Shua!Bang, bang, bang…
In the Forest of Death, golden and crimson light flickered in rapid succession. Each clash of kunai sent out a spray of sparks.
Huff… huff…
Namikaze Minato shook out his arm and gave a wry smile."This raw power… is this what you've gained recently?"
Perched on the opposite tree branch, Uchiha Shion laughed lightly."The time was too short. A single day is barely enough to get familiar with it. Still, even so—condensing chakra and letting it erupt like this is no problem anymore."
"Is that so?" Minato nodded slowly. "Then I'll need to show some of my own strength as well."
Shion spread his hands. "Honestly, I was planning to go eat some barbecue and be on my way. But you just had to insist on a match."
Shaking his head slightly, Minato pointed to the large character emblazoned on the back of his cloak."As the Fourth Hokage, I have to at least test if I can keep you here. Otherwise…"
Both of their gazes flicked toward the shadows nearby—watchers who had not stepped forward to greet the Hokage, but observed silently from the dark.
It was obvious: they were Root operatives, Danzō's hounds in the hidden dark of Konoha.
A pity that old vulture Danzō hadn't come in person… If he had, Shion might have found a way to deal with him directly.
Shua!
In an instant, golden and crimson afterimages flickered through the forest again. Their collisions came without warning; every kunai, under the mark of Flying Thunder God's second stage, became a coordinate. The true speed of space-time ninjutsu was on full display.
But when both fighters used the same technique, with matching reaction times, there could be no clear victor.
Rasengan!
A sphere of blue light, filled with chaotic wind-natured chakra, roared downward in an instant.
Facing the spiraling chakra ball that struck almost too fast to see, Shion drove his fist straight into it.
BOOM!!
The deafening impact sent Minato flying back. The follow-through of Shion's punch slammed into the earth, shaking the ground like an earthquake and leaving a deep crater in the soil.
"It's over…"
"It's over."
They spoke the same words at the same time. Minato staggered to his feet, glanced at the sealing formula etched on his arm, and chuckled. In that instant, the characters spelling "Uzumaki Shion" twisted into "Blade of Shinobi's Love."
On Shion's side, the same transformation occurred. Both men laughed lightly.
Limping closer, Minato looked at Shion's hand, which had struck the Rasengan head-on. The scars were already knitting shut at a visible pace—within moments, the flesh was whole again.
"Byakugō? No… you don't have the Yin Seal. This is the First Hokage's…"
Shion shook his hand casually. "Your seal-less Rasengan really is best suited to Flying Thunder God. I had no choice but to take it head-on when you unleashed it instantly. But as for you—" he smirked, "that force can't have felt too good, right?"
Minato glanced down at the bruises from the impact, then looked up with a faint smile."Karmic Binding Seal."
At his words, black curse marks spread across Shion's body in a precise pattern.
In an instant, Shion's body was bound—unable to move.
"From the very beginning of our fight, you and I both knew that trading Flying Thunder God marks was useless between us. But I didn't expect that in just a single day since yesterday, you would have already grasped the First Hokage's immense vitality and chakra. That punch… was not much weaker than Lady Tsunade's monstrous strength."
"The Karmic Binding Seal activates the moment of contact—that's why I said it was over. Its duration isn't long. So why don't you accept defeat and walk away now?"
Shion looked down at the crawling black curse marks and smiled faintly."So this was the little trick you slipped in earlier? Judging by your own reaction time, you really don't trust yourself, do you?"
The next second, despite his body being bound, Shion slowly raised his arm.
Minato frowned slightly. "The First Hokage's power? This level of physical ability, combined with that terrifying regeneration… it's truly troublesome. Just what was the First Hokage thinking?"
Their cryptic words were ones only the two of them could understand.
Ever since Shion had revealed Hashirama Senju's power, Minato understood where it came from. What he couldn't comprehend was why such terrifying strength would ever have been traded away by the First Hokage himself.
The red hair… Uzumaki…
Minato's eyes lingered on Shion's crimson locks, and suddenly the picture became a little clearer. But in that case—it was even harder to explain.
"The First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, was once called the God of Shinobi by the entire world. Anyone who didn't live in that era cannot fathom the terror of that title."
As Shion spoke, he exerted force through his arms. Inch by inch, the black curse marks were forced back.
BOOM!!
With a thunderous roar, Shion broke free of the restraints and looked squarely at Minato."The power to turn a desert into a forest in an instant—something like that can't be contained by a single sealing jutsu. Right now I haven't fully adapted to nature transformation in multiple chakra types. Otherwise, you might have gotten a taste of a Tailed Beast's full-force strike."
Minato swallowed hard. He knew well of the Nine-Tails sealed inside Kushina, and had even been to the place where it was bound. That monster… could Shion really fight one of those casually?
Just how far did the First Hokage's power reach?
Shion raised his hand slightly. In his palm, chakra quickly condensed and began to spin.
Minato froze for a moment. "That's… the Rasengan? Did you really just copy it after seeing it once?"
Pop!
The spinning chakra sphere burst apart. Shion shook his head in mild disappointment, his injured hand already regenerating once more.
"That little exchange gave me a lot of inspiration. It won't be long. With further development, this jutsu will have incredible potential."
Lowering his hand, Shion turned toward the shadows where two Root operatives were hidden."Two rats from Root—deliver a message to Danzō for me. If he wants to stay alive, he should keep hiding underground and never come out. If I catch him outside again, his luck won't save him next time."
The words had barely left his mouth before Shion vanished. Crimson flashes darted rapidly through the forest.
Within moments, every specially marked kunai he had thrown earlier was recalled—except for Minato's, which remained on the ground.
"These things are pretty expensive…"
Leaving that remark behind, Shion disappeared from the forest entirely.
…
"Sensei."
Two young figures finally dared to step forward. Minato glanced at them and smiled softly."He's actually quite easy to get along with… don't you think?"
Kabuto nodded firmly. "Big brother and the director are the same—they're good people."
Kakashi shot him a sidelong look. "You've got a pretty simple definition of a 'good person.'"
Kabuto glared back. "He has immense power but doesn't use it to bully others. He even dares to strike against Konoha's higher-ups! That's a good person. That's how I see it."
Smack.
Minato placed a hand on Kakashi's shoulder before he could retort."Kabuto is right. That's exactly why I chose to trust him back then."
…