Death often arrives in the blink of an eye, striking when least expected.
In those final moments, everyone is equal.
Saitama fell from the sky like a missile, precisely crashing into Rasa who had been suspended midair, dragging him down to the earth below.
A burst of lightning tore through the sky, swallowing Rasa in a violent storm of electric energy. The air shimmered with residual currents as Onoki was flung backward through the distance.
Boom—
A massive crater formed on the ground, quickly expanding as clouds of dust burst outward. The dust swirled together with Chidori Currents, clouding the battlefield in chaos and blurring all vision.
"Kazekage!"
Onoki stabilized himself, his aged face showing horror.
None of them had expected Saitama to suddenly appear above Rasa and Onoki and launch an attack.
Onoki's voice, never especially loud to begin with, was drowned out by the violent blast. His expression shifted repeatedly until finally hardening.
He no longer held any optimism about Rasa's condition—his opponent was either dead or grievously wounded.
That meant the danger facing him had unknowingly multiplied several times over.
Soon enough, he might just follow in Rasa's footsteps.
His heavy breathing failed to hide the anxiety rising within him—it only made him even more restless.
Eyes locked tightly on the space covered in smoke and electric currents, his chakra surged violently across his body.
Of course, Nagato, approaching from another direction, remained within his watchful range. But he thought the other probably believed he already held the advantage in battle and wouldn't attempt a pincer move or sneak attack.
At this moment, after serving many years as Tsuchikage, Onoki felt as though he were witnessing the first falling stone before the collapse of a great tower.
Rasa lay silently beneath Saitama's foot, his head tilted sideways. A grotesque depression marked the back of his skull, and a trail of crimson liquid dripped from the corner of his mouth, making for a pitiful sight.
Across his back lingered a charred wound.
Looking through it revealed organs blackened and brittle, crumbling at the slightest touch.
The Kazekage, famed throughout the Shinobi World, had fallen here beneath Saitama's hand.
Just like some nameless grunt, instantly killed by an unexpected assault!
Saitama shook his arms slightly. The Gold Dust clinging to him, now devoid of Rasa's chakra control, slowly slid off onto the ground.
Clearly, Rasa hadn't gone down without resistance in his final moments.
A Kage-level expert has a razor-sharp sense for danger.
Thus, the instant Saitama launched his surprise attack, Rasa also attempted defense by manipulating his Gold Dust.
But such fragile material proved utterly ineffective against Saitama.
Without expression, Saitama shifted his gaze from Rasa and turned his eyes upward toward Onoki hovering in midair.
Exhausted from constant fighting, Onoki was already running on empty.
The end would come soon enough.
As his eyes focused on Onoki's blurred silhouette, Saitama could practically feel the softness inside his opponent's heart.
Before absolute power, even the mighty Five Kages quiver!
Actually, his original target for attack had been Onoki.
But the opponent's vigilance was several times stronger than Rasa's, so Saitama had no choice but to ruthlessly target Rasa instead, seeking a breakthrough in battle.
Fortunately, switching targets to Rasa caused no unexpected complications, successfully reducing the number of enemies.
Perhaps having already accepted Rasa's terrible fate, Onoki launched a ninja technique directly toward them after a brief moment to catch his breath.
Several earth dragons roared as they surged forward, entwining with each other until finally crashing through the swirling dust and scattered Electric Shock toward standing Saitama.
Saitama remained unconcerned. He pushed off the ground with one foot, muscles rapidly tensing and releasing with the motion.
Wrapped in a swirling current of Chidori, he turned into a bolt of lightning and shot straight toward midair-hovering Onoki.
There was no intense collision, no deafening roar.
Instead, the Earth Release techniques silently disintegrated before Saitama.
Onoki, floating midair, expression tightened. Noticing Saitama approaching rapidly, he quickly brought both hands together in front of his chest, preparing to release another jutsu.
"You Uchiha dog—die for me! [Dust Release]"
A laser-like [Dust Release] blast shot from between Onoki's palms, slicing through the exact spot Saitama previously occupied within mere fractions of a second.
After releasing this attack, Onoki's face paled slightly while simultaneously using the backlash force to propel himself backward through the sky.
But when Saitama became serious, his speed was simply too fast—the attack missed him entirely.
From a lower angle, all that could be seen was Saitama transforming into lightning, spiraling upward continuously around the Dust Release until finally catching up with Onoki.
"This..."
Onoki's mouth parted slightly, but no words came out—his voice failed him at that critical moment.
Black streaks laced with hints of red marked where Saitama's Akatsuki cloak trailed behind him.
And by now, Saitama had already appeared behind Onoki's flank.
