Chapter 84: It's You! Is It You?
"What an enormous amount of chakra!"
Just as Minato, carrying Kushina, entered Li Yao's five-kilometer chakra sensory range, Li Yao sensed the terrifying chakra levels radiating from the two of them.
He didn't know that the pair was Minato and Kushina.
But their chakra amounts left him stunned.
From his chakra perception, the two chakra flames appeared to be children about his age, yet their chakra was far beyond ordinary.
The chakra flame of the boy was over twice as bright as Li Yao's, indicating that the boy had at least double his chakra reserves.
For someone Li Yao's age to possess chakra reserves close to an ANBU-level jonin was already incredible—especially since he wasn't a Jinchūriki, nor did he come from chakra-rich clans like the Senju or Uzumaki.
And yet, someone his age actually had more than double his chakra.
But that wasn't the most shocking part.
The girl in the boy's arms—that was what truly stunned Li Yao.
Her chakra brightness was at least twenty times greater than his own, like a humanoid sun shining in front of him.
That meant her chakra was more than twenty times Li Yao's—which was more than twenty ANBU jonin combined.
"Senju?"
"Or… the Uzumaki Clan?"
In an instant, those two clans flashed through Li Yao's mind. In the ninja world, only those two had chakra reserves that ridiculous.
Whoosh!
Li Yao's shadow clone accelerated the Black Iron Giant Eagle, heading straight toward the chakra signatures of the boy and girl.
"Two kids… they probably don't have much strength."
Li Yao's lips curled into a cruel grin. A glint of crimson madness flashed in his black pupils.
To have such chakra at such a young age meant immense potential. If he killed them, Konoha would definitely take a hit.
What Minato had done—reporting him—taught Li Yao a harsh lesson.
An enemy is an enemy. Kindness and lack of hostility don't matter.
How you treat an enemy is a matter of allegiance.
And in matters of allegiance, there's no right or wrong.
Only victory or defeat. Life or death.
From the moment Minato turned him in, Konoha became his enemy. Not just the Third Hokage or Minato—all of Konoha's people were his enemies. Children, elders—it didn't matter. Anyone could be killed.
And enemies should be weakened by any means necessary.
"Hmm…"
Atop a large tree, Minato, holding the sleeping Kushina, suddenly paused and looked up with a frown. A cold, chilling chakra was rushing toward him from the sky.
Roughly four kilometers away—well within his chakra sensory range.
"Is it a Konoha comrade?"
Minato wondered. Then he jumped down to the ground and changed direction, moving away from the incoming chakra source.
If it was an ally, great.
If not, then trouble.
Kushina's condition was fragile. Though he'd fed her a soldier pill, her mental fatigue couldn't be fixed by medicine—it needed sleep.
She couldn't fight like this.
And the enemy had aerial advantage. If they got locked in combat, it would be difficult for him to escape. If reinforcements arrived, both of them would be in danger.
So avoiding a confrontation was the best choice.
His goal was to get Kushina safely back to Konoha.
"Hm… he changed direction."
Minato suddenly stopped again, turned around, and frowned. Then he gently woke Kushina.
The other party had altered course as soon as he had. That meant they too had some kind of long-distance sensory ability.
And since the enemy could fly, there was no escaping.
He had to first confirm if it was friend or foe.
If it was the enemy, then he needed to finish them quickly and continue fleeing with Kushina.
"Mmm… Minato, what is it?"
Kushina groggily opened her eyes. Seeing his serious expression, she asked.
Minato looked at her gently and smiled, "An enemy might be coming. But don't worry—I'm here."
"Ah!"
Kushina gasped and immediately jumped from Minato's arms, forcing herself to stay alert despite her exhaustion, preparing to face the approaching threat with him.
She refused to be dead weight.
As Minato and Kushina halted, Li Yao rapidly closed the distance.
Three kilometers…
Two kilometers…
One kilometer…
At one kilometer, Minato's sharp eyes spotted Li Yao atop the Black Iron Giant Eagle through the slanted moonlight.
Minato's gaze lingered on Li Yao's face for a moment, a flicker of confusion in his eyes—not from Li Yao's appearance, but from the oddly familiar chakra signature.
"This chakra…"
"It's you!!!!"
"It's you???"
After a moment of thought, Minato's expression twisted violently. He snapped his head up—first shouting in shock at Li Yao's sudden appearance, then again in disbelief.
The first was surprise at seeing Li Yao here.
The second was utter confusion—how was Li Yao still alive? Didn't the Third Hokage say the bastard who stole his friend's body was already dead?
Then why was that same person appearing before him now?
Though the chilling aura from the chakra was even colder than before, that wave—he couldn't mistake it. It was the same chakra from the monster who had stolen his friend's life and body.
But… why?
Minato couldn't understand. Nor did he have time to dwell on it. Right now, all he felt was rage. Past memories flooded his mind. His soft, youthful face turned crimson with fury as his eyes locked on the airborne Li Yao.
"You bastard who stole Yao's body!!"
Yao… who?
And what did "stole his body" mean?
Kushina's mind couldn't quite process it all. The information she just heard was beyond her understanding.
But from Minato's reaction, she was sure—whoever was coming, it was definitely not a friend.
"Minato…"
She looked at him with worried eyes. It was the first time she'd seen him this angry, and she feared his rage might cloud his combat judgment—which could be fatal.
"Hmm… that nostalgic voice!"
Up in the sky, Li Yao heard the shouting below. Though it sounded different from the warm voice in his memories, the tone stirred something inside him.
It brought him back to a sunny noon—
Minato's lunch rice balls had tasted amazing. Even though he'd almost puked at first, Minato's warmth had calmed Li Yao's uneasy soul after arriving in this strange world.
It was the first time he felt a sense of security here.
It made him feel like he belonged, even just a little, in Konoha.
That day had been… truly beautiful.
Even if it was a lie, it was still the best day Li Yao had ever experienced since arriving in the world of Naruto.
He had friends, classmates, and a dream (to become Hokage).
Everything had felt so perfect.
But unfortunately…
He was not Mokumura Yao.
(END CHAPTER)
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