Naruto : Minato back to the past

Minato and Sakumo immediately understood why the Sand Ninja puppeteer troops suffered losses in the battle between the two sides three days ago. The inclusion of the Aburame clan, combined with the Hyuga Byakugan, significantly weakened the power of the Sand Ninja Village's puppets.

"Once we find a cure for Chiyo's poison, it will be time for us to counterattack," Sakumo said. Even with this level of cooperation, Konoha's casualties were still greater than those of the Sand Ninja, primarily due to the poison developed by Chiyo. However, with Desert Sorrow now in their possession, it wouldn't be long before they could retaliate.

"Yeah," Tsunade nodded. "But Chiyo, Saburo, and Sunar are really difficult to deal with. Last time, when you were away, the Hyuga and Aburame clans nearly fell into their trap."

Sakumo nodded in agreement. The Aburame clan excelled at reconnaissance, but their combat effectiveness was limited. Additionally, when confronted with Sunar's iron puppet, Aburame Shiki stood little chance.

"Hmph, if things get worse, we can always have Jiraiya come to support us," Tsunade snorted coldly. With the combined strength of the "Three Sannin," they could even go up against Hanzo. Although Chiyo was also a renowned powerhouse, she couldn't quite compare to the Third Hokage or Hanzo.

However, if Jiraiya were to leave the Land of Rain to participate in the Land of Wind War, it would lead to instability in the Rain Ninja forces, and the Third Kazekage might be forced to enter the battlefield himself. At that point, the war between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind—between Konoha and the Sand Ninja—could spiral out of control. Even the other two major villages, Cloud and Rock, which were at war at the time, might decide to get involved.

Although Konoha's overall strength was significantly greater than that of the Sand Ninja, if it came to a fight to the death, even with a Konoha victory, they would be left severely weakened. Such an outcome wasn't the goal of the war, and Hiruzen would never allow it.

"Even without Jiraiya-sensei, the downfall of the Sand Ninja Village is only a matter of time," Minato said. Tsunade and the others interpreted this as Minato referring to a prolonged war that would exhaust the financial resources of the Sand Ninja Village and the Land of Wind, forcing them to surrender.

But that wasn't what Minato meant. Konoha had emerged as the biggest winner of the Second Ninja War, as he remembered from his previous life. While certain details of history had changed, the overall course remained the same. Sakumo had been able to defeat Saburo and Sunar, both of whom died by his hand, which earned him the title "Konoha White Fang" and cemented his reputation across all ninja nations.

Minato wasn't sure how Sakumo had done it, but he now had a new idea.

"Senior Sakumo, are you really unable to deal with Sunar's steel puppet?" Minato asked.

Sakumo replied, "Sunar's steel puppet is made entirely of special materials that conduct chakra, greatly reducing the power of ninjutsu against it. By my estimation, A-level ninjutsu can barely scratch it, and even secret techniques comparable to S-level are insufficient to bring it down. With all my strength, I can damage it, but I can't destroy it outright."

Sakumo's words made it clear just how tough Sunar's steel puppet was. S-level ninjutsu, the highest rank of secret techniques, still couldn't destroy it.

"Unless I can use a more powerful lightning ninjutsu or strike it twice with my strongest attack in quick succession, but that's impossible," he added. Minato realized that Sakumo hadn't yet reached his full potential. The progress of the Second Ninja War was at least a year faster than Minato had anticipated.

Since Kakashi had developed ninjutsu at the age of twelve, it stood to reason that his father, Sakumo, was also a genius in ninjutsu. He had been able to defeat Sunar and Saburo by mastering more powerful Lightning Release techniques. But Sakumo's growth still needed time.

After Sakumo finished explaining, Minato saw that things were unfolding just as he had expected. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Maybe, I have a way."

Tsunade and the others were shocked and looked at Minato in disbelief.

"What way?" They couldn't overlook Minato's insight and naturally thought he might have a good idea. Sakumo, however, seemed lost in thought as he gazed at Minato.

Minato looked around and said, "I think I can use a ninjutsu attack comparable to Senior Sakumo's strongest strike."

As soon as he said this, Tsunade and the others were stunned. Even the usually composed Aburame Shiki showed surprise in her eyes.

Tsunade and Orochimaru had witnessed Sakumo's power firsthand. Although Hyuga Tenki and Aburame Shiki hadn't, they had a rough idea of what level it was. Ninjutsu of that level had to be S-class, a type of ninjutsu that even elite jonin struggled to master. While they knew Minato's abilities exceeded those of an ordinary jonin and that he was a genius at ninjutsu, it was hard to believe he had mastered S-class techniques.

After all, Minato was still young, and S-class ninjutsu not only required immense training but also demanded chakra levels that many ninjas couldn't sustain. They doubted Minato had enough chakra for such techniques, not to mention the difficulty involved in mastering them.

What they didn't know was that Minato had already mastered an S-class jutsu—even a space-time ninjutsu that was far more advanced. In Konoha's history, only the Second Hokage had fully mastered the Flying Thunder God Jutsu, but Minato had improved and surpassed the Second Hokage's version.

"Are you kidding me? Even your teacher hasn't fully mastered an S-class ninjutsu yet," Orochimaru said in disbelief. Even he had only just barely mastered an S-class jutsu before the Second Ninja War, and he didn't dare use it recklessly. It was too dangerous to employ an unrefined jutsu in battle.

Jiraiya, on the other hand, had not even mastered a single S-class technique.

Even Tsunade, who knew Minato better than most, was skeptical. She hadn't fully mastered that level of ninjutsu herself.

"Heh," Sakumo chuckled softly as everyone processed Minato's claim. Then he turned to the group, and what he said next left Tsunade and the others wide-eyed in shock. Gasps filled the tent.

"This kid in front of you is developing an S-class ninjutsu!"

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