"Idiot! Stop!!!"
Seeing his subordinate's move, the Third Raikage's expression changed instantly.
He thrust out his hand, instinctively using the Four-Finger Spear Hand, not at Minato, but at the blade slicing toward the ninja's neck from behind.
Clang!
The Third Raikage clamped down on the blade aimed at Minato, a bead of cold sweat forming on his temple.
He stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Minato, close enough to clearly see the faint smirk playing on the young man's lips.
For some reason, he had a premonition that if that blade had struck, not a single soul present would have survived.
As a ninja, especially as the Kage of a village, he was acutely sensitive to the aura of impending death.
"Lord Raikage?"
The Jonin looked at him in confusion, surprised by the interruption.
"Get lost, you idiot!"
Seeing the foolish face, the Third Raikage erupted in fury and kicked the man flying.
Then, he turned to Namikaze Minato. "State your terms, boy. What do you want?"
"What do I want? Isn't Kumogakure been targeting me all along?"
Minato chuckled. "Lord Raikage should know perfectly well what happened to the last person who tried this, shouldn't he?"
The Third Raikage's expression darkened.
He was well aware that one Kazekage was dead and the Tsuchikage injured. As a long-time rival, he had initially mocked Ōnoki for losing face and being so badly beaten by a mere youth.
But as the tides turned, it was now his turn to face the consequences.
He wasn't afraid of death itself, but of Minato running rampant through Kumogakure. While the Raikage was fast, he couldn't match the instantaneous teleportation of the Flying Thunder God Technique.
According to Kumogakure's intelligence, Minato had defeated the Kazekage and Tsuchikage through an absolute speed that neither could react to.
Though confident in his own speed, the Third Raikage knew he couldn't replicate Minato's feat of rendering two Kage-level experts utterly helpless and at his mercy. This was why he had chosen to ambush Minato with the Amber Purifying Jar.
If Minato's speed surpassed his own, it meant his opponent's reaction time was also superior.
While Kumogakure possessed several Six Paths Ninja Tools, only the Amber Purifying Jar posed a direct threat to Minato.
The remaining trio—the Golden Binding Rope, Seven-Star Sword, and Crimson Gourd—all had the ability to absorb targets, but required direct contact. Given Minato's speed, they likely couldn't pose a significant threat.
"Everyone, stand down!"
The Third Raikage raised his hand and spoke in a deep voice, "It seems we can't resolve this peacefully today."
Minato remained silent. He lifted the lid of the Amber Purifying Jar and released a clone. In an instant, the clone used the Flying Thunder God Technique to snatch the jar away.
The Third Raikage didn't try to stop him. With the Flying Thunder God Technique, there was nothing they could do to keep Minato from taking whatever he wanted.
The only way to threaten Minato now was to seize him the moment he attacked.
After that... it would be a race to see who could kill the other first.
With his Lightning Release Armor, hailed as the ultimate defense, the Third Raikage was confident he could out-clash this brash young man.
Still, if Minato escaped, Kumogakure would face dire consequences!
"Kid, dare you fight me head-on?" the Third Raikage challenged, his voice resonating with authority. "Use whatever Ninjutsu you want—even the Flying Thunder God Technique. Everyone here can bear witness. If you defeat me in a direct confrontation, you can name any terms you want. But if you use the Flying Thunder God Technique to escape, all past grievances will be wiped clean. What do you say?"
"Oh?"
A hint of amusement flickered in Minato's eyes. "I can agree, but how can I guarantee your subordinates will keep their word?" the Third Raikage asked solemnly. "Besides, if even I can't defeat you, what's to stop you from doing whatever you want once everyone else is out of the way?"
"A valid point," Minato nodded. He turned and walked several meters away, seemingly unconcerned about a backstab.
After a moment, he calmly turned back, forming the Confrontation Seal. "Shall we begin?"
The Third Raikage silently reciprocated the seal, his heart growing heavier.
Minato's composure was unnerving.
This indicated that he wasn't solely reliant on the Flying Thunder God Technique; he also possessed formidable direct combat capabilities.
Wood Release?
He knew Minato had used Wood Release to annihilate a Sunagakure frontline unit. However, wood couldn't pose a significant threat to him.
Ninjutsu required hand seals and chakra manipulation. Even if trees grew rapidly, they couldn't match the speed of his Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
If he can't hit me, no technique, no matter how powerful, will matter!
What he feared more was the unprecedented Light Release—
After a brief silence, the Third Raikage's body suddenly erupted with a heart-stopping aura, his chakra surging forth in a torrent.
"Lightning Release Chakra Mode, huh—"
Minato's expression turned serious. He wanted to gauge his current strength without relying on the Glint-Glint Fruit.
After all, this posed no real threat to him. Testing his abilities against the Third Raikage, a master of close-quarters combat, was the perfect way to do it.
With that thought, Minato slowly raised his hand.
"You won't get to form hand seals!"
Whoosh—
A deafening sonic boom erupted as the Third Raikage transformed into a streak of lightning, instantly charging at Minato and thrusting four fingers toward his forehead.
Hell Stab: Four-Finger Spear!
This was the Third Raikage's signature Ninjutsu, hailed as the ultimate spear.
Along with the Lightning Release Armor, it was known as the ultimate spear and the ultimate shield.
Just as the ultimate spear was about to strike, Minato seemed to shift sideways by a meter as if he had simply moved horizontally.
With his current physique and natural talent for the Instantaneous Body Technique, even without the Glint-Glint Fruit, his speed was no less than the Third Raikage's.
What an incredibly fast Instantaneous Body Technique!
Catching a glimpse of Minato's movement, the Third Raikage's eyes narrowed.
Seeing how effortlessly the kid was moving, it was likely this wasn't his full speed.
But thankfully, it wasn't the Third Raikage's full speed either!
Carried by inertia, the Third Raikage charged forward for over ten meters before abruptly turning and lunging back toward Minato, the ground beneath his feet cracking and crumbling under the force.
"Three-Finger Spear Hand!"
Minato clapped his hands together. "Wood Release: Impaling Technique!"
Thud, thud, thud—
Wood spikes erupted from the ground, piercing upward at a forty-five-degree angle toward the Third Raikage.
Yet the Third Raikage seemed to ignore them. His Chakra grew increasingly agitated, his light-gold hair standing on end and lifting his forehead protector. Lightning crackled around his body as he charged straight at Minato.
Boom!
The razor-sharp wood spikes had just grazed the Third Raikage when they shattered into a shower of splinters from the sheer force of his momentum.
So durable, huh?
Seeing the Three-Finger Spear Hand charging toward him, Minato was slightly surprised, but he calmly clenched his fist.
"It's here! Lord Raikage's Lightning Release Armor!"
The Kumogakure ninja watching from nearby erupted in excitement.
"Go, Lord Raikage!"
"Go, Dad!"
Among the crowd, a dark-skinned youth with pale gold hair, strikingly similar to the Third Raikage, pumped his fist in the air. "Hmph, that Konoha brat doesn't dare face him head-on!"
Thud!
As the words left his mouth, a figure soared into the air!
Under the stunned gazes of the Kumogakure ninja, the Third Raikage's body traced a graceful parabolic arc across the sky before crashing heavily onto the distant ground.
"Phew!"
Minato stepped into a lunge, maintaining his uppercut stance, and casually blew the heat from his fist.
"What a hit—ack!"
Seemingly to prevent his subordinates' morale from collapsing, the Third Raikage scrambled to his feet despite his dazed state, slurring his words as a bloodied tooth flew from his mouth.
How could he block my side-step at that speed and counter with an uppercut to the jaw?
What kind of monster is this kid?
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