Yellow-Haired Fly Minato Namikaze

The tailed beasts' chakra was one of the most evil and violent forms of energy in this world.

Once this chakra was fused into a human body, it was no different from pouring scalding hot oil into a pot of water. One careless mistake, and the chakra would run wild, killing the person on the spot.

Hidden Sand's several Jinchuriki experiments had all ended this way.

Those experiments had involved all manner of rituals and preparations, yet Sora had made no preparations at all. He had directly used sealing techniques to fuse tailed beast chakra into Samui's body.

This was simply—utter—nonsense!

Pakura was stunned, but Sora remained calm.

He quietly watched Samui before him. Under the torment of intense pain, Samui did not break down and scream. Instead, she gritted her teeth with unusual composure, enduring the agony of the chakra merging with her body.

Before long, her tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed as well.

"This..."

"You think the sealing techniques I possess are the same trash you people from Hidden Sand use?"

"This is authentic Uzumaki Clan craftsmanship."

Her fists clenched!

But there was nothing she could do.

During the Second Shinobi World War, the Uzumaki Clan, village and country alike, had been completely wiped out overnight. In the end, no one even knew who the culprit was.

The circumstances hidden behind it were clearly far from simple.

But one thing was certain: Hidden Sand definitely had not taken part in it.

The reason was simple. By the time of the Third Shinobi World War, all the major ninja villages had already begun mastering the power of the tailed beasts, even working on perfect Jinchuriki.

Only Hidden Sand was still playing around with panda eyes by the time of Shippuden.

Sigh, their location was simply too poor. They could not even get a sip of the soup.

"Steady your mind. Guide this chakra through your meridians."

Sora ignored the silent Pakura and instructed Samui, "During this process, your meridians will be gradually eroded and damaged by this tailed beast chakra. But likewise, if you can endure it, the strength of your meridians and body will greatly increase."

"This is tempering!"

Samui silently followed Sora's instructions and circulated the chakra.

The process was extraordinarily painful, but she was proud, and she longed to become stronger. She could endure this pain!

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, Sora raised his head and looked into the darkness behind him.

Accompanied by the sound of tearing wind, several kunai shot out from a dark corner at extremely tricky angles.

Sora's expression remained blank as several streaks of crimson lightning emerged around him.

The kunai did not even have the chance to approach before they were all scattered by the Blood Lightning.

Then, a flash of golden light streaked through the Blood Lightning.

A figure appeared behind Sora at some unknown moment, clutching a kunai coated in Wind Release chakra and fiercely striking toward the back of Sora's neck.

Bang!

The expected sight of the kunai piercing flesh did not appear.

Though it was a collision between ordinary flesh and a kunai, the immense resistance and toughness made it impossible for the kunai in his hand to advance even an inch!

The instant the man revealed a shocked expression, Sora's large hand came down toward his neck with lightning speed. Before his palm had even landed, a forceful suction burst from it, forcibly dragging the man into Sora's grasp.

"What?!"

Golden light flashed, and Sora's hand grabbed nothing but air.

"So fast!"

The lightning-fast battle unfolded before Pakura's eyes, leaving this genius of Hidden Sand completely dumbfounded.

In that instant, she had not noticed at all how the enemy had attacked.

She had also been completely unable to react to Sora's counterattack.

"So fast!"

Crimson pupils turned toward the shadows in the darkness. A figure wearing Konoha's jonin flak jacket was crouched on a tree branch, his face likewise filled with shock.

This guy's movement speed was no weaker than A, the Third Raikage's son.

And that level of defense...

The back of a human neck was an absolute weak point. Even if this guy was covered in Lightning Release chakra, his previous attack had been infused with Wind Release chakra!

Wind Release had an absolute advantage over Lightning Release. Even someone as powerful as the Third Raikage could not avoid that.

Yet just now, he had only managed to lightly pierce this guy's neck skin?!

Their gazes met in midair, and Sora's lips split into a smile.

"Interesting."

He had already noticed the special rune markings on the kunai scattered across the ground, as well as the flash of golden light from before. All of it had revealed the attacker's identity to him.

"Yellow hair..."

A weak voice slowly rang out. Samui, who had begun adapting to the tailed beast chakra, frowned and hurriedly said, "Lord Sora, be careful. That man is Konoha's god-speed ninja, Minato Namikaze!"

"We once devised a plan to seize the Nine-Tails, but he ruined it. He also fought Lord A and Master Killer B on the front lines. Even when the two of them joined forces, they couldn't defeat him!"

"Don't compare me to that idiot A."

Sora clenched his fist. His bones and joints crackled as Blood Lightning coiled around him.

Lightning Release Chakra Mode?

Minato Namikaze's expression turned grave. He held his kunai in a reverse grip, his gaze calm.

According to the intelligence, this target should have been someone like A—possessing a powerful body and absolute bursts of speed and strength.

But judging from their earlier clash, this man's physical strength was likely even greater than A's.

The instant Blood Lightning flickered, Sora appeared directly in front of Minato Namikaze.

At such extreme speed, Minato only had time to toss the kunai in his hand upward before a fist the size of a sandbag rapidly filled his vision.

Everything happened within a thousandth of a second.

The moment the fist came down, Sora's attack suddenly missed, while Minato Namikaze appeared directly behind him.

Since ordinary methods couldn't break through his defenses, he would try that unfinished technique!

A rapidly spinning sphere of chakra gathered and compressed in Minato Namikaze's palm before slamming viciously down toward Sora's neck.

Bang!

Sora tilted his neck, exposing his most vulnerable throat instead, allowing Minato Namikaze's attack to strike.

The high-density chakra sphere smashed hard into Sora's throat. His flesh visibly warped under the chakra's destructive force, yet not a trace of pain appeared on his face.

"Got you, little fly."

"What?!"

Tangible crimson lightning chakra erupted around Sora, enveloping his entire body. At the same time, his figure abruptly vanished from the spot, unleashing terrifying speed that ordinary people could never react to.

Boom!!

Violent, overwhelming force exploded forth, shattering the ground beneath that single punch.

Minato Namikaze's pupils suddenly constricted. He instinctively activated the Flying Thunder God Technique, yet intense pain still surged from his left arm, as though he had been struck head-on by a speeding dump truck.

At the Flying Thunder God marker he had placed a hundred meters away, Minato Namikaze flashed into view. With a cough, he spat out a mouthful of sweet, metallic blood.

His blood flow had reversed, his meridians had ruptured, and his internal organs were bruised.

But the truly serious injury was his left arm!

His entire left arm was bent at an extremely grotesque angle.

Pale bone had pierced through the skin, and indescribable agony continuously assaulted his mind.

There had clearly been no direct clash of force—only a slight graze—yet it had still...