"Rasengan!"
Minato's voice rang out from above the rooftop.
Jiraiya, standing on a tree branch, and Naruto, who had just landed nearby, both snapped their heads up.
They saw Minato forming a compact sphere of violently rotating chakra in his palm as he stepped forward, simultaneously using Body Flicker to accelerate.
In an instant, he was right in front of 'Kaito'.
What Minato didn't expect—
Was that the blue chakra eye of 'Kaito' captured the technique with ease.
He raised his right hand.
"Rasengan."
The moment the two blue spirals collided—
Minato's face filled with shock.
"Na—what?!"
BOOOOM!!!
The collision sent a violent shockwave ripping through the air. Solid wind howled, cracks spread across the rooftop, and a shallow crater formed beneath them.
Both Minato and 'Kaito' were pushed back.
Minato noticed the torn clothing and the scrape on 'Kaito's right hand and immediately drew a conclusion.
"So strong…
You learned it just by seeing it once?"
'Kaito' replied calmly:
"The Rasengan isn't difficult. I already had the fundamentals.
It's like you've mastered advanced mathematics—and I'm just watching you solve 1 + 1."
Then, he raised his hand again.
The sound of violent rotation filled the air.
"A jutsu made of pure, unaligned chakra is… honestly boring."
Minato's expression changed.
"…What are you implying?"
Gradually, before Minato, Jiraiya, and Naruto's eyes, the Rasengan in 'Kaito's hand grew larger and larger—
a piercing screech accompanying it, white light leaking out.
"Wind Release · Rasenshuriken."
Naruto, still in One-Tail state, froze.
Jiraiya's pupils shrank.
"Stop! This is a residential area!!"
"So what?" the youth replied coldly.
"I only know that you—"
"Fire Release · Great Fireball Jutsu!"
With reinforcements arriving, 'Kaito' slightly withdrew the unfinished Rasenshuriken, letting it dissipate.
Then, one-handed seals.
"Water Release · Water Formation Pillar!"
BOOOOM!
The massive water column instantly swallowed the Uchiha special jōnin's fire technique.
Seizing the opening, Uchiha Fugaku charged forward.
"Attacking Konoha under the Uchiha's eyes—
You're courting death!"
Three black tomoe spun rapidly.
Fugaku drew his blade, sneering at the blue chakra eye.
"You think your eyes are stronger than the Uchiha's?!"
"Genjutsu · Shackling Technique!"
In an instant, four massive spikes seemed to pin 'Kaito' in place.
Fugaku's blade slashed toward 'Kaito's right arm.
"The Sharingan is the strongest bloodline in the shinobi world!"
Shhk—
'Kaito' glanced at him, casually retracting his arm and shifting slightly to the side.
The upward slash missed completely.
Fugaku realized too late—
the genjutsu hadn't taken effect at all.
Before he could recover—
'Kaito' reached out, as if to grab him.
"Wind Release · Great Breakthrough!"
Minato's wind burst hit Fugaku from the side, giving him just enough momentum to roll away.
"Thanks, Minato!"
"No problem, Fugaku!"
The raised hand hung awkwardly in the air.
'Kaito' lowered it and crossed his arms.
"Boring."
"If I wanted to kill you, it'd be effortless."
"You're all just wasting your time."
Jiraiya and Naruto landed on the rooftop.
"You're surrounded now!" Jiraiya said grimly.
"Even if you want to use space-time ninjutsu, it won't work!"
"Who is he, Jiraiya-sensei?" Naruto asked, reverting from One-Tail.
"The All-Powerful Minister," Minato said, gripping a Flying Thunder God kunai.
"The man who wiped out a thousand Iwa shinobi by himself."
"Captain Fugaku…" an Uchiha jōnin whispered.
"Are we really his opponents?"
"Don't panic," Fugaku replied firmly.
"We have four jōnin here. He won't escape."
At that moment, back at home, Kaito smiled faintly and sent a mental command:
Don't kill them.
"Understood."
With permission granted, the Slime Clone stopped holding back.
Chakra threads flashed.
Fugaku yanked Uchiha Kazuya (和二) backward just in time—
BOOM!
"Relax. I'm just borrowing you."
"That's just ordinary chakra threads?!" Kazuya exclaimed, activating his two-tomoe Sharingan.
"That kind of power rivals full-force kunai throws!!"
