Raikage isnt dead because minato had to retreat he had no choice either way minato had that battle won. Raikage couldnt lay a finger on him and when he figured out minato teleported to the kunai he still didnt notice he tagged Killer Bee. The only reason minato is dead is because he wanted kushina to see him. Oh and about the 16 year plan being a gamble, it worked didnt it? You could also say it was a gamble for orochimaru to disguise himself as kazekage to win their trust.
Raikage and minato fought many times, not just one, that was a fanservice, minato has nothing against the Raiton Armor. nothing to support that claim, until minato shows something else. Rasengan+harishim are not going to bypass that armor. the problem is that kishimoto threw an imcomplite character with a overborne tecnique that will make the trick.
Orochimaru is not the same as minato's plan, because orochimaru was an old grown up bastard capable of tricking anyone, not a new born baby or a 16 years old teenage that nothing will happened to him. A gamble..
i will kill myself and trust that my newborn baby, nothing will happen to him.
There is no way the manga or databook supports orochimaru is smarter because they never called him the smartest or smarter he was just known as a genius just like minato. Of course the databook supports orochimaru is smart, but not smarter, he has a 5 in it while minato's stats arent in the databook so you cant say the databook supports it because minato's stats arent even in it.
Like i said, minato is an unfinish character, just like harishama. kishimoto gave them hype and one jutsu. thats it. dumb people will buy that and wont question about it.. kishimoto himself does not know what to give to minato.
Like i said, orochimaru is supported by the databook and manga with feats and investigation, minato found out toby ability and that made him the smartest. lol
Minato has lots of feats but less then orochimaru considering
orochimaru is the main anagonist of part 1 lived much longer than him and minato only appears in flashbacks and in narutos head. You cant say he isnt smart because he noticed strands of hair on the ground and instantly caught on that it was a trail when no one else did. He knew the weakness of kakashi's jutsu at first glance. He tricked the mastermind of the whole series tobi and beat him one on one. After he rasenganed tobi he tagged him before he could react and stabbed and removed his control over kurama. You cant say he doesnt at least rival someone like orochimaru in intelligence.
that is why, you cant count a guy just with assumptions and guessing, if he does not have feats enough to outshine the other. there was a red hair from a girl he liked and maybe was stalking, having loving dreams about her and those stuff we do when are in love.. believe if i see one inch of hair from my girlfriend. i will know is her hair. of course he would be the only one to find her.
I cant tell if you think itachi or minato would win considering you barely mentioned itachi.
Honestly for me Minato vs ITachi is like:

Solid Snake vs Liquid- Metal Gear Solid 4
Hellsin vs alexander.
Messy vs Cristiano ronaldo
Light vs L
But since minato is a unfinish character i cant go with him.
Itachi wins this match.
Minato-rasengan+harishim
ITachi- the list goes on.