Minato's Choice

Boom!!

Bang!!!!

Violent lightning shot into the sky, exploding into countless sparks.

Ōnoki, who had barely dodged it, held his waist as several drops of cold sweat slid down.

Of all times, his back pain had chosen now to flare up.

But...

A technique capable of standing against Dust Release... what was that?!

Ōnoki had shattered Tailed Beast Balls with Dust Release many times. This was definitely not something Tailed Beast chakra could accomplish...

To confront Dust Release head-on, aside from Dust Release itself... perhaps only space-time ninjutsu could do it.

Ōnoki had indeed sensed space distorting.

"Brat... if you keep this up..."

"You'll make me willing to pay any price to kill you right now!"

Ōnoki gathered another Dust Release barrier.

Forcing down the violent influence brought by the Tailed Beast chakra, Kagami Uchiha spoke in a hoarse voice.

"Ōnoki, four tails are the limit of what I can control."

"If you want to keep fighting, then I'll just release the Nine-Tails."

"This place is closer to the Land of Earth, isn't it?"

"Before I lose consciousness, I can still make the Nine-Tails head toward the Land of Earth."

"Do you want to try the Nine-Tails' power...?"

Beneath the crimson chakra cloak, Kagami Uchiha's right hand had already been mangled beyond recognition.

The only two people present who knew the truth were the unconscious Roshi and Minato Namikaze.

Since you think I'm the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki, all the better.

Ōnoki fell silent.

His thoughts raced as he weighed the gains and losses.

"You've thought long enough!"

Kagami Uchiha roared. More Tailed Beast chakra spilled out, as though a fifth tail were about to form.

"Wait!!"

Ōnoki dispersed the Dust Release barrier and shouted urgently:

"In the name of the Tsuchikage, I promise that Iwagakure will not invade the Land of Fire for half a year! As long as you return Roshi to me!"

The violent chakra gradually calmed, remaining in its four-tail state.

"In one week, I'll have someone return Roshi."

"No! What if you extract the Four-Tails? Don't try any tricks with me!"

"Now... leave."

Ōnoki gritted his teeth. "I am the Tsuchikage, after all. Do you think I would break an agreement made before Iwagakure shinobi?"

A chakra tail curled around Roshi.

"We'll retreat to the border, then have someone deliver him. I guarantee he'll be alive."

"This is my bottom line. If that won't do, then let's fight."

As he spoke, fierce Tailed Beast chakra spilled forth once more.

"Fine."

Ōnoki took a long breath and stared deeply at Kagami Uchiha.

"Brat, tell me your name."

"Kagami Uchiha."

"Is that so..."

"Kagami Uchiha, I hope we meet again. You won this round."

Ōnoki slowly descended into the Iwagakure formation. After giving the Konoha group one last meaningful look, he directed everyone to withdraw.

After they had gone some distance, a young man with the same large nose as Ōnoki moved closer.

"Father, even if it was the Nine-Tails, you could have dealt with it, right?"

The people of the ninja world had no direct understanding of the Nine-Tails. They knew it was powerful, but surely it could at most handle two opponents at once, right?

Ōnoki had once defeated the Four-Tails and Five-Tails working together!

Floating in midair, Ōnoki cast Kitsuchi a sidelong glance and said coldly, "You want to become Tsuchikage? Think I've lived too long, is that it?"

"No, no, no!" Kitsuchi hurriedly waved his hands.

After a moment of silence, Ōnoki spoke in a low voice.

"I'm not sure whether I can deal with the Nine-Tails, and there was no need to."

"After you return, spread Kagami Uchiha's name far and wide. Tell everyone about Roshi's defeat too."

"Huh? But..."

Ōnoki narrowed his eyes, a strange curve at the corner of his lips. "Do you know who he made me think of when I saw him?"

Kitsuchi hesitated. Of course he knew the most painful memory in his father's heart.

"Uchiha Madara...?"

"That's right."

"Though he is still far inferior to the Uchiha Madara I saw, he's still young..."

"Someone like that..."

"The ones most afraid of another Uchiha Madara appearing in the Uchiha clan... won't be me..."

"It'll be Konoha!"

If Konoha had been united, if the Uchiha and Konoha's upper ranks had been close as one, Ōnoki would have fought to the death to keep those people here.

But the reason he had appeared here in the first place was because of intelligence from that person in Konoha...

