"From what I know, only one person could freely pass through Konoha's barrier and even use a summoning technique to tamper with the Nine-Tails' seal."
Konoha was in chaos. In the woods on the outskirts of the village, Minato stared at the figure before him and asked in a deep voice,
"You... are you Uchiha Madara?!"
Uchiha Xia smiled. "No. I'm just an ordinary Uchiha clan member who was dissatisfied with Konoha's policies against the Uchiha and sought revenge on the village."
Stoking the conflict between Konoha and the Uchiha, and indirectly weakening Konoha, was also part of her plan.
"At this point, it doesn't matter who you are."
Minato gripped a Kunai, his expression turning cold as killing intent filled his eyes.
The mysterious figure before him could control the Nine-Tails, and her identity was sensitive enough to easily ignite internal strife in Konoha.
He had to kill her as quickly as possible, then return to the village and help the Third capture the Nine-Tails!
Whoosh!
From Xia's perspective, Minato was clearly clutching only one Kunai.
But when Namikaze Minato swung his arm, that Kunai split into two, flying toward her from the left and right.
How did he do that? He even managed to fool my Sharingan!
Uchiha Xia was startled. With no idea which Kunai Minato would teleport to, she retreated without hesitation.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Minato's hands moved like lightning. In an instant, he flung out several more Kunai. They raced after the retreating Xia from every direction, completely sealing off her escape routes.
Uchiha Xia: "!!!"
She had never seen a man move this fast!
Minato's figure suddenly appeared behind her, a bright blue Rasengan in his hand as he slammed it toward her back.
Bang!
Uchiha Xia vanished in an instant. Minato's Rasengan struck a stone that had appeared out of nowhere, blasting it into fragments.
"I see..."
Minato looked at Xia, who had reappeared some distance away, and his expression showed that he had figured it out.
"If I remember correctly, that stone was just beneath your feet a moment ago."
"In other words, you have some kind of ability to switch places with objects. No wonder you could freely pass through Konoha's barrier."
Xia regarded Minato with a grave expression but said nothing.
"Amenotejikara" was the dojutsu in her right eye. It let her switch places with anything—or anyone—she could see through that eye.
After only one exchange, this guy had already figured it out!
Damn it!
If controlling the Nine-Tails hadn't consumed so much of my ocular power, I might have taken him out with my other dojutsu just now! the girl thought through gritted teeth.
Xia gripped a Kunai in reverse. The only chance either she or Minato had to defeat the other was to strike during the instant their opponent attacked.
In other words, everything came down to whose attack was faster!
Swish!
They charged at each other at the same time. The instant they leaped into the air, Minato teleported to Xia's side and thrust his Kunai at her.
But in the next instant, their positions suddenly switched. Not only did his Kunai miss, Xia's was already stabbing toward him.
She can switch places with people, too!
Minato was startled and quickly activated the Flying Thunder God Technique, teleporting to another Kunai.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
The two darted back and forth, turning into intertwined streaks of black and yellow. The clang of their Kunai barely stopped.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Sparks flew. Only the flashes of their attacks could be seen; the two had already shifted elsewhere.
"Flying Thunder God... Second Step!"
Just as Minato teleported toward Xia, he teleported again. The sudden double displacement caught her off guard!
In terms of speed, Master Minato clearly had the upper hand!
Bang!
Minato struck Xia in the chest with his palm. She dodged the instant the force landed, but black sealing marks had already spread across her body.
"Contract Seal... You're trying to separate me from the Nine-Tails!" Xia said sharply.
"That way, the Nine-Tails won't belong to you anymore," Minato replied coldly.
They stood at a relatively safe distance, their eyes fixed on each other, wariness in both their gazes.
Though I've gained the upper hand, I probably can't finish him off quickly. I'm really worried about what's happening back in the village, Minato thought.
Without that dojutsu, I might not be a match for Namikaze Minato. It'll be dangerous if Konoha's reinforcements arrive.
Xia was breathing a little hard, and she had already begun to consider retreating.
