My opponent… Minato Namikaze—the Yellow Flash of Konoha. According to the latest intel from our ANBU, he was last seen fighting off the forces of Kumogakure. Hmph. That information must've been outdated. No matter. There isn't much to be wary of… save for his speed and that accursed Rasengan. Strength alone doesn't guarantee victory—not against someone like me.
Minato stood silently on a branch across from me, his cloak swaying gently in the breeze.
"I see you're not interested in giving your name," he said calmly, his voice carrying a sharp edge.
I let a low chuckle escape. "Oh, I'm sure you'll discover my identity soon enough," I replied, voice laced with confidence.
Realizing further talk would lead nowhere, Minato narrowed his eyes and gave a subtle hand signal to his team. In an instant, the silent forest erupted into motion. Iwa ANBU and Konoha ANBU clashed in a deadly dance of steel and jutsu, their battle echoing between the trees like the roar of ancient warrior.
Now came Minato's move.
With a flick of his wrist, he hurled a barrage of kunai into the air—each marked with his signature Flying Thunder God seal. He wasn't aiming at me… but everywhere around me. Smart.
Fwhoosh!
He vanished.
A blur of yellow light surged forward—Minato reappeared mid-air, a kunai drawn and Rasengan spinning in his other hand, aiming directly for my throat.
But just as the distance closed, the forest between us warped. Trees twisted unnaturally, their trunks deforming into spiraling spears of sharpened wood that shot toward him like missiles.
FWUP!
In the blink of an eye, he was gone—teleported out of danger. Had he hesitated even for a moment, he would've been skewered.
"He can manipulate the terrain to that extent...?" Minato thought, reappearing on another branch. "Is this some kekkei genkai? Or perhaps a technique to reshape the battlefield itself...?"
But I wasn't about to give him time to analyze me.
The ground beneath Minato shattered. Cracks spiderwebbed outward as the soil broke apart. From the debris, countless shards of stone burst into the air, accelerating toward him like guided bullets.
Minato immediately teleported again, reappearing in rapid succession. Zup—Zup—Zup! Each time he blinked out of reach, the rocks multiplied, shattered, and became even smaller and deadlier, flooding the area with a cloud of high-velocity shrapnel.
Defense wouldn't save him. He realized that.
In a flash, he crafted a Rasengan, its chakra pulsing in his palm. Then—flick!—he threw himself into a series of teleportations, trying to create a diversion. I could see through it. He was trying to draw me in… to make me believe I had an opening.
Let's give him one.
"He's fast," I thought to myself. "Too fast to catch directly… but overconfidence is its own kind of weakness."
I lowered my stance and subtly formed a cube of Jinton—Dust Release. It was small, nearly invisible in the chaos. But size mattered little. A cube this size, correctly placed, could still obliterate vital organs.
As expected, Minato took the bait.
He appeared behind me, Rasengan screaming with chakra, aimed squarely at my spine.
I released the Jinton cube.
FWUP!
Minato vanished again—his instincts saving him. But his eyes widened as realization struck.
"Jinton…?" his mind echoed. "This is the Tsuchikage…?"
Thousands of thoughts surged through him, calculating, evaluating, doubting. How do I get close without being turned to dust?
But before he could plan again, pain erupted in his chest.
He gasped.
Blood sprayed from a hole torn clean through his flak vest and shirt. His eyes dropped in disbelief to the crimson bloom spreading across his chest.
"I… couldn't dodge in time? That Jinton… it's too fast," he thought, staggering.
I stood a few meters away, watching him with cold detachment. A faint smile curled my lips, but my eyes remained sharp.
"That cube was meant to pierce your heart," I said. "You're still standing. That only means I've failed. Rejoice, young ninja."
Minato gritted his teeth, fumbling with a ninja pill and medical bandage. He moved quickly, applying pressure to the wound as blood dripped onto the forest floor.
"Letting me tend to my wound? Why not strike me while I'm vulnerable?" he asked, breathing hard.
I gave a low chuckle. "Don't think too much of it. The time you spent bandaging yourself was enough for me to dispose of your entire Anbu squad."
I gestured with a tilt of my chin.
Minato's gaze shifted. His pupils shrank.
Where once Konoha jonin clashed with Iwa, now only corpses remained—crushed, pierced, or torn apart by the twisting environment. The ground was soaked in blood. Only two Iwa ANBU remained bore only light injuries… and cold, calculating eyes.
Minato clenched his fist.
"Hrrr… You'll pay for this, Tsuchikage," he growled, his glare so sharp it could cut through stone.
But I only smiled.
Let him rage. His fury will not save him from what's coming.
The wind picked up, carrying the stench of blood and broken earth. Crows began to circle above, their cries harsh and hungry. Thunder rumbled in the distance, echoing the tension still hanging thick in the air.
Minato's chakra flared again despite his injury. I could see it in his stance—he wasn't done yet. That wound wouldn't hold him back.
"If you intend to continue," I said, voice calm, "you'll leave me no choice but to erase you completely."
Minato raised his head. Sweat and blood ran down his face, but his eyes burned with purpose.
"I didn't come here to die," he said. "And the one to die will not be me."
From the shadows, a faint ripple of chakra surged.
I raised an eyebrow. You want to continue?
Interesting.
It's not going to change your fate Namikaze.