Self-Exerting Curse Binding Seal

"Swish!"

"Bang, bang, bang..."

In the Forest of Death, golden and red flashes flickered incessantly, and every clash of kunai sent sparks flying in all directions.

"Hoo, hoo, hoo..."

Namikaze Minato shook his arms and smiled bitterly, "Is this pure power what you recently obtained?"

Standing on a tree opposite him, Uzumaki Sora smiled and replied, "The time was too short; one day was only enough for me to get familiar with it. But even so, condensing chakra into a single point for an explosive burst—that kind of control is no longer a problem."

"Is that so?"

Namikaze Minato nodded, "In that case, I'll have to bring out my real strength as well."

Uzumaki Sora spread his hands, "I was actually planning to go grab some barbecue and leave, but you insisted on having this fight."

Shaking his head slightly, Namikaze Minato pointed to the large kanji on the back of his trench coat, "As the Fourth Hokage, I must at least try to see if I can make you stay. Otherwise..."

Both men cast their gazes toward the shadows not far away, where figures stood watching everything in silence, offering no salute to the Fourth Hokage.

It was clear that these were ninjas from the Root Division, the darkness of Konoha that belonged to Danzo.

It was a pity that the old ghost Danzo hadn't come himself; otherwise, he might have been able to think of a way...

"Swish!"

In an instant, the golden and red figures flickered through the woods once more.

Every collision between the two happened without the slightest warning. Under the Flying Thunder God Level 2, every kunai served as a coordinate, and the speed of space-time ninjutsu was displayed to its fullest.

With the same Flying Thunder God and the same reaction speed, it was impossible to determine a winner on skill alone.

Rasengan!

A blue sphere of energy, with Wind Release Chakra rotating irregularly within it, came rushing head-on from above.

Facing the incoming Rasengan, Uzumaki Sora met it directly with his fist.

"BOOM!!"

A massive roar echoed out. Under the force of the blow, Namikaze Minato was sent flying.

The remaining momentum of the punch slammed into the ground, and in an instant, it felt as if the earth were shaking; a deep crater was carved into the forest floor.

"It's over..."

"It's over."

Both men spoke the same words at the same time. Minato, having been sent flying, staggered to his feet and looked at the seal on his arm with a smile. In a flash, the characters (Uzumaki Sora) transformed into (Blade of Ninja Love).

The same happened on Uzumaki Sora's side; after the seals instantly converted, both men shared a smile.

Minato limped over and looked at the hand Uzumaki Sora had used to block the Rasengan. The wounds on it were vanishing rapidly, and within moments, they had completely healed.

"Strength of a Hundred? No! You don't have the Yin Seal. This is the First Hokage's..."

Uzumaki Sora shook his hand casually, "The Rasengan, a ninjutsu without hand seals, is indeed the most suitable technique for the Flying Thunder God. With it activated in an instant, I had no choice but to take it head-on. But as for you, that force just now couldn't have felt good, right?"

Minato looked at the bruises left on his body from the impact, tilted his head slightly, and smiled, "Self-Exerting Curse Binding Seal."

As the words fell, black curse marks spread across Uzumaki Sora's entire body in a rhythmic pattern.

In an instant, Uzumaki Sora was unable to move.

"From the very beginning of this fight, you and I both knew clearly that marking each other with the Flying Thunder God seal would be useless for both of us."

"But what I didn't expect was that, just one day after yesterday, you would have already mastered the immense vitality and chakra of the First Hokage. That punch was not inferior to Lady Tsunade's Super Strength."

"The Self-Exerting Curse Binding Seal—I placed it the moment we made contact, which is why I said it was over. It doesn't last long; why don't you leave now and count it as my win?"

Looking at the black curse marks on his body, Uzumaki Sora smiled and replied, "Is this what you planted with your little trick just now? Relying on your own reaction speed as a baseline—you really aren't very confident, are you?"

The next second, while his entire body was sealed, Uzumaki Sora slightly raised his arm.

This sight made Minato frown slightly, "The First Hokage's power? This physical capability and that terrifying recovery ability... it really is a headache. What exactly was the First Hokage thinking?"

In these inexplicable words, only Uzumaki Sora and Minato understood the meaning.

Once the power of Senju Hashirama was revealed, Minato naturally understood where this strength came from.

But what he didn't understand was why Senju Hashirama, the First Hokage, would choose to trade away such terrifying power.

Red hair, Uzumaki...

Looking at Uzumaki Sora's hair color, Minato understood a little more, but that only made the situation even more unsolvable.

"The First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, was once called the God of Shinobi by the entire ninja world. Those who didn't live in that era cannot comprehend the terror of that title."

As Uzumaki Sora spoke, his arms began to exert force, and the black curse marks were forced back inch by inch.

"BOOM!!"

Amidst a massive roar, Uzumaki Sora, having broken free from the restraint, looked at Minato, "The power to turn a desert into a forest in an instant—a mere sealing jutsu isn't enough to stop it."

"It's just that I'm not yet familiar with the nature transformations of several chakra attributes; otherwise, I'd love to experience what it feels like to slap a Tailed Beast across the face."

These words made Minato swallow hard. He knew about the Nine-Tailed Fox inside Kushina, and he had even been to the place where the Nine-Tailed Fox was sealed.

Can a monster like that really be fought so casually?

To what extent did the power of the First Hokage truly reach?

At this moment, Sora slightly raised his hand, and within his palm, Chakra began to rapidly condense and rotate.

Minato, standing opposite him, was momentarily stunned. Is this the Rasengan?

Did he learn it just by watching once?

"Bang!"

The rotating sphere of Chakra burst apart. Sora shook his head in disappointment as his injured hand rapidly restored itself.

"The contact just now gave me quite a bit of inspiration, but it should be soon. With further development of this Ninjutsu, its power will be quite significant."

Sora lowered his hand and looked toward two figures hiding in the shadows: "You two rats from Root, take a message to Danzo for me. If he wants to stay alive, he should honestly stay underground and not come out. If I catch him outside again, he won't have such good luck next time."

As his voice fell, Sora vanished from the spot, and a red flash began to flicker incessantly through the forest.

Before long, the special Kunai he had thrown were all retrieved, leaving only Minato's behind.

"This thing is quite expensive..."

Leaving behind those words, Sora disappeared into the forest.

"Teacher."

Minato glanced at the two who had only just dared to approach, smiled, and said: "He's actually quite easy to get along with... right?"

Kabuto nodded heavily: "Big brother is just like the Director; he is a good person."

Kakashi cast a sidelong glance at him: "Your definition of a good person is truly simple..."

Kabuto glared at him indignantly: "Possessing immense power yet not bullying the weak, and daring to strike even at the high-level officials of Konoha! That is a good person; that is what I believe."

"Pat."

Minato reached out and pressed his hand onto the shoulder of Kakashi, who was about to argue back: "Kabuto is quite right, which is why I trusted him back then."

Kneeling and begging for continued readership during the new book period.