She was still growing stronger, and time was on her side. She could simply wait for another opportunity.
With that, she gave Minato a long look, then slowly backed into the woods, her figure gradually blending into the night.
"Phew. Did she realize she was outmatched and give up?"
Minato secretly let out a sigh of relief. He didn't hurry back to the village. Only after confirming that she had truly left did he activate the Flying Thunder God Technique.
In Konoha.
One ninja after another leaped into the air. They unleashed all kinds of jutsu and charged the Nine-Tails without fear of death.
Smack!
The Nine-Tails brought down one claw, and dozens of ninjas crashed to the ground, flattened like pancakes and lifeless.
"Adamantine Staff! Extend, Enma!"
The Third held a black staff with gold trim and shouted. The staff in his hands instantly grew, then slammed into the Nine-Tails' belly.
Bang!
The Nine-Tails was driven all the way to the wall on Konoha's outskirts. It smashed through the two- or three-meter-wide wall, then roared and got back to its feet.
"We finally drove it out of the village!"
"Don't let your guard down! Keep attacking!"
"Hold it back until the Fourth Hokage arrives!"
At the assembly hall, far from the battlefield.
All the young ninjas had been gathered there and forbidden from joining the battle.
"Listen up, you young people must not go anywhere near the Nine-Tails!"
Yuhi Shinku, who had gathered them all there, shouted sternly.
"This isn't a war against another village. The village is already in ruins. You shouldn't risk your lives in a place like this!"
Yuhi Kurenai stepped out from the crowd and said indignantly, "Father, what gives you the right to make decisions for us? Don't be so overbearing!"
Shinku: "..."
For that kid Genye's sake, his daughter had grown more and more rebellious. Now she even dared to talk back to him.
There was obviously more to her words than met the eye!
"You're ninjas too. You can't live forever, but you still carry the responsibility of passing down the Will of Fire!"
Yuhi Shinku said earnestly, "So leave dying without hesitation to us old-timers."
With that, Yuhi Shinku gave them a complicated look and led several jonin away.
This might be the last time he saw his daughter. He wondered if she would understand how much he cared about her...
His heart was heavy with emotion, but Shinku's steps were swift.
The situation in the village was dire. The two Hokage absolutely needed their help!
"What happened?!"
Yuhi Shinku had barely left when Genye arrived.
Seeing Kurenai looking grief-stricken, he quickly asked, "What's wrong, Kurenai?"
Kurenai leaned against Genye's chest and sobbed. "Genye, my father... He told us to stay here, but he went off on his own..."
"What? Your future father-in-law went to the battlefield?"
Genye closed his eyes and thought it over. Hmm, if he remembered right, his future father-in-law had been killed by a swipe from the Nine-Tails.
"Genye, I'm so worried about my father. If he dies, what will I do? Sob..."
Looking at Kurenai, crying in his arms, Genye sighed. He placed both hands on her shoulders and helped her stand upright, then looked into her eyes.
"It's okay, Kurenai. I'll handle it."
"...Huh?"
Yuhi Kurenai's mind went blank. She even forgot to cry, staring at Genye in a daze.
"Genye, that's the Nine-Tails! The Nine-Tails!" Before Kurenai could respond, Asuma panicked. "Even my old man can't handle it. What are you, a cripple, going to do there? Don't be reckless!"
As he spoke, he looked toward Kakashi and the others, signaling for them to say something and help talk Genye out of it.
As if he understood Asuma's look, Kakashi gave a slight nod. "Yeah. If it's Genye, he might be able to do it."
Guy waved his fists, his face alight with fervor. "That's right! As long as the Masked One... Genye steps in, everything will be fine!"
"Yeah, exactly!" Obito and Rin nodded furiously from the side.
Asuma: "???"
Did I miss a few episodes? Why can't I understand a word you guys are saying?
Still...
He glanced at Kurenai, who looked just as confused as he did, and felt a little better.
Not bad. At least he wasn't the only one left in the dark. They were all in the dark together.
Before you continue