed over thirty key members." Minato muttered, his hands already forming the next set of seals. A wave of wind chakra cut through an advancing Akatsuki squad, but their replacements stepped forward without hesitation. 

"Why are they still fighting to the death without retreating?"

This battle was unlike any other he had faced before.

Forced to pause briefly, he began to observe and analyze. From his vantage point atop Gamabunta's head, he could see the entire battlefield spread out before him.

He was not foolish, and his observations soon revealed part of the key to the mystery.

"Their command structure is different from ours—no, it's different from every shinobi village..." His eyes widened as he watched another Akatsuki unit adapt instantly to the loss of their commander.

In the past, he had always faced enemy teams operating under the typical ninja squad model. He remembered countless battles where taking out the squad leaders had been enough to secure victory.

This model had a major flaw in large-scale warfare: a lack of centralized command.

The captains of different squads were equals, and each squad operated as an independent combat unit. Once there were casualties, the surviving captain could not take command of other squads.

Even though ninja rankings existed—kage, jonin, chunin, and genin—the system of just three tiers was barely sufficient for small-scale skirmishes. On larger battlefields, the chaos of combat would often devolve into disarray.

Minato had frequently exploited this flaw, using his speed to devastating effect.

He would move freely through the battlefield, targeting enemy jonin captains and other key figures. Once he had killed most of the enemy's captains, the remaining squad ninjas would naturally collapse and become incapable of reorganizing in the short term.

In past battles, countless Iwa forces had been defeated by this tactic, which he executed solo. 

His strategy had always targeted this systemic weakness, though he had never reflected deeply on the institutional flaws underlying it.

Until today—when he encountered Akatsuki's completely unconventional approach to warfare.

These individuals appeared to have structured their ranks and assigned everyone a clear position within the chain of command from the very start of the battle. Each soldier moved with purpose, every position covered, every casualty immediately compensated for.

Even if he killed a high-ranking Akatsuki officer, the next person in line would quickly step up, seamlessly assuming command to keep the entire unit operating and fighting cohesively. There was no panic, no confusion—just smooth transition and continued resistance.

A brief observation filled Minato with shock.

"They're like a team built entirely for the purpose of war from the ground up."

This realization left him alarmed, confused, and faintly repulsed.

Having been influenced by Jiraiya, Minato, though a battlefield commander, had always harbored a deep dislike for war. 

Minato quickly launched another strike.

A kunai sailed through the air toward a high-ranking Akatsuki member, visible as a key figure in the chaotic battlefield.

"Captain Tanaka, watch out!" The warning cry came just in time as a ninja threw himself forward, deflecting the kunai intended for the target.

The clash of metal on metal rang out across the battlefield.

But Minato's kunai was never just a simple projectile.

In the blink of an eye, he used the Flying Thunder God, appearing instantly before the Akatsuki ninja who had deflected his attack.

With no time for the opponent to react, Minato struck with a Rasengan, lightning-fast.

Yet just before impact, he noticed a smile on the opponent's face. That smile... why would anyone smile at death?

Something felt off, but there was no time to think further. The Rasengan connected with the ninja's chest.

In the next instant, a deafening explosion erupted as the enemy self-detonated, forcing Minato to retreat. The blast wave sent him tumbling backward, his skin burning from the heat. Blood trickled from fresh cuts as fragments of explosive tags rained down around him.

"These people are maniacs! Covering themselves with explosive tags and detonating without hesitation!" 

He recalled the complaints of Konoha shinobi earlier, dismissing them as exaggerated descriptions born of repeated setbacks.

But now, he realized those words had been startlingly accurate. The battlefield around him was littered with evidence of their fanatical dedication—craters from self-detonations, bodies of those who had thrown themselves into certain death to protect their commanders.

He had never encountered such fanatical shinobi before—not even among Danzō's infamous Root ninjas.

"Are you all so obsessed with war? Does he view life as nothing more than a disposable tool?"

His frustration was met with a cold, mocking laugh from Tanaka. The man stood tall despite his wounds, blood streaming down his face.

"Obsessed with war? Wasn't it you who brought war to us first? The Land of Rain has suffered countless conflicts over the years, and Konoha played no small part. And now you dare to accuse us?"

"Hypocrites!"

"You disappoint me. The legendary Yellow Flash turns out to be just as shallow and hypocritical as every other Konoha ninja."

"We in the Land of Rain know better than anyone the pain of war!" Blood streamed from his wounds, but his eyes blazed with conviction.

"We fight because we believe in our cause. We willingly die for our leader because we trust him to change this cursed world."

Lightning flashed overhead as he continued, illuminating the faces of his fellow Akatsuki members. "Our names and voices may one day be forgotten, but the cause we fight for will be remembered by this land forever!"

"You may kill me today, Yellow Flash, but you will never defeat Akatsuki!" Tanaka raised his bloodied hand toward the sky. 

"We fight for the Land of Rain! For a beautiful tomorrow!"

Even as Konoha's forces pressed their attack and Akatsuki's casualties mounted, the remaining members shouted in unison, resolute and fervent.

"This battle—will be won!!"

---

As the Yellow Flash and the fastest, Minato understood better than anyone the importance of time.

Yet today, he unconsciously slowed his attack rhythm.

Perhaps even the most confident person would feel a trace of confusion when faced with an opponent that cannot be broken.

Thus, he was forcibly delayed for ten minutes by four divisions of Akatsuki—just long enough for reinforcements from other fronts to arrive.

In war, ten minutes was an eternity.

In this case, it was just enough.

When figures finally descended from the sky, all three sides of the battlefield felt it at once: the atmosphere had shifted entirely.

