Of course, "go in hard" here didn't mean defeating Namikaze Minato…
That would just be delusional.
Kyoichi wasn't that arrogant—he had enough self-awareness to understand that just surviving in front of Namikaze Minato would already be an impressive feat!
Perhaps one day in the future, he might be able to stand toe-to-toe with the Yellow Flash and come out on top—but that day wasn't today.
One must live in the present, after all.
That said—
Even if he couldn't beat Namikaze Minato right now, that didn't mean he had to beat him.
It was worth remembering:
Minato himself might be nearly invincible, but…
His students?
They were external weaknesses—vulnerabilities he couldn't fully protect.
Kyoichi's hands flew through hand seals, preparing to cast a jutsu.
But then—
Whoosh!
A flying three-pronged kunai grazed past Kyoichi's temple, nearly cutting into his hair.
And the next moment—
Minato appeared at his side, the kunai in his hand slashing toward Kyoichi's neck.
A sharp pop echoed, and the Kyoichi who had just finished his hand seals vanished in a puff of lingering chakra smoke.
"As expected, a shadow clone!"
Minato didn't look surprised. Calmly, he raised his head and looked forward.
Kyoichi's remaining nine shadow clones were charging at him in formation, one after another.
In response—
Minato tightened his grip on the kunai, ready to strike.
But just then—
"Sensei, let me handle this!" Kakashi's voice rang out.
"Kakashi?"
Minato turned to the student who had appeared beside him.
"We agreed earlier—I wanted to test out my new jutsu... Thought I wouldn't get the chance today, but looks like the opportunity just landed in my lap. Sensei, cover me!"
From Kakashi's outstretched right palm, dazzling lightning erupted again, echoing through the forest like the cries of a thousand birds.
"…Be careful."
Minato gave his warning.
In the next instant—
Kakashi shot forward like a bolt of lightning, the roaring thunder of his jutsu dragging across the ground behind him. The rock and earth beneath his feet were torn asunder, leaving behind a deep, smoking trench. In the blink of an eye, he collided head-on with Kyoichi's clones.
The shadow clones responded with a familiar move—
"Earth Release: Rock Gun Technique!"
All nine clones opened their mouths in unison, spitting out stone bullets that grew in size with the wind.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!!
Shuriken whizzed through the air, colliding precisely with the nine lead ball-sized stone bullets.
Though the shuriken couldn't match the dense, brutal force of the stone projectiles, they were infused with crackling lightning. Upon impact, the lightning detonated—the shuriken were knocked away, but the solid rock bullets were blasted apart.
"Impressive!"
Kyoichi couldn't help but marvel.
So this was the power of the future Fourth Hokage—not just the famed Flying Thunder God technique, but his mastery over Lightning Release chakra transformation as well. Without an incredibly refined control, it would be impossible to shatter solid stone like that with such precision.
And while Kyoichi was still admiring Minato's display—
Kakashi, equally skilled in Lightning Release, had already closed in. The blinding lightning in his hand—Chidori—was a peerless weapon, effortlessly tearing through the first shadow clone in front, then the second, then the third…
Kakashi's charge was blindingly fast, and that jutsu—Chidori—was sharper than anything Kyoichi had imagined.
Under Minato's cover, Kakashi reached the frontlines of the shadow clones.
But—
The clones were too close together. The short distance left them no time to react.
Then again... there was no need to.
They were just shadow clones. Even if they were all destroyed, it meant nothing. More importantly—
Their sacrifice revealed something useful.
Kyoichi noticed something during Kakashi's charge: his movements were rigid.
No matter what the clones did, Kakashi simply thrust his lightning-charged hand forward again and again.
Granted—
With Kakashi's absurd speed, it was nearly impossible for anyone to exploit this weakness.
But Kyoichi wasn't "just anyone." He was a jōnin. And ever since awakening the Eye of God, he was no longer one of the weaker ones either.
The clone at the very back crouched low—
And drew the long blade from his waist.
The moment Kakashi closed in, the clone timed his strike perfectly and slashed upward from below. If no one interfered, it would be a clean trade: one clone for Kakashi's life.
But Kyoichi knew it wouldn't succeed.
Because—
The Yellow Flash was right there.
And sure enough—
Just as the blade tore through Kakashi's clothing and sliced into his left flank—
Minato appeared beside him in less than a blink.
One hand pressed to the ground, the other wrapped around Kakashi's torso. With a tug, he pulled his student backward.
In the next moment—
The resistance against the blade vanished, and both Minato and Kakashi disappeared from view.
If not for the smear of crimson on the blade's tip, it would've been easy to think it was all an illusion.
"So fast!!"
Even after seeing it with his own eyes, Kyoichi still felt overwhelmed by Minato's speed!
But—
Failing to kill Kakashi didn't disappoint him in the slightest.
After all, the reason he stayed behind to confront the Yellow Flash wasn't to kill his students and provoke a lifelong grudge with the future Fourth Hokage!
His goal had always been capture.
And his target?
Not Kakashi.
The moment his clones engaged Kakashi and drew Minato's attention—
The real Kyoichi, hidden underground, had silently moved beneath Uchiha Obito and Nohara Rin.
The instant Minato left their side—
Kyoichi seized the fleeting opening, burst from the earth, and reached for Rin.
Just as his pitch-black hand was about to wrap around the girl's slender, delicate neck—
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a flash of light.
His heart clenched.
Seriously?! That fast?!
The next instant—
A lightning-infused three-pronged kunai plunged toward his neck.
Clang!!
"Huh?"
Minato let out a surprised sound.
The kunai had struck Kyoichi's neck—black as forged iron—but it was like hitting solid steel. The weapon that could pierce through rock couldn't penetrate his skin.
In fact, it hadn't even left a scratch.
And because of that unexpected failure—
Nohara Rin fell right into Kyoichi's grasp.