Kindred spirits (Happy National Day)

"How about it, Taiichi? Don't I look cool?"

Taiichi's lips twitched. It was the first time he had ever seen Minato so vain.

"I've given this move a super catchy name: Invincible Golden Flame Nine-Tails Radiant Armor. What do you think? Isn't that a cool name?"

Taiichi's mouth twitched, and even his Kakuzu started to twitch. Looking at the still smug Minato, he finally couldn't help but ask, "Did you ask Nine-Tails what he thought of this name?"

Minato's smug expression froze instantly, and he seemed to turn into a villain, muttering to himself incessantly.

Taiichi could only hear bits and pieces, something like, "They don't appreciate it -- they're ignoring me -- even though they're super cool."

"Feelings" is a name that even the Nine-Tails finds speechless.

However, Minato's dejection did not last long; in the next moment, he regained his spirits.

"Taiichi, you'd better be careful. I don't even know how strong this form of mine really is."

"Haha, bring it on! I can't wait!"

Taiichi brandished his Light Blade, his expression excited, his fighting spirit soaring. Fighting a behemoth like the Moryo was nothing compared to the thrill and exhilaration of fighting a human.

Those are two completely different combat modes.

On the other side, Minato's fighting Minato also surged instantly under Taiichi's influence.

The two vanished in an instant.

This isn't the Flying Thunder God; it's simply Body Flicker, so fast that it's beyond the range of normal human vision.

All that remained in the air were the afterimages left by the two people each time they collided, and the shockwaves that continued to ripple outwards.

The surrounding flowers, plants, and trees were also unlucky; they were simply swept by the attack wave, resulting in broken branches and flowers.

"Bang!"

Another fierce clash ensued. Minato thrust his kunai Kunai with both hands, Taiichi precisely parried the small branch of the Special Kunai with his sword. The two were briefly locked in a stalemate.

The next instant, nine tails formed from Chakra suddenly extended from behind Minato, bypassing him and stabbing at Taiichi Minato all directions.

Taiichi raised an eyebrow, suddenly exerted force with one hand, forcing Minato back, while his left hand rapidly formed hand seals.

Sealing Jutsu: Adamantine Sealing Chains.

Nine Adamantine Sealing Chains also extended from behind Taiichi, wrapping around the thrusting tail.

The two intertwined, the sealing power on the chains could quickly disintegrate the Chakra structure on the tail, and the tail's strength could quickly tear apart a single chain, so for a moment they were evenly matched.

However, this was clearly not Minato's usual tactic. Seeing that the Chakra tail had no real effect, Minato immediately changed his strategy.

The next moment, the surging Chakra burst forth endlessly in all directions, and the surging momentum formed a circle of air waves, causing the surrounding grass and trees to bend over.

Taiichi narrowed his eyes, his nerves on edge, watching Minato, wanting to see what he was up to.

Under Taiichi's gaze, Minato's figure suddenly vanished from the spot.

On the left, Taiichi parries with his sword.

"Clang"

The Minato disappeared again.

There was no time to draw his sword. Taiichi condensed a layer of Rock Fist on his left arm and blocked in front of him.

"Puff"

The sound of Kunai piercing through the body was heard, but then Minato disappeared again.

On the right, Taiichi stomped his foot, and a Water Formation Wall rose up from the ground.

"Whoosh"

Water splashed everywhere, Minato disappeared again.

The next moment, Taiichi also used the Flying Thunder God and disappeared from the spot.

As soon as Taiichi appeared twenty meters away, he warily scanned his surroundings, a bead of cold sweat silently sliding down his forehead.

Minato's Flying Thunder God was too strange. He clearly did not sense the mark left by Minato, yet Minato was able to freely appear around him.

This is practically identical to his own Flying Thunder God technique; he can reach anywhere his vision extends.

But how could that be?

Before Taiichi could think any further, he turned and slashed, but missed completely.

The next moment, a sensation arose on the left, then on the right, and then in front—

"Bang bang bang"

The sounds of weapons clashing rang out frequently. Sometimes Taiichi's weapon would miss its mark, and sometimes he would need to use Ninjutsu to block sudden attacks.

In the midst of his continuous parrying, Taiichi finally noticed something amiss.

The Nine-Tails Chakra scattered throughout the surrounding space actually served as the Flying Thunder God Mark, allowing Minato to use it to Flying Thunder God.

No wonder he suddenly unleashed his Chakra earlier; it wasn't because he had too much Chakra to use, but rather it was preparation for this tactic.

Having understood all this, Taiichi naturally had a way to deal with it.

