At nearly the same time, Bee's chakra surged, a red cloak bubbling over his body. One tail formed behind him, then a second.
His speed rose sharply, so much that Minato had to narrow his eyes and focus on both of them now.
The two came at him from different directions.
A from the front.
Bee from the side.
Minato threw his kunai upward instead of dodging sideways.
A's fist arrived first.
Bee's blade followed half a heartbeat later.
Minato knew standing in one place would only let them pincer him, so he vanished.
Both attacks crossed through the same space.
For an instant, A and Bee passed each other.
Above them, Minato appeared beside the kunai he had thrown into the air.
A looked up immediately.
"Bee! Above!"
"Got it!"
Bee's body twisted.
A mass of red chakra stretched from his back like a tail and lashed upward toward Minato.
Minato placed two fingers against the kunai.
Flying Thunder God.
He vanished again.
This time, he appeared behind A.
The Rasengan in his hand spun violently.
A turned his head, but it was already too late.
Minato's palm drove toward his back.
But just before the Rasengan touched him, a blade stopped beside Minato's waist.
Killer Bee had reacted.
One of his swords was already pressed near Minato's body, ready to pierce him the instant he committed to the attack.
Minato stopped.
A also stopped.
For one brief second, the three of them froze in a deadly balance.
Minato's Rasengan hovered near A's back.
Bee's sword hovered near Minato's side.
A's lightning-covered hand was already turning toward Minato's throat.
Bee grinned.
"Nice move, Yellow Flash. But this Bee's got eyes in the plan."
Minato smiled faintly.
"You're good."
A's expression darkened.
"Don't act cocky. This is a battlefield."
Minato vanished before either of them could strike.
He reappeared at the edge of the battlefield, the Rasengan fading from his palm.
His expression remained composed, but his thoughts were moving fast.
A's speed was troublesome.
Bee's instinct was even more troublesome.
If he focused on A, Bee would catch him.
If he focused on Bee, A would crush him with raw speed.
He could hold them back, but defeating them quickly was another matter entirely, and they were not the only problem on this battlefield.
A violent roar shook the air.
On another side of the front, blue flames surged into the sky.
The Two-Tails had taken shape.
A massive spectral cat wreathed in blue-black fire stood among the shattered trees, its twin tails swaying behind it like burning whips. Each step it took scorched the earth, and its eyes glowed with cold hostility.
In front of it, Orochimaru stood with his hands hanging loosely at his sides.
His long black hair fluttered in the heat.
Despite the monstrous pressure in front of him, his lips curved into a thin smile.
"My, my… Kumogakure truly brought out everything they had."
The Two-Tails growled.
Its jinchūriki, Yugito Nii, stood within that burning chakra, her voice carrying through the beast's mouth.
"Move aside, Sannin. I have no interest in playing with snakes."
Orochimaru's smile widened.
"That is unfortunate. Snakes are very patient creatures."
The Two-Tails opened its mouth.
Blue flames gathered.
Orochimaru's pupils narrowed.
A torrent of fire blasted forward.
"Triple Rashōmon."
Three massive demon gates erupted from the ground.
The blue flames slammed into them, melting through the first gate almost instantly, cracking the second, and forcing the third to groan under the pressure.
Orochimaru leapt backward, landing on the side of a broken tree.
The last gate collapsed into burning fragments.
His eyes glittered with interest.
"Impressive."
The Two-Tails moved.
Its body became a blur of blue flame, claws tearing through the ground as it rushed him.
Orochimaru bit his thumb.
"Summoning Technique."
A giant snake burst from the smoke and lunged at the Two-Tails.
The blue cat twisted in midair, claws flashing.
The snake's head was torn open in a spray of blood.
Orochimaru did not flinch.
From the snake's torn mouth, another Orochimaru emerged, the Kusanagi Sword extending from his own mouth in a pale flash.
The blade pierced toward the Two-Tails' eye.
Yugito reacted instantly.
A tail swept across.
Orochimaru's body was smashed apart.
But instead of blood, countless small snakes scattered from the broken flesh and slithered across the ground.
His voice came from behind the Two-Tails.
"Such a violent temper."
Just then, a thunderous crash erupted from the center of the battlefield.
Jiraiya was sent skidding backward, both feet tearing long trenches into the earth.
His arms trembled slightly.
Smoke rose from his sleeves.
In front of him stood the Third Raikage.
The man did not look human.
His body was covered in a cloak of lightning, but unlike A's explosive and youthful ferocity, the Third Raikage's presence felt much more powerful.
Like a mountain wrapped in thunderclouds.
His expression was stern, his eyes calm, and his body showed almost no openings.
Jiraiya straightened with a grin that looked more forced than usual.
