Minato Namikaze transformed into a flash of yellow light and, relying on the power of the Flying Thunder God, crossed the crowd and appeared in front of Uchiha Kyu.
"I've been waiting for you."
Uchiha Kyu, who had been waiting for Minato Namikaze right where he was, sent the kunai in his hand flying like an arrow.
Clang!
The moment Minato Namikaze blocked it, a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan came into view, and Uchiha Kyu instantly appeared in front of him.
"Genjutsu: Naraka Seeing Technique."
"Damn!"
Minato Namikaze's heart sank. He tried to use the Flying Thunder God to retreat, only to discover that he had already fallen into a terrifying Illusion Realm.
Seeing that his opponent had fallen under his genjutsu, Uchiha Kyu viciously stabbed toward Minato Namikaze's heart.
Whoosh!
Minato Namikaze broke free of the genjutsu at the critical moment and used the Flying Thunder God Technique to narrowly escape danger.
"What a pity."
Uchiha Kyu curled his lips, but there was not the slightest trace of regret on his face.
If Minato Namikaze could be killed that easily, then the Fourth Hokage's reputation would be far too undeserved.
"Kushina!!!"
Minato Namikaze muttered to himself, drenched in sweat, the fear of the genjutsu lingering in his eyes.
Clearly, he had encountered the most terrifying thing in his heart while inside the genjutsu.
At that moment, a Tailed Beast Bomb that had been formed at some unknown point crashed down from midair toward Minato Namikaze.
The Tailed Beast Bomb's violent aura caused the ground to collapse three feet with a thunderous crash, while the surrounding buildings flew apart in all directions.
Whoosh!
Boom!
The dazzling light continued to blaze without fading. The ground shook violently, and the deafening explosion left the ninjas present temporarily ringing in the ears and unable to hear.
"The number of times you can use the Flying Thunder God has already begun counting down."
"How much longer can you hold out?"
Uchiha Kyu rubbed his ears, which were still ringing. The Tailed Beast Bomb had detonated very close to the village.
It was obvious that the closer the Flying Thunder God: Transfer destination, the less chakra it consumed.
This also meant that Minato Namikaze's remaining chakra had forced him to use it with extreme economy.
After losing the threat of the Tailed Beast Bomb, Minato Namikaze seized the chance to relax and asked, somewhat unable to understand, "With a Tailed Beast Bomb this close, aren't you afraid of hitting your own people?"
"Afraid?" Uchiha Kyu almost laughed. "If you're afraid, then don't be a ninja."
"Besides, I'm betting that you don't dare sacrifice these people."
Uchiha Kyu's utterly fearless attitude made Minato Namikaze grit his teeth in hatred.
"But..." Uchiha Kyu instantly closed the distance and kicked Minato Namikaze. Lightning-attribute chakra transformed into a crackling lightning blade.
"A mere clone of yours is here. Aren't you looking down on me a little?"
"How did you know?"
A trace of astonishment appeared on Minato Namikaze's face. The next second, Uchiha Kyu's lightning blade pierced his vital point, and he transformed into white smoke with a bang before vanishing.
Roar!!!
The Nine-Tails behind them suddenly became restless. It struggled violently in place, its nine tails repeatedly lashing the earth.
Within a few breaths, the violent Nine-Tails chakra gradually dissipated, and the enormous Nine-Tails vanished from Uchiha Kyu's sight.
The Nine-Tails' disappearance was bad news for Fugaku Uchiha and the others.
However, Hiruzen Sarutobi's side immediately gained a huge boost in morale. Without the threat of the Nine-Tails' terrifying combat power, their chances of defeating Uchiha Kyu doubled.
Kushina Uzumaki lay in Minato Namikaze's arms, a trace of apology in her weak gaze. "Minato, I'm sorry."
If she had not recklessly left the location of the sealing barrier on her own, she would not have caused Minato so much trouble.
"It's all right, Kushina. As long as you're safe."
"Let's leave this place first. Once I've settled everything, I'll come back for you."
Minato Namikaze gently held her in his arms and prepared to leave using the Flying Thunder God Technique.
