Minato's plan had fooled everyone.
All of his earlier attacks on Killer B were merely a diversion — making it look as though his real aim was to force out the Eight-Tails and cause chaos so he could retreat safely.
But in truth, his true target was never Killer B, but rather A, who had been chasing him all along.
Minato had deliberately acted as though the destruction of his kunai had left him unable to fight back — feigning a retreat to lure A farther away from B. Then, using Flying Thunder God + Rasenshuriken, he unleashed a sudden ambush that completely overwhelmed A in one strike.
Throughout the battle, Minato had never revealed any ability for long-range attacks.
That misled both A and B into assuming he had none — and that miscalculation was exactly what allowed Minato to land his finishing blow with the Rasenshuriken.
Every part of the fight had unfolded according to his plan.
His incredible battle intellect was on full display.
BOOM!
The massive Rasenshuriken slammed into A, swallowing him whole in its raging storm of wind and chakra.
The explosive power shook everyone present — even seasoned shinobi involuntarily flinched.
What… what kind of jutsu is that?
Even Minato's own teammates — Akimichi Dōtō, Inuzuka Gaku, and Yamanaka Inoichi— were stunned.
They had never imagined that Minato possessed such a terrifyingly destructive technique.
Its sheer power was unquestionably that of an S-rank forbidden jutsu.
As they stared at the raging storm still howling across the battlefield, all three came to the same conclusion:
"A was surely dead."
But just as that thought crossed their minds, three enormous tentacles suddenly lashed forward — plunging directly into the whirlwind of the Rasenshuriken!
Even Minato froze for a moment in disbelief.
Despite that horrifying power, Killer B had rushed into the storm to rescue his brother.
The act left everyone speechless — their shock quickly giving way to respect.
That kind of brotherly bond… was truly moving.
Within moments, three giant tentacles — torn and bleeding — dragged the battered A out of the Rasenshuriken's deadly vortex.
B had taken severe damage from the attempt.
The tentacles he'd used were shredded with deep gashes, and even the slightest strain might cause them to snap off entirely.
Supporting his half-conscious brother, Killer B trembled, gasping for breath.
Although his naturally optimistic nature had earned the Eight-Tails' recognition, the time they had spent together was still relatively short.
The Eight-Tails suffering such significant injury to save A made it instinctively want to lash out.
Killer B had to simultaneously tend to A's injuries and suppress the Eight-Tails to prevent it from going berserk. The pressure was immense.
Therefore, Killer B didn't dare continue the fight. Supporting A and gritting his teeth, he said to his other companion:
"Let's go, quickly. We need to find a medic-nin for A first."
Behind them, Akimichi Dōtō and Inuzuka Gaku exchanged glances before turning to Minato.
"Captain, do we keep going? A's out of the fight — if we push B into losing control and the Eight-Tails fully manifests, Kumogakure is done for."
But Minato's expression didn't show hesitation, nor regret.
His voice was calm and resolute:
"No. We're leaving. We've done enough. If the mission isn't considered a success, I'll take full responsibility."
As he spoke, his eyes softened, his thoughts drifting to a familiar red-haired woman.
If it were me in his place… Kushina would've done the same — risking everything to save me.
With that thought, Minato suddenly called out to Killer B and bowed deeply.
"Your spirit is admirable. I'll remember your name — always."
Killer B paused, turning back to meet Minato's gaze.
He didn't respond — only gave a silent, heavy nod before hoisting his wounded brother onto his back and swiftly retreating into the distance.
Minato turned back and said:
"Let's head back too. If we stay here any longer, the Kumo shinobi will be hunting us down."
...
When Minato and his team returned to the Land of Fire front lines, the battle between Konoha and Kumogakure was still raging on.
Orochimaru, who had taken some time to meet with Minato, listened carefully as Minato described everything that had happened.
After hearing the report, Orochimaru nodded in satisfaction.
"You did well, Minato. If that technique you mentioned truly has the power you claim, then this war with Kumogakure should be over within the next couple of days."
At that very moment, back in the Kumogakure encampment, the Third Raikage was standing over a war map, lost in thought.
He watched grimly as the territories that Kumogakure once occupied were slowly being pushed back, bit by bit.
Then his eyes moved to the battle statistics beside him — in the past few years alone, over seven thousand Kumo shinobi had fallen in the Land of Fire campaign, and yet they hadn't even managed to break through Konoha's border.
His gaze shifted to his empty right sleeve, and then to the countless scars crisscrossing his body.
Those scars reminded him of that man — that terrifyingly strong opponent who seemed almost inhuman.
Thinking of that, the usually bold and proud Raikage couldn't help but sigh.
"Even without facing that monster, Gekko Hoshiyomi, again, our forces have already been reduced to this… Maybe I overestimated us when I started this war. Perhaps… it's time to retreat."
The thought had barely formed when the Third Raikage shook his head sharply.
"No… no, that won't do."
He had sharpened his blade for ten years for the sake of this war.
If he retreated now, because of a few thousand casualties, how could he leave a solid foundation for A, his son and successor?
Yes, their losses were painful — but did Konoha not suffer as well?
In every great war so far, the casualty ratio between the two sides had always been roughly one to one.
And Konoha still had to contend with the Iwagakure forces at the same time.
If both fronts were bleeding, maybe Konoha's situation was even worse than his own.
He just needed to hold out a bit longer — maybe the Leaf would be the first to collapse.
"It's worth gambling on," he thought grimly.
Just then, the sealing array in his tent suddenly flared with light.
The Third Raikage frowned, surprised.
"That's the Heavenly Transfer Technique. Mabui wouldn't use it unless it was an emergency… Has something serious happened back in the village?"
As he wondered, the light from the array faded, leaving behind a reinforced message box.
The Raikage opened it quickly — inside was only a single sealed letter.
When he broke the seal and read its contents, his expression changed dramatically.
It was a report — and not just any report.
It detailed that his son, A, had been gravely injured.
According to Mabui's account, Konoha's "Yellow Flash," Namikaze Minato, had led a surprise strike on Kumogakure territory and happened to encounter A and Killer B.
After a fierce battle, Minato unleashed a terrifying jutsu that left A severely wounded.
If B hadn't risked his life to save him, A would likely have died on the spot.
Even with B's intervention, A's condition was dire — the sharp wind chakra from the attack had shredded the chakra pathways throughout his body.
Mabui wrote that, at this point, whether the future Fourth Raikage survived or not would depend entirely on sheer luck.
After reading the letter, the Third Raikage's eyes went wide with rage.
With a thunderous BANG!, he smashed the small wooden table in front of him into splinters.
But after a long, heavy silence, his shoulders sank, and he let out a deep sigh.
Then, in a voice hoarse with anger and grief, he ordered the guard outside the tent:
"Summon all the jōnin. We're withdrawing our forces."