"What incredible Hardening Jutsu!!"
Minato held his Flying Thunder God Kunai tightly, his expression tense as he stared at Kyoichi, who had an arm locked tightly around Rin's neck, using the girl as a human shield in front of him. Of course, that alone wasn't enough to completely tie Minato's hands or hinder his actions.
With his speed,
rescuing a hostage wasn't a problem.
Earlier, even though his kunai hadn't pierced through Kyoichi's neck, he had still managed to leave a Flying Thunder God formula mark on him the moment it made contact. If he wished, he could teleport to Kyoichi's side at any time.
The real problem lay in Kyoichi's extremely high-level Earth Release Hardening Jutsu.
If he couldn't break through that hardened defense,
then even teleporting right next to him would be pointless.
What made things worse was—
among all the jutsu in his arsenal, there wasn't a single one he could confidently say would pierce through that advanced Hardening Jutsu. After all, even his kunai earlier had been enhanced with Lightning Release chakra nature, which should have an elemental advantage over Earth Release… and it still failed to make a dent.
He would probably need at least a B-rank or higher Lightning Release jutsu to break through it.
Come to think of it—
Kakashi's Chidori might be able to pierce that Hardening Jutsu… Looks like once he has time, he should try integrating chakra nature transformation into the Rasengan, and develop a new, more destructive jutsu!
But for now...
he needed to buy some time!
"Earth Release: Earth Spear!"
Kyoichi, holding the hostage he had just secured, chuckled lightly and said,
"Even in Iwagakure, this counts as one of the highest-grade Earth Release hardening techniques. Without an equally high-level Lightning Release jutsu... there's no way you'll be able to break through my Earth Spear!"
"Bastard! Let Rin go!!"
At that moment,
Obito finally snapped back to his senses and shouted in rage. If Minato hadn't been quick to grab him by the collar, he would've already charged forward, serving himself up on a silver platter.
"Rin? What a cute name."
Far from releasing the girl, Kyoichi only tightened his grip around her neck like a steel vise, choking Rin into unconsciousness to stop her from struggling further.
"If you want me to let her go, it's simple—Yellow Flash, help me rescue my clansmen who are trapped in Iwagakure… and I'll return Rin to you in one piece!"
"Oh, and of course, the previous deal to destroy Kannabi Bridge still stands!"
Having said that,
Kyoichi fell silent, waiting for their response.
At the same time, he mentally prepared himself for the Yellow Flash's sudden assault. His heart was a bit more composed now—at this point, Minato's strongest offensive jutsu should be the base version of the Rasengan…
Though Rasengan is ranked as A-rank, without chakra nature transformation, it likely can't break his Earth Spear…
Otherwise,
Minato would've already blasted him with a Rasengan instead of just standing there.
"Sensei!!"
Obito turned to look at Minato, visibly agitated.
But just as he was about to speak—
"To complete the mission… even sacrificing comrades is something we must do without hesitation… That is the rule of a shinobi."
Kakashi, who was bandaging himself, said in a cold, detached voice, devoid of any trace of empathy.
"Sensei, we still have a mission to carry out. If we fail, this war will continue—and even more people will die in the future…"
"Kakashi, what the hell are you saying?! Do you even hear yourself right now?"
Obito, like an enraged bull, glared at Kakashi with disbelief.
"I hear myself clearly."
Kakashi replied calmly.
"I'm saying—we continue the mission."
"And what about Rin?! What happens to her?!"
"That Iwagakure shinobi is using Rin to force Sensei's hand, so he definitely won't hurt her. If he does, he loses his leverage…
So for now, she's safe in his hands. We'll rescue her after the mission is done."
"That's just your assumption! He just killed one of his own comrades without hesitation, and you still think he won't harm Rin?! The mission doesn't matter—what's important now is saving Rin!!"
Kyoichi looked at the two arguing as if he wasn't even there,
and for a moment—
he was confused.
Were these two seriously not treating him like a threat at all…?
Was it because the Yellow Flash was standing beside them?
Well, yeah, with Minato here, he really didn't have the confidence to try the same hostage trick twice.
"Hey, Uchiha brat! Let's work together! If you can convince your teacher to help me save my clan, I'll help you destroy Kannabi Bridge and give your friend back safely!"
Kyoichi added fuel to the fire.
And sure enough—
The very next second,
the lovestruck, idealistic boy with his head full of white moonlight turned away from his annoying rival and looked at Minato with pleading eyes.
But then—
"...Hoo."
The previously silent Minato, who had been ignoring the argument between Kakashi and Obito, slowly let out a breath and murmured:
"The timing's just about right."
As his words fell,
they saw—
The corners of his eyes suddenly gained two streaks of orange pigment.
His sky-blue irises turned golden, with horizontal pupils like a toad's.
In that moment, his aura shifted—vast, distant, as if he had become one with the sprawling forest around them.
"Shit!"
Kyoichi's pupils contracted sharply, and he couldn't help but curse aloud in panic.
He wanted to punch himself—
How could he forget that Minato had access to Sage Mode?!
With Sage chakra infused, his Earth Spear might not hold up under Minato's attack!
And then—
"Sage Art: Rasengan!!!"
Silently, Minato appeared behind Kyoichi.
In his right hand, a dense chakra sphere spun furiously—
and slammed down hard on Kyoichi's left shoulder.
"Boom!!"
Kyoichi staggered from the blow.
His arm, which had been gripping Rin's neck, went numb and instinctively let go, allowing Rin to fall out of his grasp. The very next second, before Kyoichi could recover and reassert control, he saw Minato catch Rin before she hit the ground.
In the blink of an eye,
master and student reappeared beside Kakashi and Obito.
"Rin!!"
Obito cried out in joy.
"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Concealment Technique!"
Enduring the dull ache in his left shoulder,
Kyoichi dove headfirst into the ground, burrowing like a frantic mole.
Just as he disappeared underground, Minato reappeared at the exact spot he had been standing and slammed a Sage-enhanced Rasengan into the earth with tremendous force.