Yellow light flickered as Minato activated the Flying Thunder God Technique, relocating himself.
A kunai shot straight toward Nagato's face, and then Minato materialized at that spot, swiftly launching an attack.
The familiar Rasengan—his unchanged offensive move.
Powered by speed, the Rasengan was Minato's ultimate weapon. But against the Rinnegan's gaze, even this deadly jutsu felt like nothing more than a child's toy.
Once, this move had made Minato unstoppable. Now, it was no longer enough.
A technique that would be fatal against other ninja was mere cannon fodder against Nagato. Minato understood this after numerous battles, yet he couldn't simply wait to die—he had to keep attacking to buy time.
His vanguard unit had been wiped out; the communication ninja in the rear must have already relayed this information to other fronts. Reinforcements would come—of that, he was certain. Yet alone here, he had no way of knowing how soon they would arrive. With retreat no longer an option, Minato had no choice but to hold his ground.
Watching the oncoming attack head-on, Nagato did not even lift a hand.
Instead, an invisible, transparent barrier suddenly formed before him. Minato and his ninjutsu slammed directly into the wall.
Though the Rasengan carried immense power, sinking forward slightly on impact, it quickly lost momentum and came to a halt, scattering apart like waves crashing onto a shore.
Minato's gaze hardened, weighed down by a growing sense of despair.
This might be his limit.
Gravely focused, he suddenly glanced sideways—there, a faint killing intent had flared.
Sure enough, Nagato's right hand sharply yanked upward from beneath his waist. The Black Rod sprang from his wide sleeve, lashing out in a blur toward Minato's torso.
A flash of afterimage—Minato vanished before the strike landed, leaving the Black Rod to slice through empty space with a sharp whistle.
Nagato didn't care about missing. Without hesitation, he surged forward, immediately lunging toward a specific point.
Planting his feet firmly, Nagato exploded into motion, sprinting at incredible speed. In the next instant, as soon as Minato reappeared, Nagato was already closing in without delay.
Though the Rinnegan differed greatly from the Sharingan, it too possessed powerful perception—an extraordinary foresight ability that allowed him to predict Minato's position.
Moreover, after transplanting Hashirama's Cells, his reflexes and explosive strength had improved dramatically beyond their former level.
Clang—
Minato barely managed to raise a kunai in time to block Nagato's strike, but the sheer force still sent him stumbling backward. His feet scraped repeatedly along the ground, kicking up clouds of dust.
Gritting his teeth as he struggled, Minato's arm trembled slightly under the pressure.
[Sage Art] is nearing its end as well, isn't it? The battle has lasted more than five minutes. I can feel the power inside you gradually fading away."
"Kushina, you've pinned down my kunai," Minato said, locking eyes with him, his gaze burning. "But with someone like you like this, what do you even think you can use to stop me?!"
As he finished speaking, Nagato's tone grew heavier. The Black Rod in his hand pressed tighter, moving slowly toward Minato's face, ready to strike at any moment.
Without the Flying Thunder God and Sage Art, Namikaze Minato simply wouldn't stand a chance against Nagato. And the moment the Sage Art ended, everything would be over!
Clearly, that time had come.
"Have I been found out?"
Minato kept his breath steady, secretly thinking while pressing down on the back end of the kunai. His trembling arms gradually stabilized.
He knew just how much the Sage Art was boosting his strength at this moment. If Sage Mode ended, escaping using the Flying Thunder God might be his only option against Kushinaga.
Don't get me wrong—he carried the hopes of every person in Konoha, but from the very start, his limits had already been defined.
No bloodline limits, no secret techniques—his greatest advantage was none other than Space-Time Ninjutsu—an ability almost impossible to counter.
Yet against the Rinnegan, even Space-Time Ninjutsu seemed somewhat inexperienced—not quite as overwhelming as before.
Sage Mode was his only shortcut to raising his limits, yet regrettably, since using Sage Art he hadn't achieved satisfying results in battle. He'd barely managed to keep himself safe.
The fact that he could even activate Sage Mode mid-battle was largely due to Kushina's earlier guidance. But maintaining it remained problematic; five minutes was already pushing his limit.
Just as Nagato said, his Sage Art was coming to an end. After that, his power level would return to its original state.
