Konoha’s Black Plague

Total Annihilation

---

"So the lives of people in other countries are really that miserable..."

Under the cover of night, Yue Xin spoke with quiet sympathy. Having grown up in Konoha her entire life, she'd always known war was cruel—but she still believed that, for most civilians, life remained tolerable.

After all, many in Konoha lacked the talent to become shinobi, yet they lived decent lives under the protection of the village. But for those chosen to wield chakra and fight... the death toll was staggering.

"This is the norm in this world," Bai Ye replied. "We just get lulled by illusions because we occupy the most fertile land."

He knew the world of shinobi all too well. The root of every conflict was always the same—resources.

That's why, during every major war, Konoha was the first to be targeted by the other villages. It wasn't until two decades later, during the Fourth Great Ninja War, that lasting peace would finally be secured.

Yuyan was silent, her expression heavy with emotion. Before they had left the Ye compound, she had secretly slipped some military ration pills into the hands of a pair of refugee siblings. They weren't delicious—but they'd stave off starvation for a while.

"Bai Ye, do you think Uncle Hizashi made it out safely?"

Now that the three of them were temporarily safe, Yuyan's mind kept circling back to Hizashi Hyūga.

If Hizashi had chosen to flee, she'd still have hope. But if he stayed behind to draw enemy attention... No matter how powerful he was, chakra eventually ran out.

"We didn't return on schedule," Bai Ye said. "Minato-sensei should've noticed something was wrong. With his speed... maybe he got there in time."

But he wasn't sure. The manga gave no record of this specific skirmish, and Hizashi had always been stoic, never hinting at any burden while training him.

If Minato had moved alone, he might've already reached the ambush point. So long as Hizashi could hold out, Minato had the strength to extract him.

---

Some time earlier, on the battlefield...

Hizashi had already been fighting for over an hour. Dozens of Sand shinobi lay dead at his feet, yet more kept coming. Though he hadn't been the original target of the ambush, the enemy couldn't afford to let someone like him escape.

Had he broken away early, he might've stood a chance. But after over an hour of constant fighting, the noose had tightened.

Fortunately, the enemy had grown cautious. Hizashi's Byakugan and Gentle Fist had taken a serious toll, and the Sand-nin chose to keep their distance, preferring attrition tactics. This allowed Hizashi to persist through the afternoon, conserving chakra.

It wasn't until more than two hours later that salvation arrived.

A blur of motion—faster than thought. A specially-marked kunai embedded itself into the earth—

—and the Yellow Flash appeared.

"Haaah... You finally came," Hizashi exhaled, relief flooding his system. "I've been holding my breath for hours."

The battlefield fell silent. Corpses littered the area, and more than a hundred Sand shinobi stood frozen.

Minato Namikaze took in the scene.

"Still sharp as ever, I see. Where are your students?"

"I had them split up and flee," Hizashi replied. "No way I could've protected them in the middle of all this."

Minato's sudden arrival stunned the remaining Sand shinobi. Hizashi, for the first time in hours, allowed himself a small smile.

The enemy looked as though their world had ended. One man had slaughtered nearly half their number—and now, a second had arrived, even more terrifying. Worse, they hadn't even seen how he got here.

The Sand-nin cursed their commanders under their breath. No elite jōnin had been assigned to this operation—only massed troops. And now, facing Konoha's famed Yellow Flash, they had no idea whether to attack or run for their lives.

Unaware of the disaster unfolding, other enemy squads continued searching for Bai Ye and the others. They assumed Hizashi was still being delayed and expected their comrades to join the sweep at any moment.

If only they knew the truth—that their vanguard had been obliterated, and a true monster now stood on the field.

Minato, after getting a full report from Hizashi, launched into action.

He didn't waste time with speeches or theatrics. Flying Thunder God kunai blurred through the air, and Sand-nin fell one after another.

Though Hizashi had ranged attacks like Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm, he'd used them sparingly—they drained too much chakra. Fighting at close range was already grueling enough, especially against evasive enemies.

But Minato was in a different league.

His precision was inhuman. He didn't need wide-range jutsu. Each kunai embedded in an enemy's shadow meant instant death. Each teleportation was surgically efficient.

In under a minute, it was over.

The force that had pinned Hizashi down all afternoon lay in ruins. Minato stood beside him, untouched.

"Stay put," Minato said, his tone returning to calm normalcy. "Rin will be here soon to treat your wounds. I'll go find your students."

"Thank you... truly," Hizashi murmured. Exhausted, he slumped against a half-shattered tree stump to rest.

---

Elsewhere, a lone Sand shinobi crouched, staring blankly at the carnage.

Corpses stretched as far as the eye could see. No burn marks, no craters—only clean, clinical death.

"What... What the hell happened here...?"

He'd only stepped away briefly to retrieve some explosive tags. When he'd left, dozens of comrades were still alive.

Now, only silence and death remained.

Ting.

A faint sound—a kunai.

The three-pronged blade arced toward him. He tilted his head slightly, sidestepping it with practiced ease.

"Hmph. That's the best you can—?"

He didn't finish the sentence.

The world went black, and he collapsed before he even hit the ground.