"That's Minato!"
"Great! Minato-sama has made his move!"
Some shinobi recognized the technique as Minato's and let out cheers.
Takeshi also breathed a sigh of relief that his "head" had been saved.
But that relief didn't last long. A huge threat was still circling in the sky above.
Having unleashed two Tailed Beast Bombs that failed to achieve their intended effect, Yōwan was furious—especially after spotting the distinct golden flash that belonged only to Minato. His irritation only grew.
Driven by emotion, Yōwan irrationally shifted his target from the buildings to Minato himself.
At this moment, even Minato was a little flustered. Using Flying Thunder God to redirect such a powerful attack was a significant burden, even for him.
"You trying to mess with my husband, dattebane!"
With Kushina's unmistakable verbal tic, the one who was supposed to be kept safe leapt across rooftops. Reaching a high vantage point, she unleashed a torrent of chains from her body.
Watching from the ground, Uchiha Hikari's body stiffened—clearly recalling some unpleasant memories.
The chains latched onto the Seven-Tails' abdomen, preventing it from climbing higher.
At the same time, more chains spread toward its wings.
Yōwan struggled to maintain balance, glaring viciously at Kushina as she wrestled a Tailed Beast with nothing but her human body.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball—"
Just as he finished weaving hand seals, Yōwan caught sight of a strange kunai flying straight toward his face.
It was Minato.
Using the Flying Thunder God kunai that Kushina always carried, Minato appeared beside Yōwan, sprinting quickly along the chain-constructed path. He closed the distance and hurled another marked kunai.
By the time Yōwan realized what was happening, his shoulder had already been torn open with a deep gash.
So fast.
This man's mastery of the Flying Thunder God technique far surpassed that of the Fifth Hokage.
Yōwan had just proven that fact with his own body.
"Get out of my way!"
With a frustrated roar, Yōwan simultaneously used his dōjutsu to distort Minato's vision and unleashed Wood Style: Piercing Spikes.
But he struck only empty air.
Minato had already returned to Kushina's side.
"You okay, Kushina?"
He was deeply concerned about her condition—after all, her opponent was a Tailed Beast.
Clutching the wound on his shoulder, half-kneeling on the Seven-Tails' head, Yōwan regretted not retreating sooner.
What he didn't notice was that Minato had left a Flying Thunder God seal on him during the earlier strike.
Breathing out instinctively, Yōwan suddenly realized his breath was turning into misty white fog.
"Ice Release: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals."
Mirrors of ice appeared behind him. And within them stood Takeshi, who had at some point released his Tailed Beast transformation.
"Not good."
Though his dōjutsu was still active, Takeshi wasn't holding kunai, senbon, or even a Rasengan—he was carrying stacks of explosive tags.
I don't care where you are. Let me show you what an indiscriminate attack really means.
He hurled every explosive tag he had, then—like Minato—vanished back to safety right after the strike.
Explosions erupted across the Seven-Tails' head. No longer able to maintain flight under the assault, it let out two roars before plummeting to the ground.
Kushina quickly released her chains to avoid being caught by the crashing force.
Yōwan barely managed to open a Susanoo to protect himself, but his vision was gone. All around him, everything was explosions.
He could only feel himself falling, completely unaware of how close he was to the ground.
With no other choice, Yōwan bailed—no, jumped off the Tailed Beast.
Luck was on his side. About three meters above a rooftop, he leapt off, rolling awkwardly with the help of Susanoo and barely managing to stop.
Strike while the enemy is down—Minato used the Flying Thunder God technique, appearing right in front of Yōwan as he tried to stand, pressing his hand against him.
"You bastard, you're going to take the Seven-Tails—"
"That's right. From now on, the Seven-Tails no longer belongs to you."
Minato coldly withdrew his hand and vanished once again.
That dōjutsu was indeed troublesome. Every time he got close, Minato briefly lost track of his target, unable to pinpoint Yōwan's exact position.
"Damn it, you bunch of—"
Cold air enveloped him once again. Yōwan knew Takeshi's Ice Mirrors were reforming, and this time he had no backup left. All he could do was wait quietly for death.
"Pathetic."
When Minato and Takeshi reappeared beside him, both of them heard a cold, magnetic voice.
A massive black vortex appeared beneath Yōwan, dragging him into endless darkness.
"What's this?"
Momentarily stunned, Minato and Takeshi could only watch as Yōwan disappeared before their eyes. The black vortex vanished right after completing its task, as if it had never existed.
Takeshi turned hopeful eyes to Minato, expecting him to use Flying Thunder God to trace Yōwan's position.
Closing his eyes to sense carefully, Minato finally shook his head with regret.
"I can't sense him."
"Tch. That bastard slipped away again."
Takeshi punched the air furiously, dissatisfied with the outcome.
For Konoha, to have that bastard launch three attacks and escape each time—it was a disgrace for a Hokage.
"That vortex was strange… it seemed to be some kind of space-time ninjutsu."
Minato wasn't swayed by emotion but calmly analyzed the last phenomenon.
"Good thing this exam was held at Kikyō Castle. Otherwise, the other villages might've gotten ideas."
After checking on Sakumo's safety, Kakashi quickly approached Takeshi.
"Yūhi Shinku, Umino Ikkaku, and Aburame Shikuro's squad have already set out. They're pursuing the airborne enemy forces."
"Orochimaru has requested reinforcements—he wants the village to send protection to the ruins of the Research Bureau."
"Reports from the Hokage Building say that a group of unidentified shinobi broke into the archives and stole some forbidden techniques. The exact details are being verified."
"The wounded have already been sent to the Medical Corps and hospitals. Beds are still sufficient for now."
After delivering the overall report, Kakashi waited for Takeshi's orders.
"Call in Nara Shikaku. You and he will handle these matters. Also, send someone to notify the elder advisors—they can give suggestions, but do not let them make the final decisions."
Even with the chaos, Takeshi refused to let those old advisors share the burden.
Especially the two who sided with the daimyō faction—there was no way he would ever return the power he had taken from them.
"The most urgent issue… is right in front of us."
Other matters could be delayed, but one problem demanded an immediate solution—
The Seven-Tails, Chōmei, which had just fallen under Kushina's control again.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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