The Yellow Flash's Debut

"No, Minato, you came at just the right time!"

Jiraiya beamed when he saw his disciple.

None of them had any way to stop the Tailed Beast Ball before them, but Minato Namikaze's Flying Thunder God was perfect for transferring it elsewhere!

"Minato, I'll leave this Tailed Beast Ball to you!"

Standing atop Gamaken's head, Jiraiya pointed forward with one hand at the Tailed Beast Ball less than a hundred meters away. "You're up, Minato!"

Minato Namikaze nodded and forcefully threw a Flying Thunder God kunai into the air. In a flash, he appeared beside the Tailed Beast Ball.

"Flying Thunder God Technique!"

Minato Namikaze pressed one hand against the Tailed Beast Ball while hurling the Flying Thunder God kunai toward Rōshi with the other.

In an instant, Minato Namikaze used the Flying Thunder God again, flashing above Rōshi's head with the Tailed Beast Ball.

The next second, Minato Namikaze, holding the Tailed Beast Ball, gave it a shove toward Rōshi.

The Four-Tails' limbs and tail pressed firmly against the Tailed Beast Ball, and the overwhelming force it carried drove it steadily backward.

At that moment, the immensely powerful Tailed Beast Ball looked like an oversized Rasengan in Minato Namikaze's hands.

At the critical moment, the Four-Tails relied on its strength—among the greatest of all Tailed Beasts—to forcibly push the Tailed Beast Ball aside.

And that was the edge of the barrier!

Boom!

As the thunderous explosion of the Tailed Beast Ball rang out, the once-sturdy barrier around them shattered.

"Quick! Everyone, retreat!"

The moment Tsunade noticed the barrier breaking, she immediately used Katsuyu to relay the message to every Konoha ninja, ordering them to withdraw at once.

At Tsunade's command, several jonin swiftly moved to the front of the formation to clear a path, leading the nearly routed Konoha ninja away at speed.

Meanwhile, Jiraiya, Minato Namikaze, and several other elite jonin stayed behind to stall for time and buy enough time for the others to retreat.

On the other side, the Allied Shinobi Forces, especially their commanders, wore grim expressions.

Their foolproof ambush had unexpectedly been dismantled by Minato Namikaze, who had dropped in out of nowhere.

They had paid a heavy price for this ambush.

The Sand Ninja in particular had even thrown away nearly three thousand ninja for nothing!

It was easy to imagine that after this battle, the Sand Ninja leadership would undergo a massive purge.

Chiyo and the other Sand Ninja commanders had faces so dark they looked as though water might drip from them.

They were in a terrible mood.

Especially now, when the enemy was fleeing but they could hardly claim any military merit.

Looking at the impassable lava pool Rōshi had created earlier with the ninjutsu "Lava Release: Flower-Fruit Mountain," they truly had the will but not the means.

Rōshi had already exited his complete Tailed Beast transformation and revealed his original form once more.

Watching the rapidly retreating Konoha ninja, as well as the blond young man directly across from him, Rōshi could not help but sigh inwardly.

"Konoha's geniuses are so strong that they make people despair..."

Ever since Ōnoki had yielded to him and invited him back to Stone Village, he had begun planning this battle early on according to Ōnoki's arrangements.

He had considered the possibility of Konoha launching a large-scale assault, a small-scale battle to wear down the Sand Ninja's active forces, assassinations targeting relevant higher-ups...

They had prepared contingency plans in advance for countless possible situations.

They even had corresponding plans in place should the Nine-Tails jinchuriki enter the battle.

But they had never expected...

Someone to drop in out of nowhere like a beast!

As Rōshi thought, he weighed the situation on both sides.

The Konoha ninja had already left the battlefield and joined up with the troops stationed in place. They had reached a safe zone.

Among the Allied Shinobi Forces, only he could cross the lava pool and pursue them. But they were only chunin and genin, hardly worth much.

Unless he could slaughter them on a large scale!

His Lava Release could not reach where they were. If he wanted to accomplish that, only a Tailed Beast Ball could possibly do it!

With that thought, Rōshi glanced at Minato Namikaze, then secretly shook his head. If he used another Tailed Beast Ball, the ones who would suffer would surely still be his own side.

And if he rashly went over there, those elite jonin on the other side might very well be able to keep him there!

Then... he would probe for information.

"Young man, when I was young, I once envied Konoha greatly. I envied Konoha for having powerful figures like Senju Hashirama and Madara Uchiha."

"I am no longer young, yet I still envy Konoha for having a genius like you!"

With that, Rōshi stared intensely at Minato Namikaze.

"If I'm not mistaken, what you used just now was the Flying Thunder God invented by the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama!"

Hearing this, Minato Namikaze looked toward Jiraiya. After Jiraiya nodded in confirmation, Minato Namikaze naturally began stalling for time as well.

As for the Flying Thunder God's intelligence being exposed, he did not care much. After all, the only way to defeat the Flying Thunder God was to possess greater speed than his!

And the last person to use the Flying Thunder God had become known as the fastest shinobi in the world!

"Yes, what I used just now was indeed the Flying Thunder God invented by the Second Hokage!"

Minato Namikaze slightly relaxed his combat stance and gave Rōshi an affirmative answer.

Rōshi tilted his head up at a forty-five-degree angle, his face full of defeat and despair. "Ōnoki once told me, 'Konoha now has a second Madara Uchiha. How long will it be before a second Senju Hashirama appears?'"

"The Uchiha now have a second Madara Uchiha."

"And Konoha has you, a second Senju Tobirama. Tell me, will another Senju Hashirama emerge among you?"

Under Rōshi's "heartfelt" sighing, even the thousands of ninja in the Allied Shinobi Forces unconsciously fell into dejection.

The light vanished from their eyes, as though the future held not the slightest hope.

The Rock Ninja especially.

When Ōnoki had mobilized Stone Village's elite ninja to go to the Land of Water and encircle Uchiha Makoto, nearly every Rock Ninja had learned through their own channels of the near-absolute power Madara Uchiha had once displayed.

The reason it was only "near-absolute power" was because above him stood the God of Shinobi—Senju Hashirama!

No one knew exactly how strong they truly were.

But under Ōnoki's dramatic embellishment and intimidation, they all believed that if Konoha once again possessed Madara Uchiha and Senju Hashirama, then Stone Village would lose its future!

Minato Namikaze looked at Rōshi with considerable displeasure. "The Uchiha have always been part of Konoha. So, senior, please do not try to drive a wedge between Konoha and the Uchiha!"

Seeing that his attempt at sowing discord had failed, Rōshi was not surprised in the slightest. He merely chuckled and continued asking.

"Young man, what is your name?"