Soul Duet

"Damn it!"

"An entire camp was just wiped out? Don't joke with me!"

As the overall commander of the Cloud Shinobi forces on the Konoha battlefield, A—the Third Raikage's son—had a temper not much different from his father's.

Looking at the table that had been smashed to pieces, the Cloud Shinobi strategist beside him lowered his eyes, unsure how to soothe A's rage.

They found it hard to believe as well, but it had indeed happened. They had confirmed the authenticity of the report again and again.

"A, it's true. The whole camp is talking about it. A blond man, like a flash of light, who could take a ninja's life in an instant..."

"Tell me! His name!"

A stared fixedly at the strategist, an terrifying aura radiating from his body as though he were ready to devour someone alive.

Killer B, standing nearby, shrugged. His eyes were hidden behind his sunglasses, giving away no emotion, but he began rapping in a singsong voice. The strange gestures and lyrics instantly darkened A's expression.

"Yo! Big bro explodes, strategist gets scared..."

"B... I've put up with you for long enough!"

The fury in A's eyes seemed ready to erupt. Chakra spread across his body, and in an instant, he vanished. His knotted arms, like forged steel, crashed directly into B's chest and violently sent him flying out of the tent.

"Ow! Ow! Big bro is so scary, B won't talk anymore..."

"Hmph..."

The blow had clearly been restrained and did not injure B at all. A's anger seemed to have been vented somewhat as well.

"Minato Namikaze..."

The strategist had long grown used to it. Every day, B would be sent flying out of the tent several times. This duo had always deepened their bond in this manner.

"I'll remember that name..."

A's gaze passed through the tent as though he could already see the so-called Yellow Flash being cut down before him. A faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

The battlefield seemed to be moving along its predetermined course. No one had expected things to go this smoothly.

Their operations against the Cloud Shinobi appeared to be working. Over the past few days, whenever the Cloud Shinobi saw Minato Namikaze, they retreated at once, and their area of activity had gradually been compressed and divided into three sections.

The title Yellow Flash also gradually spread through Konoha's camp. Every day, Minato Namikaze seemed bathed in the admiring gazes of Konoha's ninja.

"This feels a little too smooth..."

Although Jiraiya was confident he could defeat this force of Cloud Shinobi, such smooth progress made him feel uneasy. Having lived through countless wars both great and small, he seemed to have caught the scent of a conspiracy.

"Immediately summon Jonin Minato and Jonin Fugaku..."

"Yamanaka Ling, notify every camp to suspend all operations..."

Jiraiya lightly tapped the table, his brow furrowed.

The scouts waiting outside swiftly went to notify Minato and Fugaku. Beside them, the Yamanaka Clan's Chunin pressed both hands to the sides of his head, closed his eyes, and rapidly contacted each command post.

"The orders have been delivered..."

In less than a minute, Yamanaka Ling had transmitted the orders to every camp.

"Lord Jiraiya, Lord Fugaku is waiting outside the tent. Jonin Minato has gone to intercept the Cloud Shinobi and cannot be contacted for the moment..."

"Good. Contact Jonin Minato as soon as possible. Let Jonin Fugaku come in..."

Jiraiya's eyes flashed as though he understood something. A hint of worry rose in his heart, only to vanish in an instant.

"The Cloud Shinobi are trying to target Minato Namikaze... It seems they still don't understand the meaning of Yellow Flash..."

"Yellow Flash... It suits you well, Minato..."

The summit of Cangju Mountain was covered in towering pines, like enormous open umbrellas. Through the overlapping branches, fragmented specks of sunlight filtered down.

Yet amid these green mountains lay countless hidden Cloud Shinobi, their gazes all fixed on the blond figure beneath the canopy.

Kato Osamu sensed the Cloud Shinobi around them. Within a one-kilometer radius, there were at least two hundred Chunin and Jonin, while they only had four people...

"Attack together! Kill him!"

A Cloud Shinobi shouted softly. Their mission this time was to infiltrate the forest and surround Team Minato, trapping Minato Namikaze at any cost.

