Minato assured the Konoha ninja that the Kiri Ninja had merely appeared here by accident and would not intervene in their battle against the Iwa ninja. Though Hamaki Mimura, the Head Ninja, had his doubts, he chose to trust this blond-haired young ninja who might just be the one to turn the tide of the battle.
"Captain! Our Earth-Style Wall can't hold any longer!"
Earth Release was Iwagakure's specialty, and most defensive ninjutsu relied on it. Unless one had a contract with the ocean, who would use Water Release for defense?
Misjudging the enemy's numbers and capabilities, Hamaki Mimura's ambush was proving extremely difficult!
"What do we do?! Fourth Hokage—Wuu, mmm!!"
Naruto's words were muffled by young Kakashi's hand over his mouth.
Sasuke whispered urgently in his ear, "You super idiot! We've traveled back in time! Don't reveal Minato-sama's future identity prematurely!"
The Third Shinobi World War hadn't even ended yet. At this point, Minato Namikaze wasn't the Fourth Hokage.
Naruto nodded frantically, and only then did Kakashi release him.
Young Kakashi stepped forward. "Minato-sensei! Please command us into battle!"
Obito refused to lag behind Kakashi. Revealing his two tomoe Sharingan, he stood resolutely beside Kakashi. "That's right! Minato-sensei! Please command us into battle!!"
Minato nodded at them and gave orders: "Rin and Sakura, you're in charge of treating the wounded here."
"Yes, Minato-sensei!"
"Yes, Sensei...?" Sakura, unsure how to address him, followed suit.
There were about twenty people here who could still move. Another dozen or so lay incapacitated on the battlefield, strewn across the combat zone between Konoha and Iwa. It was unclear if any of them could be saved.
"Kakashi." Minato Namikaze looked at the jōnin instructor of Naruto and Sasuke. The young man, Kakashi Hatake, said, "You take this chance to bring back our comrades on the front lines. Can you do that?"
"No problem! Minato-sensei." The adult Kakashi assessed his currently abundant chakra and lifted the right side of his forehead protector.
Those Konoha ninja on the front lines—if they could be saved, they absolutely had to be brought back for treatment!
Even if they were dead, the bodies of our comrades must be brought back to Konoha!
"What about us?! What are we supposed to do?!" Naruto pressed, eager for the Fourth Hokage to assign them a mission too.
Minato unstrapped the backpack from his back. Inside were nothing but specially crafted Flying Thunder God Technique kunai he had prepared!
"Throw these kunai into the enemy camp. After that, leave everything to me."
"What?!"
Naruto and Sasuke stared at him in shock.
Alone?!!
Even Zabuza, who had remained silent all this time, raised an eyebrow, puzzled by what this blond man who looked like the Fourth Hokage was planning.
Obito and young Kakashi also looked at their sensei with concern.
Konoha Ninja: "This is reckless!"
"Exactly! After all, you alone can't—"
"We should rethink our strategy, Captain Mimura!"
Hamaki Mimura, addressed by his subordinate, cut them off.
"Shut up. Do as he says!"
"But—"
"You'll soon witness Konoha's Yellow Flash in action. Don't blink—it'll be over in an instant. Don't miss it."
"!!!"
Those who'd only heard the Fourth Hokage's name, but not the legend of the Yellow Flash, froze for a moment.
Naruto: "Only…"
Sasuke: "For a single instant?!"
"Minato-sensei?!" Obito and the young Kakashi looked somewhat worried.
"Do as I say."
Minato reassured them.
The next moment!
His gaze sharpened!
His eyes gleamed with the piercing intensity of a falcon perched a thousand meters high, fixated on a chick scurrying below!
Minato Namikaze stared intently at the Iwa ninja formation across the field. Naruto suddenly felt a surge of excitement so intense it gave him goosebumps!
He gripped the Flying Thunder God Technique kunai in his hand tightly and looked up at the figure standing atop the Earth-Style Wall.
Silhouetted against the light, that figure completely blocked their view!
For some reason...
Naruto gripped the front of his shirt.
A peculiar sense of security washed over him, as if nothing could trouble him now.
Was this the Fourth Hokage?
The thought that his own dream was to become Hokage—to surpass all previous Hokage and earn the village's recognition—made Naruto feel as if a fiery bloodline within his chest had finally awakened!
Until Sasuke tugged at him: "You super idiot! Don't hold us back!"
"Hmph! You're the one who should stop embarrassing yourself, stupid Sasuke!" Naruto shouted back defiantly, focusing his attention on the enemy's position across the field!
"Throw!!"
Minato Namikaze gave the command!
Naruto, Sasuke, young Kakashi, and Obito each grabbed a handful of kunai spread out on the ground, swinging their arms to hurl them toward the open space where the Iwa ninja stood!
...
They could hear distant enemy shouts!
"Enemy attack! Konoha's counterattacking!!"
"They have reinforcements! Watch out!"
"Kunai?! Beware of a trap!"
The Iwa ninja unleashed defensive Earth Release techniques one after another!
But the area around them was already swarming with Flying Thunder God Technique kunai. Even if they used Earth Release to alter the terrain for cover, it only slightly shifted the kunai's positions!
Minato Namikaze scanned every enemy near each Flying Thunder God Technique kunai.
Hand seals formed—
"Spiralling Flash Super Round Dance Howl Style Three!"
The technique's name rang out loud and clear, and the technique itself had to match!
Minato Namikaze combined the Flying Thunder God Technique, developed by the Second Hokage, with a Lightning Release ninjutsu capable of producing blinding light!
Using the Flying Thunder God Technique, he rapidly and repeatedly darted between the marked kunai!
In the blinding light, only one kunai was needed!
The yellow flash appeared to the enemy's eyes like the Shinigami wielding a scythe!