Ridiculous

With a slight movement of his hand, the specially made Cursed Seal runes, like strings of jet-black chains, flowed from Kato Osamu's hand and slowly poured into the Flying Thunder God runes, embedding themselves layer by layer. As Kato Osamu Chakra poured in his chakra, a flash of jet-black light appeared and then completely disappeared into the runes.

"Have they arrived...?"

As soon as Kato Osamu channeled his Chakra into the rune, he could feel Minato Namikaze immediately responding to his summons. For some reason, Kato Osamu's fingers trembled slightly, and a hint of hesitation flashed in his eyes.

Would Minato Namikaze really be that stupid?

He tightened his cloak slightly, and Orochimaru's purple reagent lay quietly beside him, which reassured Kato Osamu somewhat.

His gaze was fixed on the direction from which the Chakra fluctuations were coming, but he slowly took a few steps back, landing in a shadowy corner. Danzo's plan seemed to be progressing unbelievably smoothly, as if an invisible hand had been driving the entire plan forward. Only now did Kato Osamu suddenly realize that everything seemed somewhat illogical...

"Is it you? The future Fourth Hokage...?"

Kato Osamu gently turned his neck, a hint of melancholy inexplicably appearing in his eyes. No wonder Minato Namikaze always seemed to care about him, but never took any concrete action, as if he was subtly guiding him down the pre-set path in a 'gentle' way.

"If one can appear moved by friendship or some other bond, all mistakes can be wiped clean..."

"Orochimaru- sensei... you are truly a genius..."

He chuckled softly, and for some reason, Kato Osamu suddenly remembered something Orochimaru had once said. His gaze drifted towards Minato Namikaze, who had suddenly appeared in mid -Minato Namikaze air.

"Chakra..."

As soon as Minato Namikaze appeared in mid-air, he was able to keenly sense the blockage in his Chakra.

More importantly, the connection with the Flying Thunder God Mark seems almost nonexistent, making it completely different from usual.

A mysterious rune traveled along his Chakra and entered his body. The rune of the Cursed Seal seemed to imprison a certain meridian or acupoint in his body, making his connection with space extremely weak.

"So that's how it is..."

Minato Namikaze instantly understood the principle behind the Cursed Seal was designed to counter the Flying Thunder God Technique. With a slight chuckle, he looked at Kato Osamu, who was standing motionless on the ground.

"Xu..., she really is a genius..."

Minato Namikaze, who hadn't even landed yet, spotted Kato Osamu in the crowd. However, Kato Osamu had her head down, so her face was obscured, and her gaze completely avoided Minato Namikaze's. It seemed that she was afraid to face the battlefield commander who was 'harmed' by him and was now surrounded.

"Activate the barrier immediately!"

"Root ninjas! Do you know what you're doing?!"

"You assassinated our commander during the war; you betrayed Konoha!"

Minato Namikaze dodged the Kunai thrown by the Root ninja and landed slowly on the ground.

His loud shouts seemed to have no effect whatsoever; the Root ninjas who swarmed him showed no intention of speaking to him.

"Rise!"

A crimson surge instantly rose from the ground, and the four old men, who were sitting in the four corners of the room and were completely covered in black cloaks, suddenly had intense Chakra fluctuations emanating from their bodies.

In the blink of an eye, the barrier formed trapped all the Root ninjas and Minato Namikaze within it.

Kato Osamu simply watched as the barrier slowly formed, the figure encased within it remaining motionless, quietly observing Minato Namikaze constantly dodging in the crowd, a sense of absurdity welling up within him.

Minato Namikaze, known as the Yellow Flash, was now moving as slowly as a tortoise. He had never seen Minato Namikaze so disheveled. This Minato Namikaze seemed to have ignited the fighting spirit of all the Root ninjas. One after another, the Root Chunin forward, only to be sent flying one by one.

Watching Minato Namikaze maneuver through the crowd, Kato Osamu felt a surge of emotions. The way he seemed about to be killed at any moment, yet always just missed, made Kato Osamu's body tremble uncontrollably. He suppressed a laugh, and even a few glistening tears welled up in the corners of his eyes.

"Danzo... Hahaha, that's hilarious..."

"Ridiculous, truly ridiculous..."

"The Four Violet Flames Formation..."

Seeing the Four Violet Flames Formation rapidly enveloping such a vast area, Minato Namikaze's face grew more solemn. He had initially thought that this assassination attempt against him was Danzo's doing, but now it seemed to be a joint effort with other families.

He knew that something was hidden beneath the great tree of Konoha, but he hadn't expected that there were quite a few clans Danzo with Danzo...

The blazing purple barrier, wreathed in fierce flames, resembled a sealed furnace, completely enveloping an open area spanning dozens of meters.

Such mastery of Barrier Ninjutsu is absolutely beyond the reach of ordinary ninjas. Only a handful of people in Konoha can specialize in Barrier Ninjutsu and release such a massive barrier.

"Bang!"

The Kunai collided, and Minato Namikaze seemed to have overexploded his Chakra. He staggered a couple of steps, while the Root Jonin, who had been watching quietly like Kato Osamu, had a slight glint in his eyes.

They never imagined they could defeat the renowned Minato Namikaze with just these Chunin; their existence was solely to deplete Minato Namikaze's Chakra, nothing more.

"Go to hell!"

The first Root Jonin the fray soared into the air like a dragon, his double-edged sword flashing like two iron wires cutting through the sky. With a soft Setsuna, the blade's light extended out like a thunderous dragon rushing forward.

"Double-edged lightning blade..."

"In the early days of Konoha's founding, the Raikiri clan, who migrated from the Land of Lightning, passed down a secret sword technique. However, it had been lost for over a decade, and unexpectedly, only the last inheritor joined Root..."

"Snort..."

Minato Namikaze's voice seemed to awaken long-dormant memories Jonin the Root. A slight ripple flashed in his eyes, but he showed no further reaction, simply brandishing his long sword and attacking Minato Namikaze like a storm.

The double-edged sword spun in his hand, and his body burst forth with flashes of lightning. He took a sudden step forward, and the ground immediately cracked, thunder roared, and a violent sound emanated. Thousands of bolts of lightning shot out, seemingly illuminating the entire area in an instant.

"Big Ball Rasengan!"

The massive blue orb of light sent all the Chunin who had rushed forward flying. Minato Namikaze dodged the attack with a quick movement, but it seemed as if a fine layer of sweat was beading on his Minato Namikaze.

Although it was just a fleeting moment, almost all the Root Jonin still on the official website had a slight glint in their eyes.

"Swish swish..."

One after another, figures rose from the ground and rushed straight towards Minato Namikaze. Minato Namikaze seemed to be unable to withstand the attack of so many people, and several dense wounds were instantly slashed on his body.

Earth Release: Land Rising!

Minato Namikaze Minato Namikaze leaped out of the crowd, quickly Hand Seals, and slammed his fist into the ground. The earth began to tremble, and several thick earthen walls rose from the ground. Minato Namikaze, slightly panting, simply looked around quietly.

His gaze seemed to sweep over Kato Osamu intentionally or unintentionally.

Even he, without the aid of the Flying Thunder God Technique, could not possibly face so many Jonin at once; he would have to separate them to have any chance of defeating them one by one.

Earth Release: Iron Prison!

"Water Release: Water Release: Waterfall Technique!"

The Jonin from Root were watching Minato Namikaze's every move intently, as if his tactics had been completely seen through.