The Edo Tensei Fourth Hokage Appears! Naruto: I'm Going to See My Dad!
In the afternoon, on the Northern Wasteland, the sunlight was completely blocked by thick volcanic ash, and the wind was filled with the smell of burnt wood and the pungent stench of blood.
The purple-gold eye markings before Naruto's eyes completely dissipated. The backlash was even more severe than expected; his head throbbed with pain, and his entire body was completely powerless as he plummeted downwards.
In mid-air, just as Sasuke's purple Susanoo reached out, a moon-white figure had already taken the lead and swept across the sky. Hinata steadily held Naruto's waist, her toes lightly touching the rock wall as she gracefully landed back on the ground.
"Naruto-kun, don't move." Hinata's voice was cold, but her hands on Naruto's back were incredibly warm. Pure Yang Release Chakra flowed into his body through his meridians, forcibly suppressing the rampaging Chakra within Naruto. Her Byakugan was still active, warily scanning the surrounding rock formations.
Naruto leaned on Hinata's shoulder, panting heavily, and grinned, "This crappy skill is really inhuman; it almost blew my head off."
Sasuke landed beside him, carrying the Kusanagi Sword, and sheathed his Susanoo. If it weren't for your last Rasengan smashing his shell, we'd still be being played like monkeys by that guy."
"Stop talking nonsense. Obito ran Obito, but he didn't leave his things behind." Naruto forced himself to stand up straight. Following his gaze, in the center of the rift, a black Iron Anchor the size of a house lay lifelessly at the bottom of the pit, its surface still writhing with dark red patterns.
This was Spatial Anchor used by Obito to fix the Leyline Chakra in order to forcibly expand the Kamui Space.
Karin pushed up her red-rimmed glasses and rushed over from the rear defense line. Before Naruto could even give the order, she bit her fingertip and slammed her palm onto the base of the black Iron Anchor.
Mind's Eye of the Kagura is fully opened.
"Hiss—it's hot!" Karin jerked her hand back, her fingers turning bright red, but her eyes shone with an astonishing light. "Naruto! Something's wrong with this thing! This isn't just a spatial Coordinates!"
She pointed to the dark red patterns on the anchor point, speaking rapidly, "Obito is lying. This Iron Anchor contains an extremely well-hidden Chakra circuit, the frequency... the frequency is exactly the same as the Impure World Reincarnation Relay Talisman we intercepted at the East Valley Fortress!"
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Speak like a human."
"This broken anchor is connected to Kabuto's local area network!" Karin slapped her thigh. "Obito's White Zetsu Root Network and Kabuto Yakushi's Impure World Reincarnation Summoning Array are secretly using the same Chakra channel! They're sharing the Leyline energy!"
Everyone was stunned when the news came out.
Through the tactical headset, Shikamaru's hoarse voice broke in. "Looks like I guessed right."
Shikamaru was clearly processing battlefield information at high speed, the background filled with the rustling of documents. "Kabuto Yakushi and that Masked Man are not a united front at all. They cooperate on the surface, but they are actually wary of each other. Kabuto is using the Edo Tensei Army to hold the line, while Obito 'Leyline to steal the remaining Chakra from the dead; conversely, Kabuto is also using Obito's spatial network to silently airdrop coffins containing Impure World Body into our rear positions."
Sasuke slammed his sword into the ground. "These two scoundrels, each with their own ulterior motives, are actually playing the resource-swapping game."
Naruto rubbed his temples and sneered, "That makes things easier. Since they're sharing a network cable, we'll just burn it down. Karin, record all the frequencies on this Iron Anchor. Since he dared to leave a backdoor here, I can Leyline Yang Release to blow up his server in reverse."
"Understood! Leave it to me!" Karin excitedly pulled out a specially made sealing scroll from her ninja tool pouch and began frantically making rubbings.
After finishing his task, Naruto turned around and looked at Kakashi was still standing there in a daze.
Kakashi's Forehead Protector was soaked with sweat, and blood was still dripping from his left Mangekyō Sharingan, flowing down his cheek to his chin. He stared intently at the void Obito had escaped, his whole being like a lifeless piece of withered wood.
"Kakashi-sensei." Naruto stepped forward, his tone utterly lacking in politeness.
