Kushina's Younger Brother

Kushina was extremely agitated, and Senju Chihiro was just as agitated.

Both of them recognized Adamantine Sealing Chains as a bloodline Sealing Technique of the Uzumaki Clan.

As Minato followed behind Kushina, leaping across tree trunks, he turned and asked Kushina's two teammates:

"How strong is the Third Lightning Kage's son, Ei Yano Yu?"

The two ANBU looked at each other and said, "The person who released the Adamantine Chains might not necessarily be the Third Lightning Kage's son, right? The Cloud Hidden Village..."

Seeing the firm look in Minato's eyes, the two hurriedly fell silent.

They had hidden their identities to participate in the Chunin Exams and had been specifically instructed not to clash with the Third Lightning Kage's son.

The Third Lightning Kage was still in the village, and Konoha's higher-ups did not want to offend him.

According to the Intelligence Department, even if all of Konoha's ninja swarmed him together, they might not be a match for the Third Lightning Kage.

The ninja world currently recognized two people as the strongest: one was Hanzo the Demigod of the Rain Hidden Village, and the other was the Third Lightning Kage.

But there was only one Uzumaki Orphan in the village, Kushina Uzumaki. The only ones who could be connected to another Uzumaki Orphan were the Cloud Hidden Village and Mist Hidden Village, which had annihilated Uzushio.

No one from the Mist Hidden Village had come. By process of elimination, it seemed possible to conclude that someone from the Cloud Hidden Village had deliberately used the Sealing Technique, Adamantine Chains.

The ANBU ninja had no choice but to answer Minato:

"Although Ei Yano Yu, the Third Lightning Kage's son, is only thirteen, he already possesses the strength of an Elite Chunin.

But he probably hasn't mastered the Raikage lineage's secret technique yet, the Lightning Release Chakra Mode."

Minato frowned. If Konoha's ANBU judged Ei Yano Yu to possess Elite Chunin-level strength, then Ei Yano Yu would only be stronger than an Elite Chunin.

Bursting through two enormous canopies, Minato saw two Cloud Hidden Village squads standing in the middle of a clearing.

One squad was Ei Yano Yu's, while the leader of the other was someone Minato had seen in the original story: Toroi, who possessed the Magnet Release bloodline and wielded diamond-shaped Shuriken.

In front of the two squads was a red-haired child kneeling on the ground.

"Little brother! Shinmen! It's Uzumaki Shinmen!"

That child was actually Kushina's younger brother, who had been abducted by the Cloud Hidden Village.

Kushina clearly remembered that when her younger brother had still been an infant, he had a gourd-shaped birthmark on his face.

She would never forget that birthmark. Now, seeing the same gourd-shaped birthmark on the face of the kneeling child across from her, she instantly recognized him as her brother.

Toroi looked at the red-haired Kushina, a smile curling across his lips.

The red-haired Uzumaki child had been ruined by the village's Intelligence Department before he had even grown up. Even with the Uzumaki Clan's powerful life force, he was barely alive.

Now that they had found a fresh Uzumaki Orphan who had grown up, the Cloud Hidden Village's research could finally continue.

Ei Yano Yu clasped his hands and cracked his knuckles.

"Teacher Dotō said the minimum requirement for this mission was to obtain the Uzumaki Orphan's living tissue. I think that's far too conservative.

Capturing her alive would be more useful, wouldn't it, Toroi?"

"You're right, young master."

Arcs of electricity appeared around Ei Yano Yu's legs as Lightning Release chakra stimulated them.

Though he had not fully mastered the Lightning Release Chakra Mode, he had already mastered its first stage and could wrap localized areas such as his fists and feet in Lightning Release arcs.

His feet were covered in electric light. In the next instant, Ei Yano Yu's figure abruptly vanished.

Behind Minato, Uchiha Yashiro's one-tomoe Sharingan flew open.

So fast!

Ei Yano Yu shot straight at Kushina, reaching out to seize her by the throat.

