You Will Definitely Regret This!

Fear.

What was fear?

It was a fundamental emotional response in humans and living creatures, born from the need for survival in ancient times.

When faced with unknown environments, threats from wild animals, and the dangers of natural disasters, humanity's ancestors developed the instinctive response of fear.

As an emotional response, fear served as a powerful form of protection for humans, driving them to protect themselves and thus avoid danger and disaster.

In A's perception, what approached him was not a skinny young boy.

It was a hell shrouded in deathly gray, rising above a sea of blood.

It was a pair of scarlet eyes that filled the entire world.

It was blade after blade slowly carving him apart!

His instinctive fear wailed fiercely, demanding that he flee at once!!

BOOM!!!

Brilliant blue lightning erupted, forming a barrier amid the endless slashes!

"Brat!!"

"Who do you think I am?!!!"

"I am!!"

"The Raikage Candidate, A!!!"

"Wrapping lightning around his body... Lightning Release Chakra Mode!" Jiraiya's pupils contracted.

He hadn't used a move like that before. So he'd been looking down on me.

Jiraiya had misunderstood A, though. A simply wasn't proficient enough with Lightning Release Chakra Mode yet, making it unsuitable for coordinated combat.

He was furious because he had felt fear.

And that fury happened to help him break through the barrier.

When humans faced fear, running away was the right choice.

But if one chose to confront fear head-on, perhaps there would be something to gain as well.

Fast!

As fast as lightning!

BAM!!!

Shockwaves spread out in rings, like a cannonball slamming into an iron wall.

"Stop making such a racket. It only shows how weak you are."

A stood a full two meters tall, his fist larger than an ordinary person's head.

Yet it was blocked by a seemingly slender palm.

Compared to Kagami Uchiha's immense spiritual energy, his body was indeed his weak point.

Using Black Flash twice had both left him injured.

But that didn't mean... his body was frail.

"How... how is this possible! Your strength!!"

How could a mere brat possibly block this body he had honed day and night!

Kagami Uchiha chuckled softly. "What's so unbelievable about it?"

"The only ones who can surpass the Uchiha physically are the Senju and Uzumaki. What are you supposed to be?"

You trained day and night, but had I not done the same?

Floods and beasts lurked both within and without. What he had to fight against was the torrent known as fate.

The pressure he bore exceeded anyone else's.

More than once, Kagami Uchiha had trained until his body reached its limit.

He struggled to breathe, and auditory hallucinations rang in his ears.

Even so, unless he squeezed out every last bit of his body's potential, he would never let it go.

Kagami Uchiha rarely thought about whether he could truly change the Uchiha's history.

He would not, after failing, claim that he had done his best before leaving alone for some distant land.

If he failed, it would only be because he had exhausted himself to death.

"Next, I'll punch with my right hand."

"The target is your left chest."

A's expression froze, and Kagami Uchiha's withdrawing hand threw his body off balance.

Black lightning coiled around Kagami Uchiha's fist.

"Get out of the way!!"

Dodai roared, pouring all his strength into forming a protective membrane in front of A.

Roar!!

The half-Tailed Beast-transformed Blue B charged in at high speed. A and Kagami Uchiha were too close together; he could not use a long-range attack.

With the experience from using Chakra Black Flash twice before, Kagami Uchiha had learned to control the variables.

Not every Black Flash needed the power to contend with Dust Release. The damage would be complete overkill.

Without harming himself, Kagami Uchiha mobilized his Chakra to the utmost, combining it with a physical attack to find the spatial distortion produced within an error of less than 0.000001 seconds.

"Black Flash"

Crack—

The black lightning shattered layer after layer of protective membrane, striking A squarely in the left chest!

Boom!!

The dull impact sounded like a cannonball hitting a city wall!

A's body flew backward at tremendous speed, smashing through several massive boulders before finally coming to a stop!!

"Big brother!"

"A!!"

Roar!!

A dense barrage of energy blasts shot from Blue B's mouth. As he attacked, Blue B gave the order.

"A is still alive! Retreat—I'll hold them off!"

"Blue B..."

"Go!!"