The air thickened with tension as both men held their breath.
Saitama saw his own reflection within Onoki's peripheral vision, so his movements accelerated even further under the stimulation of Sage Chakra.
A needle-like sharp pain surfaced on Onoki's back, and sweat uncontrollably slid down his forehead.
He understood: if he failed to handle this properly, there would only be one outcome.
But right now, he could barely construct several layers of Earth Release defenses around his body.
"Tsuchikage, you underestimated me," Saitama's deep voice emerged.
At the same time, Onoki's body stiffened.
Because a single hand pierced straight through his back, erupting outward from his chest area.
His defenses proved completely useless.
"There's a price to pay for carelessness... your life."
Electricity exploded once again from the arm that pierced Onoki.
"Huh..."
The wrinkles on his face furrowed deeply; Onoki felt his entire body's strength draining away, limbs gradually turning cold.
Glimmers flickered deep inside his eye sockets. Many things crossed his mind before ultimately settling on a faint smile.
Whoosh—
Saitama pulled his arm out, letting Onoki plummet toward the ground freely, while he himself gracefully descended beside Nagato.
Pfft--
Onoki exploded into the ground, leaving behind a crater shaped like a fallen body.
Saitama returned to Nagato's side, his face still frozen in the cold expression from the kill:
"Let's go. It's time to finish this. You must be just as ready as I am."
"That Tsuchikage doesn't seem completely dead yet," Nagato observed calmly.
"He doesn't matter anymore. Soon enough, that Tsuchikage will watch everything slip away before his very eyes."
Saitama knew precisely how much damage he had caused—Onoki didn't have much time left.
Thanks to the old man's stubborn vitality, he might cling to life for a few more minutes at most, but in the end, death was unavoidable.
Even if Tsunade herself arrived, she could do nothing about such injuries.
A ninja with a pierced heart—who lacked the protections of plot armor or divine intervention—had no chance of survival.
"Fine then. Didn't expect you to have such cruel tastes."
Perhaps the current favorable situation gave Nagato the mood for teasing—his tone carried slight mockery.
But this tiny emotional fluctuation vanished instantly before his voice even fully faded.
Saitama hesitated briefly, casting his gaze toward Onoki's direction.
He recalled those days relentlessly chased by Iwagakure and finally being surrounded by Danzo.
It was the unending pursuit by Iwagakure that originally brought him near death—that's why he eventually fell into crisis upon encountering Danzo.
Naturally, Saitama pinned all the blame on Onoki.
Perfectly reasonable.
With no more delays, the two dashed forward along White Zetsu's trail, heading toward the distant valley.
...
"Teacher!"
Obito flickered between mountains while cradling Minato, finally landing within a valley.
Minato's presence in Obito's arms seemed weakened, his chakra nearly drained and utterly chaotic.
Upon entering the valley, an extreme quietness settled over them—as though a ferocious beast lay hidden here, making its territory absolutely silent.
"Obito!"
In an instant, a vividly red-haired figure appeared beside Obito and took Minato into her arms.
"Minato?"
Kushina whispered his name, quickly yanking the metal rod impaling Minato's body before pressing her hands firmly against his chest wound.
Her movements looked violent, but once green light shimmered onto the wound, his injury stabilized.
"Kushina..."
Half-conscious, Minato opened his eyes and saw the familiar woman—his face showed a mix of emotions flickering across it.
"Don't speak."
A trace of red glowed within Kushina's pupils, her palm intensifying its green radiance, enhancing her healing significantly.
The wound visibly mended itself, pale skin gradually regaining color.
Tsunade approached from aside, placing her hands onto Minato's body to assist Kushina.
There were only four people there—Shizune, who'd been with them earlier, wasn't among them.
"How did things go over there?"
While continuing treatment, Tsunade asked the question to Obito who had just returned with Minato.
Because of Kushina's presence, they had avoided approaching that area too closely, so Obito—being the most mobile—was temporarily assigned as their "eyes."
"The Tsuchikage, Kazekage, and several other ninja are over there; they should be able to hold things up for a while," Obito said after thinking for a moment.
"We don't have much time left—we need to hurry. Even the Tsuchikage and Kazekage will probably struggle to resist the enemy's attack," Tsunade frowned, her hands glowing more intensely with green chakra. "We must reach them soon for backup. It's already come to the point where Kushina has no choice but to join the battle. This is our final chance. Combining the power of two Kages might give us the slightest possibility of victory."
After saying this, Tsunade looked toward Kushina and the still-pondering Obito.
"I understand."
Kushina raised her head to look into the distance, her eyebrows furrowed sharply into a V-shape.
