"Cloud Village shinobi shouldn't be appearing here.A—Killer B—you've crossed the border."
Facing the Cloud ninja across from him, Minato Namikaze spoke calmly, yet his words carried unmistakable pressure.
"No," a voice replied evenly. "The Cloud Village is here only because our jōnin, Osai, vanished while carrying out a mission near the Frost Country border. On the Third Raikage's orders, we've come to investigate."
The one who spoke was neither A nor Killer B, but Dodai.
Dodai wore a military-style beret, his left eye covered by an eyepatch emblazoned with the kanji '雷'—Lightning. Renowned across the shinobi world, he was a rare Lava Release user who combined Fire and Earth chakra—and was equally famous for his sharp intellect.
"Jōnin Dodai," Pinto said coldly, barely suppressing his anger, "aren't you putting the cart before the horse? Yesterday, we discovered the bodies of three Frost patrol ninja. The scene was littered with traces of Lightning Release."
His gaze toward the Cloud shinobi was openly hostile.
Although there was no direct evidence, everyone present understood the truth—those three Frost ninja had almost certainly died at the hands of Cloud Village shinobi.
In truth, the Cloud side was holding in anger as well.
Given the Frost ninja's strength—even if the Frost Shadow himself were present—it would have been impossible to push Osai, an elite jōnin, to the point of self-detonation.
So the question remained:Who was powerful enough to force Osai to sacrifice himself just to take them down?
Among all suspects, Minato Namikaze stood at the top.
A turned his sharp gaze toward Minato and spoke bluntly.
"Minato Namikaze. We suspect you're connected to Jōnin Osai's disappearance. He vanished while conducting a Lightning Country patrol near Frost territory. In this region, the only one with the ability to do such a thing—is you.The Yellow Flash of the Leaf."
Minato felt as if a massive pot had just dropped from the sky and smashed straight onto his head.
From the Cloud's perspective, their suspicion wasn't baseless.
What kind of enemy could force an elite jōnin like Osai to use a Lightning Release suicide technique?
Minato's reputation made him terrifyingly plausible.
He operated frequently along the borders of the Fire and Lightning Countries. His name—Yellow Flash—was synonymous with assassination. The Flying Thunder God Technique, the fastest space–time ninjutsu in the world, was infamous throughout the Cloud.
There was even a saying in Kumogakure:
"If you encounter the Yellow Flash—abandon the mission."
Though Minato's movements were closely monitored by Cloud intelligence, his mastery of space–time ninjutsu meant he could appear and disappear at will.
Killing Osai?It wasn't impossible.
"Osai's disappearance has nothing to do with me," Minato said evenly."I'm here because of your abnormal movements."
He didn't bother explaining further.
Instead, his fingers tightened around a Flying Thunder God kunai.
The moment his intent shifted—
Everyone moved.
Minato stepped forward to face A.The Ino–Shika–Chō trio confronted Killer B.Yuhi Shinku faced Dodai.Pinto and Uchiha Ran confronted Troy.
The remaining genin squared off against one another, tension stretching like a drawn bowstring.
When Dōmu Shinno saw Uchiha Ran facing off against an elite Cloud jōnin, his heart nearly stopped.
Are you insane?!That calm, rational Uchiha—challenging a Cloud elite head-on? What kind of fearless lunatic are you?!
Minato and A locked eyes and stepped to the forefront.
This was a commander-level clash.
In the current shinobi world, many were famous for speed—but the very fastest were concentrated in Fire Country and Lightning Country.
There was the Third Raikage, the A–B brothers, the Two-Tails Jinchūriki Yugito Nii, Minato Namikaze, and the late White Fang of the Leaf.
Minato's speed came from the Flying Thunder God—not mere movement, but instantaneous space–time relocation.
The A–B brothers, on the other hand, relied on raw Lightning chakra reinforcement and overwhelming physical prowess.
To onlookers from both sides, the contrast was clear.
Minato wasn't just fast—his movement was unpredictable.
Once the battlefield was saturated with Flying Thunder God markings, enemies could never tell where his next strike would come from.
There were no hand seals.No startup motion.No cooldown.
That was the terror of the Flying Thunder God.
And once marked—escape became impossible.
The only option was to fight Minato head-on with raw strength.
A was different.
Though less flexible, his close-quarters combat was monstrous. With Lightning Armor activated, he could even shrug off a significant amount of physical damage.
From the Leaf's perspective, A's greatest advantage wasn't speed—it was chakra reserves.
As the son of the Third Raikage, the future Fourth Raikage's chakra pool visibly dwarfed Minato's.
The Cloud had no concrete proof linking Minato to Osai's death.And with the Seven-Tails capture mission effectively failed, withdrawal was already under consideration.
But Minato's interference infuriated A.
If not for Minato and these Leaf ninja—the Cloud might already possess three tailed beasts, becoming the most powerful village in the world.
So A decided to teach Minato a lesson.
And if Minato couldn't withstand him—
Perhaps every Leaf shinobi here could be wiped out.
A took a step forward.
"Minato Namikaze.The man who reclaimed the Nine-Tails alone.The Yellow Flash of the Leaf."
A grin spread across his face.
"Let me see whether your speed truly lives up to the legend."
Lightning exploded outward as A activated Lightning Release Chakra Mode, his hair standing on end.
Minato responded calmly.
"A—son of the Third Raikage.The future Fourth Raikage.A man driven by fierce ambition."
As he spoke, Minato flicked his wrist, scattering Flying Thunder God kunai across the battlefield.
"But I carry the will to become Hokage.And for that reason—I will not lose to you."
"Everyone, stay alert.I'll handle A."
Before the words finished leaving his mouth—
A streak of lightning appeared directly in front of Minato.
A fist the size of a sandbag shot toward his face.
Instinctively, Minato tossed a kunai.
And vanished.
He reappeared—on a tree branch.
A's eyes widened.
"He dodged my top speed?!"
His exceptional dynamic vision caught Minato's position—
But the next instant—
Minato appeared behind him.
At the exact location of a Flying Thunder God marker.
Kunai in hand, Minato struck.
A didn't react in time.
Only a tail slammed into him, knocking him aside.
Minato sliced cleanly through the tail with his kunai—and left behind another Flying Thunder God mark.
His voice was calm.Resolute.
"Sword of Shinobi Love."