Using the Flying Thunder God once again, Taiichi briefly escaped Minato's entanglement. He immediately gathered Chakra and formed hand seals.

Wind Style: Emerald Gale.

At first, only a gentle breeze began to revolve around Taiichi.

Minato thought so too, so he plunged in and continued to fight Taiichi using the Flying Thunder God Technique.

But gradually, things started to go wrong. The wind began to howl, and the clouds in the sky began to swirl. Before long, with Taiichi as the eye of the storm, a tornado that stretched from the sky to the earth took shape.

This greatly affected Minato's Flying Thunder God. The Chakra seals scattered in the air moved at high speed in the strong wind, making it impossible for Minato to pinpoint their location accurately.

Even more deadly, amidst the raging wind, countless tiny Wind Blades began to condense, indiscriminately attacking everything within the wind.

The moment Minato appeared, Kunai, seven or eight Wind Blades had already grazed his body, forcing him to use the Flying Thunder God to escape the raging wind.

"I'm not fighting anymore, I'm not fighting anymore. Your Wind Style is insane, with such a wide range, it completely counters my Flying Thunder God."

In the distance, Minato swung his body toward Taiichi and shouted loudly. The Nine-Tails Chakra cloak on his body gradually dissipated until his true form was revealed.

Taiichi, who was inside the tornado, sensed this and waved his hand.

The raging hurricane seemed to have suddenly lost its restraint, spreading outwards in all directions.

The rubble and branches that were swept up traced an arc like rain before falling back to the ground.

The sounds of heavy objects hitting the ground were incessant. Minato was more than fifty meters away from Taiichi, and he still had to knock away the debris that was falling on him from time to time.

Once everything had calmed down, Taiichi walked over.

"Good lad, I didn't expect that even after using the Nine-Tails' power, I still couldn't force you to your strongest state."

Minato wore a bright smile, completely unconcerned about the wounds on his body inflicted by the Wind Blades.

Taiichi pretended to wipe away a cold sweat, looking as if he was still shaken. "Needless to say, your Flying Thunder God is truly amazing. If it weren't for its wide-range Ninjutsu, I wouldn't have had a single way to break it."

The two exchanged pleasantries for a while, then burst into laughter.

This First Shinobi World War can be seen as both sides getting to know each other's strengths and weaknesses, and understanding just how strong their current fighting force is.

Taiichi didn't say anything, and he didn't disappoint Minato at all.

His Flying Thunder God Assault in Nine-Tails Chakra Mode is his strongest killing move right now, but he still couldn't do anything against Taiichi.

Taiichi always managed to block Taiichi's attacks precisely, Taiichi by parrying or Ninjutsu, and sometimes even by launching a counterattack.

This cannot be explained by Taiichi's statement that "there is no way"; it requires even greater strength as a foundation to accomplish.

For Taiichi, Minato's performance just now was truly amazing.

Compared to Minato in the original manga's Night of the Nine-Tails Minato, the current Minato is practically a different person.

Putting aside the advanced application of Flying Thunder God, this Nine-Tails Chakra Mode alone was beyond Taiichi's expectations.

Given the current relationship between Nine-Tails and Konoha, now that Nine-Tails Chakra Mode exists, how far away is Kurama Mode?

"Taiichi, I am now full of confidence in the future of Konoha." Minato's joy and excitement were undisguised. "Since becoming the Fourth Hokage, I have worried every day about those so-called extraterrestrial enemies, but now I am at ease."

"With everyone's protection, Konoha will surely stand forever at the pinnacle of the Ninja World."

Taiichi looked at Minato, who was in high spirits at the moment, and felt equally happy.

Although he was worried about the Ōtsutsuki Clan, he also believed that he would be able to surpass them sooner or later.

What truly pleased him was that some of his friends were gradually able to keep up with him.

As his strength grows, the gap between him and his former companions widens. It may not be apparent now, but as time goes on, this huge difference will inevitably affect their relationship.

This is not something that can be changed by individual will, but rather an inevitable result of the elevation of the essence of life over time.

Therefore, he was genuinely happy to see the progress of the Minato.

"Hey you two, what the hell are you doing?!"

A sharp rebuke shattered the cheerful atmosphere between the two. Minato and Taiichi turned to look and saw Hiruzen Sarutobi, Tsunade, and a group of Anbu standing not far away.

Tsunade clenched her fists and strode aggressively toward the two, her long robes with the word "gambling" on them fluttering behind her.

Hiruzen Sarutobi his pipe, his eyes scanning the surroundings as he carefully analyzed the signs of battle.

