Naruto : Minato back to the past

"I won this game!" Minato thought with relief, but the strain he had been suppressing finally took its toll. Every inch of muscle in his body began to twitch violently, making it appear as though he was shaking uncontrollably. Despite this, a smile remained on his face.

Behind Minato, the Sand Ninja, who had stopped attacking due to Chiyo's orders, noticed the abnormality in the young shinobi before them. Seeing that Minato appeared defenseless, one of them slowly raised his weapon, hoping to take advantage of the situation.

Swish!

At that moment, a figure dashed out from the crowd that had ceased fighting, crossing her blade to protect Minato from the approaching Sand Ninja.

"Senior Suzuka," Minato said, smiling when he saw who had come to his aid. Although his body was wracked with spasms, he was fully aware of the Sand Ninja's intentions behind him. Even without Suzuka's intervention, Minato was confident the enemy wouldn't succeed in killing him.

Meanwhile, Chiyo's gaze turned toward Minato, taking in his weakened state. The murderous intent in her eyes was unmistakable. She pursed her lips tightly, seemingly hesitating.

Minato knew what she was thinking—Chiyo was reconsidering her earlier decision to let the Konoha troops retreat. After all, even if she couldn't defeat the entire Konoha force in one fell swoop, she could at least eliminate the boy who had twice thwarted her plans.

Understanding her thoughts, Minato locked eyes with Chiyo and smiled at her. But this was no ordinary smile. Even Suzuka, standing beside him, was taken aback. Minato's azure eyes, usually calm and kind, now gleamed with a mixture of ferocity and a chilling warning.

Through that expression, Minato silently conveyed to Chiyo that if she acted on her murderous intent, she would regret it. He would make sure of it.

Chiyo, who had seen and faced countless adversaries throughout her years as a ninja, felt a shudder run through her. How could she, a veteran of the ninja world, be intimidated by a boy not yet eleven years old?

But after the brief exchange, the determination in Chiyo's eyes began to waver. She hesitated, and her original intent to reverse her decision faded.

Seeing Chiyo's inaction, the Sand Village elites, including Saburo and Sunae, ceased fighting. On the Konoha side, Hatake Sakumo and Hyuga Tenki also retreated from the battlefield.

Tsunade and Orochimaru followed Chiyo's gaze and saw Minato, who appeared extremely weak. They couldn't fully grasp the dynamics of the battle at that moment, but they knew that this was not a bad outcome for the Konoha troops.

"Retreat!" Tsunade commanded, her eyes still burning with anger as they fixed on Chiyo. If she were fighting alone, she would never retreat, even in defeat. But now, she bore the responsibility of thousands of lives and couldn't afford to be reckless.

The scattered Konoha ninjas began to regroup, their movements wary and their gazes full of frustration as they passed by the Sand Ninjas. Each of them carried their own dignity as warriors, and though they longed to continue fighting, they knew that their lives were crucial to the Konoha army's survival.

"Let's go too," Suzuka said to Minato, who nodded slightly and took a step forward with all his remaining strength. Every movement sent waves of pain through his entire body, but he knew he couldn't collapse now—if he did, Chiyo would surely pursue them.

He subtly signaled to Suzuka and the other Konoha companions not to support him. Minato endured the searing pain and remained upright within the Konoha ranks as they completed their assembly.

"Retreat!" Tsunade repeated, leading the defeated Konoha army away from the battlefield.

Minato had intended to force himself to walk a bit farther, but the pain had reached beyond what his body could handle, and he was on the verge of collapse. At that moment, Uchiha Yoruki and Nawaki came to his side, supporting him with their hands on his shoulders.

Minato, whose vision was fading, felt his heart tighten with anxiety. He feared that Chiyo might change her mind and attack. But it seemed his fears were unfounded. About a hundred meters away from the Konoha army, the Sand Ninja forces had also regrouped, and Chiyo, though frowning, did not make a move.

She simply watched as the Konoha army retreated.

After Konoha's troops disappeared from sight, Saburo frowned and asked, "Lady Chiyo, why did we give up our advantage and let the Konoha forces leave?"

Despite being her son, Saburo addressed her formally on the battlefield, as their roles demanded. Chiyo was slow to respond, her silence leaving Saburo's question unanswered. He was about to ask again when Sunae grasped his arm and shook her head, signaling him to stop.

Seeing this, Saburo snorted in frustration, but the resentment in his eyes remained. He wasn't alone—many of the Sand Ninjas had struggled in their previous battles with Konoha, often finding themselves at a disadvantage. Today, they finally held the upper hand, so why let the enemy escape?

But Chiyo's authority was absolute, and no one dared question her decision.

When Konoha's forces had fully disappeared from view, Chiyo's tense expression relaxed slightly.

"Proceed with the plan," she ordered. "It must be executed meticulously, with no mistakes."

Saburo and Sunae immediately responded, "Yes, Lady Chiyo!"

Chiyo nodded, then added, "I will personally summarize the situation of this battle and report it back to the village."

Under the scorching sun, thousands of Konoha ninjas marched with heavy hearts, their spirits crushed.

"Damn it!" Tsunade cursed at the front of the team. Beside her, Hatake Sakumo and the others wore grim expressions, their faces dark with frustration.

"Ahem."

In the last row of the team, Minato, supported by Nawaki and Uchiha Yoruki, coughed violently. His facial muscles twitched, and the light in his blue eyes faded. Darkness crept into his vision, and he collapsed into unconsciousness.

Nawaki, panicked by the sudden change, shouted, "Sister, come quickly—Minato needs help!"

Tsunade, her fury still simmering, turned abruptly at the sound of her brother's voice and saw Minato had fainted. She rushed over, and the Konoha ninjas immediately made way for her.

Tsunade placed her palm on Minato's chest, carefully assessing his condition. After about ten seconds, she checked his breathing and the whites of his eyes, finally arriving at a conclusion.

"Minato was too reckless. He pushed his chakra usage to this extent—doesn't he know that overusing chakra can be fatal?" Tsunade said gravely. Chakra is the source of a ninja's life, and excessive use can lead to death.

Hearing this, Nawaki's face became even more troubled. Minato was his good friend and had saved his life.

Seeing Nawaki's distress, Tsunade quickly added, "But he's not in any immediate danger. He's just exhausted, and his muscles are torn in many places. He'll need time to recover, but he'll be okay."

Hearing this, those gathered around Minato gradually felt a sense of relief.

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