"Perfect timing… I need to warm up."
Before the words even fully left his mouth, Kiyohara whose body was now controlled by the his missing-nin self—moved. His figure flickered, fast enough to leave behind a fading afterimage in his original spot.
He did not charge forward in a straight line. Instead, he advanced in a smooth, curved arc, sweeping first toward the three Chūnin.
"So fast!"
One of the Chūnin Iwa-nins barely managed to gasp out in alarm. In his haste, he swung a fist at Kiyohara.
Kiyohara, under possession, neither dodged nor retreated. His right hand reached out with a deceptively casual hook and twist—borrowing the opponent's strength and redirecting it. In the next breath, he flung the man directly into the comrade beside him.
He then crouched low, slipping beneath the stabbing kunai of the third attacker. His leg snapped upward in a brutal kick aimed precisely at the man's knee joint.
Crack!
The chilling sound of bone breaking echoed. The Iwa shinobi screamed and collapsed to the ground.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Spears!"
Seeing the situation turn dire, Sumashi immediately formed hand seals. Several sharp stone spears thrust up from beneath Kiyohara's feet.
But Kiyohara seemed almost prophetic. The instant before the spears burst forth, he tapped the ground lightly and leapt away. In the same motion, he tossed the kunai he had stolen earlier—hurling it straight at Sumashi's face, forcing him to halt his seals and block instead.
"This brat… What on earth?!"
Sumashi's thoughts churned with shock. The movements, the eyes, the combat instinct—this boy was a completely different person compared to moments ago.
This wasn't simple talent.
This was the honed instinct of someone seasoned by countless battles.
Nearby, Kurenai and Rin stared in speechless astonishment.
Rin covered her mouth, disbelief filling her eyes.
"How… how is Kiyohara suddenly this strong?"
Kurenai, too, widened her beautiful ruby eyes. She had no explanation for what she was seeing.
On the battlefield, Kiyohara clashed directly with Sumashi. Using clever angles and subtle redirection, he dispersed most of the force behind the hardened stone fist. Even so, the physical difference remained. His body trembled, and he was forced several steps back, his arm numbed by the shock.
And facing so many enemies at once drained him rapidly.
"Tsk… my younger self is still too fragile…"
Whenever missing-nin Kiyohara possessed him, he could feel the limits of this young body. Even when fighting at full output, the body simply could not sustain it for long.
Sumashi also noticed Kiyohara's fatigue. His lips twisted into a cruel grin.
"He's at the end of his rope! All together—kill him!"
The remaining more than ten Iwa shinobi surged forward, killing intent erupting.
Just as danger was about to swallow the group—
A golden flash appeared in the middle of the battlefield.
It was not teleportation.
It was simply too fast for the eye to perceive.
The newcomer had shining blond hair, wore a standard green flak jacket, and possessed a handsome face filled with calm determination.
It was none other than Namikaze Minato.
Without so much as glancing around, the special kunai in his hand blurred into streaks of light.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Three Iwa Chūnin had their throats cut at the exact same moment. They collapsed with shock still etched on their faces.
Sumashi's pupils contracted violently. His entire body trembled with primal terror.
"I-Its t-the Yellow Flash!!!"
He instinctively tried to dive underground using Earth Release.
But Minato was faster.
"Flying Thunder God: Second Stage!"
A flash—
Minato appeared behind him.
The special kunai carved across his back in a merciless arc.
Crash!
Sumashi flew like a broken kite, slammed through a large tree, and moved no more.
Then Minato dispatched the remaining enemies with the same effortless precision.
Everything ended in the blink of an eye.
A moment ago, disaster had been imminent.
Now, with one man's arrival, the entire battle was decisively overturned.
At the same time, the possession faded from Kiyohara's body, returning control to the real Kiyohara.
He couldn't shake the feeling that he had just stepped out of a collapsed suit of armor.
"Huff… huff…"
His breathing was ragged. Missing-nin Kiyohara had pushed his body to its absolute limits. Now that the possession ended, waves of soreness washed through him.
'As expected of the fourth Hokage…'
Kiyohara thought as he looked at Minato's back.
These Iwa-nins who had pressed them so hard—
To Minato, they were little more than small fry.
After all, Minato was one of the three greatest shinobi born without bloodline limits.
In Kiyohara's mind, the other two were Might Guy, master of the Eight Gates, and Kabuto, the Sage. All three had risen purely through talent and effort.
Geniuses who reached the peak on pure effort and talent, without any inherited bloodline.
Though in the end, they too would became supporting figures, paving the way for Naruto and Sasuke.
Minato turned around, looking at the exhausted and nearly collapsed Kiyohara. Then he glanced at the stunned Kakashi, Kurenai, Rin, and Genma.
His face showed a trace of guilt as he spoke.
"Forgive me… I arrived too late."
Seeing the cave-in behind them, and the Sharingan on Kakashi's left eye, Minato had already guessed the worst.
Obito… had likely already sacrificed himself.
"Thank you, Kiyohara."
Minato looked at the boy.
He had witnessed Kiyohara fighting off multiple Iwa shinobi on his own while rushing over.
Without him, Kakashi's team would never have held out.
Kakashi would have passed out long before now from chakra exhaustion.
"This is simply what I must do," Kiyohara replied, shaking his head. "I will never abandon a comrade. That is my ninja way, Lord Minato."
Now that Minato had arrived, the mission was already 99% complete.
All that was left was blowing up the bridge.
Kiyohara just needed to keep performing, demonstrating his unwavering Will of Fire.
Sure enough, Minato froze for a moment at Kiyohara's resolute declaration, silently impressed by the boy's conviction.
"Good thing Lord Minato arrived when he did," Genma said, wiping his mouth-bound senbon before sticking it back in. "Another minute and I'd be checking in at the Pure Land…"
Minato fell silent for a moment, before finally speaking.
"No.
I am not the true hero here."
Inside, he felt deep guilt.
The largest contribution to this operation came from Kakashi's and Kiyohara's teams—collecting intel, bringing his marked kunai into the enemy's territory, allowing him to wipe them out efficiently.
"Then who is the real hero?" Genma asked blankly.
"Kiyohara is. Kakashi is. Obito is. All of you are."
Minato shook his head.
In particular—Kiyohara.
His performance far surpassed even Obito, who carried Uchiha blood, and Kakashi, son of the White Fang.
From Kiyohara, Minato could see a reflection of his younger self—growing stronger step by step.
"Alright. We should get moving. Once we destroy the bridge, we can return to the village," Minato said.
"We can finally go home…"
Kurenai let out a breath of relief, a faint smile appearing on her small face.
If everything went smoothly, they could be on their way back as soon as tomorrow.
(End of Chapter)