"Kazuya, be careful," Fugaku warned.
"He's serious now."
At that moment, the ROOM space vanished.
'Kaito' continued calmly:
"Minato. You can use Flying Thunder God freely now."
—He had already analyzed the principle during that one forced interruption.
"Y-you know me too well…" Minato said, cold sweat dripping.
"More or less."
Jiraiya suddenly charged.
"Wild Lion's Mane Jutsu!"
White hair shot forward—
passing straight through.
Afterimage.
"He's above us!"
Everyone looked up.
'Kaito' lay casually in midair, as if reclining on an invisible couch, gazing at the moon.
"Moonlight's beautiful tonight."
"Does all this killing really benefit you?"
Fugaku laughed in anger.
"You invade Konoha and dare say that?!"
Hand seals snapped together.
"Fire Release · Dragon Flame Jutsu!"
Kazuya followed.
"Fire Release · Great Fireball Jutsu!"
Jiraiya and Minato:
"Wind Release · Great Breakthrough!" ×2
"Combination Jutsu · Fire Dragon Rampage!"
BOOOOOM!!!
Fire dragons exploded across the sky.
"Did we get him?" Minato squinted.
"I'm not sure—" Jiraiya froze.
Someone was swinging their legs nearby.
On the stairhouse roof—
'Kaito' sat there.
"So boring."
"You're too weak."
"When did he move?!" Jiraiya gasped.
"This speed… it shouldn't be possible," Minato swallowed.
Fugaku shook his head.
"No.
If he were that fast, my Sharingan would've caught something."
"Correct~ but no prize."
Minato's eyes widened.
"When Fugaku dodged my attack… you swapped positions then, didn't you?!"
"Not quite," 'Kaito' replied.
"It was when your wind covered the area. A momentary exchange—too subtle to detect."
"But yes."
"You really are weak."
"Struggling just to fight a clone."
"Don't look down on us!!" Kazuya roared, charging with his blade ignited.
"Uchiha Style · Flame Blade!"
Kaito, lying in bed at home, sighed.
Looks like Shisui's prototype.
The Slime Clone raised one finger.
Five chakra threads shot out.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
"Useless against the Uchiha!!"
The blade came down.
"Five aren't enough?"
'Kaito' tilted his head.
"Then—how about a hundred?"
In less than ten meters—
Over a hundred chakra threads filled Kazuya's vision.
"WATCH OUT!!!" Naruto screamed.
Even seeing them all didn't matter.
Ninety-two pierced his body.
"Being a shinobi… might not suit you."
Kazuya collapsed, blood pouring out.
"KAZUYA!!!"
Fugaku charged—but Minato blocked him.
"He's alive!"
At the same time, Kaito finished analyzing Flying Thunder God.
"Learned it.
Not that hard."
Kaito (mentally):Support units are coming. One last move?
Slime Clone:Explosion. Everyone's already evacuated.
Kaito:Go ahead. Not my property anyway.
The Slime Clone ascended.
"Consider this a farewell gift."
Wind and water chakra fused.
A massive technique formed.
"Evacuate!!" Minato shouted.
As Fugaku stayed to protect Kazuya—
In the Uchiha district, Uchiha Setsuna spoke quietly:
"Keishin… go."
"This is the Uchiha's final chance."
"Become Konoha's hero."
"Understood!"
Midair, 'Kaito' noticed a lone figure approaching against the flow.
"…Mangekyō Sharingan?"
"Now that's interesting."
"Great Spiral Wheel—Yu!"
A massive blue-white sphere descended.
"Crimson Lotus Guard!"
Keishin ignited his Mangekyō.
A red lotus formed, swallowing the attack.
Even Susanoo activated—
BOOOOM!!!
The blast shook the sky.
But it held.
Kaito, watching from home, sighed.
Time to withdraw.
The Slime Clone vanished.
By dawn, aside from Minato's destroyed home and one residential block, the village was intact.
"Well… good thing I was renting," Minato scratched his head.
Naruto pointed at the crying landlord.
"…Dad. Maybe don't say that."
Later, the Uchiha were publicly commended.
Whispers followed.
Shouldn't Keishin be Hokage?
In the Hokage's office—
Bang!
Hiruzen slammed the file down.
He finally understood.
This night…
Was the Uchiha's last real chance.
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