Though he desperately wanted to fight back, his strength faded fast as he exited Sage Mode. His energy was slipping away by the second.
It probably wouldn't be long before he collapsed completely.
Running away wasn't an option—his only hope now lay in counting on strong enough reinforcements.
All or nothing—this battle was a gamble, and though its outcome might not be satisfying, it had still been worth all his efforts.
At least he had tried his hardest, hadn't he?
As for what came next, he would leave it to those who followed. Right now, he could only do his best to lay the groundwork—to perhaps even tease out part of Nagato's secrets.
Such a powerful enemy truly left one feeling powerless.
Even Minato Namikaze—who was normally optimistic and possessed immense mental strength—could see no path forward. All he could do was struggle stubbornly.
Do one's utmost and then accept Heaven's Mandate.
This phrase surfaced unbidden in Minato's mind, filled with bitterness and helplessness.
From the very beginning, when he thought victory was assured under the overwhelming pressure of their forces, up until now, when Nagato's individual strength shattered his confidence, the emotional gap was vast.
Simply not collapsing entirely under pressure and losing all will to resist was itself a testament to Minato's superior ninja qualities.
"Although I now clearly have the upper hand, I'm afraid I can't afford to waste any more time saying sorry," Nagato murmured softly. "After all, time won't wait around for us like this anymore. Besides, I can't get what I need from you."
[Universal Pull]!
Nagato fixed his gaze on Minato Namikaze. His other hand shot up instantaneously as he activated a **Ninjutsu**.
A creeping sense of unease spread through Minato, but having exited Sage Mode, his reflexes had drastically slowed.
Consequently, a powerful gravitational force acted upon his body, completely breaking through his defense and pulling him toward Nagato.
Clang—
Taking advantage of the situation, Nagato smashed downward with his rod, knocking the kunai from Minato's shifted grip. With a swift twist of his wrist, he slashed at the joint between Minato's forearm and upper arm.
Intense pain shot through Minato, finally triggering a response from his nerves.
Minato sidestepped and vanished in a flash of the Flying Thunder God Technique, narrowly avoiding Nagato's follow-up attack.
Although the Flying Thunder God Technique didn't consume much energy, using it repeatedly against Nagato significantly increased the risk. Therefore, Minato had no intention of using it unless absolutely necessary.
However, the gap in power between them forced Minato to keep resorting to it, creating a contradiction.
As for why using the Flying Thunder God repeatedly increased the danger, it was simply because the Flying Thunder God's anchor points were limited. Each use created gaps in subsequent movements, especially since Nagato would never fall for the same trick twice.
Right now, preserving his life was already impossible; there might not even be a future to consider. When the moment came, he would have no choice but to keep using it.
Beyond that, there was another crucial reason: casting Space-Time Ninjutsu multiple times in quick succession, especially in close proximity, would slightly confuse Minato's spatial perception, slowing down the activation speed of his techniques.
That tiny delay might not seem like much, but under Nagato's sharp gaze, it could spell disaster.
"Hehe, struggle all you want!"
Nagato canceled his jutsu, then hurled his black rod straight at Minato, who had just landed.
The rod flew like lightning, its jet-black body slicing through the rain like a streak of dark electricity.
This time, Minato reacted quickly, having already adapted to being out of Sage Mode. As he crouched, he pushed off with both feet and leapt sideways in one fluid motion.
Yet even as he dodged Nagato's attack, his expression suddenly shifted.
Earlier during the battle, he had sensed an unease—an all-too-familiar chakra rapidly approaching from afar.
Initially, he had merely kept this suspicion in mind due to the distance, without paying much attention.
But just now, the chakra signature changed.
From somewhere far beyond his visual range, it had abruptly vanished from his sensory perception.
Keeping Nagato alone at bay was already his limit. If another enemy of equal strength entered the fray, fighting back would become even more difficult.
In fact, it would practically mean hastening his death!
Even so, Minato could do nothing to change reality.
Crackle-pop—
A series of electric blasts erupted behind Minato. He spun around swiftly, locking eyes with a pair of icy crimson eyes — the Sharingan.
[Chidori!!]
Saitama had arrived.
No flashy one-liners, no warning at all—Saitama's attack came straight out of an ambush.
After all, Saitama Uchiha was just too eager to end everything right now.
