It's fine, I'll step in

"To be able to bypass Konoha's barrier at will, and even use summoning techniques to pry open the Nine-Tails' seal—in all my knowledge, only one person is capable of such a feat."

Chaos reigned within Konoha. In the forest on the village outskirts, Namikaze Minato stared at the figure before him, questioning with a heavy tone.

"Are you... Uchiha Madara?!"

Uchiha Xia chuckled. "No, I am merely an ordinary member of the Uchiha clan, dissatisfied with Konoha's policies toward us, here to exact my revenge."

Stirring up conflict between Konoha and the Uchiha to indirectly weaken the village's strength was all part of the plan.

"At this point, it no longer matters who you are."

Minato gripped a kunai, his expression chilling as his eyes filled with killing intent.

The mysterious person before him could control the Nine-Tails, and their sensitive identity could easily ignite internal strife within Konoha.

He had to kill this person as quickly as possible, then return to the village to help the Third Hokage subdue the Nine-Tails!

Whoosh!

From Xia's perspective, Minato was clearly only holding one kunai in his hand.

Yet, as Namikaze Minato swung his arm, the kunai split into two, flying toward her from the left and right.

How did he do that? He actually managed to deceive my Sharingan!

Uchiha Xia was startled. Having no idea which kunai Minato would teleport to, she retreated without hesitation.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Minato's hands moved like lightning, instantly throwing several more kunai. They moved with incredible speed, catching up to the retreating Xia from every direction and completely sealing off her escape route.

Uchiha Xia: "!!!"

She had never seen a man move this fast!

Minato's figure suddenly appeared behind her, holding a brilliant blue Rasengan, and slammed it toward her heart.

Bang!

Uchiha Xia's figure vanished instantly. The Rasengan in Minato's hand struck a rock that had appeared out of nowhere, shattering it into dust.

"So that's how it is..."

Minato looked at Xia, who had reappeared not far away, a look of realization dawning on him.

"If I recall correctly, that rock was exactly where you were standing just a moment ago."

"In other words, you possess some ability to swap places with objects. No wonder you can enter and exit Konoha's barrier so freely."

Xia watched Minato with a grave expression, remaining silent.

"Amenotejikara" was the dōjutsu of her right eye, granting her the ability to swap places with any person or object within her line of sight.

To think that after only a single exchange, this guy had already figured it out!

Damn it!

If controlling the Nine-Tails hadn't consumed so much ocular power, I might have finished him off with another dōjutsu technique! the young girl thought, gritting her teeth.

Xia gripped a kunai backhanded. If she and Minato wanted to defeat each other, they would have to aim for the split second of their attacks.

In other words, whoever had the faster attack speed would decide everything!

Swish!

The two charged at each other simultaneously. The moment they leaped into the air, Minato teleported to Xia's side, his kunai stabbing fiercely toward her.

But in the next instant, their positions swapped abruptly. Not only did his strike miss, but Xia's kunai was already thrusting toward him.

She can even swap places with people!

Minato was startled and hurriedly activated the Flying Thunder God, teleporting to another kunai.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

The two dashed back and forth, turning into black and yellow streaks of light that collided and entangled, the sound of clashing kunai never ceasing.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Sparks flew, and while one could see the effects of their attacks, the two figures themselves were already long gone, having shifted elsewhere.

"Flying Thunder God... Second Step!"

The moment Minato teleported toward Xia, he teleported again. The instantaneous double displacement caught Xia completely off guard!

Clearly, when it came to speed, Master Minato still held the upper hand!

Bang!

Minato slammed a palm onto Xia's chest. Although she dodged the moment the force erupted, black sealing patterns had already climbed onto her body.

"Contract Seal... you intend to sever my connection to the Nine-Tails!" Xia hissed.

"That way, the Nine-Tails will no longer be your possession," Minato said coldly.

The two stood at a relatively safe distance, eyes locked on each other, both revealing a hint of wariness.

Although I have the upper hand, I fear I won't be able to finish him off in a short time. I am truly worried about the situation back at the village, Minato thought.

"If I cannot use that ocular jutsu, I may not be a match for Namikaze Minato. If I am dragged into a fight until Konoha's reinforcements arrive, it will be dangerous."

