"Shhk!"
"Clang—clang—clang!"
Deep within the Forest of Death, golden and crimson flashes erupted again and again.
Every collision of kunai sent sparks scattering through the air.
"Haa… haa…"
Minato Namikaze shook out his arm and gave a wry smile.
"So this pure, overwhelming strength… is what you gained recently?"
Standing on a tree opposite him, Kong smiled faintly.
"Not much time—just one day. Enough to get familiar with it, at least. But even so, concentrating chakra into a single explosive point isn't difficult anymore."
"I see…"
Minato nodded.
"In that case, I'll have to get serious as well."
Kong spread his hands helplessly.
"I was planning to grab some barbecue and leave. You're the one who insisted on this fight."
Minato shook his head slightly and pointed at the large kanji on the back of his cloak.
"As the Fourth Hokage, I still have to try and see if I can keep you here. Otherwise…"
Both of their gazes shifted toward the darkness not far away.
No greetings.
No formal appearance.
Only silent observation.
ROOT operatives—Danzō's shadows.
A pity that old fox didn't come himself. Otherwise, there might've been room for… creativity.
"Shhk!"
Golden and red figures vanished and reappeared among the trees.
With Flying Thunder God Phase Two, every kunai became a coordinate. Space-time ninjutsu revealed its terrifying speed in full.
Same technique.
Same reaction speed.
Victory was impossible.
Rasengan!
A blue sphere of violently rotating wind chakra descended from above.
Facing the oncoming Rasengan, Kong punched straight into it.
"BOOM!!"
A thunderous explosion echoed.
Minato was sent flying.
The remaining force slammed into the ground, shaking the forest as a massive crater formed.
"It's over…"
"It's over."
They spoke in unison.
Minato staggered upright and glanced at the seal on his arm, smiling as the characters shifted—
from Uzumaki Kong to Blade of Ninja Love.
Kong's seal changed at the same time.
They both laughed.
Minato limped closer and looked at Kong's fist—the one that had taken the Rasengan head-on.
The damage was already disappearing.
Completely healed in moments.
"Byakugō? No—there's no Yin Seal. That's the First Hokage's—"
Kong casually shook his hand.
"Rasengan without hand seals really is perfect for Flying Thunder God. I had no choice but to take it head-on. That said… your body shouldn't be feeling great right now either."
Minato glanced at his own injuries and smiled.
"Curse Mark of Self-Karma."
Black markings spread across Kong's body in precise patterns.
In an instant, he couldn't move.
"From the start, we both knew imprinting Flying Thunder God seals on each other wouldn't matter."
"I just didn't expect you to master the First Hokage's vitality and chakra so quickly—barely one day."
"That punch wasn't inferior to Lady Tsunade's monstrous strength."
"The Self-Karma Curse Mark was placed at the moment of contact. That's why I said it was over."
"It won't last long. If you leave now, I'll count it as my win."
Kong glanced at the black markings and chuckled.
"So that was the little trick you pulled earlier? For someone with your reaction speed, you're surprisingly cautious."
The next moment—
Despite being sealed, Kong slowly raised his arm.
Minato frowned.
"The First Hokage's power… That physical strength and recovery are absurd."
"What was he thinking…?"
Only the two of them understood the meaning behind those words.
From the moment Kong displayed that power, Minato knew its source.
What he couldn't understand was why Senju Hashirama would trade away such strength.
Red hair.
Uzumaki.
Minato was beginning to understand—and that made it even more terrifying.
"The First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, once known as the God of Shinobi…"
Kong spoke calmly as the black markings were forcibly pushed back, inch by inch.
"No one alive today truly understands how terrifying that title was."
"BOOM!!"
With a violent surge, the curse mark shattered.
Freed, Kong looked at Minato.
"The power to turn deserts into forests in an instant won't be stopped by a simple sealing technique."
"If I were more familiar with chakra nature transformations, I'd already be testing what it feels like to slap a Tailed Beast across the face."
Minato swallowed.
He knew the Nine-Tails sealed inside Kushina.
He had stood before that monster himself.
And yet—casual?
Just how far did the First Hokage's power reach?
Kong raised his hand.
Chakra rapidly spun in his palm.
Minato froze.
A Rasengan…?
Did he really learn it just by seeing it once?
"Pff!"
The chakra sphere exploded prematurely.
Kong shook his head in disappointment as his injured hand healed again.
"That release just now gave me some insight. I'm close."
"With further development, this technique has serious potential."
He lowered his hand and glanced toward the shadows.
"Tell Danzō this for me."
"If he wants to live, he should stay buried underground and never come out again."
"The next time I catch him outside, he won't be that lucky."
With those words, Kong vanished.
Red flashes flickered through the forest.
One by one, the special Flying Thunder God kunai were retrieved—
all except Minato's.
"These things are expensive…"
Leaving that behind, Kong disappeared completely.
"Sensei…"
Minato looked at the two who finally dared to approach and smiled.
"He's actually pretty easy to get along with… don't you think?"
Kidō nodded vigorously.
"Big Brother is a good person—just like the headmistress!"
Kakashi glanced at him sideways.
"Your definition of 'good person' is… surprisingly simple."
Kidō glared back.
"Having overwhelming power and not abusing it—daring to confront even Konoha's upper ranks!"
"That's what a good person is. That's what I believe!"
"Pat."
Minato placed a hand on Kakashi's shoulder, stopping him from arguing.
"Kidō's right."
"That's why I trusted him from the beginning."
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