Naruto: The Clanless Prince

Namikaze Minato was consumed by depression and anger, but he couldn't refute Sora's words.

Because, as much as it hurt to admit, Sora was right. In this situation, with injuries as severe as Daigo's, death was almost certain.

And in the end, Daigo had willingly chosen to die.

But Namikaze Minato's chest burned with anger all the same.

If Daigo had died at the hands of the enemy, Minato would have been deeply saddened but not angry. After all, this was a battlefield, and every enemy was a life-or-death opponent.

What he couldn't accept, however, was that Daigo's death came from the detonating tags given to him by Sora—his comrade.

It wasn't the enemy who asked Daigo to die; it was Sora.

Minato clenched his fists, his voice trembling with rage. "Sora, are you so cold-blooded? If you ever find yourself in danger in the future, wouldn't you want your comrades to save you?"

Sora sneered, his tone sharp and unyielding. "Cold-blooded? Call it whatever you want. If I'm ever in danger, it'll be because I lack the strength to survive. I wouldn't need anyone to risk themselves for me.

"And let me remind you of something, Namikaze Minato. The battle isn't over yet. Every second you waste here arguing with me might cost another comrade their life. And when that happens, their deaths will be on your head."

With those words, Sora used the Body Flicker Technique to vanish, returning to the chaos of the battlefield.

Namikaze Minato stood frozen in place, seething with frustration. He knew Sora was right—this wasn't the time to argue—but it didn't ease the storm in his heart.

Blinded by anger, Minato directed his fury toward the enemy shinobi. He charged into battle with renewed intensity, cutting through the opposition without a second thought. He no longer cared whether his targets were commanders or ordinary soldiers—his only goal now was to vent his rage.

Sora, similarly, returned to the battlefield with a singular focus.

The enemy commanders, having realized they were being hunted by the two Konoha shinobi, had retreated to hidden positions and continued issuing orders from safety.

Now, the main driving force of the battle was none other than Orochimaru and Jiraiya.

The two legendary Sannins, drenched in blood and fatigue, continued to wield their devastating ninjutsu to decimate the enemy forces.

Meanwhile, their Summoning Beasts, Manda and Gamabunta, had shifted their attention away from enemy shinobi. Instead, they were now engaged in fierce combat with the giant Summoning Beasts called forth by Kumogakure and Yugakure shinobi.

The battlefield had shifted dramatically. Where Manda and Gamabunta once swept through enemy ranks like unstoppable forces, the tide had turned.

Faced with multiple Summoning Beasts and the relentless assault of enemy Jōnin, Manda and Gamabunta could no longer dominate as they had earlier. They fought tooth and claw, but their strategy had shifted to one of slow retreats, buying time for the Konoha forces.

Amidst the chaos, Sora's sharp eyes locked onto a single figure on the battlefield.

It was a man who appeared to be about the same age as Sarutobi Hiruzen. He wore the forehead protector of Yugakure, and his movements set him apart from the other Yugakure shinobi. His presence radiated strength and authority.

Without hesitation, Sora grabbed a nearby Yugakure shinobi by the collar, holding his blade to the man's neck.

"Who is that man?" Sora's voice was cold and commanding. "You have three seconds to answer me."

Terrified, the Yugakure shinobi stammered, "H-he's our leader!"

The moment the words left his lips, Sora slit the man's throat and let his body fall to the ground.

His eyes narrowed as he focused on the Yugakure leader, who was fighting with ferocious intensity against the Konoha forces.

'Finally,' Sora thought, his lips curling into a faint smirk.

Their mission was never about capturing Yugakure Village. The Konoha forces were too few, and their current strength was insufficient to eliminate all the Kumogakure shinobi or drive them out of the area completely.

Their true objective was clear now: the elimination of the enemy leader.

The key to driving the Kumogakure shinobi out of Yugakure and ending their alliance with Yugakure lay in one person: the leader of Tanigakure Village.

According to the plan devised by Sora and Orochimaru, the only way to achieve this goal was to make Yugakure itself turn against Kumogakure.

The objective was clear: force the Cloud Shinobi out of Yugakure Village and ensure that Yugakure would no longer serve as a stronghold for them.