If this were an anime, the BGM would definitely switch tracks right at this moment.

Even Deidara's young heart was nearly numb from shock.

In this short battle, he had already witnessed and experienced far too many impossibilities:

From seeing Minato single-handedly turn the tide and scare Iwa away... to witnessing Akatsuki's fearless resistance as mere mortals managed to hold off a legendary figure of the shinobi world...

Shin and Konan landed side by side on the battlefield.

In that instant, the previously struggling Akatsuki troops erupted in their most fanatical cheers and shouts.

"Shin-sama is here!"

"He would never abandon us!"

"Victory is ours!!"

The sudden roar startled both Konoha's forces and the bewildered Iwa ninjas. Even the wounded found strength to raise their voices in celebration.

Not long ago, Konoha's ninjas thought that Minato's arrival had sealed the battle's outcome, leaving nothing to fear. Many had already started planning their victory celebrations.

But now, the abrupt shift in atmosphere cast an inescapable shadow over many hearts.

"What's going on? Why are they going crazy all of a sudden?"

Most of Konoha's ninjas were confused.

Yet Minato, the hope they pinned their faith on, bore a look more solemn than ever.

The moment Shin appeared, he realized that he had likely missed the best chance to crush Akatsuki. 

What's more, the situation on other fronts of the battleline was likely worsening as well.

As he suspected, Shin had not been idle in those ten minutes. With assistance from Pain, he had led the First Mobile Unit to sweep through multiple engagement zones, inflicting heavy losses on Konoha.

Blood and victory marked his path across the battlefield, each strike calculated for maximum impact.

Yet as he surveyed the battlefield before him, his heart ached. The casualties Minato had inflicted were substantial. Bodies of his comrades lay scattered across the ground, their black cloaks with red clouds now stained darker with blood.

Many of those lost were mid- to high-ranking core members of Akatsuki—a bitter blow to an organization already short on manpower.

At this moment, Shin's gaze toward Minato was as cold as a blade.

Coincidentally, the gaze returned to him was just as sharp. Two legends of different kinds, measuring each other across the blood-soaked ground.

"Have you incited others and waged this war merely to revel in this scene of bloodshed?" 

"Are you trying to cover up your emptiness?"

Minato narrowed his eyes.

"What do I have to cover up?"

Shin smirked.

"You're covering up the fact that you cannot find meaning in this battle. You're covering up the truth that you don't even know what you're fighting for."

"Akatsuki has always known the path we walk."

The Akatsuki troops behind him stood taller, their faith reinforced by their leader's words.

"But you? What is your purpose in this war? Do you understand how to achieve your ideals? You and your master claim to despise war, but neither of you has any idea how to end it, do you? Your heart is hollow, Minato! How much longer will you keep up this facade?"

"You speak of paths and purpose, yet look around you." Minato gestured to the battlefield. "Is this your answer? More bloodshed, more orphans, more hatred? You claim to know your path, but I see only destruction."

His words are sharp, Shin thought. As expected of the future Fourth Hokage.

He had intended to destabilize his opponent's mindset with words, but to his dismay, it didn't seem like a good strategy at all.

"At least I'm honest about the price of change," he countered. "You hide behind pretty words of peace while standing on a foundation of violence. The difference between us? I acknowledge the darkness of my methods."

"There's nothing honest about manipulating others into dying for your ambitions," Minato's reply cut like a blade. "The Land of Rain deserved better than your silver tongue and golden promises."

If words won't work, then let's see how he handles this, they both thought simultaneously, their hands moving in synchronization.

"Ice Release: Frozen Petals!"

Three ice flowers bloomed behind him. The crystalline frost in the air refracted light into strange patterns.

In the next moment, he charged at Minato—not only to test his own strength but also to shoulder the maximum burden for Akatsuki.

This was the responsibility he bore as their leader. Behind him, the ice flowers spread their petals wider, ready to support his attack.

A kunai flew straight toward him.

He parried it with his blade. Steel met steel in a shower of sparks, the sound ringing across the battlefield.

But as his eyes followed the kunai into the sky, Minato vanished from his position.

It wasn't the Flying Thunder God. This time, it was an ordinary Body Flicker.

Minato was playing mind games, using the kunai to distract attention while relying on the freer mobility of the Body Flicker. His speed was still breathtaking, even without his signature technique.

In the blink of an eye, he appeared in front of Shin, locking eyes with him to ensure his attention remained on the airborne kunai.

In the next instant, a Rasengan formed soundlessly in his palm.

If words couldn't bring down this opponent, then force would have to do. The Rasengan spun faster.

Yet in the next moment, he collided with a blinding true flash. The battlefield erupted in brilliant light.

The ice crystals in the air reflected the sunset's light, creating an effect akin to a flashbang in the targeted area.

"What?!"

Minato was caught off guard, his eyes stinging as he instinctively shut them, tears flowing.

His combat instincts kicked in, using the Flying Thunder God to retreat to the nearest kunai. The Rasengan in his palm dissipated as he materialized several meters back, still blinking away tears.

But in doing so, his Rasengan missed its mark entirely.

Now relying on sound to gauge his enemy's position, he had to keep evading Shin's pursuit.

In just one exchange, Minato's lack of intelligence on his opponent's techniques had cost him a clean killing blow. The Rasengan that could have torn through Shin's chest had missed by mere inches.

Against any other opponent, such a momentary blindness would have been trivial—but in a battle between elite shinobi, even a fraction of a second could determine everything.

Worse, his retreat caused Konoha's already faltering morale to waver further.

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