You Will Definitely Regret This!

Fear.

What is fear?

It is a basic emotional response in humans and living beings, originating from the primal need for survival in ancient times.

When facing unknown environments, threats from wild animals, and the dangers of natural disasters, human ancestors developed this instinctive reaction of fear.

As an emotional response, fear serves a strong protective function for humans, spurring them to act in self-preservation, thereby avoiding danger and calamity.

In A's perception—

What walked toward him was not a gaunt youth.

It was a hell of ashen haze rising above a sea of blood.

A pair of scarlet eyes that consumed the entire world.

A blade that flayed him piece by piece!

Instinctive fear screamed in agony, demanding he flee at once!

Boom!!!

Azure lightning exploded, tearing open a barrier amidst the endless onslaught of slashes!

"Brat!!"

"Who do you think I am!!!"

"I am!!"

"The Raikage Candidate! A!!!"

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

He hadn't used a move like that before—so I was being looked down on, huh.

That was actually Jiraiya misunderstanding A. The truth was that A was still unskilled with the Lightning Release Chakra Mode and couldn't use it well in coordinated combat.

He was furious at himself for feeling fear.

And that very fury happened to unlock the key.

When humans face fear, fleeing is the correct choice.

But if you choose to face it head-on, you might gain something as well.

Fast!

Fast as lightning!

Bam!!!

Rings of air burst outward, like a cannonball slamming into an iron wall.

"Stop your blustering. It only shows your weakness."

A stood a full two meters tall, his fists larger than most people's heads.

Yet they were stopped by that seemingly slender palm.

Compared to Kagami Uchiha's vast Spiritual Energy, his body was indeed his weak point.

Using Black Flash twice had both times inflicted damage on himself.

That didn't mean... his body was fragile.

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

How could some mere brat block the body he had trained day and night!

Kagami Uchiha let out a light laugh. "What's so hard to believe about this?"

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

You trained day and night—so did I.

Within and without, there were beasts and floods. What he had to fight was the torrent called fate.

His pressure was greater than anyone's.

More than once, Kagami Uchiha had trained his body to the brink of collapse.

Breath grew labored, auditory hallucinations rang in his ears.

Even so, he would never stop until every last ounce of his body's potential was wrung dry.

Kagami Uchiha rarely bothered to wonder whether he could actually change the Uchiha's history.

He wouldn't fail and then say he did his best, only to wander off to some distant land.

If he failed, it would only be because he had exhausted his strength unto death.

"Next, I'll strike with my right fist."

"Your target is your left chest."

A's expression froze. The hand Kagami Uchiha withdrew left his body unsteady.

Black lightning coiled around Kagami Uchiha's fist.

"Get out of the way!!"

Dodai roared, pouring all his strength into forming a protective membrane before A.

Roar!!

Blue B, half-transformed into a Tailed Beast, charged in at full speed. A and Kagami Uchiha were too close for him to use a long-range attack.

With two prior experiences using Lightning Release Black Lightning, Kagami Uchiha had learned to control the variables.

Not every Black Flash needed to match the intensity of Dust Release—the damage would be completely excessive.

Without harming himself, Kagami Uchiha maximized his chakra output, coordinating with his physical attack, and found the spatial distortion that occurred within an error of less than 0.000001 seconds.

"Black Flash."

Crack—

The black lightning shattered layer after layer of the membrane, striking A's left chest with pinpoint accuracy!

Thud!!

A dull sound, like a cannonball hitting a city wall!

A's figure flew backward at tremendous speed, smashing through several boulders before finally stopping!!

"Older Brother!"

"A!!"

Roar!!

A dense barrage of Energy Bombs shot from Blue B's mouth. As Blue B launched his attack, he gave orders.

"A is still alive! You retreat, I'll hold them off!"

"Blue B..."

"Go!!"

A dazzling Blade Aura shredded the Energy Bombs. These mass-produced chakra bombs were no Tailed Beast Ball.

Kagami Uchiha leaped high, charging straight at Blue B.

His target had been the Eight-Tails from the start.

Still, many Energy Bombs rained down toward Jiraiya and the others.

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

Maruboshi Kosuke was well-traveled and no slouch in strength.

But facing a fight of this caliber, it seemed he could only watch from the sidelines.

The group was at least at jonin level, not about to be injured by the aftermath. They quickly formed Hand Seals for Water Release and Earth Release, canceling out the Energy Bombs.

"Feels like there's no chance to step in, tsk. I was hoping to show this brat a thing or two..."

Kushina glanced at the calm-faced Minato and Jiraiya, a hint of confusion in her voice. "Kagami's fighting a Jinchuriki, you know. How come you're not worried at all?"

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

"It's a strange fate, really. My disciples seem to have more and more ridiculous talent... ah, sorry, Minato, you're here."

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

Jiraiya continued, "The Uchiha... as expected of a bloodline clan that's lasted a thousand years."

"That Lightning Release chakra guy earlier had me a bit worried, but against a Jinchuriki, Kagami's fine."

Jiraiya looked at Kushina with deep meaning, a slight curl to his lips. "That guy's Dojutsu Power—even the Nine-Tails is wary of it!"

"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!!"

A violent chakra eroded Kushina. This situation...

Without a word, Minato pressed his hand on Kushina's abdomen and performed a Sealing Jutsu.

Fortunately, the leaked chakra wasn't much, and it was quickly brought under control.

"Kushina, are you alright?!"

After a few heavy breaths, looking at Minato's anxious face so close, Kushina forced out a faint smile.

"It's nothing. The Nine-Tails is rambling again—something about reincarnation. I can't make heads or tails of it."

"As far as this old man knows, there's no such thing as reincarnation in the Ninja World."

Maruboshi Kosuke, as the eldest, had some authority to speak.

"Yeah, I've heard the Old Man say it too. The dead in the Ninja World all go to rest in the Pure Land. The Second Hokage developed... cough, nothing."

Inside the Sealing Space, the Nine-Tails was bound to a massive stone sphere, each of its tails pinned down.

"Bastards! Fools!!"

"What do you idiots know!"

"Kill him now! Let him grow any further and..."

"Stupid Kushina! Let me out so I can kill him!!"

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

"Can you shut up? You can't break through my Adamantine Sealing Chains anyway. Just because you caught me off guard earlier, do you really think I'm afraid of you?!"

The Nine-Tails struggled, struggled hard to calm its rage.

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

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

"Uchiha Madara—that's the one who controlled me to fight Hashirama Senju."

"You can't imagine how terrifying a man he is. I'm absolutely certain that brat is Madara's reincarnation."

"Or even... Madara never died, and he's been reborn through that brat's body!"

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

Clatter...

More chains extended from behind Kushina.

"What are you babbling about? That's Minato's Junior Disciple, just a cocky little brat."

"So annoying. I'll just seal your mouth shut."

More and more chains coiled around, about to wrap over its head. The Nine-Tails panicked.

"Fool! Idiot!!"

"You'll regret this! Kushina!!"

Kushina turned back and said coldly:

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

"No matter what the future holds, I will never regret this!"