Even though Minato Namikaze's fame had soared over the past few days, that alone could not make hundreds of Cloud Shinobi retreat.

"Osamu, Obito, Rin, take care of yourselves. Don't worry. If you're in danger, inject Chakra into the Flying Thunder God mark on your arms..."

Minato Namikaze's figure flashed, and countless Flying Thunder God Shuriken vanished into the trees, scattering into every corner.

Dazzling golden light began crisscrossing through the forest. The flashes continued without pause as figures fell one after another. These Cloud Shinobi, whose strength ranged from Chunin to Jonin, had no time to react at all.

Obito shouted and took the lead, launching a massive Fireball Jutsu toward the Cloud Shinobi. A towering blaze instantly erupted through the woods.

"This move should be called Fire Release: Setting Fire to the Mountain..."

The wind through the forest fed the flames, and in moments, the fire became an inferno that spread across the land. Billowing smoke filled the forest.

"Water Release: Water Dragon Jutsu!"

The Cloud Shinobi hiding in the forest were driven back by the intense flames and thick smoke, forced to reveal themselves one by one. The Cloud Shinobi in the front rapidly formed hand seals, and water dragons rose from thin air as though they would soar into the sky, only to turn their heads. Immense quantities of water crashed down upon the blaze, extinguishing its advance, but also raising a dense mist that blocked everyone's sight.

"Thirty meters at seven o'clock, two people..."

Kato Osamu's voice suddenly rang out in Obito and Rin's minds. Along with it came a three-dimensional image, like a combination of infrared vision and radar, clearly transmitting the positions of the hidden Cloud Shinobi into their minds.

"Osamu, isn't this sensing secret technique of yours a little too incredible..."

Though it was not his first time experiencing it, Obito was still immensely amazed and envious whenever he saw such an image. His desire for the Sharingan grew even stronger. If he had the Sharingan, he was confident he definitely would not lose to Kato Osamu.

"Obito, Rin, prepare to attack!"

The Kunai in Kato Osamu's hand flickered with a faint black light, as though something were attached to it. He tapped off the ground and, like a spear thrust, instantly appeared before a Cloud Shinobi Chunin.

"Genjutsu: Soul Duet!"

Before the Cloud Shinobi could react, his eyes fell vacant. Chakra rippled faintly from his body, but it had no effect whatsoever in dispelling the genjutsu. The endless agony of being strung upon a black wooden stake and sliced apart again and again seemed ready to tear his soul to pieces.

"First one!"

Kato Osamu's Kunai plunged deep into the man's forehead. The Cloud Shinobi Chunin's expression froze instantly, while a cluster of blue light appeared within Kato Osamu's mental space.

Obito and Rin worked together to battle a Chunin. They did not need to worry about the other Cloud Shinobi. Whenever an attack appeared near them and could not be avoided, a golden flash streaked with blue light would instantly cut apart the attacking Cloud Shinobi.

"Second one!"

Ordinary Chunin posed almost no threat to Kato Osamu anymore. His current strength was roughly on par with Kakashi Hatake's, barely qualifying as Jonin-level combat power, though he still held the title of Genin.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Kato Osamu rapidly formed hand seals in midair, and five clones appeared around them. With their shared vision, they could almost perfectly evade every Cloud Shinobi attack, and Kato Osamu's pace of harvesting souls increased even further.

"Fifth one!"

"..."

"Tenth one!"

Although Minato's fighting was somewhat less sharp because he had to protect them, the Cloud Shinobi still suffered heavy casualties. Yet they showed no fear whatsoever, continuing to fight them like suicide soldiers. Kato Osamu faintly sensed an abnormal and eerie atmosphere.

"Something... doesn't feel right..."

The eyes of the dead Cloud Shinobi held more than hatred. They also carried the implication of I'll be waiting for you on the road to the afterlife, making Kato Osamu faintly worried.

Although Flying Thunder God served as their final safeguard, relying on someone else always left Kato Osamu with a sense of emptiness.

Before Kato Osamu could warn them, an enormous shadow that blotted out the sky appeared above everyone's heads...