Uchiha Obito was struck squarely in the back by Namikaze Minato's Rasengan, a roaring gust scattering sand and gravel in all directions.
Having watched Minato's entire fighting style unfold from start to finish, Hyuga Satoru couldn't help but feel a surge of awe.
Once one had truly mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique, it was even possible to keep track of the locations of one's marked kunai while facing a powerhouse like Obito.
That was a level of combat Satoru simply couldn't yet reproduce.
His grasp of the Flying Thunder God was similar to that of Boruto, the future grandson of the Fourth Hokage—when fighting at full power, he had no time to split his attention to sense his own space-time markings. Thus, he was nowhere near Minato's level of instantaneous counterattack during heated battle.
If Minato's fighting style could be described as multi-threaded, then Satoru's use of Flying Thunder God was decidedly single-threaded.
To teleport, he needed full focus. In combat, he had to plan every movement in advance—his situational use of the technique was far from the fluid adaptability that Minato displayed.
Yet Satoru wasn't discouraged. Proficiency in Flying Thunder God could be honed through battle. Once he grew accustomed to dividing his attention, he too could one day integrate the technique seamlessly into his fighting rhythm, just as Minato had done.
Aside from gaining new insights into the Flying Thunder God, Satoru also mentally noted every detail of the Rasengan he had just witnessed.
Though ranked as an A-level jutsu, in the eyes of a Hyuga—wielding the all-seeing Byakugan—such a seal-less technique was simple to dissect at a glance.
The Rasengan represented the pinnacle of chakra shape transformation. The Hyuga clan's Gentle Step Twin Lion Fists were another form of that same principle. In fact, the two jutsu shared similarities in their training methodology.
The difference lay in effect: the Twin Lion Fists relied on the Byakugan to deliver large-area attacks to the enemy's chakra network and acupoints, while the Rasengan used chaotic rotation and the explosion of chakra itself to cause direct physical devastation.
Although Satoru might never have a chance to use the Rasengan, its potential ceiling was undeniably high. If time allowed, refining it wouldn't be a bad investment.
Satoru stood quietly among the Hyuga ranks, his presence easily overlooked.
On the battlefield, Obito burst from the cloud of dust, landing heavily in an open area. His body hunched, one hand clutching his "right arm," now reduced to a mass of white, viscous fluid.
It had only been a single hit from the Fourth Hokage—but that one Rasengan had nearly ended his ability to fight.
He could feel the White Zetsu matter peeling off from his body. He had to make it rebind him or else his entire system would collapse.
"As expected… of the Yellow Flash…"
"This round… I've lost."
"But…"
"I'm not… done yet…"
Though he knew he no longer had the strength to continue, Obito didn't flee immediately. Before retreating, he wanted to leave a lasting impression in the minds of Konoha's shinobi—that he was a threat, that danger could strike at any time.
However, before he could finish his threat, Minato suddenly appeared before him in a flash, pressing one hand against Obito's body.
"Contract Seal!"
Minato had sensed the strange link between Obito and the Nine Tails. The Contract Seal was meant to sever that connection—to cut the Nine Tails free from Obito's Sharingan control.
"!!!"
Obito's eyes widened in shock. Only now did he realize that when Minato's Rasengan had struck him earlier, the man had already planted a Flying Thunder God mark on his body.
With no desire to linger any longer, Obito gave Minato one last look. Space warped around his Sharingan, sucking his half-ethereal body into a spiraling vortex before vanishing completely.
"Obito…"
Sensing that his teleportation mark on Obito had gone cold, Minato exhaled softly, eyes dim with regret.
In the end… all this had happened because he had failed to guide his student properly. Because of that, Konoha—and Kushina—had suffered this tragedy.
There was disappointment in his heart… but more than that, guilt.
"ROAR!!!"
Freed from the Sharingan's control, the Nine Tails' eyes cleared—only for rage to immediately take over as it felt the chains restraining its body. The beast erupted into a frenzy.
"Quick! Restrain the Nine Tails!"
Seeing the monster thrash violently, almost breaking free from the Adamantine Sealing Chains, Hyuga Hiashi shouted an urgent command.
At once, the Hyuga elites around the beast spread out, chakra flooding into their hands as they grasped the golden chains, lending their strength to reinforce the seal.
Though Kushina was weak, the chains themselves were indomitable. With the Hyuga's aid, the raging Nine Tails was forced back under control.
"Next…"
There was no time for Minato to dwell on guilt—the Nine Tails' existence was a crisis that demanded action.
In a flash, he appeared before Kushina, eyes locked on the massive fox before him, lost in thought.
According to Satoru's information, it would suffice to reseal the Nine Tails—but the real question was: with what sealing technique?
What kind of fuinjutsu could contain such power?
In the past, it was Uzumaki Mito who had sealed the beast within Kushina. Her mastery of sealing arts had been unparalleled in her era.
Yet even her seals couldn't fully suppress the Nine Tails' strength. Later, Minato had studied the Four Symbols Seal and created his own Eight Trigrams Seal based upon it—only then had he stabilized the Nine Tails within Kushina's body.
Even so, whenever Kushina's emotions fluctuated violently, the tailed beast's chakra would still leak through.
Now that Mito's old seal was broken, relying solely on the Eight Trigrams Seal wouldn't be enough to contain the Nine Tails once more.
Moreover, Obito's attack had shown Minato one crucial truth: a jinchuriki must have the ability to protect themselves.
If Kushina had been able to wield the Nine Tails' power like Killer Bee of the Cloud Village, she could have fought alongside him—rather than being placed entirely on the defensive.
Minato turned to look at Kushina… and then at the newborn Naruto cradled in her arms.
A firm resolve gleamed in his eyes.
"Kushina…"
"The Nine Tails' power is too vast. I can't seal it away completely."
"I plan to use the Reaper Death Seal to divide the beast's chakra—then use the Eight Trigrams Seal to seal half within you, and half within Naruto."
"But…"
"After this… Naruto will be in your care alone."
Facing the overwhelming chakra of the Nine Tails, Minato's heart was set.
For the village.
For his wife.
And to give their child a chance to one day master the power of the beast within—
Namikaze Minato was ready to stake his life on this final gamble.
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