"If our goal were to take the tailed beasts by force, we could have done so from the start. We sought the villages' opinions because we were willing to respect you all."
Minato's voice came calmly.
"But Naruto Uzumaki came on Konoha's behalf to convey our goodwill. Attacking him means making an enemy of Konoha. While Konoha has no desire to start a war, we will not suffer in silence either. I hope you... consider your actions carefully."
Yet neither Minato's appearance nor his words angered the hot-tempered Raikage. Instead, he looked thoughtful.
"Uncle... the Fourth Hokage has also mastered that version of the Flying Thunder God Technique you can use within a certain range?"
Surprised by what Minato had just done, Sasuke asked Naruto in a whisper.
All of Naruto's friends envied the convenience of the Flying Thunder God Technique. They had tried learning it themselves, but with little success.
It required an aptitude for both Space-Time Ninjutsu and Sealing Jutsu, with extremely high standards for both. Even meeting those two conditions did not mean they could quickly grasp the basics.
That was to say nothing of the advanced versions Naruto had developed, most of which only he had mastered.
"Dad was bluffing. When I came into contact with the Eight-Tails earlier, I noticed a Flying Thunder God Mark Dad had left on him years ago. Unless you have an ability like Izumi's from before, the mark never disappears."
"Dad just used that mark to launch the simplest possible sneak attack with the Flying Thunder God Technique."
Having seen through everything, Naruto let Sasuke in on his father's secret.
"So that's it."
And that was indeed the truth. Back before A became the Fourth Raikage, he and his brother Killer B had encountered Minato on the battlefield, before Minato