Killing his former friend with his own hands was the final step in severing all bonds. Therefore, facing Minato Namikaze, the former Hokage he once admired, Saitama Uchiha held absolutely no hesitation inside.
Tearing sound—
Minato crossed his arms together, but a flash of white pierced through and finally pinned at his shoulder.
Although Saitama Uchiha's attack was swift and sudden, Minato still managed significant evasive movement, avoiding the vital spot. But even so, it was still quite bad.
"Uchiha Saitama!!"
Minato's eyes widened, bloodshot veins appearing on the whites, as he pronounced every word clearly to call out the enemy's name who had attacked him.
"It's been a long time, Hokage Minato!"
Saitama spoke flatly, his Sharingan eyes filled with killing intent.
With Saitama upfront and Nagato behind, Minato didn't hesitate further, activating the Flying Thunder God Technique again to teleport back to where he'd left some kunai before.
The distance Minato teleported wasn't very far, but it allowed him temporarily escape from the two pursuers, giving him a brief moment to catch his breath.
The situation was getting even worse!
He gritted his teeth and applied pressure to his shoulder with his hand, maintaining maximum vigilance.
"It seems you've made great progress. Konoha's Vanguard Troops have already been annihilated. There are much fewer obstacles now."
Saitama Uchiha did not pursue with any jutsu, instead lightly pushing off the ground with his foot and landing beside Nagato, saying this to him.
"What about your side? I felt a powerful presence just now—did you encounter someone else?"
Nagato turned to face Saitama, asking, "What about your side?"
"There was a bit of an unexpected problem. The previously Sealed Black Zetsu showed up again causing trouble, but it's fine now. Someone has already gone to deal with him."
Rubbing his nose casually, Saitama replied in a bored tone.
"Black Zetsu, huh? He is the son of the goddess; indeed, he possesses many strange abilities. It isn't surprising that the sealing broke down. As long as he doesn't continue disturbing us later, we should be fine." After hearing Saitama's explanation, Nagato also responded indifferently.
Their previous actions against Black Zetsu were merely extra precautions, to prevent him from having some hidden countermeasures to ruin their plans. But now, one Black Zetsu alone was no longer the key issue.
"Yeah. Let's finish things here quickly and head toward the Nine-Tails. Our enemy hasn't shown up yet, and the longer we wait, the more unpredictable changes may occur, which will only place us at greater disadvantage."
Chidori Current crackled over his body again as Saitama stared at Minato, voice cold and clear.
The other party was holding his shoulder area, blood already staining the outside of his Divine Battle Robe red, his chakra signature weak and dispirited—clearly in terrible condition. This truly was the perfect timing for the killing blow.
"Okay... However, there are numerous enemies approaching again. Could something be wrong with White Zetsu army?"
Just as they were about to take action, both men sensed a large number of enemies emerging from beyond Minato's sideways direction, rushing straight toward them in unison.
"These aren't Konoha ninja. Seems Orochimaru's Impure World Legion didn't manage to shut down the Allied Ninja Forces' advance on other fronts completely."
Saitama immediately spotted Onoki, the Tsuchikage, and Rasa, the Kazekage, standing at the forefront of a group of ninja clad in varied battle gear.
The number wasn't large, but there were at least a thousand of them.
"This is really giving me a headache!"
He propped his hand against his forehead, revealing a slightly helpless smile on his face. Yet beneath that smile, killing intent shot out like tangible blades piercing toward them.
The Shinobi Coalition Forces employed a coordinated combat strategy, which greatly benefited their own operations, so from the beginning they had opted to break through the enemy's frontline step by step.
After all, the Impure World Legion, White Zetsu Army, and even Orochimaru's Clone Legion were forces capable of overpowering enemy units.
But now, something must've gone wrong—troops from other fronts broke through and gathered around Minato.
"I can feel the Nine-Tails' aura."
Nagato suddenly narrowed his eyes toward one direction after glancing at the enemies who appeared there. Hearing this, Saitama glanced in that direction, a faint smile growing into a wide grin.
"It seems the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is also heading our way. Well then, let's finish them all together!"
With a single blink of his eyes, Sage Chakra formed directly within Saitama's body. In just several breaths of time, he had entered Sage Mode.
This speed far surpassed both Jiraiya and Minato Namikaze.