"Man… you Raikage types really don't know how to hold back."
The Third Raikage looked at him quietly.
"You are strong, Jiraiya of the Sannin."
Jiraiya rolled his shoulder.
"Coming from you, I'll take that as a compliment."
But without warning, the Raikage vanished from his line of sight once more.
"So fast—!"
Jiraiya crossed his arms as white hair wrapped around his body like armor.
"Ninja Art: Needle Jizō!"
The Third Raikage's fist struck.
The hair armor bent inward.
Jiraiya was blown back like a cannonball, crashing through several boulders before smashing into the ground.
He coughed once, then pushed himself up.
His hair armor had blocked the worst of it, but the impact still made his bones ache.
The Third Raikage walked toward him without hurry.
Jiraiya wiped blood from the corner of his mouth.
"Hey, hey… don't tell me that was just a normal punch."
The Raikage did not answer him. He simply walked forward, took another step, and vanished again.
This time, he appeared beside Jiraiya with his fingers aligned forward.
But Jiraiya grinned and finally swung the hand he had been hiding behind his back.
A Rasengan was spinning violently in his palm.
It crashed straight into the Raikage's chest with powerful force.
Boom!!
The Raikage braced himself, and the ground beneath him cracked open.
Dust flew everywhere, obscuring the battlefield.
Jiraiya narrowed his eyes while pressing his hand forward, forcing more chakra into the Rasengan.
But when the dust cleared, his expression twitched in disbelief.
"You've got to be kidding me."
The Third Raikage looked down at the Rasengan fading against his body.
"A fine technique."
His arm moved.
Jiraiya barely managed to twist away, but the Raikage's elbow still clipped his shoulder.
Pain shot through him.
He retreated immediately, forming hand seals while moving.
"Fire Release: Flame Bullet!"
Oil and fire roared forward, swallowing the Third Raikage in a sea of flames.
The blaze rose high into the night.
Konoha shinobi nearby looked over with hope in their eyes.
Then lightning split the flames apart.
The Third Raikage walked through them unharmed.
Jiraiya's face turned serious.
He even wanted to use Sage Mode, but the Raikage kept pressing him, not giving him the time.
Just as he was thinking of a way to distract him long enough to enter Sage Mode, because otherwise there was no hope of stopping this monster...
"This is bad… I have to—"
The Third Raikage stepped forward again and disappeared in place.
"Hell Stab."
Jiraiya's instincts screamed danger.
He immediately bit his thumb and slammed his hand onto the ground.
"Summoning Technique!"
Smoke exploded across the battlefield.
A giant toad appeared beneath him, blade already drawn.
Gamabunta's eyes narrowed as he saw the Third Raikage charging.
"Jiraiya! What kind of monster did you drag me into this time?"
Jiraiya stood on Gamabunta's head, grinning through clenched teeth.
"Don't ask me! Blame Kumogakure!"
Gamabunta swung his blade downward.
The Third Raikage did not dodge despite having the speed advantage.
His four-fingered thrust met the massive blade head-on.
Clang!
Gamabunta's eyes widened.
His blade was actually forced back.
"Oi, Jiraiya!"
"I know!"
Jiraiya formed another Rasengan, this one much larger than before, and leapt down from Gamabunta's head, aiming for the Raikage's side while Gamabunta held him in place.
"Too shallow."
Even then, it only made the Raikage's skin turn red and nothing more.
Jiraiya's heart sank.
Now the only option he could think of was Sage Mode.
Otherwise, they were done for.
The Raikage's knee drove upward, not giving him a chance to think any further.
Gamabunta's tongue shot out and wrapped around Jiraiya, yanking him away at the last second.
The knee strike missed Jiraiya and smashed into the ground instead.
The earth burst apart.
Gamabunta clicked his tongue.
"This guy's harder than a mountain."
Jiraiya landed on his feet, breathing heavier now.
"Yeah, and he's unbelievably fast too."
Just then, a golden light flashed across the night sky.
Like dawn had been compressed into a single ray.
Orochimaru was the first to recognize it, and his smile slowly returned.
"Well, now…"
Minato's side of the battlefield was distracted too when they saw the blinding light in the night sky.
A's eyes narrowed.
"That light…"
Bee pushed his sunglasses up slightly.
"Yo… that light's got a wicked beat."
A's lightning cloak crackled even louder.
"Don't let your guard down, Bee."
"This place looks pretty lively."
Golden particles gathered above the battlefield, slowly forming a tall figure.
Yagami stood in the air, hands in his pockets, his expression as careless as ever.
His gaze swept over A, Killer Bee, the Two-Tails, and finally the Third Raikage.
The corner of his mouth lifted.
"Looks like I came at a pretty good time."
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