Through her sensory abilities, she could clearly feel the aftershocks of the battle. More concerning was that the chakra signatures of allied ninja continued to fade, making her keenly aware of how dire their situation had become.
As for Obito, looking at the half-conscious Minato-sensei and Kushina beside him, he kept his thoughts to himself and remained silent.
If even someone as powerful as Minato ended up like this, it was obvious how much worse things would turn out if he himself got involved.
And Saitama, who he'd been pursuing all this time as his target, now carried himself decisively like a great boss.
"Has Jiraiya-sensei sent word back yet?"
After receiving treatment, Minato was finally able to speak normally again.
Leaning against Kushina, he slowly sat upright, his expression showing both fatigue and weakness.
"We currently can't get in touch with Jiraiya-sama, but I've already dispatched a communication ninja to contact Lord Shikaku at the rear base. We should hear news soon enough."
Obito replied softly.
Originally, their group hadn't belonged to the same unit as Jiraiya, especially since the latter appeared to have led a team of Konoha ninja away from the main force earlier to assist allied forces fighting elsewhere.
"I hope Sensei returns quickly."
Minato said solemnly, though his face remained pale.
"Huh?"
Suddenly, Kushina's expression changed slightly as she turned her gaze toward a nearby mountain peak.
"What is it, Kushina?"
Minato asked with concern, though something instinctively made him sense danger—he absentmindedly reached for his waist.
"Be careful!!"
In the next second, Kushina cried out loudly, her body suddenly bursting forth with intense chakra.
A crimson-red chakra instantly condensed into a massive tentacle, immediately forming a barrier around herself and the three others near her.
With a loud bang, the fireball struck the chakra-formed tentacle and exploded into a thousand blazing fragments, scattering like crimson petals across the sky.
"Found you at last... I hope you're still standing."
Standing high above, Saitama stared fixedly at the people below, eyes gleaming with slight excitement.
The light was blocked by him and the figure beside him, casting shadows over them due to the backlighting.
"Saitama Uchiha… and Nagato!"
Since the previous ninjutsu had not harmed any of the four, Tsunade immediately looked toward the attackers responsible.
These were familiar faces to her.
Minato shot to his feet with a swoosh, as if suddenly breaking free from his previous sluggish state and returning once again to his peak condition.
Kushina stood beside Minato, radiating waves of chakra. The ominous red chakra drifted through the air like a living fog.
Deep within her eyes burned a crimson hue filled with bloodlust, as though a massive beast loomed behind her, gathering immense pressure.
"Kushina, can I borrow some chakra?"
Without looking away from the enemies ahead, Minato quietly asked Kushina.
Their intertwined hands slowly dropped down to below their waists, and the red chakra surrounding Kushina began spreading toward Minato.
"Hiss!"
Minato slightly trembled, then all signs of fatigue and pain vanished from his eyes, leaving them bright and alert.
He only realized then that Kushina had been channeling the Nine-Tails' power all along, which seemed much more flexible than before.
Additionally, compared to earlier experiences, the tailed beast chakra entering his body now felt much gentler—it no longer recklessly damaged his body but instead functioned smoothly, almost like his own naturally produced chakra.
"Don't resist."
As Kushina's voice whispered into his ear, Minato released all defenses within his body.
The chakra flowing from Kushina not only filled every bit of emptiness inside him but also solidified into an eerie chakra cloak covering his body surface.
It felt just like a weaker version of [Sage Mode].
Minato silently sensed his body, eyes flickering with shock.
Tap-tap—
Two tentacles extended from behind Kushina, touching Obito and Tsunade. The same thing happened to Obito and Tsunade.
This red chakra cloak acted like a protective membrane enveloping them, enhancing their presence far beyond just a slight improvement.
"The Nine-Tails' chakra? It seems this jinchuriki has already mastered how to skillfully wield tailed beast power, but even so, it still won't be enough to stop us."
Saitama observed changes among the group below and quietly remarked to Nagato beside him.
"It doesn't matter. Nothing will change the outcome."
A rare smile appeared on Nagato's face as his gaze remained fixed on Kushina at the center of the crowd below.
While Kushina was channeling her chakra, Minato quickly shared the fact that Nagato was Pain's true form with those nearby.
Meanwhile, his wounds and exhaustion vanished entirely within seconds.
Once again, he reached his prime state before confronting Nagato.
"It seems the main body—Nagato—possesses a version of all Pain's abilities combined and enhanced."
Tsunade clenched her fists tightly; the diamond-shaped [Ritual Circle] on her forehead emitted a faint glow under the stimulation of chakra, beginning to spread out mysterious runes in circles across most parts of her face.
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