Chapter 41: The Terrifying Namikaze Minato
Uchiha Kei slowly withdrew his kunai, staring coldly at the body on the ground. He stood in silence for a long moment. Only after confirming there was truly no trace of life left in the corpse did he finally let out a subtle breath of relief.
No matter how strong or weak, ninjas should never be underestimated—playing dead and launching surprise attacks was practically a survival instinct. Even someone as powerful as Uchiha Madara had faked his death before.
Faking death wasn't something taught in the ninja academy, but it was definitely something every ninja had to understand on the battlefield. Kei himself had suffered because of this once, back when he was new to the front lines. If not for a stroke of luck—his opponent having fasted for three days while playing dead and missing the mark with his kunai—Kei might not be alive today.
Now, staring at the corpse of Gari, Kei waited a moment longer. Then, with a flick of his wrist, he hurled a kunai directly into Gari's chest.
It struck clean through the left side.
Kei exhaled a bit more deeply now. Even if he was pretending before, there's no way he's faking it now.
Some people were born with their hearts on the right side—but Kei had already pierced the right chest earlier. Now the left side was also impaled. No matter where Gari's heart might be, it was definitely gone.
"Dead for real this time," Kei muttered and nodded. But just then, the ground beneath him began to tremble violently.
Kei tilted his head slightly. Though the forest obstructed his view, he could still see plumes of black smoke rising in the direction of Kannabi Bridge.
He frowned. So that's where the disturbance is coming from. Is it Minato... or that unlucky bastard Kenta?
Not that it mattered. Whether it was Namikaze Minato or Imai Kenta, Kei wasn't concerned.
Minato had the strength to handle a Jinchūriki with ease. He was the "Yellow Flash," after all—the man who had once overwhelmed the A-B combo. And if it was Imai Kenta who stepped into one of Gari's traps... well, then his death would be deserved. Eight years in the war and still falling for traps? That was just natural selection at work.
Kei quickly formed a hand seal. A fireball appeared in his palm and shot forward, engulfing Gari's body in flames. In moments, the corpse turned to ash. Without hesitation, Kei turned and began moving toward Minato's location.
Now I remember who that guy was, he thought, but he's not worth caring about. If I hadn't been too drained back then, I would've even tried to take out Kitsuchi.
Speeding up, Kei focused on his next destination—where Minato was fighting.
It wasn't because Kei trusted Minato, but because Minato possessed the one thing that could get Kei out of this damned place—space-time jutsu. Not to mention, they still had enemies in pursuit.
And more importantly... the medicine has reached its peak effect, Kei noted while moving. Chakra recovery will soon return to normal, but physical fatigue will start setting in. This is forcing me into a quick victory.
He pushed himself harder.
But just then—another massive explosion erupted not far from him!
This blast was even stronger than the last. The shockwave alone nearly sent Kei flying. That alone said enough about the scale of this battle.
Still, he didn't stop. After dodging the worst of the blast, Kei pushed forward again.
Before long, he arrived—and saw Minato Namikaze locked in battle with a creature that was glowing red, shaped vaguely like a five-legged beast.
He's already gone into tailed beast form, Kei thought. But rather than join in, he immediately went into stealth, quietly observing from a hidden vantage point.
Despite the beast's overwhelming strength—it could tear down massive trees with a single claw, and crater the ground with every punch—it couldn't even touch Minato.
Minato's speed was unreal. With his instant movement and Flying Thunder God Technique, he danced circles around the Jinchūriki. It was a cat-and-mouse game. Were it not for the Jinchūriki's insane regeneration and defense, he would've been long dead.
But this was just a matter of time. Minato clearly had the upper hand and full confidence.
The beast let out a roar and lunged with another powerful punch.
Minato remained calm, took a step back—then vanished.
Flying Thunder God again, Kei noted. He uses it like second nature.
But this time, something was off.
The Jinchūriki suddenly twisted his body mid-punch, locking his target on the exact spot Minato reappeared in—predicting his move.
He's learning? Getting used to the timing? Kei was stunned. Should I step in...?
But before Kei could decide, Minato reacted with inhuman precision. Even though he had just teleported, he immediately avoided the punch. The resulting wind blast annihilated every tree and rock in its path.
The power was terrifying.
But such a wide and wild motion also left an opening.
Minato didn't waste it. He reappeared at an unnatural angle, a Rasengan already spinning in his hand.
With a powerful thrust, the Rasengan struck.
Kei could see it clearly—there were already several cratered spots where Rasengan had hit before. Minato was deliberately targeting the same exact point over and over again.
A terrifying man, Kei thought. Rasengan is already powerful as is—but this level of focused precision? I doubt even the Jinchūriki can take much more of that. But... why isn't he going for the kill?
Minato wasn't trying to kill.
Under the force of the Rasengan, the Jinchūriki was finally forced out of his tailed beast state. The cloak of chakra peeled away, revealing the bloodied and exhausted man beneath—Han.
Han coughed blood and quickly retreated.
Now was the perfect time to finish him off.
But Kei understood. Minato has other considerations. Maybe it's because his own wife is a Jinchūriki... though that's unlikely. The real reason... is probably Konoha's interests. Killing a Jinchūriki isn't exactly good politics.
With that realization, Kei knew what he had to do.
He shot out of hiding like lightning.
Before Han could even react, Kei was already in front of him.
Their eyes met—for a split second—and Kei's crimson Sharingan flared with a sinister glow...
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