Naruto: Fate System

It's quite ironic—among all the forces in the northern shinobi world, the one who now placed the most trust in Minato is none other than Shin, the man who had once hurt him the most.

As Iwa and Kumo launched a pincer attack, Minato's reputation and situation plummeted to rock bottom, teetering on the brink of despair.

He continued to fight on the frontlines, still unstoppable on the battlefield. Yet, he could not save the faltering, retreating battle lines crumbling all around him.

For a while, whispers of "The Yellow Flash has dimmed" and "The glory of Minato is no more" echoed from the inner lakes of the Land of Demons to the outer seas of the Land of Hot Water.

During this time, Minato wrote multiple letters to Jiraiya seeking help.

"Sensei, the burden grows heavier each day. How did the previous Hokages manage? I need more than just words of encouragement."

But now, there was little Jiraiya could teach him. He could only repeat the same phrases over and over: "For the village," "For Konoha," and "You are the prophesied savior; you must believe in yourself."

For several days in a row, Minato slept only two or three hours per night. When not fighting on the frontlines, he was poring over maps, devising strategies.

His once-radiant golden hair clumped together, his dark circles deepened, and his bloodshot eyes betrayed his exhaustion.

All the Konoha ninjas around him could see his weariness and tireless efforts, yet none could share his burden.

"Perhaps it's time to reconsider our allegiances," an elder clan member muttered to his subordinate.

"But the Yellow Flash—"

"Cannot save us all. Look at him—he's barely holding himself together."

The more exhausted he appeared, the more those with ulterior motives felt that Konoha was a sinking ship beyond salvation.

Consequently, Konoha suffered even greater losses in the subsequent battles.

When Minato read the casualty reports, his hand clenched the scroll so tightly that it crumpled. Seven squads... all Sarutobi-affiliated. This is no coincidence.

The pattern was too clear to ignore.

"What does it mean that these seven squads returned to the village after being defeated? Who approved their return? Is it now possible for squads to abandon their missions and return to the village without consulting me as the commander?"

His gaze locked onto his aide, Shinno.

A commonality among the seven squads was clear: they all had members with the surname Sarutobi—some were Sarutobi clan members, while others were affiliated through marriage.

Minato didn't need to ask. He knew that if he turned a blind eye and allowed these squads to return, even those who originally bore no connection to the Sarutobi clan would likely change their surnames to Sarutobi upon their return.

While the frontline faltered, certain clans in the rear were seizing the opportunity to expand their influence and grow stronger.

Out of gratitude for their past support, he had always tolerated such behavior. But this time, he could no longer endure.

Shinno tried to reason with him. "Minato-sama, this was... authorized by the Third Hokage. Besides, the defeats were not entirely their fault." He swallowed hard before continuing. "They will face punishment upon their return to the village. A ninja who fails their mission will carry the stigma of failure for life."

Shinno hoped to convince him that these individuals would face due consequences.

In the past, Minato might have let it slide. But now, for the first time, he refused to relent.

"Enough! Hasn't the Sarutobi clan sheltered enough of these so-called 'failures' since the war began?"

Shinno was stunned. It was the first time he had seen Minato, typically warm and sunny, explode in such anger.

And this was only the beginning.

Soon, an ANBU operative, masked and swift, appeared in a swirl of leaves. "Minato-sama, the seven squads that deserted their posts have been apprehended."

Shinno's shock deepened. He hadn't expected Minato to act so decisively, openly attacking the Sarutobi clan.

And that ANBU operative? A former Root subordinate, now entirely under Minato's command. When had this happened? Shinno realized he was utterly in the dark.

Minato immediately vanished using the Flying Thunder God, leaving only a yellow flash behind. Alarmed, Shinno quickly formed seals and rushed after him.

But when he arrived, it was already too late.

All he saw was Minato's icy, unfamiliar expression and the orderly rows of corpses—more than twenty bodies, all lying on the ground.

They had come expecting negotiation. They found judgment instead.

The seven Sarutobi squads that had been ordered to return to the village were now all dead, every member having committed seppuku with their own kunai. The squad leader's final words still echoed in the air: "We accept our dishonor."

Not a single one had been killed by Minato himself.

Standing before this grim scene were representatives from the ninja clans stationed on the northern frontlines.

At that moment, these representatives stood with heads bowed before Minato, silent and trembling, not daring to voice any objections.

Minato then turned his gaze to Satoru.