Kakashi's body jolted, finally snapping back to reality. He moved his chapped lips, his voice hoarse beyond belief. "Naruto... it really is him. The spatial frequency of that eye, and that Chakra scent... there's no mistake. It's Obito."
The feeling of having old wounds ripped open is absolutely unpleasant. The hero who should have died at Kannabi Bridge and entrusted his Sharingan to him has now become a madman who is dragging the entire Shinobi World into war.
"So?" Naruto looked Kakashi straight in the eye without flinching.
Kakashi was stunned. "He knows all of Hidden Leaf's defensive deployments, he knows my fighting habits, he even knows how to break down my mental defenses with the most vicious words..."
"I asked you, so what?!" Naruto suddenly raised his voice, bluntly retorting, "Who cares if it's Obito or Osamu! He wants to kill us, destroy Hidden Leaf, and use the lives of everyone in the Shinobi World to fill his lousy plan!"
Naruto grabbed Kakashi by the collar and pulled him close, his golden eyes radiating an undeniable domineering authority. "Don't try to disgust the living with your dead man's tricks. It's best if he has a weakness; he understands us, and we can kill him through that eye. If your legs go weak and you can't bring yourself to do it, I'll have Sasuke knock you out right now, tie you up, and take you back to the medical camp to lie there like a cripple until the war ends!"
The air froze instantly.
Sasuke stood aside with his arms crossed, making no attempt to stop them. Hinata stood quietly behind Naruto, her Byakugan scanning the surroundings. Her stance was clear: whatever Naruto did, she would absolutely support him.
Kakashi looked at the excessively young boy before him, who had already shouldered half the burden of the entire Shinobi World. That undisguised wildness and determination shattered the cowardice that had just surged up in his heart.
"There's no need to tie him back." Kakashi gave a wry smile, gently pried Naruto's hands away, and pulled down his Forehead Protector to cover his bleeding left eye. "I'm not so old that I need a student to teach me how to fight."
"Then cheer up." Naruto released his grip and patted Kakashi on the shoulder. "Since he dared to show his face, next time we meet, I'll personally tear that smug face off and give you a straight answer."
Just then, Naruto and Shikamaru's tactical headsets simultaneously emitted a long, extremely piercing alarm!
The red warning light on the communicator was flashing wildly. This was the highest level of crisis warning!
"Shikamaru! What happened?" Naruto grabbed his earpiece.
"The relay station has exploded..." Shikamaru's voice, unusually, carried an undisguised hint of anxiety, his breathing becoming rapid. "Behind the East Valley Defense Line! The rune array of the underground relay station has fully activated, and a Chakra source that cannot be suppressed by the Sealing Squad has awakened!"
Naruto's heart sank. The East Valley Defense Line was where Obito had diverted attention earlier, and it was also the choke point for Kabuto Yakushi's army's fierce attack.
"Who is it?" Sasuke strode over and asked in a cold voice.
There was a two-second silence on the other end of the communicator, followed by Tsunade's voice, suppressed with anger. "Naruto, listen up. Kabuto Yakushi has revealed his trump card. The one that descended upon the East Valley Fortress is not an ordinary Impure World Body."
Tsunade paused, emphasizing each word. "It's Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage's Impure World Reincarnation form, who's slaughtering our Sealing Squad!"
A cold wind howled as it swept through the rift valley.
Dad.
Naruto's mind flashed back to that face he had only seen in photographs and in the Nine-Tails Seal. That bastard Kabuto Yakushi actually dared to drag his father's soul out of the Pure Land and use it as a weapon to kill.
An unprecedented surge of violent and ferocious energy shot from Naruto's chest to the top of his head.
"Naruto-kun..." Hinata sensed the change in Naruto's aura, stepped forward, and gently grasped his wrist.
"I'm fine." Naruto patted Hinata's hand, took a deep breath, and forcefully suppressed his anger. He turned to the communicator and said, "Tsunade, at the East Valley Fortress, have all ordinary ninjas retreat. The Sealing Squad, stop your suicide missions."
"What are you going to do?" Tsunade asked.
"What are you doing?" Naruto's lips curled into an extremely cold smile, and the Pure Yang Chakra on his body ignited once more, the golden flames dazzlingly bright in the dark rift.
"I'm going to see my father." Naruto looked towards the eastern sky, his voice echoing across the entire wasteland. "And while I'm at it, I'll uproot that bastard who controls the dead!"