Maki reached out and caught her wrist, intending to get her off the battlefield first.
There was no need to worry about Minato.
The Kumogakure Jonin had lost an arm. His defeat was already certain.
You were right, but this was Flying Thunder God. He forgot the rest.
Suddenly, a tingling sensation surged through his body. Electric pain spread upward from the soles of his feet, sweeping through him.
He had not completely evaded the fake Kushina's Lightning Release: Earth Flow earlier. The current had traveled through the standing water and numbed the nerves in his calves.
He pitched forward, nearly burying half his face in a puddle.
A moment later, Kushina scooped him up and sprinted toward Konoha.
It was a textbook princess carry, one hand supporting his back and the other tucked beneath his knees. Her hold was perfectly steady.
"Don't you need to stay and look after Minato?"
"Injured people should keep their mouths shut. That sissy isn't as weak as you think."
Maki turned his head and looked over Kushina's shoulder toward the Camphor Tree Forest shrouded in thick mist behind them.
Minato's Flying Thunder God had improved considerably.
He was becoming increasingly adept at using the Rasengan to launch a Flying Thunder God: Second Step attack.
The one-armed Kumogakure Jonin's Lightning Release Armor began to fluctuate, and his movements noticeably slowed.
Minato was patiently wearing him down, waiting for his chakra to run dry before finishing things.
"...Could you stop staring at Minato and worry about yourself? That impostor nearly killed you just now."
"I did fall for it, but I only got shocked. I've recovered now, so you can put me down."
"Put me down."
"Injured people, shut up."
"The shock only numbed my legs. They're still attached. It's not like I can't walk."