"Namikaze Minato?" Mukade's pupils suddenly contracted as recognition dawned, a look of profound shock flashing through his pain-clouded eyes.
The sight of his most formidable enemy appearing at his moment of greatest vulnerability sent waves of terror through his already broken body. However, his analytical mind immediately began processing the visual information before him, noting subtle but significant differences in Minato's appearance.
This was no longer the teenage Minato he had faced in the past timeline. The man floating above the ocean's surface possessed the mature features and bearing of someone who had lived through years of additional experience and responsibility. The changes in time and space had been corrected under the influence of the seal that Minato and Kushina had created together, and the temporal displacement was finally complete.
Mukade had returned to his original era—the present day, on the eve of the Fourth Ninja World War. His desperate gambit to change history and claim the Dragon Vein's power had ultimately failed, leaving him wounded and helpless before his greatest enemy.
"Haha, it turns out that Orochimaru has always wanted to know your secret," Mukade suddenly burst into maniacal laughter, his voice carrying a note of hysteria that spoke to his complete psychological breakdown. "That fool was completely wrong about you!"
Perhaps it was fear, or perhaps it was the final release of years of pent-up frustration and rage, but Mukade found himself looking at Minato with eyes that blazed with almost insane intensity. All of his careful planning, all of his preparations and contingencies, had been rendered meaningless by forces beyond his comprehension.
Minato's expression grew stern as he regarded the broken figure floating in the bloody water below him. "I know something about your background and motivations, but regardless of what you've experienced, you should never have used the Edo Tensei technique with the intention of destroying this world."
His voice carried the weight of moral authority as he continued, "Even if you have suffered terrible experiences in your past, that doesn't give you the right to spread that suffering to innocent people."
"Hahaha!" Mukade's laughter grew even more unhinged as he roared with what seemed to be the last of his failing strength. "Things like survival and destruction have always been decided by the strong! The weak can only let the powerful control their fate!"
His voice cracked with emotion as he continued his bitter tirade. "Sometimes, we don't even have the right to choose our own life or death! We're nothing more than pawns in games played by beings whose power we can't even comprehend!"
Deep down, Mukade understood with crystal clarity that there was no chance for him to escape from Minato today. This conversation would be his last, and he intended to voice all of the rage and resentment that had driven him to such desperate measures.
Minato's expression softened slightly, showing not sympathy but a kind of sad understanding. "It seems that you have a fundamental misunderstanding about what true strength really means."
He floated closer, his voice taking on the tone of someone who had given these concepts deep thought over many years. "A truly strong person is one who has the courage to face pain and reality directly, without allowing those experiences to corrupt their soul. The power that such a person possesses is not meant for destruction, but for protecting those who cannot protect themselves."
The Fourth Hokage's words carried the weight of someone who had faced his own share of tragedy and loss, yet had chosen a different path. "Otherwise, even if you possess tremendous power, if no one can fill the void in your soul, you will end up being nothing more than an empty shell."
"That kind of spiritual emptiness is a weakness that cannot be compensated for by any amount of physical force," Minato concluded, his voice carrying a note of genuine sadness. "Sooner or later, such a person will be defeated by someone who possesses true strength of character."
As he spoke these words, Minato found himself thinking of Madara—another individual who possessed the power to overturn the world, yet had ultimately ended up alone and isolated. The legendary Uchiha had severed the bonds that connected him to other people and had chosen to pursue his goals through manipulation and secretive planning, cutting himself off from the very relationships that could have given his power meaning and purpose.
In doing so, Madara had ceased to be truly human and had instead become something more akin to a demon—a being driven by biased thoughts and twisted logic rather than genuine compassion or understanding.
"You're wrong!" Mukade snarled, his bloodshot eyes making his face appear almost demonic in its fury. "You have no chance of winning against what's coming! Whether it's the ninja world, or this entire planet, or all of humanity—everything will end up destroyed! Your precious ideals won't save anyone!"
His voice carried the bitter conviction of someone who had seen too much suffering and had lost all faith in the possibility of genuine goodness or hope.
Minato's expression grew calm and resolute as he realized that no words would be sufficient to reach through the wall of hatred and despair that Mukade had built around his heart. "I'm sorry," he said quietly, his voice carrying genuine regret for what he was about to do.
In his palm, dense chakra light began to condense and take shape. The energy swirled and compressed until it formed a miniature version of a Tailed Beast Ball—one of the most destructive techniques in the ninja arsenal, scaled down but still devastatingly powerful.
With a fluid movement of his arm, Minato released the black sphere of concentrated destruction. The orb of chakra flew through the air with deadly precision and struck Mukade directly in the chest.
Bang!
The power of the Tailed Beast Ball exploded instantly upon contact, creating a massive detonation that formed an explosion circle with a diameter of more than ten meters. The force was so tremendous that it vaporized the surrounding seawater and created a temporary crater in the ocean's surface.
