Minato's sharp gaze locked onto the man standing across the shallow river.
The Second Tsuchikage—Arano.
This was not the time for a direct confrontation. Not with his team standing behind him. Not when he couldn't guarantee their safety if he went all out. Fighting someone of Arano's caliber would require every ounce of his focus… and every second spent protecting his students would be another opening the Tsuchikage could exploit.
No, not yet.
Perhaps… there was still time to change the course of this encounter. A few words, carefully chosen, might delay the inevitable, or at the very least, shift Arano's attention back to the crumbling frontlines—where Konoha's counteroffensive was already underway.
Minato knew that Orochimaru's grand strategy depended on distractions like this. If he could keep Arano occupied here—even for just a short while—it would give Konoha more time to press the advantage.
While Minato calculated, his eyes scanning for any possible solution, Arano stood tall and unmoving in the river's center. He wasn't rushing. He wasn't baiting an attack. No, this time, he was cautious. He remembered the last time they crossed paths—how quickly Minato had slipped through the tiniest of openings and left devastation in his wake.
There would be no openings now.
Still, Minato decided to try. Even if it was a long shot.
"You know…" Minato called out, his tone calm but firm, "I believe you're needed more elsewhere."
Arano's gaze didn't flinch. His stone-like expression gave nothing away.
Minato continued. "By now, you've surely realized that Konoha forces have infiltrated deep within your territory. The order's already been given. Supply lines—cut. Outposts—burning. Civilian control—lost. The infrastructure you worked so hard to establish is collapsing as we speak."
Arano tilted his head slightly, as if appraising Minato's words. Then he glanced at the two young shinobi behind him. Kakashi. Rin. Both bore the Leaf Village's headband. Clearly his subordinates.
He took a deep breath before responding.
"You may have done damage to our rear, yes. But as we speak, the Third City should already be ashes. And with it—your defensive line. Our losses are not insignificant… but Iwa can recover."
His eyes narrowed.
"Can you recover from losing your land? From seeing your defenses overrun? Soon, the gates of Konoha will be all that remains between the Leaf and the might of the Stone."
Minato didn't show any visible reaction, though inside, he was already analyzing what Arano had said—and what he hadn't. The Tsuchikage had taken the bait. That was enough.
"Orochimaru's strategy is working," Minato thought. "By forcing the Tsuchikage to come after me alone, we've created the perfect diversion. It'll take time for any of his ANBU or scouts to reach him, and even longer for him to return to the frontlines. By the time he gets back, Konoha will have already crushed their forward troops."
But Minato didn't say that out loud. Instead, he took a subtle step forward and spoke with quiet authority.
"You speak of recovering," he said, "but how much longer can Iwa keep up this relentless assault? You've lost countless shinobi. Your tactics are reckless, and they're bleeding your forces dry."
Arano chuckled, a low and grave sound that echoed across the water.
"We've sustained heavy losses, yes," he admitted. "But we've also achieved results. This is war, Minato. There's no victory without sacrifice. Better to win decisively than to let this devolve into a scattered series of skirmishes in the forests—one by one, until no village has strength left."
Minato's eyes hardened. "You could've chosen not to start this war. You didn't have to plunge the continent into chaos. Why, Arano? What made you decide to sign the death warrants of thousands of shinobi?"
There was a pause.
And then… the Tsuchikage spoke with the weight of generations in his voice.
"When the entire world begins to move, when every nation sharpens its blades… you're left with a choice," Arano said. "Either act—or be acted upon. If Iwa had stayed still, we would've fallen behind. This war is our opportunity. An ugly one… but necessary. You call it reckless. I call it instinct to win."
Minato clenched his jaw.
"All of it… for nothing," he said, voice now filled with quiet conviction. "You won't win. All these deaths—your soldiers, your scouts, your commanders—will be meaningless. I won't ask you to surrender. It's too late for that. But know this—Konoha has already won."
Behind Minato, Kakashi and Rin stood silent, watching. Tension clung to the air like a blade at their throats. They couldn't interrupt. They wouldn't understand this level of discussion—this weight between two top tier ninja. Two shinobi who had seen too much, sacrificed too much.
But they were learning.
Arano looked at Minato for a long moment.
The Leaf shinobi's certainty was unsettling. So calm. So absolute.
Was this all a trap? Had Orochimaru orchestrated more than even he could see? It didn't matter. Trap or not, Arano knew one truth above all others—only he could stop Minato. No one else was fast enough. No one else had the strength.
Even if it was a risk… even if Konoha's victory was already in motion…
He would adapt. He would strike.
He would end this here.
"I want you to remember something, Namikaze," Arano said, lifting one finger and pointing it directly at Minato. "Today, I will stop you. Your odds of defeating me here—on this river, in this moment—are below zero."
His voice turned cold.
"First, I will kill you. Then… we'll see what happens to your students."
Rin tensed. Kakashi instinctively stepped half a pace forward. But Minato simply smiled.
It was not a cruel smile, nor a smug one.
It was calm. Certain. Absolute.
"You will not touch Konoha," he said. "You will not lay a hand on my students. And you will not leave this place victorious."
"Why?" Arano asked, stepping forward.
"Because Iwa has already lost this war."
Silence.
The tension finally reached its breaking point.
There were no more words to speak. No more points to argue.
A moment passed—just long enough for a leaf to fall between them.
And then…
The battle began.