"The Sarutobi clan has set an example. Can the Hyūga clan now ensure uninterrupted reconnaissance along the battlefront?"

Satoru bowed deeply, his past pride as a member of a prominent clan utterly absent. The message was crystal clear—there would be no more special treatment, no more exceptions.

"The Hyūga clan pledges to give its utmost, Minato-sama."

Minato merely nodded silently and left without another word.

But in that moment, every ninja clan representative present felt a bone-chilling coldness and an immense pressure. A veteran commander watched him go, murmuring to his rookie subordinate, "Finally, a commander who understands what war requires."

The once-gentle gentle sun, warm as spring, had been pushed to the point of adopting the harsh, searing intensity of midsummer's blazing sun.

As for Shinno, he stood frozen, speechless, as if stripped of the strength to form words. He couldn't fathom how he would face his father upon returning.

Yet, while Shinno's heart sank, the northern frontlines of Konoha underwent a miraculous turnaround in the subsequent battles.

Where words had failed, death had succeeded in uniting them.

It was as if every Konoha ninjas had suddenly grasped the essence of the Will of Fire. Fighting fearlessly, they followed Minato's lead, refusing to retreat even in the face of death.

The truth became clear: no matter how beautifully leaves dance in the wind or how warmly flames burn, nothing inspires more deeply than the line between life and death.

That day, Minato shed his naivety, maturing overnight as though reborn. Understanding isn't enough, he thought as he planned the next battle. We must surpass them all.

But the price was steep: the distance between him and the Sarutobi clan—and even the Third Hokage, who had once mentored him—grew ever wider.

And so, as he forcibly quelled Konoha's internal strife, the counteroffensive began.

Ōnoki believed he had obtained a secret weapon through Nonō from Akatsuki, unaware that the knowledge he had gleaned was merely what Shin deemed acceptable to reveal.

In favorable circumstances, such tactics might suffice to bully Konoha's clans, focused on self-preservation.

But against the united fist Minato forged out of Konoha, such superficial tricks proved utterly inadequate.

In fact, Minato's understanding of Akatsuki's methods, derived from post-battle analyses, surpassed Ōnoki's stolen insights.

"You understand their methods better than they do," the advisor noted.

Minato's eyes remained fixed on the maps before him. "Show them what a united Konoha can do."

---

When the clash between Iwa and Konoha erupted again, both sides surprisingly adopted tactics modeled after those of Akatsuki.

Through the chaos of battle, commanders shouted orders that would have been familiar to any Akatsuki member.

"Formation Three! Ninjutsu squad, maintain distance! Close Combat Units, hold position!" an Iwa commander shouted

"We're losing cohesion!" came the desperate reply as ninja scattered under a barrage of kunai.

Both sides consciously divided their forces into a rearguard specializing in ninjutsu and a vanguard focusing on close combat. The battlefield was a messy attempt at organized chaos, with squads trying desperately to maintain their assigned positions.

However, such divisions usually remained apparent only in the initial exchanges of the battle.

Once chaos descended, both sides inevitably reverted to traditional mixed skirmishes.

"Why is this happening? Why can't we coordinate as smoothly as Akatsuki?"

The Iwa jonin commander wiped the sweat off his brow. Bodies of his comrades littered the battlefield—evidence of their failed imitation.

Initially, they had assumed that once Akatsuki's strategies were deciphered, replicating them would be straightforward. After all, if even ninjas from small nations and minor villages could master them, how could the elite shinobi of Iwa fail?

And yet, they did fail.

It wasn't until they tested these methods on the battlefield that they realized just how difficult it was to implement them.

In the fast-paced, high-mobility clashes of ninja warfare, maintaining formations and coordinating teamwork was an arduous challenge.

Especially since they had not uncovered the true core of Akatsuki's methodology: a well-defined, tiered command structure and an ingrained culture of obedience forged through extensive training.

Iwa had managed to steal ideas like classifying units by specialization, separating ranged and melee roles, and employing a "bombardment-first, charge-later" approach. But they failed to grasp the essential foundation.

On the other hand, Konoha, under Minato, had learned a valuable lesson from their previous failures. He stood before his assembled forces.

"Break the old ties. From today, we fight as one Konoha," he declared, his gaze sweeping across the gathered clan heads.

Determined to prevent internal divisions—such as Sarutobi clan members retreating preemptively to preserve their strength—he ruthlessly dismantled existing units and implemented a broader, unified structure.

