Chapter 34: The Bet—The Position of Hokage
Namikaze Minato praised Uchiha Dali's advanced Body Flicker Technique.
But that wasn't what Uchiha Dali wanted.
At this moment, he smiled slightly, gazing meaningfully at Namikaze Minato before suddenly asking,
"Do you think someone of my strength is qualified to be Hokage?"
"I mean, the Fourth Hokage."
"What?"
A fleeting trace of surprise flashed through Namikaze Minato's eyes before it quickly disappeared.
He studied the Uchiha before him—a man even younger than himself—and found his curiosity piqued.
"You want to be Hokage?" Minato asked.
"I've heard some rumors saying that you're the most likely successor to the Third Hokage," Uchiha Dali continued.
"A genius who rose from civilian origins and made a name for himself on the battlefield of this Ninja World War… You're indeed impressive."
"But…"
Uchiha Dali's lips curved into a silent smile, leaving his sentence unfinished. Instead, he looked up at Minato again and proposed,
"So, let's have a competition."
"Right now, you're quite behind me."
"Before this war ends, let's see who can kill more enemies. But, Minato-senpai—this isn't just a simple contest."
"If you lose, and if you do become the chosen successor to the Hokage position… I want you to step aside."
Upon hearing this, Namikaze Minato's expression turned serious.
He locked eyes with Uchiha Dali, taking his time before responding.
"It seems you're quite interested in becoming Hokage. Can I ask why?"
A subtle maneuver—he avoided giving a direct answer to Uchiha Dali's proposal while trying to understand his deeper motives.
This way, he might find a way to defuse the sharp tension in the conversation.
However, Uchiha Dali didn't play along. Instead, he smiled and countered,
"What, do you think I'm not qualified to be Hokage? Or do you think the Uchiha clan isn't fit to lead Konoha?"
Minato's heart stirred slightly at those words.
A sharp gleam flashed through his eyes as he looked at Uchiha Dali with newfound depth—
as if he were seeing him for the first time.
"So, you're doing this for the Uchiha clan…?"
The tensions between Konoha and the Uchiha clan—anyone who had lived in the village and had even a slight understanding of its power structure and the distribution of authority among the major clans—would have heard of them, even if they weren't directly involved.
And for someone like Namikaze Minato, a genius ninja, though he had never participated in the conflicts between Konoha and the Uchiha clan, he was still aware of certain aspects.
Now, hearing Uchiha Dali's words, Minato had already deduced the real reason.
For a moment, a complicated look flickered in his eyes.
Uchiha Dali, however, did not answer his question directly. Instead, he changed the topic,
"The enemies on this battlefield will retreat from the Land of Fire within the next few days."
"So, we'll need to change locations for our competition. If you're afraid of losing, you can always back out."
With that, Uchiha Dali vanished in a flash, using his advanced Body Flicker Technique to reappear a hundred meters away in an instant.
Watching him swiftly disappear into the distance, Namikaze Minato's gaze grew solemn.
He pulled out a Flying Thunder God kunai and ran a hand over it gently.
Then, with a soft boom, he vanished.
—
At the onset of the Third Ninja World War, Iwagakure's initial target wasn't Konoha.
They had first launched an offensive against the Land of Lightning, across the sea.
Unfortunately for them, the Third Raikage of Kumogakure proved far stronger than expected.
Alone, he withstood an assault from ten thousand Iwagakure shinobi.
Though, in the end, that heroic figure perished after battling for three days and three nights, exhausted to death—his valiant stand had dealt a devastating blow to Iwagakure's forces, causing massive casualties among their ranks.
Because of this, Iwagakure was forced to shift its offensive toward the Land of Fire, hoping to take a chunk out of Konoha, which was already under siege.
But in reality, they had already suffered heavy losses. And, worse yet, they had chosen the wrong opponent.
For days, Iwagakure's forces had been suffering ambush after ambush.
Each time, dozens or even hundreds of their ninja were slaughtered in single engagements.
To make matters worse, they couldn't even identify their attacker—
Was it the "Yellow Flash" Namikaze Minato?
Was it "Shisui of the Body Flicker"?
Or was it "The Man Who Surpassed Shisui of the Body Flicker"—Uchiha Dali?
Some even spread absurd rumors that the vengeful spirits of fallen Konoha ninja had returned to hunt them down.
Regardless of what the enemy believed, these relentless attacks had planted a deep, lingering fear in their hearts.
Eventually, the Land of Earth's leadership had no choice but to order a temporary retreat, fearing further meaningless losses.
By today, the last unit of Iwagakure ninja covering their main force's withdrawal was about to leave the Land of Fire.
They were now less than three kilometers from the border.
Deep in the forest, dozens of figures moved in coordinated shifts, covering one another while planting traps to prevent pursuit.
The quiet of the primeval forest was broken only by the occasional chirping of insects.
The Iwagakure ninja, thinking they were about to successfully retreat home, were suddenly interrupted by a thunderous explosion behind them.
BOOM!
A massive blast rocked the forest, engulfing the trees in smoke and fire.
Although the explosion's shockwave was partially absorbed by the towering trees, its sheer force still carved out a massive fifty-meter-wide crater in the vast woodland.
"Our explosive tag trap was triggered! Everyone, stay alert!"
Even though the explosion was so powerful that any pursuers would likely have been blown to bits, the Iwagakure ninja only became more tense instead of relaxing.
And just as their formation wavered—
At least ten kunai suddenly streaked toward them at lightning speed.
Strangely, these specially crafted kunai—longer and sharper than normal—did not seem aimed at them but merely flew past them.
The Iwagakure ninja barely had time to process their confusion when—
Something completely unexpected happened.
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