The Counterattack Begins

"What do we do now? Keep firing signal flares for help?" Obito asked nervously.

"It's too late, and there may not even be any Konoha squads nearby." Hizashi shook his head slightly.

"Are we left with nothing but prayer?" Rin asked dejectedly.

"I'll go save him. Teacher Hizashi, take them back to Hidden Hot Springs Village first," Setsuna volunteered.

If it had been a Hidden Sand Village unit, he might have hesitated, but the enemy was Hidden Cloud Village ninja, so he had few reservations.

If there were simply too many enemies, he could still escape with Bukūjutsu.

The real problem was how to convince Teacher Hizashi to agree to his proposal.

How should I convince Teacher Hizashi? As Setsuna hesitated over whether to reveal Bukūjutsu, Hizashi nodded decisively and replied, "All right. We'll do as you say."

"Huh?" Setsuna froze at how readily Hizashi agreed. Did Teacher Hizashi trust him that much?

Kakashi and the other two also stared at Hizashi in shock. What was wrong with this Hyuga Jonin? He had actually agreed to let his own student risk his life to save someone while he stayed behind.

Hizashi naturally knew the children were looking at him strangely, but he could not explain himself. He could only force himself to say, "Let's all go back. Believe in Setsuna. He'll definitely bring Jonin Minato Namikaze back."

Blood mist filled the forest, and even the air carried a sickly sweet stench.

Minato Namikaze leaped through the forest, evading attacks as he pulled a Soldier Pill from his waist pouch and swallowed it.

(As can be seen from the previous two images, Soldier Pills can restore chakra.)

The nearly exhausted chakra in his body recovered somewhat, but the worry between Minato Namikaze's brows did not fade.

Although Soldier Pills could restore chakra, their effects diminished with each use over a short period. If he could not escape this crimson forest soon, his fate would certainly not be pleasant.

Just then, a figure wreathed in lightning leaped down from a tree and cleaved toward Minato Namikaze like a thunderbolt.

Yet even with his senses greatly weakened, Minato Namikaze still teleported away at the critical moment.

The ground where Minato Namikaze had stood cracked and burst apart like a spiderweb. The figure stood atop the scorched earth and praised him. "You're Minato Namikaze, right? To evade my Extreme Speed again and again is truly impressive. After you die, I'll remember the name of an opponent like you."

Holding a Kunai, Minato Namikaze observed his surroundings as he spoke. "You're A, the Third Raikage's son, correct? Your speed is indeed fast, but calling it Extreme Speed is rather exaggerated. At the very least, I've seen ninja faster than you."

"Impossible!" A refused to believe it. "Not even my old man can do that. His physique is stronger than mine, but he isn't faster than me."

Minato Namikaze said no more. Before the other Hidden Cloud Village ninja could catch up, he used the Flying Thunder God Technique again to flee far away.

"He's a troublesome opponent. If we weren't enemies, I'd like to fight him fairly and see who truly possesses the fastest speed in the Ninja World." A shook his head slightly. He sensed that Minato Namikaze would not be able to hold on much longer.

"We should hurry. If he somehow blunders out of the Blood Mist Formation, it won't be so easy to find such a good opportunity again," said Blue B, the Eight-Tails jinchuriki who had caught up.

A nodded, then suddenly heard a ninja beside him point toward the distant sky and shout, "What's that?"

A looked in the direction he indicated. Even through the blood mist obscuring his sight, he could still see a majestic azure Shenron covering the sky.

"What kind of monster is that? A summoned beast?" A was stunned. Wherever the azure dragon passed, the earth overturned, towering ancient trees were snapped apart, and huge trunks were uprooted one after another, dancing through the air like kites with severed strings.

"Not good, the blood mist formation!" A realized that the crimson fog filling the forest had been scattered by the gale, and long-lost sunlight shone down.

That was not all. The azure dragon charged toward them, sweeping several Hidden Cloud Village ninja who could not evade into the air amid screams.

As disaster bore down upon him, A instantly entered Lightning Release Chakra Mode.

"B, send me up there!"

"Got it." As A's sworn younger brother, Killer B naturally understood his intentions. He grabbed A and hurled him forward.

Lightning Oppression Horizontal!

Accelerated by the throw, A shot forward like an electromagnetic cannon and struck the azure dragon with perfect accuracy.

Boom!

The azure dragon exploded with a roar, and the uncontrolled currents swept outward in every direction.

Broken branches and fallen leaves crashed down upon the wailing earth like a torrential rain. The entire forest looked as though it had been plowed by a gigantic rake, with fallen trees piled into chaotic embankments that even blocked the streams running through the woods.

Witnessing this astonishing sight, the Hidden Cloud Village ninja erupted in cheers.

"As expected of Lord A! He's so dependable!"

"I thought I was going to die!"

Yet A, who landed steadily on the ground, showed no joy. He frowned and muttered, "It seemed to be Taijutsu. Leaf Dragon God? But it doesn't resemble the Leaf Dragon God from the rumors."

At that moment, someone emerged from the remnants of the forest. Strolling as if on an outing, he made no effort to hide himself, stepping on broken branches with loud crunches. He completely lacked the stealth expected of a ninja.

"Senior Minato Namikaze, are you here? I'm here to save you!"

Seeing the man walk right past him while shouting so loudly, even A could no longer maintain his tense expression. What was this inexplicable fool doing?

Though he was unsure of the man's identity, the Konoha forehead protector on his head could not be fake.

"You're courting death. Lightning Release: Lightning Stream Blast!"

A condensed Lightning Release chakra around his right elbow and charged at the other man with Extreme Speed.

Iron Mountain Lean!

The one shouting through the forest was naturally Setsuna. Seeing A come at him elbow-first, Setsuna smoothly drove his right shoulder toward A's elbow.

Boom!

It sounded like thunder exploding. Setsuna was knocked back several meters by the elbow strike, while A was blasted away like a cannonball and plunged headfirst into the dirt.

"How is that possible?"

"Lord A was actually sent flying!"

The Hidden Cloud Village ninja who witnessed it all could not believe their eyes. A had actually lost a bodily clash to someone other than the Third Raikage. It was simply incomprehensible.

On the other side, Minato Namikaze appeared at the right moment after hearing Setsuna call out. Noticing the dispersing blood mist, he could not help but let out a long breath of relief.

"Setsuna, the blood mist has been blown away. We can escape..." Minato Namikaze spoke quickly, only for Setsuna to pick up where he left off. "...We can counterattack."

"Counterattack?" Minato Namikaze froze. There were more than a hundred Hidden Cloud Village ninja pursuing them, including powerful fighters such as the Raikage candidate and the Eight-Tails jinchuriki. They wanted to counterattack with just the two of them?

Setsuna nodded. "With Senior Minato Namikaze's Flying Thunder God Technique and my Taijutsu, if the two of us join forces, how could these Hidden Cloud Village ninja possibly withstand even one exchange?"

Minato Namikaze was tempted. Indeed, he and Setsuna could be called a combination of the strongest assassin and the strongest warrior. Together, they could completely achieve an effect where one plus one was greater than two.

Besides, anyone who had been schemed against and hunted for so long would be angry. He was no saint; naturally, he wanted revenge as well.

"All right, I'll listen to you!" Minato Namikaze took over a hundred senbon from his waist pouch and scattered them through the forest like heavenly maidens scattering flowers. Flying Thunder God Formulas spread across the entire battlefield. The prey's counterattack was about to begin!