A dazzling blade gleam cleaved apart the energy blasts. These mass-produced Chakra blasts were no Tailed Beast Balls.

Kagami Uchiha leaped high into the air and dove straight toward Blue B.

His target had been the Eight-Tails from the very beginning.

Quite a few energy blasts were also hurtling toward Jiraiya and the others.

"This... really is a battle between monsters..."

Maruboshi Kosuke was well-traveled and highly capable.

But in a battle of this level, it seemed he could only stand by and watch.

The group were all at least jonin-level. They would not be injured by the aftershocks, and rapidly formed hand seals, using Water Release and Earth Release to cancel out the energy blasts.

"Doesn't look like there's any chance to jump in. Heh, I'd wanted to let this brat see..."

Kushina looked at Minato and Jiraiya, whose expressions remained calm, and asked in confusion, "Kagami is fighting a Jinchuriki. Why aren't you worried at all?"

Jiraiya simply sat down to recover his strength. "I taught that brat for over a year."

"What a strange fate. My disciples seem to get more outrageously talented with every one... Ah, sorry, Minato. You're here too."

Minato smiled and shook his head, signaling Jiraiya not to mind him.

Jiraiya continued, "The Uchiha... truly worthy of being a bloodline clan passed down for a thousand years."

"I was a little worried about that Lightning Release Chakra guy just now, but if his opponent is a Jinchuriki, Kagami will be fine."

Jiraiya looked meaningfully at Kushina, the corner of his lips curling upward. "That guy's ocular power is something even the Nine-Tails fears!"

"Uh..."

Kushina suddenly clutched her head, crimson vertical pupils flickering in her eyes.

"How many times do I have to say it?!"

"That brat is Madara's reincarnation!!"

"Kill him!"

"Kill him now!!"

Violent Chakra corroded Kushina. In this situation...

Without another word, Minato pressed a hand against Kushina's abdomen and performed a sealing technique.

Fortunately, not much Chakra had leaked out, and it was quickly brought under control.

"Kushina, are you okay?!"

After taking a few heavy breaths, Kushina looked at Minato's anxious face so close to hers and forced out a smile.

"I'm fine. The Nine-Tails was spouting nonsense again—something about reincarnation and rebirth. I couldn't understand a word of it."

"As far as this old man knows, there has never been any notion of reincarnation in the ninja world."

As the eldest among them, Maruboshi Kosuke had a certain right to speak.

"Mm, I've heard the old man mention it too. The dead of the ninja world all go to the Pure Land to rest. The Second Hokage developed... Ahem, never mind."

Within the sealing space, the Nine-Tails was bound to an enormous stone sphere, every one of its tails nailed firmly in place.

"Damn it! Idiots!!"

"What do you fools know!"

"Kill him now! If you let him keep growing..."

"You foolish Kushina! Let me out so I can kill him!!"

Kushina's spiritual form appeared, frowning at the Nine-Tails.

"Can you stop yelling? You can't break through my Adamantine Sealing Chains anyway. You ambushed me just now—do you really think I'm afraid of you?"

The Nine-Tails tried—tried very hard—to calm its fury.

Compared to being sealed, being controlled by Madara was far more terrifying.

Kushina had never heard the Nine-Tails speak without exclamation marks before.

"Uchiha Madara was the one who controlled me and made me fight Hashirama Senju."

"You cannot imagine how terrifying he was. I am absolutely certain that brat is Madara reincarnated."

"Perhaps... Madara never died at all. Perhaps he has been reborn through that brat's body!"

"There's still time. He doesn't have those eyes yet—kill him while you still can!"

Clatter...

More chains spread out from behind Kushina.

"What nonsense are you talking about? He's Minato's junior disciple, just a cocky little brat."

"You're too loud. I should seal your mouth shut."

More and more chains coiled around it. Seeing them about to wrap around its head, the Nine-Tails panicked.

"Fool! Idiot!!"

"You'll regret this, Kushina!!"

Kushina, who had turned away, looked back and said coldly:

"Don't try to influence me, Nine-Tails."

"No matter what kind of future awaits, I will never regret it!"