At that moment, a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan uncontrollably appeared in Kushina Uzumaki's eyes.
"Genjutsu: Sharingan."
With Minato Namikaze caught off guard and controlled, he ignited sealing flames with one hand and pressed them directly against Kushina Uzumaki's navel.
"Seal: Release."
The Nine-Tails, which had originally been resealed inside her, rampaged once more, and its enormous, terrifying chakra spread instantly.
"Die, old man!"
The Nine-Tails' sudden attack came at Minato Namikaze in the form of a vicious claw.
"No!!!"
Kushina Uzumaki, retaining only a sliver of reason, could not accept this sight. Chains appeared behind her one after another and forcibly blocked the Nine-Tails' enraged attack.
"Lightning Release: Dancing Lightning Serpent."
Uchiha Kyu's gaze was utterly calm as he rapidly formed hand seals with one hand.
The dancing lightning serpents immediately bit down on Kushina Uzumaki's limbs. Lightning surged wildly, taking nearly half her life on the spot.
If not for the Uzumaki Clan's tenacious vitality, Kushina Uzumaki would probably already have been on the verge of death.
With Uchiha Kyu's assistance, Kushina Uzumaki fainted completely.
Freed from Kushina Uzumaki's restraint, the Nine-Tails was completely liberated and appeared before everyone once more.
"Damn it!"
Minato Namikaze, who had gained this chance through Kushina Uzumaki's desperate efforts, broke free of the genjutsu.
Afterward, Minato Namikaze could only watch helplessly as Kushina lost control again and let the Nine-Tails break free completely.
"You wanted to use the time the Tailed Beast Bomb blocked my vision to use a clone to hold me back and deal with the Nine-Tails."
"You didn't think I was an idiot, did you?"
"With such a huge Nine-Tails right here, how could I possibly rest easy?"
The Mangekyō Sharingan in Uchiha Kyu's eyes spun rapidly.
"Dōjutsu: Space Crushing."
"Flying Thunder God Technique."
Forced into a corner, Minato Namikaze fled the scene.
"Damn Uchiha! I'll kill you!"
The newly freed Nine-Tails had not fallen under the genjutsu. Enraged, it began forming a Tailed Beast Bomb the instant it saw Uchiha Kyu.
"Beast, you're courting death."
"Dōjutsu: Space Crushing."
Seeing that the Nine-Tails actually dared to attack him with a Tailed Beast Bomb, Uchiha Kyu flew into a rage.
It was merely a pet, yet it actually dared to bite its master.
The terrifying Tailed Beast Bomb was crushed to pieces by space and vanished completely.
Inside the spiritual world, the Nine-Tails grabbed the iron bars and roared furiously at Uchiha Kyu outside them.
"It's those eyes again—the evil Uchiha Clan."
"Don't let me find an opportunity, or I'll wipe out your Uchiha Clan."
"A beast should have the awareness to act like one."
Uchiha Kyu easily used the ocular power of the Mangekyō Sharingan to control the Nine-Tails once more.
The formerly violent Nine-Tails immediately quieted down.
The Nine-Tails really had terrible luck. The Ōtsutsuki Indra had once used the Mangekyō Sharingan to control it and fight Asura.
Later, Madara Uchiha had used the same method, and with even more humiliating means, forcibly contracted the Nine-Tails as a summoned beast.
Now, the Nine-Tails still could not escape its fate. Once again, it had been controlled by the Uchiha's Mangekyō Sharingan.
"You can run from the monk, but not from the temple. Minato, if you don't come out, I'll have no choice but to kill them all."
Uchiha Kyu controlled the Nine-Tails, casually killing Konoha ninjas one after another as easily as slaughtering chickens.
Minato Namikaze had now disappeared without a trace. Uchiha Kyu strongly suspected that he had gone to the land of summoned beasts—Mount Myōboku.
"Minato, could it be that even you aren't a match for Uchiha Kyu?"
Uchiha Kyu's wanton control of the Nine-Tails and large-scale slaughter filled Hiruzen Sarutobi with despair.
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