The process involved demonstrating to everyone in Tanigakure Village that interfering in a war between two great ninja villages was a reckless decision, one that a small ninja village like theirs could not afford.

Once this lesson was driven home, Konoha would announce its intention to let Yugakure return to neutrality, absolving them of the blame for having hosted Kumogakure shinobi. This way, Yugakure could withdraw its support for Kumogakure without appearing to take Konoha's side outright.

The heavy losses caused by the Cloud Shinobi's presence would drive Yugakure to reconsider their alliance, and Kumogakure would have no grounds to accuse them of betrayal.

If the plan succeeded, the mission would be complete.

Sora summoned a snake and sent it to report to Orochimaru that the leader of Yugakure had entered the battlefield.

Meanwhile, the Tanigakure Village leader was overcome with regret and sorrow.

The current situation in the battle was not something he had anticipated.

Initially, he had allowed the Kumogakure shinobi to station themselves in Yugakure Village because he foresaw that the Land of Hot Water would inevitably become a battleground between Konoha and Kumogakure.

Kumogakure had promised to protect Yugakure in exchange for being allowed to use the village as a base. Believing this was the only way to ensure the village's survival, the leader hastily agreed.

But now, as the chaos of battle unfolded, the harsh reality hit him.

The protection promised by Kumogakure was nonexistent.

The Cloud Shinobi cared little for the Yugakure villagers or ninjas. They fought solely for their own interests, leaving Yugakure to suffer the consequences.

As he watched his fellow villagers and shinobi fall one after another, the leader's heart filled with guilt and regret.

At first, he had refrained from joining the battle, knowing that if the leader of Yugakure himself were to fight, it would irrevocably change the nature of the conflict.

Although he had allowed Kumogakure to station forces in his village, he had attempted to maintain a neutral stance, avoiding direct involvement in the fighting between Konoha and Kumogakure.

This neutrality was a calculated decision—if Konoha were to win the war, Yugakure would have little means to resist any retaliation.

But now, as he witnessed the growing number of casualties among his people, he could no longer stay on the sidelines. His anger boiled over, and he began unleashing his jutsu against the Konoha shinobi, venting his frustration and despair.

The snake sent by Sora soon returned, delivering Orochimaru's message:

"Lord Orochimaru says he cannot disengage from the battle immediately. He requests that you keep an eye on the Yugakure leader for now."

With Orochimaru's response in hand, Sora turned his full attention to the Yugakure leader.

'Strong,' Sora thought, narrowing his eyes as he analyzed his target, 'but not exceptionally strong.'

Based on his observations, the leader of Yugakure was comparable to an Elite Jōnin from Konoha. However, his extensive combat experience made him a more formidable opponent than most shinobi of his rank.

Deciding to act, Sora formed hand seals and took a deep breath.

"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Song Technique!"

Four fiery dragons burst from Sora's mouth, their blazing forms twisting and roaring as they barreled toward the Yugakure leader.

The leader reacted quickly, and his years of experience were evident in his movements. Realizing he couldn't evade the attack, he immediately countered.

"Water Style: Water Barrier!"

A wall of water surged upward from the ground in front of him, blocking two of the fire dragons and neutralizing their flames.

"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"

Drawing upon the surrounding water, the Yugakure leader formed a massive water dragon. He directed it into the path of the remaining two fire dragons, extinguishing them with a thunderous crash.

The battlefield briefly quieted as the two shinobi locked eyes.

The Yugakure leader's expression twisted into hatred as he stared at Sora.

He had been watching the battle from a distance earlier and had taken note of Sora's presence. The lightning-wreathed shinobi had carved a bloody path through the battlefield, cutting down numerous Yugakure shinobi with ruthless efficiency.

Though Sora hadn't specifically targeted the Yugakure forces, the sheer number of his victims from their side was staggering.

For the leader of Tangyin Village, Sora was a symbol of the chaos and destruction that had befallen his home—a living reminder of his own failure to protect his people.

'This is the one,' the leader thought, his resolve hardening. 'The one who will pay for all of this.'

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