Buzz!
A deep-blue chakra glow surged within Kouhi's pupils, yet at this moment, not the slightest panic appeared in his eyes.
"Brat, give me back my wife's life!" Kouhi's eyes turned blood-red—literally, streaks of blood streaming from them.
He suddenly reached out and grabbed Minato's wrist holding the Rasengan. His speed was blinding fast, and the grip on Minato's wrist felt like a vice locking him in place.
Minato's physical speed had already surpassed that of ordinary Jonin. Yet even so, at such close range, Minato was still caught off guard and seized by Kouhi. This showed just how formidable this man truly was.
Though his wrist was captured, Minato didn't panic. With his other arm, he swung fiercely—the Flying Thunder God Kunai in his hand seemingly forming wind blades sharp enough to cut through the air.
In a one-on-one fight, Kouhi could definitely wound Minato before Minato had the chance to strike him.
But now, his real enemy wasn't Minato—
It was Sakumo Hatake rushing toward him.
Therefore, he twisted his body sideways, making space to violently fling Minato outward. But as Minato flew through the air, two tiny black needles suddenly shot forth from Kouhi's sleeve, gleaming with eerie light.
The black needles were barely half a meter away. Coming from his blind spot, they were impossible to detect—even for someone as fast as Minato.
As expected by Kouhi, originally, this strike should have been intercepted by Sakumo while saving Minato. Then, using the previous Six Puppets, he would kill Minato during Sakumo's distraction.
Swish!
However, Sakumo charged straight at him without attempting to rescue Minato.
Kouhi's expression sharpened. Immediately, he activated six puppets to interfere with Sakumo.
At the same time, he glanced sideways—and surprisingly, facing an attack from a visual blind spot, Minato looked as though he had eyes on the back of his head. With one hand braced against the ground, he dodged the two needles, which sliced off a few strands of his hair.
Few among the Konoha forces were aware of Minato's rare Sensor abilities. Fortunately for him, Sakumo happened to be one of them.
Therefore, Minato could still evade the behind-the-back attack using his perception alone.
Crack! Crack!
At this instant, clearly startled for a moment, controlling six puppets simultaneously itself extremely exhausting.
Hence, once the puppet master's focus weakened, the puppets' attack intensity dropped sharply.
Six puppets stood no chance against Sakumo Hatake.
Crack! Crack!
Lightning-infused sword flashes instantly shredded two puppets into pieces.
Sakumo Hatake abruptly realized his mistake—but by then it was too late.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Sakumo and Minato exchanged glances, then attacked from both sides, darting forward together.
"Ahh!"
Kouhi roared again, his scream filled with extreme sorrow. He glanced sideways—at what seemed like certain death, yet there was nothing even he could do.
Even with all his strength, he could barely hold off Sakumo alone—there was no way he could also deal with Minato.
If the roles were reversed, the outcome would only be even more tragic.
In this desperate moment, he abruptly spun and dashed straight toward Minato.
Minato's eyes narrowed. It seemed that Kouhi had realized he would definitely lose this round, so he was planning to abandon everything and kill Minato instead.
"Retreat!"
Sakumo frowned at the sight and shouted.
Minato gave a slight nod. As soon as he halted his advance, he swiftly shifted position and launched himself backward.
Swish!
He was like a golden beam of light. However, [Wind Release: Vacuum Serial Waves!] came from Kouhi, and the assault was even fiercer.
His hand seals were completed at an incredible speed, and a series of air vortices surged toward Minato. In Minato's perception, they felt like cross-shaped wind blades.
Kouhi's hand-sealing speed was undoubtedly fast, yet Minato's speed was no slower.
[Wind Release: Vacuum Serial Waves!] shot forth from his mouth, just like the wind blades before.
"Hmph!"
The two attacks collided, and the air itself seemed to be crushed by the immense pressure.
Kouhi clearly hadn't expected Minato's hand-sealing speed to match his own.
Therefore, the explosion caused by the collision of the two Vacuum Serial Waves slightly affected him, forcing his body to shift sideways slightly.
But that was enough. The distance between Minato and Kouhi began widening once again.
"Crackle! Crackle!"
At this moment, the thunderous roar came from behind once more. The four puppets that Kouhi had abandoned to intercept Sakumo held out for only a few moments before being completely destroyed.
Sakumo Hatake followed closely behind them, moving with startlingly greater speed—startlingly fast.
"Child, run away now!"
On the battlefield not far away, Chiyo, the old matriarch, screamed desperately. This was the first time she had ever displayed such anguish in battle.
Kouhi was her flesh and blood, her own son. Now she could only watch helplessly as her child stepped closer and closer toward death. How could her heart not be torn apart?
Yet even someone as powerful as herself could do nothing but scream uselessly while facing the combined assault of Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Hiashi Hyuga.
"Puh!"
Finally, during the next exchange, without his puppets, although Kouhi remained strong, he could not withstand the joint attack of Sakumo Hatake and Minato. His left arm was severed in one strike, and blood spurted violently, staining the snowy ground red.
This scene was heart-wrenching—a true tale of tragedy and heroism.
"Ahh!"
Kouhi let out a furious roar of unwillingness, filled with sorrow that shook the soul.
The battle between the ninja of Suna and Konoha ceased entirely. Countless gazes turned toward the man struggling in the snow.
Shurou and Mikoto, two young female ninja (kunoichi), turned their heads away, unable to bear what they were witnessing.
Still, after struggling briefly, they finally didn't look away—they knew this was war, the reality of conflict across the entire Ninja World.
Even Minato couldn't suppress a twinge of sorrow. He made no further offensive moves, simply dodging repeatedly. Though Kouhi chased relentlessly, having lost one arm and enduring severe pain, his body wasn't what it once was before.
Finally, before his very eyes, a blade crackling with lightning pierced through Kouhi's heart. Yet even then, his unbreakable spirit supported him, and he did not collapse.
His eyes went wide, blood streaming from them as he stared at Minato—refusing to accept death.
But eventually, he was gone.
"Sigh."
After killing him, Sakumo pulled his blade free and sighed deeply.
Minato was a bit taken aback too, but after all, he had once carried the title of the Yellow Flash and the role of Hokage.
Kouhi's persistence could stir his emotions, but not shake his resolve.
"Sasori... I'm sorry."
All he could think of was that little boy from Sunagakure — the one he'd only met once before.
He and Sakumo had taken the boy's parents from him, and from this moment on, the life of someone who should have been happy would take a drastic turn.
Minato fought to change his own life and those around him, but some things were beyond even his reach.
Sakumo stepped up, clapped him on the shoulder, and then dashed forward, entering the battlefield where Chiyo, Tsunade, and the third figure stood.
At this moment, Chiyo's gaze burned with fury so intense it seemed ready to ignite into flames.
...
...
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>