This unintentional reform dramatically improved battlefield coordination, allowing Konoha to effectively counter Iwa's offensive!

With Chōza and Shibi leading their respective units, Konoha pushed the battle line forward, even regaining the upper hand.

Eventually, they managed to hold out until Minato himself arrived on the battlefield.

"Don't panic! If Akatsuki could handle Minato, so can we!" the Iwa commander rallied his troops, conveniently ignoring the fact that his village had once decreed unconditional withdrawal at the mere sight of the Yellow Flash, with no penalties for retreat.

"He's everywhere! How do you fight someone like that?" An Iwa ninja cried out as yellow flashes lit up the battlefield like lightning.

"Just run! Remember the withdrawal order!" His companion grabbed his arm, pulling him away from another flash of yellow light.

In the end, the results spoke for themselves: watching others execute these strategies seemed effortless, but applying them oneself?

A whole different matter.

One day later, the battle report reached Kusa.

Ōnoki kicked over a table in fury, only to strain his back in the process. "Tsuchikage-sama, please calm yourself..." an ANBU pleaded as the old man collapsed.

Lying on the floor and groaning, he still managed to curse furiously. "Why? How could this happen?!"

His rage will kill him before any enemy does, the medical kunoichi thought worriedly as she rushed to his side.

The report detailed how Minato had first repelled the A-B Combo on a battlefield over 100 kilometers away, then swept through the entire front line with unstoppable momentum.

No unit from Iwa or Kumo could replicate the miracles once performed by Akatsuki.

On this day, Minato went on an absolute rampage.

Ōnoki swallowed painkillers as a medical ninja helped him sit up. "Why didn't our southern forces launch their offensive? Minato was delayed by Kumo for so long! Why couldn't our southern line break through during that time?"

An ANBU specializing in intelligence responded, wiping nervous sweat from beneath his mask, "Tsuchikage-sama, our southern forces were blocked by Konoha's defensive units. They've regained their fighting spirit, and we couldn't establish a sufficient advantage."

"That's an order!" Ōnoki roared in frustration. "Break through the southern line—this is my command!"

Panting heavily, he continued his tirade, "Every unit is lying to me! They all claimed this was something Akatsuki achieved with ease! Even Kitsuchi lied to me!"

The medical ninja exchanged worried glances with the ANBU. At this rate, his health won't survive his anger, she thought.

"Those jonin have experienced countless missions and battles. Did they only learn how to use toys during all that time? I never attended a single day of ninja school, nor did I complete many missions, yet I took over the entire Iwa and have held it together for decades!"

"And these jonin? They're nothing but deadweight compared to Akatsuki!"

Beside him, a weeping medical ninja tried to interject, "Please, Tsuchikage-sama, don't say such things..."

After a long while, Ōnoki finally calmed down, though he couldn't help but feel regret over his earlier outburst.

But by now, the surrounding ANBU were too terrified to utter a word.

"Why? We uncovered Akatsuki's secrets, so why can't we replicate their success?" Ōnoki muttered.

At the same time, similar doubts plagued the entire shinobi world. Intelligence officers from various villages huddled over reports, trying to understand what they were missing.

"How did a group of orphans achieve what our elite forces cannot?" One officer asked, spreading out battle maps.

"Perhaps we're looking at the wrong things," another responded, studying diagrams of Akatsuki formations. "Maybe it's not about the formations at all."

---

Shin continued calmly training new recruits while advancing toward the mountainous region around the Kannabi Bridge. 

Though he had done nothing extraordinary in recent days, his reputation inexplicably soared!

Ninjas from Kusa, who had been causing trouble just days prior, vanished without a trace after learning of Minato's crushing victory over Iwa. 

And just two days later, even the ever-arrogant and combative Kumo broke precedent by sending a delegation to Kusa, seeking contact. Their once-proud faces now showed unmistakable fear.

"So, you're here to propose an alliance?" Shin asked with a sly smile as he looked at the humble emissaries before him.

"Yes. We now face a common enemy! Besides, Kumo and Ame have never been at odds before. Forming a unified front would benefit us both, wouldn't it?"

Before Shin could respond, Konan scoffed. "If you truly wanted an alliance, why didn't you offer support when we first clashed with Konoha?"

Her words left the delegation drenched in cold sweat, struggling for a reply.

The answer was obvious to all: they had simply looked down on Akatsuki. Now, after witnessing Minato's explosive comeback, the weight of Akatsuki's earlier achievements had only grown.