The fierce wind tossed Kushina's hair.

Ei Yano Yu's palm stopped more than ten centimeters in front of Kushina's throat.

Ei Yano Yu stared in astonishment at the person who had suddenly appeared, then quickly understood.

Jiraiya of the Three Ninja's disciple. So that was it.

Cold sweat seeped across Uchiha Yashiro's forehead.

Just as fast!

Minato's hand tightly gripped Ei Yano Yu's wrist.

Chakra gathered in his hand, making Minato's grip incredibly powerful.

In the next instant, Ei Yano Yu and Kushina erupted at the same time.

Arcs of electricity appeared all over Ei Yano Yu's body, while dark-red chakra erupted all around Kushina.

Only then did the ANBU elites realize something was wrong. Something might happen to the Nine-Tails.

One ANBU stepped forward to stick a Sealing Talisman onto Kushina, while the other immediately retreated, pulling out a Signal Flare and preparing to fire it into the sky.

They had to warn the village and halt the Chunin Exams to prevent the Nine-Tails from going berserk!

A square kunai curved around the crowd along a strange trajectory and flew toward the ANBU ninja.

The ANBU ninja first used a kunai to knock aside the square Shuriken, then tried to continue firing the Signal Flare.

However, square Shuriken came flying one after another. The ANBU ninja tried to evade, only to find that the Shuriken seemed to possess tracking abilities, each one piercing into his body.

Magnet Release! The Cloud Hidden Village's special Magnet Release bloodline!

This ANBU ninja had been too concerned about the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki to recognize the Cloud Hidden Village's secret technique.

Only one second into the battle, one person on Minato's side had already fallen.

Yet Minato could not spare his attention. As expected of the future Fourth Raikage, Ei Yano Yu put far too much pressure on him.

Though Ei Yano Yu had not fully mastered the Lightning Release Chakra Mode and could not cover his entire body in lightning, four or five ribbon-like streaks of Lightning Release electricity seemed to drift around him, already forming the rough outline of the Lightning Release Chakra Mode.

His lightning-filled fist smashed toward Minato.

Uchiha Yashiro's one-tomoe Sharingan spun madly. Too fast. That Cloud ninja's punch is so powerful and so fast that it can't be stopped.

Kushina was behind Minato. He could not retreat.

At that moment, a ball of chakra suddenly appeared in Minato's hand.

The Rasengan was being used in real combat for the first time. He had not expected it to be against the future Fourth Raikage.

The lightning-wreathed fist collided with the fist-sized Rasengan, instantly unleashing a violent shockwave.

Mikoto, who stood closest to Kushina, was even forced back several steps by the shockwave.

Mikoto did not understand the situation at all. She had no idea why a battle had suddenly erupted, and its intensity was nearly on par with fights between jonin in her clan.

Using the shockwave, Minato retreated and smoothly wrapped an arm around Kushina's waist, carrying her toward the rear.

Ei Yano Yu also staggered back in shock. There was actually someone younger than him who could match him head-on?

Seeing Ei Yano Yu charge at him, Minato no longer dared to hesitate.

If he hesitated any longer, there would be more casualties on their side. Cloud ninja were battle-crazed lunatics who showed no mercy once they made a move.

Ei Yano Yu's charge was interrupted by a blast of air and thick smoke, forcing him to retreat.

"Summoning Technique!"

As the white smoke dispersed, a huge red toad appeared in the clearing.

Gamabunta held a pipe in his mouth, exhaled a cloud of smoke, and glanced at the situation before him.

"Hmm? Have Cloud ninja invaded Konoha?"

Ei Yano Yu and Toroi stared at the thirty-to-forty-meter-tall toad, stunned.

They had come to ambush or abduct Kushina, but they had not expected the Konoha ninja to escalate matters immediately and summon such a massive toad.

Sensing that things were spiraling out of control, Ei Yano Yu shouted, "Three seconds! Complete the mission! End the battle!"