A cold, sinister energy from Ryuchi Cave radiated outward from his body, an overwhelming presence that even made Nagato glance involuntarily at his ally from the corner of his eye.
"Then I'll go ahead and clear the path for what's next!"
Saitama Uchiha crouched low and shot forward like a bolt of lightning.
Faced with an enemy formation filled with elites, he chose to charge in alone, leading with full force.
He feared no opponent at this scale; Sage Art, Sharingan, and Wood Release—all these abilities were hidden trump cards guaranteeing his victory.
"Watch out! The enemy is coming!"
Onoki swiftly soared high into the air while sternly warning the subordinates behind him.
They had barely managed to escape the earlier onslaught from the Impure World soldiers and weren't in top condition either. Luckily, they continuously recovered while advancing along the way, returning to decent condition just in time to join the battle.
As for how he managed to leave Darui Ōnoki's defense line and arrive here for reinforcements alongside Minato, it was naturally because Jiraiya from Konoha arrived just in time, enabling them to execute sealing techniques quickly.
As for Kazekage Rasa, they met him halfway through the journey. It seemed he also paid a heavy price, barely bringing along a portion of his men to reach them.
Regarding allies from other directions, they hadn't shown up yet. According to recent intelligence exchange, Kumo's and Mist's main forces were still held back by enemies.
Deprived of decisive elite masters, those allies struggled terribly against powerful ninja resurrected from the Impure World.
Though having the advantage in numbers, each casual strike from the enemy could instantly take away multiple comrades' lives, whereas their attacks barely even fazed them.
Rasa stood atop a rising platform of golden sand, soaring into the sky, fixating both eyes tightly upon Saitama's charging figure.
The Gold Dust beneath their feet began to stir as the surrounding ninja instinctively moved clear of Rasa's jutsu range.
[Wood Release - First Eruption!]
As both sides closed into attack range, Saitama activated his jutsu first. This technique was particularly effective against large groups of enemies, dealing heavy damage that could persist without continuous chakra input.
A surge of chakra burst from Saitama's body, rushing toward the ground ahead. The earth violently trembled as something massive began emerging from below.
KABOOM!
Countless trees erupted from underground, morphing instantly from delicate sprouts into monstrous, twisted shapes. Under Saitama's precise chakra control, they swept forward like tidal waves, engulfing the advancing ninja.
[Dust Release!]
Onoki retaliated immediately, clasping his hands together in front of him. A beam of white light shot from his palms straight toward the forest of towering trees.
[Magnet Release - Gold Dust Imperial Funeral!]
Rasa stood at the front alongside Onoki, unleashing his ultimate technique the very moment after Onoki attacked. The ground shook relentlessly as a massive amount of Gold Dust seeped out from beneath the untouched earth. In the fine rain, the golden particles gleamed vividly before quickly gathering together under Rasa's command, surging forward like a tsunami.
Rasa's jutsu was every bit as massive as Saitama's Wood Release. With the path cleared by Dust Release, the advance of the Wood Release came to a halt, leaving behind a wide open space. Right after came Rasa's storm of Gold Dust.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
The Gold Dust and Wood Release collided, swiftly covering each other while continuously compressing inward. Even though the Wood Release was tough, it couldn't hold up against such a brutal storm of Gold Dust. It was utterly swamped by the heavy Gold Dust and smashed to pieces.
The ninja behind the two Kage timely stopped their advance and reorganized their formation, watching the clashing jutsu warily.
Bang!
Meanwhile, Nagato launched an attack against Minato—someone who had already escaped once before.
He dropped toward where Minato stood, and when he hit the ground, the entire area beneath him exploded into rubble, forcing Minato to activate his Flying Thunder God Technique again.
With past experience to draw from, Nagato had clearly made an accurate judgment of Minato's teleportation spots this time.
The Black Rod, empowered by the Rinnegan, shot from within his sleeve and pierced through empty space in advance toward a seemingly vacant spot.
Saitama witnessed this scene right after releasing his Wood Release, but instead of thinking Nagato missed, he showed an amused expression.
And before he even turned away, a flash of yellow light appeared exactly where Nagato had attacked.
Tschhh!
The Black Rod pierced through that figure, carrying enough force to slam him into a rock behind.
"Hokage!"
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