Kasumi's breathing grew slightly ragged, and the urge to retreat began to sprout in her heart.

She was still in a period of growth; time was on her side. It would be better to wait for the next opportunity.

Thinking this, she took one last deep look at Minato, then slowly retreated into the forest, her figure gradually merging with the night.

"Phew, has this fellow decided to retreat in the face of difficulty?"

Minato breathed a sigh of relief inwardly. He did not rush back to the village; only after confirming that the opponent had truly departed did he activate the Flying Thunder God Technique.

Inside Konoha.

Ninja after ninja leaped into the air, unleashing various ninjutsu in unison, charging toward the Nine-Tails without fear of death.

Splat!

With one swipe of the Nine-Tails' claw, dozens of ninja were smashed into the ground, flattened like pancakes, their lives extinguished instantly.

"Adamantine Staff! Extend, Enma!"

The Third Hokage held the black-and-gold staff, shouting sharply. The volume of the staff in his hands surged instantly, slamming fiercely into the Nine-Tails' belly.

Boom!

The Nine-Tails was pushed all the way to the outer walls of Konoha by the Adamantine Staff, shattering the two-to-three-meter-thick wall into pieces before rising again with a roar.

"We've finally driven this beast out of the village!"

"Don't let your guard down, keep attacking!"

"Hold him off until the Fourth Hokage arrives!"

At the assembly point far from the battlefield.

All the young ninja had been gathered here and were forbidden from participating in the battle.

"Listen well, you youngsters must not approach the Nine-Tails!"

Yuhi Shinku, who was responsible for gathering everyone, shouted sternly.

"This is not a war against other ninja villages. The village is already in ruins; you should not gamble your lives in a place like this!"

Yuhi Kurenai stepped out from the crowd and said indignantly, "Father, by what right do you make decisions for us? Stop acting on your own authority!"

Shinku: "..."

Because of that brat Genye, his daughter was becoming increasingly rebellious; she even dared to talk back to him now.

There was clearly more to her words than met the ear!

"You are also ninja. You cannot live forever, but you still shoulder the heavy responsibility of passing on the Will of Fire!"

Yuhi Shinku said earnestly, "Therefore, leave the task of meeting death with composure to us old folks."

With that, Yuhi Shinku turned and left with a complex expression, leading several jonin away.

This might be the last time he would see his daughter, and he wondered if she would ever understand his good intentions...

Though his heart was filled with emotion, Shinku's pace was swift.

The situation in the village was dire, and the two Hokage surely needed their help!

"What is going on!"

No sooner had Yuhi Shinku left than Genye arrived.

Seeing Kurenai's sorrowful face, he asked hurriedly, "What's wrong, Kurenai?"

Kurenai leaned into Genye's arms, sobbing, "Genye, my father... he told us to stay here, while he himself..."

What? The old man-in-law went to the battlefield?

Genye closed his eyes to recall the events. Hmm, if I remember correctly, the cheap father-in-law was indeed swatted to death by the Nine-Tails.

"Genye, I'm so worried about my father. If he dies, what will I do? Wuu wuu..."

Looking at the weeping Kurenai in his arms, Genye sighed. He placed his hands on her shoulders to steady her, looked into her eyes, and said.

"It's fine, Kurenai. I will intervene."

"...Ah?"

Yuhi Kurenai's mind went blank; she even forgot to cry, staring blankly at Genye.

"Genye, that is the Nine-Tails! The Nine-Tails!" Before Kurenai could respond, Asuma grew anxious.

"Even my old man can't handle it, so why are you, a useless person, trying to join in the fun! Don't be so damn impulsive!"

As he spoke, he looked toward Kakashi and the others, signaling them to help him persuade Genye.

Seeming to understand Asuma's gaze, Kakashi nodded slightly. "Hmm, if it is Genye, perhaps he can."

Guy waved his fists with fanaticism. "Yes! As long as the Masked One... Genye takes action, there will definitely be no problem!"

"Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah!" Obito and Rin nodded frantically at the side.

Asuma: "???"

Did I miss a few episodes? Why is it that I can't understand a single word you guys are saying!

However...

Glancing at Kurenai beside him, who wore an equally bewildered expression, Asuma's mood improved slightly.

That's good; at least he wasn't the only one being kept in the dark. They were all in the same boat.