All traces of Mukade's presence—his chakra signature, his life force, even the blood that had been staining the water around him—were directly annihilated in the explosion. The technique was so thorough that nothing remained to indicate that the dangerous criminal had ever existed.
Minato had already retreated beyond the blast radius before the explosion occurred, his spatial-temporal abilities allowing him to maintain a safe distance while ensuring that his attack found its mark. He watched silently as the massive explosion gradually subsided, the ocean slowly returning to its natural state.
"Such a waste," he murmured softly, genuinely saddened by the necessity of what he had just done.
For all of his twisted methods and destructive goals, Mukade had clearly been someone who had suffered greatly in his past. Under different circumstances, with better guidance and support, he might have become a force for good rather than destruction. But the choices he had made had led him down a path from which there could be no return.
With a final look at the now-peaceful ocean, Minato's form shimmered and disappeared, leaving no trace of the confrontation that had just taken place.
Back at the ancient ruins of Rōran, Jiraiya was carefully making his way through the damaged underground passages, following the trail of destruction that led toward the Dragon Vein's chamber. The structural damage was extensive, with collapsed corridors and shattered stone barriers creating obstacles at every turn.
Just as he was preparing to navigate around a particularly large pile of rubble, a familiar figure materialized beside him through the use of spatial-temporal ninjutsu.
"Minato?" Jiraiya exclaimed in surprise, his eyes widening at the unexpected appearance of his former student.
"I sensed that the Dragon Vein's seal had been broken," Minato explained, his expression serious but controlled. "This is a shadow clone that I created to assess the situation and provide assistance if needed."
The explanation made perfect sense to Jiraiya, who nodded without showing much suspicion. Minato's ability to monitor spatial-temporal disturbances across vast distances was well-documented, and creating a shadow clone to investigate such phenomena was exactly the kind of strategic thinking that had made him such an effective Hokage.
Led by Minato's superior knowledge of the underground layout, the two ninja soon reached the entrance to the Dragon Vein's inner chamber. However, they immediately encountered evidence of the tremendous battle that had taken place—the stone bridge that had once connected the entrance to the central altar had been completely destroyed, leaving only scattered fragments of rock and a dangerous gap that would challenge even experienced ninja to cross.
On the far side of the destroyed bridge, Naruto was still standing in apparent shock, his posture and expression suggesting that he was struggling to process whatever experiences he had just endured. When he heard the sound of approaching footsteps, he turned around with a mixture of relief and apprehension.
"Dad? Pervy Sage?" Naruto's voice carried a note of surprise and uncertainty, as if he wasn't entirely sure that what he was seeing was real.
Swish!
Although there was a considerable distance between the chamber entrance and the altar platform, the gap presented no significant challenge for ninja of Jiraiya and Minato's caliber. Using their enhanced physical capabilities and chakra-assisted jumping techniques, they landed gracefully directly in front of Naruto.
"Kid, you went off on your own again," Jiraiya said with a mixture of exasperation and relief, delivering a light but pointed tap to Naruto's head as a mild punishment for his disobedience.
However, despite his words of reproach, Jiraiya's eyes showed more worry than anger. The sight of Naruto apparently unharmed but clearly shaken by his experience was both reassuring and concerning. "What happened to the enemies who were here?"
Naruto's expression became evasive as he struggled to recall the details of what had transpired. Due to the temporal displacement and the memory modifications that had occurred during the correction process, many of his recollections were fragmented or completely absent. He looked uncomfortable and avoided making direct eye contact with his father.
Minato observed his son's distress with understanding and compassion. With a gentle smile, he placed a reassuring hand on Naruto's shoulder. "I'm just glad that you're safe," he said warmly, his voice carrying all of the love and relief that a father feels when his child survives a dangerous situation.
At the same time, his experienced eyes took in the state of the chamber around them. The altar where he and Kushina had originally placed their protective seal was clearly visible, and he could immediately see that their carefully constructed barriers had been completely dismantled.
Even though the temporal forces had corrected the space-time distortion and returned everyone to their proper timeline, the physical damage to the seal itself could not be automatically repaired. The Dragon Vein's power was once again accessible, representing a potential threat that needed to be addressed immediately.
"Dad, aren't you going to punish me?" Naruto asked hesitantly, his voice trembling slightly with emotion. "After all, I acted on my own initiative and even falsely transmitted the Hokage's orders to get here."
The weight of his deception and disobedience was clearly weighing heavily on his conscience, and he seemed to be bracing himself for the consequences of his actions.
Minato's smile grew warmer as he considered his response. "While your actions were indeed extremely reckless and could have resulted in catastrophic consequences, judging from the results, it appears that you succeeded in stopping the enemy from achieving their goals."
His words carried a note of pride mixed with gentle reproach as he continued, "If you hadn't been present at Rōran more than twenty years ago during the original temporal incident, your mother and I might not have been able to complete our mission successfully."
The revelation that Naruto's presence had been historically significant was clearly news to the young ninja, whose eyes widened with surprise and confusion at this information that he couldn't quite remember.
