Chapter 129: The Yellow Flash's Trolley Problem
"You must be A, son of the Third Raikage of Kumogakure—the one with the intensely competitive spirit, correct?"
The almost iconic Lightning Release Armor allowed Minato Namikaze to recognize him instantly at first glance.
Lightning Release Armor—as the name clearly suggests—is an advanced taijutsu technique involving wrapping lightning-attribute chakra completely around one's body to dramatically stimulate physical activity, greatly enhancing both physical strength and movement speed. Within Kumogakure, only successive Raikage or their officially designated successors are permitted to practice this elite combat technique.
"Blonde hair, combined with an extraordinarily fast Body Flicker Technique."
A also recognized Minato Namikaze immediately, though he displayed absolutely no fear whatsoever. Instead, he appeared genuinely eager to test his abilities. "You're the Yellow Flash of Konoha, aren't you?"
He clenched his fist experimentally, slightly loosening his muscles as thunderous energy crackled audibly around it. A confident grin spread across his rugged features. "I've heard for years that Konoha's Yellow Flash possesses incredible speed. Today, I'll finally see who's faster—him or my Lightning Release Armor!"
"Kakashi, keep close watch over Obito and Rin!"
Minato immediately recognized that an intense battle was about to commence.
BOOM!
A took one heavy step forward, unleashing a tremendous torrent of concentrated power beneath his feet.
Within several meters of his position, the ground itself seemed to detonate violently. The hardened rock surface shattered and cracked extensively, with deep fissures spreading rapidly outward in all directions.
A blinding blue lightning bolt sliced through the atmosphere in a mere instant. Surrounded by explosive wind pressure, A's velocity broke through the sound barrier itself—creating sonic booms purely through physical strength alone. He charged forward dragging suffocatingly violent momentum behind him, resembling a massive tidal wave surging relentlessly inland.
Like endless ocean waves rolling and crashing, each surge higher than the last, each impact stronger than the previous!
RUMBLE!!!
So impossibly fast!
Obito's Sharingan—which had activated at some point during the confrontation—remained fixed desperately on the blue lightning-wreathed figure.
But even with his current three-tomoe development level, he couldn't properly track that figure's movement speed whatsoever. He could only barely perceive a blurred afterimage. The velocity matched Minato's Flying Thunder God Technique!
The surging lightning chakra surrounding A became intensely concentrated at the tip of his clenched fist, transforming it into something resembling the sharpest imaginable blade.
"Lariat!"
In that single instant, the surrounding atmosphere itself seemed to be violently pierced through.
Terrifying kinetic force erupted outward, causing violent air currents to surge and billowing dust clouds to rise dozens of meters high in all directions!
However, Minato Namikaze remained perfectly unhurried. His feet shifted lightly as his body drifted backward gracefully like a falling autumn leaf.
Flying Thunder God Technique!
A's devastating punch struck nothing but empty air. His expression remained unchanged as his sharp gaze instantly locked onto Minato's new position. "As expected of the legendary Yellow Flash! Your space-time technique is genuinely impressive—you actually managed to evade my attack completely!"
"Kakashi, protect Obito and Rin at all costs."
From that brief initial exchange, Minato Namikaze fully recognized how genuinely troublesome these opponents were. He drew a steadying breath before stating firmly: "Leave these two to me. This isn't a battle you're capable of interfering in!"
Kakashi understood perfectly well that combat at this extreme level was absolutely not something they could meaningfully intervene in.
But... deep within his heart, he still felt profound resentment and frustration.
He remained far too weak. If only he could be stronger—as powerful as his father had been—he wouldn't have to stand here helplessly watching from the sidelines!
Despite all his internal resentment, he could only follow orders, pulling both Obito and Rin away from the battlefield.
"Trying to run away? Nobody escapes from Killer Bee! Yeah!"
Bee noticed the three students attempting to retreat and immediately moved to give chase—only to have a tri-pronged kunai block his path directly.
CLANG!
The kunai embedded itself deeply into the ground.
Minato Namikaze stepped forward decisively, blocking both opponents alone while gripping a kunai. He stated with perfect calm: "Didn't I just tell you? Your opponent is me!"
Swish swish swish!
One kunai after another shot forth like a shower of steel rain.
But strangely, the kunai didn't appear aimed directly at either opponent—as if thrown randomly, embedding themselves throughout the nearby ground and surrounding trees.
Observing the dense formation of kunai now surrounding them, even Bee and A—despite being slightly slow to recognize the pattern—realized something was seriously wrong. "Stop him immediately!"
Lightning Release Chakra Mode fully activated, A became completely wrapped in crackling lightning. His body entered maximum enhancement as he unleashed his signature overwhelming speed once more—like a genuine lightning bolt—directly piercing through the air. His heavy fist slammed toward Minato Namikaze's face with devastating force.
Minato's gaze remained perfectly serene. He lowered his body slightly while gently tossing the kunai in his right hand upward.
Whoosh!
A's attack missed completely once again.
Minato Namikaze appeared like a ghost precisely at the spot where the thrown kunai had landed, his blonde hair fluttering gently in the breeze, his expression remaining tranquil.
