Naruto: Konoha’s Trickster, Starting as the Seven-Tails Jinchūriki

A few days later, in the Land of Fire...

"Damn it, that brat vanished again."

"Jiraiya, are you sure he was actually facing off against two Tailed Beasts?"

Tsunade was fuming—and all because Kazuyama Gekkō had gone missing yet again.

By now, she'd seen the pattern: as soon as a battle broke out, Kazuyama disappeared.

But according to Jiraiya's report, the brat had been at the rear lines intercepting enemy forces during the chaos. The surviving members of the assault unit backed up the story too. They'd seen both Tailed Beasts go berserk—but in the blink of an eye, Kazuyama used the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport them away. It had taken a long time for him to reappear on the battlefield.

"Nonsense! Like I'd be mistaken about that."

"And even if I was, you think Gamabunta would be? We fought the Tailed Beasts ourselves."

"Kazuyama's something else. After all these years, his strength has skyrocketed. He actually hurled one of those monsters into the sky."

"Not bad, not bad—just as I expected from someone I personally took an interest in back then."

Jiraiya looked smug, and Tsunade nearly punched him in the face.

Minato, standing nearby, was clearly impressed. His own mastery of the Flying Thunder God Technique had improved considerably—he could transport large objects now—but teleporting a Tailed Beast? He hadn't dared to try that yet.

Next time, he would. If he could teleport Gamabunta, then a Tailed Beast shouldn't be a problem. No way. Absolutely not.

Tsunade fell silent, staring through the thick trees toward the open plains in the distance. After a pause, she spoke slowly.

"Kazuyama's Fire Release jutsu on the frontlines dealt major damage to the poison bees. Add the repellents we've got now, and they're no longer a threat."

"As for the Tailed Beasts… with you two around, I'm not too worried."

"But that little brat disappearing again... during wartime... that's a huge problem."

As the commander of the Iwa front, Tsunade had a mountain of responsibilities. A sudden disappearance like this wasn't something she could ignore.

Especially not when it involved someone like Kazuyama. His ability to contend with Tailed Beasts made him a crucial asset. Losing his strength was a serious blow.

"Come on, what's the big deal? It's just Iwa. It's not like we haven't fought them before."

Jiraiya waved it off. After so many years of conflict, Konoha had clashed with Iwa plenty of times.

So what if they had Tailed Beasts? They still hadn't broken through Konoha's lines. There was nothing to be afraid of.

"We don't have much choice now. All our forward bases are gone. When Tailed Beasts go wild, they're a nightmare."

Even though Konoha had been gaining ground, the arrival of the two rampaging Tailed Beasts had flipped the situation.

It was only thanks to the combined efforts of Jiraiya, Tsunade, Minato, and others that the damage had been contained. Otherwise, things could've gotten far worse.

Even so, Konoha's entire outer defense line had collapsed. All forces had retreated inside the Land of Fire, where they were now relying on the terrain to launch defensive countermeasures.

"There's only one way left to halt their advance."

Tsunade pulled out a map.

Jiraiya and Minato leaned in at the same time. Their eyes were immediately drawn to one location—marked with a glaring red circle.

"The Kannabi Bridge…"

"Cutting off Iwa's supply line, huh…"

"That's going to be tough…"

"The Land of Grass is crawling with Iwa shinobi. If we want to sever their supply line, we'll have to send in a small infiltration team—and that's incredibly risky."

Jiraiya frowned. A small team sent into the Land of Grass would be walking into enemy territory. If anything went wrong, it could mean the loss of the entire squad.

"This is still our best option. Facing the Tailed Beasts head-on, even with the three of us, we don't stand a chance."

"To reduce casualties, cutting off their supply line is absolutely critical."

At that, Tsunade turned her gaze to Minato. Catching her look, he and Jiraiya exchanged a brief smile.

Minato stepped forward and got straight to the point.

"Lady Tsunade, I've been assigned this mission."

"Lord Hokage has long intended to cut off Iwagakure's supply chain. None of us want this war to drag on."

"This mission was originally meant for Kazuyama and me to carry out together, but under the current circumstances, I'll have to lead the team alone."

"My squad is ready. We can leave at any time."

"To that end, I've already marked coordinates in the Land of Grass. We'll use the Flying Thunder God Technique to enter directly."

As the saying goes, proximity shapes a person. Minato wasn't the only one in Konoha who could use the Flying Thunder God Technique.

Kazuyama Gekkō, another master of the technique, had given Minato plenty of inspiration. Thanks to Kazuyama, Minato had refined his own use of the technique significantly.

One of the biggest takeaways? A Flying Thunder God user must always leave a mark wherever they go.

The more coordinates you have, the fewer enemies who can stop you.

Now, Minato left coordinates wherever he traveled.

For added convenience, he had increased his supply of specially marked kunai. The scrolls he carried now held hundreds—at no small cost.

Of course, Kazuyama knew nothing about that. If he did, he might say something like:

"Bro, do you just throw those kunai away after one use? What are you, rich? You're not gonna pick them up?"

"Seriously, those things cost money! Retrieving them doesn't make you a loser!"

And maybe, with a sigh, he'd add:

"Minato, you and Kannabi Bridge really are tied by fate…"

"No matter how things circle around, this mission always lands on you. Don't even try to drag me into it— that cursed bridge is off-limits. No way we're going there!"

...

"Alright. Since the mission's been assigned, we'll go forward with it."

"Rest for a day. After that, I'll launch a counterattack to create an opening for your squad."

"But be careful. You'll be deep in enemy territory. If things look bad—retreat immediately."

Tsunade trusted Minato's strength. His use of the Flying Thunder God Technique had surpassed even Kazuyama's.

In earlier battles, he had already earned the title "Yellow Flash."

"Hahaha, Tsunade, what are you worried about? Minato's my student. He'll be fine."

"Hmm?"

"They're back again—those damn bees."

Mid-sentence, Jiraiya's attention snapped toward the distant forest. The low, droning hum left no doubt—the Kamizuru Clan's poisonous bees were on the move again.

"Those pests again…"

"Enough! Get ready for battle! Wipe out every last enemy that steps into the Land of Fire!"