"However," Minato added with a more serious tone, "you must promise me that you won't do anything like this again. Everyone who cares about you was extremely worried about your safety."
As he spoke these words of gentle correction, Minato began walking toward the damaged altar, his hands already moving through the complex sequence of hand seals necessary for advanced sealing techniques.
"This time, I'll create a seal that can never be broken," he murmured with quiet determination.
The intervening years had allowed him to make numerous improvements to his sealing methodology. While the fundamental principles of these techniques still originated from the Uzumaki clan's traditional methods, his enhanced understanding of spatial-temporal manipulation had enabled him to create hybrid barriers that were far more sophisticated than anything that had existed previously.
Even the strongest sealing technique masters in the Uzumaki clan's history would find it extremely difficult to break through the advanced protections he was about to implement.
The sealing process began as Minato's palm descended toward the energy convergence point that resembled a massive dragon's eye. A faint but steady light emanated from the contact point as his chakra began to interact with the ancient power source.
Then, with a sound like the closing of some immense cosmic eyelid, the entire dragon's eye structure slowly and completely sealed itself shut.
In the air above the altar, visible chakra began forming intricate patterns that constantly shifted and evolved, weaving themselves into an incredibly complex barrier that gradually enveloped the entire dragon's eye structure. The seal was not merely a single technique, but rather a sophisticated network of interlocking protections that would reinforce and support each other.
After the barrier construction was completed, the visible patterns gradually faded from view, becoming transparent and undetectable to normal observation. Simultaneously, the dragon's eye structure itself began to fade, its physical form becoming increasingly translucent until it finally disappeared completely from Naruto and Jiraiya's sight.
This new barrier was not only exponentially stronger than the previous protections, but it also possessed the ability to completely block the fluctuations of the Dragon Vein's energy convergence point. Even experienced perception-type ninja would be unable to sense the presence of the power source without first discovering and analyzing the barrier itself—a task that would require exceptional skill and knowledge.
"Let's go," Minato said with satisfaction as he completed the sealing process.
The chakra expenditure required for such an advanced technique had consumed most of his shadow clone's remaining energy reserves, but there was still sufficient power remaining to transport both Naruto and Jiraiya back to Konoha safely.
"When my real body returns to the village, you can tell me whatever it is that you want to say," Minato added, looking at Naruto with understanding eyes.
It was clear that his son was struggling with fragmented memories and half-recalled experiences that he couldn't quite articulate. The temporal displacement had left him with the sense that something important had happened, but the details remained frustratingly elusive.
Naruto scratched his head in confusion, his expression showing the frustration of someone trying to remember something that remained just beyond the reach of conscious memory. He did indeed feel that there was something significant he had forgotten, but no matter how hard he concentrated, the memories remained stubbornly inaccessible.
Swish!
When Minato's palms came to rest on the shoulders of both Naruto and Jiraiya, all three figures disappeared instantly from the underground chamber, leaving behind only the faintest trace of spatial distortion to mark their departure.
The next moment, Naruto and Jiraiya found themselves standing in the familiar surroundings of the Hokage's office, with its large desk, strategic maps, and walls lined with portraits of previous village leaders. Minato's shadow clone had automatically dismissed itself upon completing its mission, its memories and experiences flowing back to the original body.
At the Five Kage Summit location, Minato had just reached the entrance to the meeting tent when he paused, his expression growing thoughtful as he processed the memories that had just returned from his shadow clone.
The information he had gained from the Rōran incident was revealing in ways that extended far beyond the immediate threat that Mukade had posed. The ease with which he had been able to eliminate the dangerous criminal and reseal the Dragon Vein suggested some important strategic implications about the larger conflict that was approaching.
"It seems that in Madara's calculations, Mukade was just a disposable chess piece—not yet important enough to warrant serious protection," Minato mused to himself.
If Madara had genuinely needed Mukade's expertise in manipulating the Edo Tensei technique, or if he had truly coveted the Dragon Vein's power for his own plans, then eliminating Mukade and resealing the ancient energy source would not have been accomplished as easily as it had been.
The fact that no additional enemies had appeared to protect Mukade, and that no contingency plans had been activated when the Dragon Vein's power was contained, suggested that these assets were not considered crucial to Madara's ultimate strategy.
"So not only does he possess knowledge of the Flying Thunder God technique," Minato continued his analysis, "but he also understands the Second Hokage's Edo Tensei in comprehensive detail, and can even use it himself?"
This realization was deeply troubling. If Madara possessed both the ability to manipulate space-time and the power to raise armies of reanimated legendary warriors, then the ninja alliance would be facing an enemy whose capabilities were even more formidable than they had initially estimated.
The upcoming war was going to test every skill, every alliance, and every strategy that the united ninja villages could bring to bear. And somewhere in the back of his mind, Minato couldn't shake the feeling that even their combined efforts might not be sufficient to stop what was coming.