Chapter 88: Minato, You Will Regret This
Rumble... rumble...
The ground rolled violently.
Trees were uprooted.
Minato and Kushina were being pushed toward the center along with the shifting terrain and toppling trees.
No matter what ninjutsu they used during that time, none of it made the slightest impact on the Black Iron Chains. Their toughness was far beyond what they had imagined.
Despair deepened on their faces.
Standing atop the Black Iron Giant Eagle, Li Yao watched Minato struggle below, an expression of delight on his face.
Very few people could push the future "forever love interest" Namikaze Minato into despair like this. Li Yao might be the one to do it best.
Right now, Minato had tried everything he could—but still couldn't break free from the cage formed by the Black Iron Chains.
At this very moment, he deeply regretted not having developed a high-damage, single-target ninjutsu that could shatter these chains.
Or that his speed wasn't just a bit faster—enough to escape the trap before it closed.
But... it was all too late now.
"Heh... not bad."
Li Yao smiled faintly, very satisfied with the effectiveness of his cage technique.
It was actually inspired by his battle against Uzumaki Mito and her Adamantine Sealing Barrier.
Though he couldn't use that exact barrier technique himself—
He could build a physical cage with the same binding effect. Trap the enemy through physical means. And with the Black Iron Chains' hardness and ability to change size, it was perfect for creating a physical-style barrier.
Thus, a Naruto-world version of a "Black Iron Chain Birdcage" was born.
And the despair on Minato's face now proved just how effective it was.
Minato likely never expected that while he could outlast Li Yao in a large-scale ninjutsu duel, Li Yao's Black Iron Chains could outlast his chakra—and were far more durable.
Rumble... rumble...
Li Yao continued to shrink the birdcage. Soon, it contracted to a 200-meter radius. Minato and Kushina, caught up with the rising terrain, were now eye-to-eye with Li Yao in midair.
How they felt—Li Yao didn't know.
But for him? He was thoroughly enjoying this. Watching his Konoha enemies descend into helplessness doubled his satisfaction.
Only ten seconds had passed since he activated the birdcage.
Tenchū's team, still rapidly closing in, was twenty seconds away.
But in just ten more seconds, the cage would close—and Minato and Kushina's lives would belong to Li Yao.
"Not good!!"
Three kilometers away, Sarutobi Tenchū and his group caught sight of the shrinking birdcage. His eyes narrowed sharply.
He realized—if this continued, Minato and Kushina would be dead before they could arrive.
They had to break Li Yao's control over the birdcage now.
But... three kilometers!
At this range, none of their long-range jutsu could reach him.
"Screw it!"
At that critical moment, Tenchū, the team leader, stepped up. He launched himself from the Ink Bird with all his might, trying to close the distance as much as possible.
At the same time, he rapidly formed hand seals. His chest puffed up like a barrel. Veins bulged on his face, and blood vessels appeared in his eyes. He gathered every bit of chakra he could instantly release.
"Wind Release: Bakuum Sphere!!"
He forcefully exhaled toward Li Yao three kilometers away. His chest, ballooned to its limit, deflated all at once.
In that instant, a third of Tenchū's chakra turned into a wind-nature sphere, launched from his mouth.
Hiss...
The overcompressed chakra formed a white-hot Bakuum sphere. With high energy and density, it shot through the air like a laser, piercing the darkness and leaving behind a straight white streak.
"Damn!"
Standing atop his Black Iron Eagle, Li Yao's face darkened. He had sensed Tenchū's move and was ready to defend.
But the Bakuum Sphere was too fast.
His Black Iron Chains didn't have time to shoot out like they had to intercept Minato's Wind Bullets—the attack struck his chest instantly.
Boom!
Crash!
The dense white Bakuum Sphere—formed from at least one-third of Tenchū's chakra—slammed into Li Yao's Black Iron Feather Cloak. Though the cloak didn't break, the force behind the attack caused the sphere to explode.
It was like a high-pressure bomb detonated at his chest, and the shockwave tore through the cloak, shattering his ribs and rupturing his organs.
Spurt...
Blood sprayed from his mouth as Li Yao's entire body was thrown violently forward by the blast.
Crash!
