When Minato manages to get closer to the masked man, he immediately thrusts his kunai, intending to stab the masked man in the chest. He previously used his hands and feet when attacking just for this very moment, to catch the masked man off guard.
Too bad for Minato, the masked man sees his plan and uses his space-time technique, and the kunai phases through him alongside Minato.
The moment that Minato finished phasing through to the masked man, the chain suddenly hit Minato's jonin jacket. The contact between the chain and the jonin jacket slowly cuts the jacket, and the masked man was about to sever Minato in half using the chain.
Minato quickly used the Body Flicker Technique to dodge the chain and at the same time gain distance between him and the masked man.
'The moment I was about to land a lethal blow to him, he used his strange technique to quickly turn intangible, causing my attack to pass right through him. He then materialized himself back the moment he was about to attack, Minato thought to himself while staring at the masked man.
'He was certainly quick, as expected from the infamous Yellow Flash,' the masked man thought to himself while turning his body in the same direction as Minato, preparing for another clash.
'The Nine-Tailed Fox is still on the loose and causing destruction and deaths of the villagers. I need to return back and help others solve the Nine Tails Fox,' Minato thought after hearing the noises from the battle between Leaf ninja and the Nine Tails Fox.
'I believe that this man only had a limited amount of time controlling the beast,' Minato added while his eyes shrank for a moment.
'I need to eliminate Minato as quickly as possible in order to strengthen my control on the Nine Tails Fox,' the masked man thought, positioning himself for another attack.
'Prolonging the battle wasn't something we wanted right now, so... The one who attacks an instant quicker than the other will win this battle! 'The masked man and Minato thought in unison.
The ground beneath their feet suddenly collapses due to the force they put on it as the two combatants dash towards each other.
Their speed is many times faster compared to their previous clashes. They know that these will be their final clashes, and they have to give everything they have to gain victory.
The moment the distance between the two shortens, Minato quickly throws the kunai in his left hand. The masked man didn't bother dodging or blocking the attack, as he had confidence in his technique.
As expected, the kunai phases through the masked man's head. The masked man outstretched his right hand, intending to end this battle with his space-time technique.
The masked man's right hand slowly got closer to Minato's clothes. Meanwhile, Minato's right hand manifested a rasengan, which was clearly the attack that Minato prepared to win this fight.
'I win,' the masked man thought to himself.
Suddenly Minato vanished in front of the masked man's eyes. This widened the eyes of the masked man, as he didn't expect Minato to move.
Minato appeared above the masked man, holding with his left hand the kunai he threw earlier. He quickly slams the rasengan into the back of the masked man, making him lie down on the ground.
The moment the masked man's body hit the ground, the cracks suddenly appeared as well as a crater, which at the center had the masked man lying with the back of his cloak destroyed thanks to Minato's attack.
The moment Minato's rasengan disappears, the masked man immediately stands up and distances himself far away from Minato. Staring at him with wary eyes.
The only reason why he didn't suffer from severe injuries isn't because Minato suddenly felt merciful but because of the unconscious action of the masked man protecting himself with chakra.
Still, he did suffer from the attack, and this just shows how great the capabilities of Minato, the 4th Hokage and the one who single-handedly stopped the Third Great Ninja War, are.
Minato's eyes follow the movement of the masked man, and he hasn't made a move yet and just stares intently at the masked man.
Minato noticed the left hand of the masked man seemed to be melting after receiving the attack, and this greatly puzzled Minato, but he didn't have time and energy to focus on this mystery.
"You are really living up to your infamous name as Yellow Flash. I should not let my guard down around you," the masked man said with heavy breathing.
Minato suddenly vanishes and appears in front of the masked man and stabs him with his kunai, which really caught the masked man off guard.
'Flying Thunder God Technique?! 'The first thought that appeared inside the masked man's mind.
'Of course! He would mark me after he landed his rasengan, he added inwardly.
The masked man suddenly notices something abnormal on Minato's right hand, which is currently touching his stomach. The masked man's eyes widen once more as eels suddenly cover his body.
"A contract seal?!" the masked man said his thought out loud.
"With this the Nine Tails Fox is no longer under your control," Minato coldly said.
Meanwhile, in the battlefield where the leaf ninja are fighting the Nine-Tailed Fox, they notice that the Tailed Beast temporarily stops moving, and they notice the Sharingan eyes on the fox slowly vanish and are replaced with its red fox eyes.
The Nine-Tailed Fox releases a thunderous roar that creates shockwaves that destroy the surrounding area as well as send some of the ninja flying far away.
The Nine-Tailed Fox finally gets its freedom from the masked man. The leaf ninja notice this change, and before they could even ponder about it, the Nine-Tailed Fox suddenly increased the intensity of its assault.
Hiruzen immediately relayed the order to the jonin ninjas on what to do while a small smile appeared on his face. He already guessed that whoever is behind this incident is being dealt with by Minato.
Back into the unknown training ground where the battle between Minato and the masked man takes place. The masked man jumped into the tree behind him while looking down at Minato.
Minato didn't try to get close to the masked man because he knew that the masked man was already prepared to counter the moment he appeared close to him.
"Injuring me and separating the Nine Tails Fox from me. You're worthy of your title, 4th Hokage, but remember, he will be mine. I shall rule this world, and there are plenty of ways to do it," the masked man said while he slowly swirled into his eye and disappeared.
Minato's brow frowned after hearing the masked man. He felt that there's more to this attack than simply wanting to destroy the village.
Yet Minato doesn't have time to think about it at this moment. He has a village to save and a Tailed Beast to seal. Minato vanishes from the training ground and appears on the battlefield.
His arrival was easily noticed by the leaf ninja. This also includes the Nine Tails Fox, who immediately attacks Minato the moment the fox senses his presence.
Minato easily dodges the fox claw attack, and while dodging, Minato performs the Shadow Clone Technique. The clone gets closer to the Nine Tails Fox, and the moment the clone touches the fox, both teleport towards a place far away from the village to avoid further destruction.
The disappearance of the Nine-Tailed Fox made the ninjas sigh in relief while at the same time feeling sadness at the loss of their comrades this night.
The original, on the other hand, didn't linger on the battlefield and instead teleported back to where Kushina and the quadruplets reside.
The moment Minato appeared, Tsunade and Kushina quickly noticed his arrival. This was also because of the fact that Minato didn't bother to hide his presence.
His appearance, though, greatly confuses the two women, as they know that the village still currently needs Minato to face the rampaging Nine Tails Fox.
They wouldn't believe that Minato, who loves the village with all his heart, would decide to abandon it in the face of such disaster.
One thing that caught the two women's attention, though, was the burning determination in his eyes, and something within them felt something was wrong.
Minato didn't look at the two women and instead made his way towards where his newborn children were sleeping. His action confused the women further, and bad feelings started to grow within them.
"Minato, what are you doing?" Kushina asks slowly, her voice containing a hint of worry.
She is already capable of moving thanks to the great life force of the Uzumaki and being healed by Tsunade, who is undoubtedly the greatest medical ninja in the world.
Minato temporarily halts for a moment before resuming his action, which is to pick up two of his children.