Then We Can Only Abandon Them!

"Master! Something is very wrong here!"

Obito Uchiha shouted.

His Sharingan spun rapidly as he stared fixedly at the endless stream of people surging toward them, beads of sweat the size of soybeans rolling down his forehead.

There were already over a hundred people on the battlefield whom he had killed himself!

The intelligence had definitely been wrong!

"What's going on? Why are there more and more of them?"

Obito Uchiha swung the silver Steel Blade in his hand as he spoke.

By now, the Steel Blade in his hand had long been dyed crimson with enemy blood, as though it had just been pulled from a pool of blood. The Flying Thunder God Kunai that had originally filled his waist pouch had also been nearly exhausted in the fierce battle, with only a few left.

Minato Namikaze's expression had become extremely grim. His face, usually adorned with a gentle smile, was now filled with solemnity and worry.

He bit down on his lip, his sharp gaze sweeping over the encirclement gradually closing in around them.

"Obito, it looks like we really have been surrounded..."

Minato Namikaze took a deep breath and spoke with a grave expression.

At that moment, a dense barrage of sounds rang out—pfft, pfft, pfft!

Countless concealed weapons shot toward the two of them like raindrops.

"Spiral Flash Super Round Dance Roar Type Three!"

Minato Namikaze formed seals at lightning speed. Golden rays intertwined like lightning, forming a huge, dazzling wheel of light.

Immediately afterward, the wheel spun forward at astonishing speed. Dozens of ninja in its path were instantly blasted away by its immense power, coughing up blood as they crashed heavily to the ground, their heads severed from their bodies!

However, the battle was not over.

In that brief opening, Minato Namikaze swiftly placed his fingertips lightly against the ground and activated his unique sensory ability.

At that moment, everything around him seemed to become crystal clear. Not even the slightest rustle of wind or grass could escape his keen perception.

It would have been better if he had not sensed anything. The moment he did, even Minato Namikaze, who was always composed, was thoroughly startled!

Because within Minato's sensing range, Iwagakure ninja densely filled an area spanning several kilometers!

The Chakra emitted by these ninja varied greatly, but their numbers alone were enough to make one's scalp tingle.

Moreover, with his years of combat experience and sharp instincts, Minato Namikaze could clearly sense that what lay before him was likely only the tip of the iceberg!

Farther away, there had to be even more Iwagakure ninja continuously rushing over.

Minato stared solemnly at Obito before him, his brows tightly furrowed.

He had already realized the severity of the situation. Despite the enemy's overwhelming numbers, escaping would not have been difficult with the Flying Thunder God Technique he had mastered.

With his abilities, even taking Obito Uchiha with him as he fled the scene would have been possible.

However, Minato Namikaze now discovered that every Flying Thunder God mark he had previously left outside as an escape route had inexplicably vanished from his senses!

Those marks would never disappear on their own.

That left only two possibilities:

First, they had been destroyed.

Second, they had been moved somewhere much farther away, beyond the limits of his perception.

But Flying Thunder God marks could not simply vanish, so there was only one possibility.

"Damn it! My Chakra has been consumed too quickly. I can no longer sustain ultra-long-distance movement..."

Minato's voice was low.

Obito Uchiha, standing nearby, keenly caught the change in his teacher's expression. Knowing something was wrong, he hurriedly focused his attention on checking the Flying Thunder God marks on his own body.

He had not known until he checked!

Obito Uchiha was equally shocked, because even his Flying Thunder God marks had lost all response, as though they had evaporated into thin air!

"Teacher Minato, what do we do..."

Obito asked in a low voice.

Minato's expression grew even grimmer at his words.

"Let's hope there aren't too many enemies coming. Let's hope Konoha's ninja can get here to support us soon..."

Even someone as brilliant as Minato Namikaze could only leave things to fate now that he had exhausted every option.

Obito Uchiha's heart lurched when he heard that!

Teacher Minato, I thought you had some kind of plan!

Am I really going to die here?

Damn it, don't ruin my new account!

At that moment, the Iwagakure ninja had finished assembling!

They had already begun their attack on Minato Namikaze and Obito Uchiha!

"Hokage-sama! This is terrible!"

"According to our intelligence network, Ōnoki has mobilized ten thousand ninja to surround and kill Minato Namikaze and Obito Uchiha!"

An ANBU member hurried into the Hokage Office.

Ōnoki had mobilized ten thousand ninja!

Such a huge operation could not possibly have escaped Konoha's notice!

Because they were in wartime, Konoha's four elders were gathered in the Hokage Office.

"Has Ōnoki gone mad? Is Kannabi Bridge really that important?"

Mitokado Homura adjusted his glasses as he spoke.

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a puff of smoke, his eyes filled with worry. "Ōnoki is targeting Minato and his disciple!"

"What do we do, then? We don't have enough ninja forces to save the two of them!"

Utatane Koharu said.

"Danzo! How many usable ninja does Root have?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly looked toward Danzo at his side.

"Because of the recent Eight-Tails rampage in Kumogakure, I sent out many people. We are stretched thin as well!"

"Besides, my people are only good at espionage and assassination. They are not suited for the front lines at all."

Shimura Danzō spoke indifferently.

He was clearly unwilling to send his own people to their deaths.

Ten thousand people—how many members did ANBU and Root have combined?

If they were sent over now, what would it be if not a death sentence?

Hiruzen Sarutobi wore a helpless expression. He suddenly clenched his fist, as though he wanted to take the battlefield himself!

But he quickly deflated again.

"Alas!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes, as though making a momentous decision!

"Then we can only abandon them!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi said helplessly.

His tone was full of resignation.

Shimura Danzō, Utatane Koharu, and Mitokado Homura showed no unusual reaction upon hearing this.

At this point, it could only be handled this way.

Most of Konoha had already been fighting elsewhere. There could not possibly be ten thousand Konoha ninja on the Iwagakure battlefield.

Sacrificing the overall strategy just to save those two people would be far too unwise.

Moreover, Konoha currently had no one capable of holding off ten thousand alone.

Hiruzen Sarutobi counted as half of one.

The Three Sannin barely counted when combined, but each of them was occupied with their own battles at the moment.

"Hiruzen, it is good that you have such resolve. Minato and his disciple truly are a pity..."

Shimura Danzō said flatly.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's heart was filled with helplessness. He did not want to give up on Minato and his disciple either.

After all, in his eyes, Minato had already barely qualified as a candidate for Hokage.

The Two Lights of Konoha—the Yellow Flash and the Blood-Red Flash—had both been built up by ANBU under his orders.

"But what if the Jinchuriki learns that you stood by and watched Minato Namikaze die, then suddenly goes on a rampage?"

Shimura Danzō asked sinisterly.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze hardened. "Nothing will happen. There are many ANBU around Kushina, and besides, Minato will have died fighting for the village. She will not vent her anger on the village."

Only then did the three of them slowly nod.