A's expression shifted noticeably, genuine surprise entering his voice. "He actually dodged even my maximum speed..."
However, before he could finish articulating the word "speed," Minato Namikaze—who had been positioned several meters away mere moments ago—suddenly materialized directly behind him as if through instantaneous teleportation. He caught the previously tossed kunai mid-air and, without any hesitation whatsoever, aimed directly at A's vital point before thrusting downward with lethal precision.
"Big bro!"
Just as the kunai was about to connect fatally, Minato Namikaze sensed something critically wrong. An intense feeling of danger washed over his combat instincts.
Operating purely on refined intuition, he activated Flying Thunder God Technique again, teleporting instantaneously.
BOOM!
The precise instant he vanished, something resembling a massive octopus tentacle violently pierced through the space he'd occupied.
Standing balanced on a tree trunk, Minato stared down at the grotesque octopus tentacle covered in writhing suckers. His eyes narrowed dangerously as genuine foreboding crept into his awareness. "The Eight-Tails Jinchūriki combined with the Third Raikage's son appearing together on Konoha's border—are you actually planning to initiate war?!"
The strategic importance of a Tailed Beast Jinchūriki throughout the shinobi world was equivalent to possessing a 'nuclear weapon.'
And now, Kumogakure's 'nuclear weapon' alongside their next Raikage candidate had simultaneously appeared at Konoha's border checkpoint—undoubtedly signaling some major aggressive move by Kumogakure!
"Now that you've discovered our presence here, I absolutely cannot allow you to return alive!" The rescued A still felt genuine shock—if not for Bee's timely intervention, he would likely be dead already. While feeling furious, he also developed profound wariness regarding the 'Yellow Flash's' fearsome reputation. "This guy's speed definitely isn't ordinary Body Flicker Technique."
Unfortunately for them, while both A and Bee remained eager for combat, Minato Namikaze—having recognized the dire implications—had absolutely no intention of continuing this engagement.
The unexpected appearance of Kumogakure's Jinchūriki and future Raikage at Konoha's border represented critically urgent intelligence. He needed to relay this information back to the Hokage as rapidly as possible.
"Be extremely careful, Bee."
A glanced at the surrounding formation of kunai, immediately grasping the tactical situation before whispering his warning: "This guy's space-time technique only allows him to teleport to locations where he's placed these marked kunai."
"Gotcha, big bro! Yeah!"
Bee's body began radiating intense crimson chakra as a single tail manifested visibly, clearly indicating he'd entered partial Tailed Beast transformation. "Next, as long as we keep systematically eliminating these kunai and restricting the available space, we can predict exactly where this guy will appear!"
Minato Namikaze slowly rose from his position on the tree trunk, his gaze remaining absolutely calm. "Final warning—leave Konoha's territory immediately, or I won't show any further mercy."
"Don't act so arrogant, Yellow Flash!" A responded in a deep, authoritative voice. "We've already analyzed your space-time technique completely. You'll very soon have nowhere left to escape!"
With that declaration, A activated his Lightning Release Armor to maximum output before sprinting forward with explosive speed.
Amidst brilliant flashes of crackling lightning, his violent combat aura swept across the battlefield. His devastating fists pierced through the atmosphere itself, creating visible rippling distortions of compressed energy.
"Disappear again!"
A—constantly monitoring his surroundings with heightened perception—felt supremely confident he could instantly pinpoint Minato's location thanks to his dramatically enhanced reflexes. "Where will you materialize next?!"
Meanwhile, Bee positioned himself on all fours, his entire body now covered in crimson Tailed Beast chakra, prepared to precisely identify Minato's location the very next second.
"Is that so?"
Minato released a soft sigh that seemed genuinely regretful. "While I sincerely admire your abilities, it's unfortunate... I also carry the hopes and expectations of many people who depend on me."
Just as the atmosphere between both groups reached extreme tension—with decisive victory seemingly imminent—
Suddenly, an absolutely terrifying concentration of chakra filled with chilling oppressive pressure manifested out of thin air without any warning whatsoever.
A chakra sphere tens of meters in diameter—jet black in color and compressed to its absolute physical limit—possessed genuinely astonishing density.
"This is... a Tailed Beast Ball?!"
"A Tailed Beast Ball!?"
"Bee?! No—that's not right!"
Almost instantaneously, Bee, A, and Minato all wore identical expressions of profound shock.
Such an incredibly dense and massive Tailed Beast Ball—once detonated—could easily devastate an area covering hundreds of meters in radius!
Where the hell did this attack come from?!
But before Minato could properly process this development, he discovered a situation that filled him with absolute rage and fury.
A massive swirling water technique—carrying enough destructive power to tear through reinforced steel—was aimed directly at Kakashi and his two students, who had retreated far from the combat zone's center.
Now, an extremely real tactical dilemma presented itself before Minato:
Should he choose to relocate the Tailed Beast Ball using Flying Thunder God, or immediately go save Kakashi and his team?
If he teleported the Tailed Beast Ball away to safety, Kakashi and his students would inevitably be torn apart completely by that devastating Water Release attack. If he went to rescue them instead, once the Tailed Beast Ball detonated at this range, everyone would suffer catastrophic injuries!
[End of Chapter 129]
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