The group of Anbu exchanged bewildered glances. This scene, where not a single tree stood within a kilometer radius, felt strangely familiar.

The towering tornadoes they had witnessed earlier—what kind of Ninjutsu could produce such an effect? At this moment, even these elites couldn't help but lament their own limited knowledge.

"Lady Tsunade, I was sparring with Taiichi, and we made quite a commotion."

Minato scratched his head awkwardly and took responsibility.

In fact, 99.99% of the destruction here was caused by Taiichi.

Minato's attacks are all precise single-target strikes; even when he uses Ninjutsu, it's usually a single-target destructive Ninjutsu like the Rasengan.

Unlike Taiichi, he's practically a turret. Even in a sword fight, he'll habitually sweep his sword energy across the field, not to mention that last wide-range Ninjutsu.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was walking behind Tsunade, twitched at the corner of his mouth.

Is this what you call making a bit too much noise?

This place is nearly ten kilometers away from Konoha. They only came here after Konoha sensed the commotion, so the impact is truly "quite significant"!

Tsunade didn't care about all that. Minato was the Hokage, and she couldn't be unruly, but Taiichi was her student.

Tsunade forward, grabbed Taiichi by the ear, and pulled him over.

"You, Taichi Matsushita, instead of coming home after your mission, you brought me all this way back from out of town, and then you just disappear all the time. What are you trying to do?"

Now.

Minato awkwardly looked up at the sky, pretending not to see it;

Hiruzen Sarutobi narrowed his eyes, looking like he was watching a show.

The expressions of the group of Anbu Ninjas were hidden behind their masks, but it wasn't hard to guess from the occasional soft laughter that came through that they were trying hard to suppress their laughter.

"Ouch, ouch, teacher, let go!" Taiichi quickly begged for mercy, showing none of the composure expected of the number one player in Konoha. "I was doing this for the village! Next time, I'll definitely go home first!"

"Hmph, for the village!" Tsunade pinched Taiichi hard again before letting go. "Konoha doesn't only have you as a ninja. Do you really need to take on multiple roles and go out on missions all by yourself?"

"Ahem, ahem, ahem." Minato coughed softly to cover his embarrassment.

Hiruzen Sarutobi blushed slightly, but in his heart he thought to himself: You have the nerve to say that? If you could do the work, Taiichi would have it at least half as easy.

Taiichi then stepped in to smooth things over. He went to Minato's side, put his arm around Minato's shoulder, and said with a grin, "Who told me I can also Flying Thunder God Technique? When it comes to long-distance travel, even Minato can't compare to me. I can't let Minato run around everywhere."

Bar!"

Tsunade gave him a disapproving look, snorted, and said nothing more.

Neither Hiruzen Sarutobi nor Tsunade inquired about the specifics of the battle the two had just fought.

These two guys are the village's top fighters, so the fewer people who know about them, the better.

They came only to confirm that the commotion posed no threat to the village, and then everything would be fine.

The group returned to the village, Taiichi naturally followed Tsunade home.

Throughout the journey, Tsunade kept muttering to herself, "You need to balance work and rest—"

"Make sure to connect with old friends more often."

"One cannot simply focus on cultivation—"

Taiichi followed behind Tsunade, listening silently. While feeling moved, he couldn't help but reflect on his behavior during this period, wondering if he had truly neglected his companions.

The answer is obvious: he hasn't had a get-together with his old friends in a long time.

The two of them, one talking non-stop and the other listening quietly, arrived at their doorstep.

As soon as the First Gate, a fluffy, orange-red ball of fluff rushed towards Taiichi.

Taiichi was not surprised at all and reached out to catch him in his arms. This was the Nine-Tails' clone outside.

In two years, this guy has changed a lot.

Instead of becoming more imposing and extraordinary, they are developing towards becoming smaller and cuter.

It used to be the size of a small Ninja Dog, but now it's only the size of a house cat that's less than a year old. With its fluffy fur, it's absolutely an adorable creature that everyone loves.

It wasn't that Taiichi was deliberately demanding of its energy level; it's just that this guy had been hanging out with a bunch of kids for a long time and felt that this appearance made it easier to trick the kids into feeding him. That's why he went to great lengths to further compress and control his own power to achieve this result.

Indeed, whether you're a human or an animal, even Tailed Beast formed from Chakra, as long as you have the will, becoming stronger is only a matter of time.

"Hey, Taiichi, how was the battle today? Minato's power was amazing, wasn't it? I've been keeping it a secret for so long, I was practically dying to know!"