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Haori had done some research on Kumogakure's AB duo.
Every Raikage, after becoming Raikage, would change their name to A. At the same time, earlier on, they would choose a ninja from within Kumogakure to be their partner, or brother, and change their name to B.
Haori didn't know who the B of the Third Raikage was, but considering the current state of the Shinobi World War, it was likely that they had already died before the Raikage.
The current AB duo, A is the son of the Third Raikage.
From reverse reasoning, since he has become a member of this duo and already has the name A, it's enough to show that he has been established as the candidate for the Fourth Raikage. Considering the Third Raikage's heroic act of sacrificing himself to stop Iwagakure, it's likely that this decision was made a long time ago.
As for B, he's called Killer B. The name doesn't matter. The key is that his identity is very special.
He's the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki. And according to Konoha's intelligence, he's a Jinchūriki who can perfectly control the power of the tailed beast. That's pretty impressive.
The Fourth A has the power to subdue Kumogakure ninjas, and his partner is the perfect Eight-Tails Jinchūriki. In other words, this duo is not easy to deal with. Or, as Jiraiya said, they're a very tricky enemy.
"The Jinchūriki is the priority target. As for A, considering that he will become the Fourth Raikage soon, we need to avoid harming him during the battle as much as possible."
After guessing the enemies' identities, the squad started moving at high speed, and Minato began to assign tasks.
The statement about not harming the Fourth Raikage was clearly a surprise to the other members of the squad, but Haori quickly understood what Minato was considering.
He was thinking about ending the war.
If they wanted to reach a peace agreement in the end, they first needed Kumogakure to have someone who could make decisions. Currently, the best choice is A. Based on Konoha's intelligence about Kumogakure, he's practically the only suitable candidate.
So, he has to live.
Of course, keeping A alive has its pros and cons. First, he's a Kage-level powerhouse and a major threat on the battlefield. Second, keeping him alive will make Kumogakure united and under his control, making them even harder to deal with.
Right now, the downsides are immediate, while the benefits are still far off…
But these are the kinds of problems that only people like Minato and the Third need to consider. The balancing act isn't for Haori. He just needs to follow orders.
And Minato's statement wasn't an absolute order, just a priority. The actual course of action would be determined during the battle. The future Fourth Raikage isn't completely off-limits. According to Minato, at the very least, it's okay to break his arms and legs.
As for Killer B, the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki… this Jinchūriki, who doesn't go berserk and can rationally utilize the tailed beast's power, is a super threat on the battlefield. He's the top priority target for Minato's squad to hunt down.
Since the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki is so awesome, who else are you going to kill?
"Something's wrong," Shizune Yūgao suddenly said, as they got closer. "Minato, there are two enemies, but one of them has very ordinary chakra strength…"
"It's not bad for a regular ninja, but compared to the other one, it's much weaker. It's not like the two in the AB duo are equally strong in the intelligence reports."
The new situation didn't stop Minato's advance. He paused for a moment, considering, before saying, "Whether or not it's that duo, there's no doubt that one of them is a powerful combat force. That's our target. So, the plan remains unchanged."
Shizune Yūgao's perception is very accurate. Since there really is a powerful combat force, whether or not it's A and B, Minato's squad needs to deal with them.
The time was early morning, and the weather looked nice today. The sun was already peeking through the gaps in the forest.
Guided by Shizune Yūgao's perception, Minato's squad quickly found the two enemies.
"Are you sure it's these two?" Although the enemies were already in their line of sight, Minato still asked using a coded gesture.
Shizune Yūgao nodded without hesitation.
If so… enemy is enemy. An attack was inevitable.
"Who are you?" A young female voice asked in a cautious tone.
As her voice fell, Minato and Chōji Akimichi walked out of the forest.
With Minato's image, which could make kids cry with emotion in Konoha and scare kids in other villages, they clearly recognized him the moment he appeared.
"It's Konoha's Yellow Flash… What should we do? Retreat?" One of them asked.
Facing Minato, she was very young, but her reaction was appropriate. She didn't panic. Even if you said this person was unbeatable, it wouldn't be an exaggeration.
"It's too late. If we turn and run from a ninja like this, we'll only be attacked from behind. We'd be better off dying in battle." Another one responded.
Every village has ninjas who are afraid of death, and ninjas who are fearless in the face of strong opponents. But the fact that a young female ninja could say this just shows that they're Kumogakure ninjas.
"If I could, I wouldn't want to kill you. But unfortunately, this is a battlefield, and you're Kumogakure."
Minato said. His gaze fell on their forehead protectors. This represented their identities and would also bring them death.
His tone was full of regret. Even though he didn't need to show sympathy, the two of them, as enemies, could tell that Minato's words were sincere. It was his true emotion. It wasn't hypocrisy.
What Minato regretted was that the two female ninjas on the other side, one looked about the same age as Haori, and the other was even younger, were about to die.
That's how war is. Even if it's unavoidable, there are some things you have to do.
Konoha didn't have any information about these two, so Minato didn't recognize them. But his teammates judged that one of them was a major threat, so she had to be eliminated.
In reality, one of them was called Yūgao Uzuki. She was the major threat because she was Kumogakure's new Two-Tails Jinchūriki.
And this was her first time appearing on the battlefield as a Jinchūriki. So, Konoha didn't have any information about her. But to encounter Minato on her very first mission like this, that was a real jackpot.
The other blonde ninja was Samui. She was currently just a Chūnin.
Minato's words were practically an order to attack. And although he and Chōji Akimichi were in front, the first to launch an attack was Haori, who was hidden in the forest.
From Shizune Yūgao's perspective, he saw Haori reach his left hand behind him, and there was a flash of Lightning Release. Then, he had a full iron bow in his hand. It was definitely an iron bow because even the bowstring was made of iron.
Then, he reached out with his right hand, and there was an iron arrow.
Early morning, water droplets danced lightly on the leaves, occasionally getting on Haori's hair. Now, he was going to change the look of this wonderful little world under the sun.
He drew his bow and arrow, aiming at Yūgao Uzuki's head.
Then, lightning flashed on the bow and arrow.
The next moment, the lightning arrow was already in front of Yūgao Uzuki's eyes, and it was rapidly getting bigger in her pupils.
That's what it means to be an arrow loosed from the bow.
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