What a Tsuchikage needed was not merely strength. More importantly, he needed eyes that could see through the essence of things.

Unfortunately... Kitsuchi was too dull-witted. He was not suitable.

Ōnoki truly envied Konoha, where talents emerged one after another.

The Konoha White Fang, the Three Legendary Sannin, and now Minato Namikaze, Kagami Uchiha, and others—every few years, a new group of geniuses emerged.

Everything had its pros and cons.

At least Iwagakure had no higher-ups who would willingly sell out their comrades' intelligence.

Even the Konoha White Fang had been driven away. The Uchiha would not meet a better end...

Ōnoki was very patient. He wanted to see whether the conflict between the two would erupt during this time.

"Then... Father, should we recall the people near the Land of Fire border?"

Smack!

Kitsuchi received a hard knock on the head. Ōnoki shouted in exasperation, "Are you an idiot?! Do you really think I'll honor some verbal agreement!"

Even alliance treaties were just scraps of paper when necessary, let alone something agreed upon only by word of mouth.

"Once Roshi returns, station troops in the Land of Grass and be ready to join the war at any time!"

Suddenly, a black eagle appeared in sight, flying toward Ōnoki and the others.

A messenger eagle?

This was a top-priority messenger eagle. Had something happened in Iwagakure?

As he opened the message, Ōnoki's face turned bright red.

"Bastard! Idiot!"

"Ay, that black-skinned monkey! How dare he!!"

"Third Raikage has led an invasion into the Land of Earth. The advance troops are already nearing Iwagakure. Return at once!"

How was that possible?!

He had only been out for two days. How had Ay managed to seize this timing?

Danzo!

That bastard must have given the intelligence to Kumogakure!

"Kitsuchi! Stay behind and receive Roshi. Everyone else, return to the village with me at full speed!"

Damn it, he had gone out hunting, and now his home was about to be stolen!

Land of Fire border.

A female medical ninja pressed a palm glowing green against Kagami Uchiha's back.

Not a patch of flesh on his body was intact. His outer skin had been corroded by Tailed Beast chakra, making for an utterly horrifying sight.

The surface wounds were manageable, but even the bones in his right hand had been injured and would require time to heal.

"Be careful not to let the wounds touch water. Being hurt this badly... it was Fire Release, wasn't it? You've truly suffered."

After bandaging him and explaining the dosage of the medicine, the medical ninja left the tent.

"Kagami, how are you feeling?"

Minato lifted the tent flap and entered, his eyes full of concern.

Wrapped like a dumpling, Kagami Uchiha's voice came out somewhat distorted.

"I'm fine. Where's Roshi?"

"We handed him over to the Iwa shinobi." Minato sighed. "If not for the situation with Sunagakure, we could have taken the chance to kill the Four-Tails."

"That would have meant Iwagakure needed at least ten years to cultivate a new Jinchuriki."

Whether it was Sunagakure or Iwagakure, Konoha could fight either one easily. Even fighting both at once would not have been too troublesome.

But...

Once the other ninja villages saw such a situation, they would definitely swarm in and turn it into four against one.

"An order came from the village. It said the fighting in the Land of Wind has reached a stalemate and hopes I'll go provide support..."

"Whose order?" Kagami Uchiha asked calmly.

"Lord Danzo's."

After a moment of silence, Minato's gaze turned cold.

"Kagami, you noticed it too, didn't you?"

Kagami Uchiha gave a faint laugh. "He's targeting me. Once he sends you away, he might make a move against me."

"The Third Tsuchikage appearing this time was probably his handiwork too."

Kagami Uchiha looked calmly at Minato. "Master Jiraiya often tells me to integrate into the village, to truly become part of Konoha."

"But, Minato Senior Brother... some people in Konoha do not want the Uchiha to exist."

"Waiting to die isn't my style."

"As long as I get the chance, I'll definitely kill Shimura Danzō."

"...He is... the Third Hokage's close friend..."

Minato Namikaze did not care about Shimura Danzō's high-ranking status.

What troubled him was the complicated relationship involved.

Strictly speaking, they even had to call Danzo their grand-uncle master.

Kagami Uchiha said nothing more, waiting for Minato to make his own choice.

If Minato chose the Third Hokage's side, then Kagami would not show mercy in the future either.

The lamp in the tent flickered silently.

After a long while, Minato let out a breath and revealed a warm smile.

"Until you recover, I'm not going anywhere."

"I'll protect you, Kagami!"