A clearing in the dense forest.
"You look pretty battered, Minato. The Lightning Release Chakra Mode passed down through Kumogakure's Raikage line has you at a loss, hasn't it? Heh heh heh."
Minato's eyes suddenly lit up. Master!
A and Killer B immediately fell back together, standing back-to-back as they looked up at the sky with grave expressions.
Word of what had happened in Sunagakure had long since spread throughout the Five Great Nations-the man before them had destroyed Sunagakure single-handedly and killed Shukaku, the One-Tail, in a head-on fight.
He had overpowered a tailed beast on foreign soil, in the enemy's own stronghold. Against someone like that, no amount of caution was excessive.
Beneath the moonlight, a figure slowly descended from the sky, his robes fluttering. His white eyes stood out starkly in the darkness.
"Hyuga Tianyi!" A immediately called out his name, then stared fixedly at him, waiting for a response.
Tianyi did not look at him. He landed beside Minato and turned his gaze to his disciple, a faint smile on his lips. "You were lucky, kid. They didn't manage to seal you."
He raised a hand and pointed at the bottle in A's hand.
"The Amber Purifying Pot, one of the Six Paths Ninja Tools. To activate it, you must call the target's true name and get them to respond.
"Once triggered, it can seal the target inside the bottle permanently.
"Am I right, A?"
A's and Killer B's faces stiffened at the same time. Impossible. This was a secret treasure passed down through generations in Kumogakure.
Even within the village, only a handful of people knew about it. How could Hyuga Tianyi know?
Minato's face went deathly pale. He whipped his gaze toward the bottle, cold sweat pouring down his back.
*No wonder they had