When the Purple Gold Gourd released its immense suction force, Minato Namikaze immediately sensed that something was wrong.
He simply couldn't figure out where the mistake had occurred.
Moments from their battle flashed through his mind at lightning speed.
Minato was certain the issue began during his last exchange with Kirito.
Kirito had swung the Seven Star Sword at him, but Minato had dodged perfectly.
Yet he distinctly remembered a brief discomfort the instant the blade grazed past his face.
The sword had never touched him—yet something had.
But when Minato immediately checked himself afterward, there were no cuts.
Moments later Kirito pulled out the Purple Gold Gourd, and Minato had been wary of it from the beginning.
He had even repositioned himself discreetly multiple times so the gourd opening would never directly face him.
Finally Kirito taunted him. And although Minato had gotten angry, he had definitely not lost his composure.
So where did it go wrong?
Minato had no answer.
But Kirito knew.
The Seven Star Sword had severed Minato's "word-spirit"—the catchphrase recorded deepest in his subconscious.
And Minato's most repeated word was naturally Kushina.
They'd met in the Academy, fallen in love, and spent more than a decade together. Of course Minato said her name constantly.
That was why the Seven Star Sword displayed Kushina.
And Kirito had purposely provoked him earlier, guiding his emotions and pushing him to utter Kushina's name.
Once Minato said it—
The Purple Gold Gourd activated.
And now the suction force was beyond terrifying.
Although Minato didn't understand why, he knew being pulled into the gourd would be disastrous.
He immediately tried to escape.
"Flying Thunder God!"
Throughout the entire fight, Minato had scattered dozens of Flying Thunder God markers around the forest. He always did this subconsciously whenever he fought.
He attempted to teleport to one of those locations.
But to his shock—
the moment his space-time jutsu activated—
the gourd's suction suddenly intensified.
It dragged him back violently, pulling him step by step toward the gourd's mouth.
Kirito was instantly reminded of Obito's first fight with Minato, when Obito tried to suck Minato into Kamui.
But—
Kamui was just a space-time jutsu.
The Purple Gold Gourd carried the power of the Six Paths.
How could Minato resist?
The suction was like being caught in a cosmic whirlpool, twisting the space around him.
His body felt like it was fighting against an impossible current, pulled toward the vortex.
Finally, when the gourd fully absorbed him, Kirito quickly sealed the lid.
He stared at the gourd in silence.
A moment later—
"Pfft!"
Kirito spat out a mouthful of stale blood and collapsed on the ground.
He lay spread-eagled, sweat drenching his face, completely exhausted and nearly unconscious.
The battle had terrified him.
If he hadn't remembered at the last second that he had the five sacred ninja tools, Minato would've broken his limbs and dragged him back as a prisoner.
But thankfully, it was over.
His first real battle in the Naruto World left him both thrilled and utterly drained.
His eyelids were heavy. His body throbbed with pain. He didn't want to move at all.
He climbed a nearby large tree, shrunk his ninja tools back into his pouch, leaned against a branch, and instantly knocked out.
The next day, Kirito only woke up when sunlight hit his face.
His body still ached severely from Minato's Rasengan and the violent clashes.
He sat up slowly. It was already noon.
He forced himself to catch two rabbits from the forest and roasted them to eat.
Then he returned to refining Chakra.
Yesterday's battle had given him immense benefits.
His Five Elements Release Techniques had skyrocketed.
[Metal Release: 13.5%]
[Wood Release: 12.9%]
[Fire Release: 13.9%]
[Water Release: 12.1%]
[Earth Release: 30.7%]
Kirito tested Fire Release.
A fireball over a meter wide detonated instantly from his mouth.
Basically the Uchiha Great Fireball.
And he wasn't even at 15% proficiency yet.
If he ever reached 100%…
Would it become a Great Fireball seven meters wide?
Or something even stronger?
Water Release showed similar insane growth.
Earth Release was his highest.
But its improvement wasn't visually flashy—because it was instant movement.
Before, he could teleport 5–10 meters in 0.1 seconds.
Now it felt like 0.098 seconds… or maybe faster.
Tiny changes—but they mattered.
Compared to the Flying Thunder God, he might have closed the gap slightly. But if they started from the same point, Minato was still ahead.
After all, even the Fourth Raikage, after perfecting his Lightning Armor for over a decade, couldn't surpass Flying Thunder God in linear speed.
Kirito knew he needed more time.
Still, he was satisfied.
He sat down to cultivate again.
But four hours later, he opened his eyes helplessly.
Either from mental fatigue after yesterday's intensity, or simply boredom—
Even though his Chakra was refining ten times faster than normal, the progress of his Five Elements Release Techniques was painfully slow.
To level up quickly, he needed:
—real combat against strong enemies
—or practicing high-level ninjutsu
Only B-rank, A-rank, and S-rank jutsu could push him significantly.
He glanced at his ninja tool pouch.
Inside, the Purple Gold Gourd lay quietly.
But Minato Namikaze inside it was not quiet at all.
When he was first sucked in, Minato analyzed his surroundings.
The interior was like a dark cavern.
The walls were sealed on all sides, and black corrosive smoke swirled endlessly.
Minato tried to disperse it with ninjutsu—any element, any strength.
Nothing worked.
After an hour, he felt the corrosive effect increasing.
If he stayed too long, he would be dissolved alive.
He needed to escape.
He tried everything.
He bombarded the walls with ninjutsu over and over.
Rasengan of all sizes.
Wind Release.
Earth Release.
Water Release.
Fire Release.
Lightning Release.
None even scratched the inside of the gourd.
Then he tried focused attacks.
He pulled out a Flying Thunder God kunai and repeatedly stabbed a single point.
He attacked it over a thousand times.
He broke dozens of kunai.
Not even a crack appeared.
Finally, exhausted, Minato collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily.
He understood.
The inside of this gourd—
was a barrier technique that could not be broken by anything.
He had no way out.
Only one end awaited him:
To be slowly corroded…
and die inside.
End of the chapter.