Crack...
Boom!
He smashed through several trees and finally hit the ground, carving out a crater.
"Quickly."
In midair, the pale-faced Sarutobi Tenchū landed back on the Ink Bird and immediately urged his wife.
His attack had interrupted Li Yao's control over the cage—the birdcage had stopped shrinking.
But he knew Li Yao had once survived a direct blow from his father's monstrous strength paired with the Adamantine Staff—only sustaining minor injuries.
This attack had probably bought them just a few seconds.
They had to get closer before Li Yao recovered to launch a follow-up.
"Understood."
Ayase pushed her chakra to the limit while drawing on a blank scroll with her brush.
Hyūga Seika and Echizen Ryoma also focused their chakra, ready to unleash ninjutsu or taijutsu at any moment.
"This chakra…"
On the ground, Li Yao stood up, wiped the blood from his lips, and let his Wood Release chakra begin repairing his injuries.
He looked toward where Tenchū and the others were flying in from, his gaze penetrating obstacles to lock onto Sarutobi Tenchū.
Then he concentrated, sensing a familiar trace of chakra hidden deep within the explosion from that Bakuum Sphere.
Comparing it to what he once felt from Sarutobi Mina, Li Yao's eyes lit up. He was exhilarated—his face twisted into an almost manic grin.
"Hahaha!"
"That's it! That's the chakra signature!"
"Then… you must be the Third's son!"
Li Yao laughed wildly, then summoned the Black Iron Eagle back into his body and looked toward Tenchū, who was closing in fast. His heart pounded with excitement.
"Excellent!"
"Perfect!"
"The Third doesn't just have a daughter—he has a son too, and clearly more than one."
"This… is just too perfect!!"
In that moment, seven or eight ways to break the Third Hokage's spirit by targeting his sons flashed through Li Yao's mind.
Clang clang!
Suddenly, the sound of metal rang out. Li Yao snapped out of it and turned toward the noise—Minato hadn't given up. He was still striking the chains with his kunai, even more determined now. His expression had shifted from despair to hope.
It seemed Tenchū's team had given Minato a false sense of security—he thought he might survive this.
But that was impossible.
"Die already!"
Li Yao glanced once at the rapidly approaching Tenchū, then made a decision. With a thought, he doubled the birdcage's grid size. This would allow dirt and trees to squeeze out faster—and the cage would shrink quicker. Plus, without controlling the Black Iron Eagle anymore, he could focus entirely on the cage.
In an instant, the cage's contraction accelerated dramatically.
"No!"
From a distance, Tenchū's face changed as he saw the birdcage tightening rapidly. His heart sank.
Now there was no way to attack Li Yao.
Li Yao had landed behind the cage after being blasted away—and now the cage stood between them. Tenchū's jutsu couldn't reach.
There was nothing he could do.
They were out of time.
"Are we going to die?"
Inside the cage, Minato held Kushina in his arms, shielding her from the crushing dirt. The pressure on his bones made them creak. His chest felt like it was about to cave in.
Minato felt desperate—overwhelmed with guilt.
He'd already lost a dear friend. Now it seemed he would lose the girl he loved too.
"No!"
"No!"
"No—I won't let Minato die!"
"Ah! No…"
Just as Minato's life flashed before his eyes, Kushina—whom he was holding tightly—snapped.
The power of love defies all logic.
Clang clang…
In an instant, countless golden chakra chains erupted from Kushina's body. They coiled around Li Yao's Black Iron Chains and pulled with all her strength.
"Heh…"
"A power-up from love, huh?"
On the ground below, Li Yao felt the immense pressure coming from his chains. He grinned.
His Black Iron Chains weren't as strong as Kushina's Adamantine Sealing Chains. The cage couldn't shrink any further—it was even starting to stretch open.
"Looks like I won't be killing you today, Minato."
"But… you'll regret it."
Li Yao glanced at Minato in Kushina's arms, then at the furious glare in Kushina's eyes. Some twisted imagery flashed through his mind, and the corner of his lips curled into a dark smile.
Then, with a thought, he withdrew the chains, leapt into the air, summoned the Black Iron Eagle, and flew off without hesitation.
(END CHAPTER)
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