Konoha Year 50.
On the borderlands of the Land of Hot Water, at the junction where the forces of the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning clashed, two squads met by chance.
The moment the two sides saw each other, the air turned razor-sharp.
"That blond hair… and that Body Flicker…" The sensory ninja from Kumogakure swallowed hard, his voice tightening. "There's no mistake. That's Konoha's Yellow Flash."
At the head of the Konoha squad stood Minato Namikaze, calm as still water.
"If it's him… Captain, we can withdraw now," the sensory ninja urged, recalling the humiliating order passed down from the higher-ups—If you encounter the Yellow Flash during a mission, you are permitted to abandon it immediately.
But A showed no sign of retreat. Instead, his eyes gleamed with interest.
"So he's the one who single-handedly foiled our Nine-Tails acquisition plan…"
Across from him, Minato's expression sharpened.
"The son of the Third Raikage…" he murmured quietly, then spoke over his shoulder to his teammates. "He's extremely fast. Do not interfere."
As he spoke, Minato drew more than a dozen specially crafted kunai from his pouch and scattered them across the battlefield in a precise arc.
He could feel A's battle intent rising like thunderclouds. This fight was inevitable.
A snorted.
Lightning erupted around him as he activated the Lightning Release Chakra Mode. Brilliant arcs crackled over his body. With a single explosive step, he vanished—
—and reappeared directly in front of Minato.
Minato stood motionless, almost as if he hadn't reacted in time.
A's eyes flashed with disdain. His massive fist swung down toward Minato's face.
But just as his knuckles were about to crush the bridge of Minato's nose—
Minato flicked one of his marked kunai lightly into the air.
In the next instant, he vanished.
A reappeared dozens of meters away, standing on a towering tree.
Before anyone could blink, Minato vanished again—
—and materialized behind A, catching the falling kunai midair as he drove it toward A's spine.
A's pupils shrank.
He saw the attack clearly.
But his previous charge had fully committed his body forward—there was no time to evade.
Shhk—!
The kunai came down—
—and nearly severed a massive octopus tentacle instead.
A powerful force shoved A away at the last second. He twisted midair and retreated in a blur, landing back among his squad.
"Are you alright, B?"
A glanced at the man beside him—Killer B—whose transformed tentacle slowly withdrew.
Relief and worry warred in A's chest.
That attack had looked simple.
But A had clearly sensed the terrifying density of wind-nature chakra condensed on that special kunai.
And wind suppressed lightning.
Even in Lightning Release Chakra Mode, with his defense greatly enhanced, A couldn't guarantee he would have walked away unscathed.
No wonder Kumogakure's leadership had issued that disgraceful order.
If that had been a one-on-one battle—
He would have already lost.
"I'm fine… don't sweat it…" B replied, breathing slightly heavier than usual, his sharp gaze never leaving Minato.
That teleportation speed could decide the outcome in a single instant.
A exhaled slowly and focused again.
That guy… the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki?
Minato, too, was inwardly surprised. He didn't press the attack. Instead, he turned and faced A and B together.
A tense standoff formed.
"Two against one… It's A and the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki," said a Konoha ninja from the Inuzuka clan quietly. "We should withdraw, Minato."
Either opponent alone possessed strength beyond that of ordinary jōnin—bordering on Kage level. On their side, only Minato could match that power.
Even for the Yellow Flash, too many variables lingered.
This had been an accidental encounter. There was no need to fight to the death.
Minato understood that well.
He was already preparing to disengage.
"Trying to run?"
A clenched his fist. Lightning crackled louder.
Minato was Konoha's rising star in this war—the strongest candidate for the next Hokage. If he could be buried here today, it would be a devastating blow to the Leaf.
Right now, it was two against one.
The advantage was theirs.
This opportunity might never come again.
Even if it cost something, A was prepared to take it.
The killing intent thickened.
The Konoha squad sensed it immediately.
This is bad…
Then—
A clear, bright voice cut through the tension.
"Looks like I arrived at the perfect time. Two against two now."
A figure appeared beside Minato without a sound.
He wore a Leaf forehead protector, a standard jōnin flak jacket—and on his sleeve, embroidered in crimson thread, the Uchiha clan crest.
Jin Uchiha.
"Jin? What are you doing here?" Minato's eyes lit up with genuine surprise—and relief. Even by Minato's standards, the man beside him possessed strikingly sharp features and an imposing presence.
"It's Jin!"
The Konoha squad exhaled as one.
"Mist's forces have already begun retreating," Jin said lightly. "So I figured I'd come support this front and wrap things up."
He looked at A and B, smiling faintly.
"Seems my timing's excellent. If we capture the two of you… Kumogakure won't have much choice but to surrender."
Minato paused—then understanding dawned.
"Exactly."
The Third Raikage was already dead.
Before them stood Kumogakure's strongest remaining pillars.
If A and the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki fell—
The long-deadlocked war between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning would end instantly.
And once Kumogakure surrendered, only Iwagakure would remain as a major opponent.
Ōnoki was a cautious man.
He would never dare face Konoha alone.
At last—
The Third Great Ninja War was nearing its true conclusion.
"Bastard!" A's fury ignited. "Uchiha brat—what do you take us for?!"
He was seconds from charging again—
"Wait!" the sensory ninja from Kumogakure cried out, sweat beading on his forehead. "Lord A… that's Jin Uchiha—the one who dominated the Mist battlefield!"
A frowned.
"Jin Uchiha? Is he supposed to be impressive? I've never heard of him."
"He and the Uchiha clan only joined the war after Kirigakure declared war on Konoha," the sensory ninja explained urgently. "His reputation hasn't spread beyond the Mist front yet."
"But—"
"He defeated the Fourth Mizukage on the battlefield."
"He fought the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist alone—killed four, gravely wounded three."
"He's spoken of in Kirigakure as—"
"The Crimson Sun of Konoha."
Silence fell.
Even the wind seemed to hesitate.
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