Who Would Die First?!

Although Namikaze Minato had been hiding inside Naruto's body all this time, he could see everything happening outside through Naruto's eyes.

So he had seen everything Uchiha An had done.

However, he didn't know that the Uchiha Clan had been wiped out. He thought the two Uchiha twins were both rogue ninja from Konoha.

And whether he looked at it from the perspective of Konoha's former Hokage or that of a father, he couldn't let the powerful Uchiha rogue ninja in front of him get away!

So as soon as he saw Uchiha An cancel Susanoo, he hurled a Kunai at him, then Body Flickered over and raised a Rasengan high above his head, bringing it down on An.

A Rasengan wouldn't work on Pain, because it couldn't hit him. But it would work on Uchiha An, because he couldn't fly.

But Uchiha An didn't need to fly. He glanced over and met Namikaze Minato's eyes.

Minato felt the Nine-Tails' Chakra inside him jolt, and he snapped out of the Genjutsu.

After all, it wasn't a Dojutsu like Tsukuyomi. Even boosted by the Mangekyō Sharingan, an ordinary Genjutsu could only bewilder Minato for an instant.

But that was enough. When Minato looked again, Uchiha An had already retreated two steps. Blood-red Chakra steamed around him, quickly solidifying and twisting into place. Bones, muscles, and armor layered over one another, forming a half-bodied Susanoo that completely shielded him from every direction.

Minato didn't teleport away again. His golden figure shot forward like lightning, and he drove the rapidly spinning golden-red Rasengan against Susanoo.

"Nine-Tails Rasengan!"

The Rasengan infused with the Nine-Tails' Chakra hadn't grown in size, but its power had skyrocketed.

The Nine-Tails Rasengan slammed into Susanoo's armor, producing a shrill grinding sound that made everyone's ears ache.

After a brief struggle, both attacks exploded at once, blasting the two of them away.

A blinding light suddenly erupted from the center of the battlefield, forming a pillar of energy that shot straight into the sky, as if it had punched a hole through the heavens.

A violent surge of energy burst from the pillar, turning into waves of turbulent currents that swept in every direction. Everything in their path was scythed down as if by a Kamaitachi.

The already-battered ground was carved apart again and again, peeling away in layers like fragile crackers. Even the hard rocks were cut into tiny fragments, which surged in every direction like a sandstorm.

"Hahaha..." Laughter rang out through the dust, crazed and filled with a chilling delight.

Though a huge hole had been punched through Susanoo's chest, leaving Uchiha An's body completely exposed, he wasn't afraid. Instead, he burst into wild laughter.

"Namikaze Minato!"

"You're quite the father, letting your son be raised like a dog by the Third Hokage!"

"No wonder you became Hokage!"

"Sarutobi Hiruzen's brainwashing techniques really are amazing!"

"Hahaha..."

Minato's face was impassive. He opened his right hand, and another Rasengan appeared in his palm.

But before he could attack, Uchiha An suddenly leaped forward and used the shattered hole in Susanoo's chest to trap Minato inside. Then he channeled Chakra, and in the blink of an eye, the hole was sealed, trapping them both in the enclosed space inside Susanoo's torso.

A vicious grin spread across his face as he casually pointed upward.

Minato looked up and saw Susanoo pluck the Herb Gourd from its back, aim it downward, and pull the stopper from its mouth.

With a rush, a purple flood poured out of the gourd and surged into Susanoo's torso, cascading over the two of them like a waterfall. In an instant, it filled the entire enclosed space.

The Phosphorus Corrosive Insects had never distinguished between friend and foe. They immediately swarmed toward both men, dyeing them purple.

"Hahaha..."

"Minato, let's see how you like Aburame Torune's Phosphorus Corrosive Insects!"

"Let's see which of us dies first!"

Uchiha An's manic laughter echoed through the swarm. He seemed not to care in the slightest about his own life.

But Minato had no intention of dying alongside him here.

Namikaze Minato was already dead, but Uzumaki Naruto was still alive.

Even setting aside the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and the village, he couldn't let his son die here as a father.

"Maniac!"

Minato cursed and charged forward, intent on killing Uchiha An as quickly as possible so he could escape.

But in such a cramped space, his greatest strength, the Flying Thunder God Technique, was useless.

And Uchiha An's Taijutsu was just as good as his. Combined with the powerful visual tracking of the Mangekyō Sharingan, Minato couldn't kill him in a short time.

"Hahaha... Let's see which of us dies first!"

Uchiha An fought him relentlessly, laughing without restraint and making Minato increasingly irritable.

Although the purple stain was spreading across Uchiha An's body, Minato could also feel the Phosphorus Corrosive Insects rapidly devouring the Nine-Tails Chakra cloak around him.

The Tailed Beast's Chakra was infinite, but Naruto's body was too young to withstand much of it. Minato had to protect his son's life, so he didn't dare draw too much Chakra or make extensive use of the Tailed Beast's power in battle.

If the Chakra cloak's protection failed, he had no way to resist poison like Uchiha An did.

Once he realized this, Minato didn't dare waste any more time. He twisted his wrist and slammed the Rasengan in his hand into the ground.

If the Rasengan clashed with Susanoo again in such a small, enclosed space and caused an explosion, the blast would be far more powerful than an Explosive Tag. Even the two of them would likely be doomed.

So escaping through the ground was the best option.

With a thunderous boom, sand and stones flew everywhere, briefly blocking Uchiha An's view. Minato seized the chance to form Hand Seals.

"Earth Style: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique!"

In a flash, he vanished from where he stood and reappeared outside Susanoo.

As soon as he escaped Susanoo's torso, he shook himself, flinging off the outer layer of the Nine-Tails Chakra cloak along with all the Phosphorus Corrosive Insects clinging tightly to it.

"Tch. So much for the Yellow Flash. You're not much after all!"

Uchiha An taunted him, then activated the Herb Gourd above his head. Like a whale sucking in water, it drew all the Phosphorus Corrosive Insects back inside. Under Minato's gaze, An began healing his wounds.

Minato gave him a long look, said nothing, and immediately flashed over to Akimichi Choza. He bent down, picked him up, and ran at full speed toward Konoha.

The other Konoha ninja hurried after him, preparing to retreat.

But whether they could leave depended on whether the others would let them.

A cold voice drifted down from the sky.

"The Land of Rain isn't a place where you can come and go as you please!"

"Banshō Ten'in!"