◉◉◉◉◉
Year Fifty of the Leaf Calendar.
Within the borders of the Land of Hot Water, near the contested frontier between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning, two shinobi squads encountered each other by chance on the battlefield.
"That blond hair and that teleportation technique… It is him. The Yellow Flash of the Leaf."
The Cloud Village sensor stared at the leader of the opposing squad and swallowed hard.
"If it is really him… Captain, we should withdraw now."
The sensor remembered the standing order passed down by their superiors and immediately turned to advise their commander, A.
But A showed no intention of retreating. Instead, a thoughtful look crossed his face.
"So he is the one who stopped the Nine-Tails retrieval mission all by himself."
Across the clearing, Minato Namikaze's expression tightened slightly.
"The Third Raikage's son… A."
He spoke calmly to his teammates behind him.
"His speed is exceptional, Do not interfere."
As he spoke, Minato reached into his pouch and scattered more than a dozen specially marked kunai across the surrounding area.
He could already feel the battle intent radiating from A, This clash was unavoidable.
A gave a short snort and activated Lightning Release Chakra Mode. Brilliant arcs of electricity wrapped around his body as he stamped the ground and vanished in a blur, appearing directly in front of Minato.
Seeing Minato standing motionless, as if too slow to react, contempt flickered across A's eyes. He raised a fist the size of a boulder and drove it straight toward Minato's face.
But just as the punch was about to strike his nose, Minato flicked a marked kunai into the air. His body flashed and reappeared atop a tree more than ten meters away.
In the next instant, Minato vanished again and emerged behind A, catching the falling kunai and driving it toward A's spine.
A's pupils shrank.
He could see the movement, but his momentum from the attack left him completely exposed. There was no time to defend.
A sharp slicing sound rang out.
Minato's blade cut down, nearly severing a massive octopus tentacle.
Using the recoil from the tentacle's movement, A forced himself away and retreated in a flash back to the center of his squad.
"Are you all right, Bee?"
A turned to Killer Bee, who had extended the tentacle to block the strike. Relief and concern mixed in his expression.
Minato's attack had looked simple, but the kunai had been infused with highly concentrated Wind chakra. Its cutting power was terrifying.
More importantly, wind countered lightning.
Even with Lightning Release enhancing his defenses, A could not be sure he would have survived that blow unscathed.
No wonder Cloud Village's leadership had issued that humiliating command.
"If you encounter the Yellow Flash during a mission, abandon the mission immediately."
If this had been a true one-on-one fight, he would already have lost.
"I am fine, do not worry."
Killer Bee breathed heavily, his eyes locked onto Minato without daring to relax.
Minato's teleportation speed decided battles in an instant.
A exhaled slowly and refocused on Minato.
"So… he is the Eight Tails' host."
Minato was equally surprised. He halted his pursuit and faced both opponents calmly.
"Two against one, it is A and the Eight-Tails' Jinchuriki. We should pull back, Minato."
One of the Inuzuka clan shinobi analyzed the situation and spoke up.
Both A and the Jinchuriki possessed strength far beyond that of ordinary jonin, reaching kage level. On their side, only Minato could match them.
No matter how strong Minato was, this battle held too many uncertainties.
This encounter had been accidental, vsThere was no reason to gamble their lives here.
Minato could naturally read the battlefield. Retreat had already begun to form in his mind.
"Trying to escape."
A tightened his fists, lightning still crackling around his body, ready to strike at any moment.
Minato was the Leaf's rising star in this war. A shinobi many already consider a future Hokage.
If they could eliminate him here, it would be a devastating blow to the Leaf Village.
Right now, it was two against one. The advantage was his.
There might never be another chance like this.
Even if it cost him dearly, keeping Minato here was worth any price.
A's thoughts raced, In a single heartbeat, his resolve hardened.
The atmosphere on the battlefield grew heavier.
The Leaf shinobi sensed the killing intent surging from A and felt unease spread through their ranks.
Then a calm, clear voice cut through the tension.
"Looks like I arrived just in time, Now it is two versus two."
A figure appeared beside Minato.
He wore a Leaf headband and a jonin flak jacket, with the Uchiha clan crest stitched proudly along his sleeve.
"Jin, why are you here?"
Minato turned, surprise and relief flashing across his face as he looked at the sharp-featured shinobi beside him, whose presence felt even more commanding than his own.
"Jin is here."
The rest of the Leaf squad recognized him at once. Their tense expressions finally eased as they released quiet breaths of relief.
"The Mist has already withdrawn," Jin Uchiha said calmly. "So I came to support this front and end things as quickly as possible."
He looked toward A and Killer Bee and allowed himself a faint smile.
"Seems my timing is excellent. If we capture the two of you, the Cloud will have no choice but to surrender."
Minato paused for a moment. Then realization struck, and excitement surged through his heart.
He was right.
The Third Raikage was already dead. A and Killer Bee now represented the Cloud Village's greatest remaining strength.
If they could seize both of them here, the long and brutal war between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning would finally be decided.
Once the Cloud surrendered, the only remaining enemy would be the Stone Village.
And Onoki was a cautious man. He would never dare challenge the Leaf alone.
At last, the Third Great Ninja War would truly come to an end.
"You arrogant Uchiha brat, who do you think you are talking to?"
A's fury flared under Jin's confident gaze. He stepped forward, ready to crush him with a single punch.
"Wait."
The Cloud sensor suddenly froze. Cold sweat poured down his face as terror filled his eyes.
"Lord A, That is Jin Uchiha. The one who dominated the Mist battlefield."
"Jin Uchiha."
A frowned slightly, confusion crossing his face.
"Is he really that formidable, I have never even heard his name."
The sensor swallowed hard and spoke in a rush.
"The Uchiha clan only joined the war after the Mist declared hostilities. Jin's reputation has spread only on that front."
"He defeated the Fourth Mizukage in direct combat."
"He was surrounded by the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist and killed four of them, while gravely injuring the other three."
"He is a shinobi who stands on the same level as the Yellow Flash."
"In the Mist, they call him the Crimson Sun of the Leaf."
◉◉◉◉◉
~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
◉◉◉◉◉
Thank you so much for your support and for reading!