Konoha Year 50
At the border of the Land of Hot Water, where the battle lines between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning meet, two squads encounter each other by chance.
"The blond hair… and that Body Flicker Technique… That's Konoha's Yellow Flash!"
A sensor-type ninja from Kumogakure gulps as he stares at the leader of the opposing squad.
"If it's him… Captain, we should withdraw immediately!"
He recalls a standing order and quickly advises their captain—A.
But A shows no intention of retreating. Instead, he mutters:
"So that's the man who single-handedly foiled our attempt involving the Nine-Tails…"
"A, son of the Third Raikage…" Minato narrows his eyes slightly, then warns his teammates:
"He's extremely fast. Don't interfere."
Minato pulls out over a dozen special tri-pronged kunai and scatters them around.
He can already sense A's rising battle intent. This fight is unavoidable.
A snorts, activating his Lightning Release Chakra Mode. Lightning crackles around him as he stomps forward—his figure vanishing and reappearing instantly in front of Minato.
Seeing Minato seemingly frozen, A sneers and swings a heavy punch straight at his face.
But just before the blow lands, Minato flicks a kunai—
—and vanishes.
He reappears atop a tree dozens of meters away.
In the next instant, Minato flashes again—appearing behind A, catching the kunai midair and thrusting it toward his back.
A's pupils contract. He can see the movement—but his body, fully committed to the previous attack, cannot react in time.
Slash—!
The kunai falls—
—but instead of striking A, it nearly severs a massive octopus tentacle.
Using the force of the tentacle, A propels himself away and retreats back to his squad.
"You alright, Bee?"
A looks toward Killer B, who had extended the tentacle.
Relief and concern both flicker in his eyes.
Minato's attack looked simple, but the kunai carried highly concentrated Wind Release chakra—deadly in power.
More importantly—
Wind counters Lightning.
Even with his enhanced defense, A couldn't guarantee surviving that strike unscathed.
No wonder Kumogakure had issued the humiliating order:
If you encounter the Yellow Flash during a mission—retreat immediately.
If it had been one-on-one, he would've already lost.
"I'm fine… don't worry about me…"
Killer B breathes steadily, eyes locked on Minato.
Minato's speed can decide a battle in an instant.
A refocuses, staring at Minato again.
That guy… is he the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki?
Minato, equally surprised, halts his pursuit and faces the two of them.
"Two against one… It's A and the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki. Minato, we should withdraw."
A ninja from the Inuzuka clan in Minato's squad analyzes the situation.
Both opponents are Kage-level fighters. Only Minato can match them.
There's too much uncertainty to continue.
Minato understands this as well—and is already considering retreat.
"Trying to run?"
A clenches his fist, ready to strike at any moment.
Minato is Konoha's rising star—the strongest candidate for the next Hokage.
If they kill him here, it would be a devastating blow to Konoha.
Right now—
They have the advantage.
Next time, such an opportunity might not come again.
A makes his decision.
The tension thickens.
Minato's squad senses the killing intent—this is bad.
Then—
A clear voice cuts through the air:
"Looks like I arrived just in time. Now it's two-on-two."
A figure appears beside Minato—
Wearing a Konoha forehead protector, a standard jōnin flak jacket, and the Uchiha clan crest on his sleeve.
"Ren? What are you doing here?"
Minato's face lights up with surprise.
"It's Ren!"
The Konoha squad relaxes slightly in relief.
"The Mist front has already withdrawn," Ren says with a faint smile, glancing at A and Killer B.
"So I came to support this side… and finish things quickly."
"Looks like I got lucky. If we capture these two, Kumogakure will have no choice but to surrender."
Minato freezes for a moment—then realizes the implication.
"…You're right."
The Third Raikage is dead.
A and Killer B are now Kumogakure's strongest assets.
Capture them—and the war between Lightning and Fire ends.
Then Konoha would only need to face Iwagakure.
And Ōnoki is no fool—he wouldn't fight Konoha alone.
That would mean—
The Third Great Ninja War would finally end.
"Damn it! Uchiha brat—what do you take us for?!"
A burns with rage at Ren's confident tone.
"Wait!" the sensor-type ninja suddenly shouts, sweating heavily.
"Lord A—he's Uchiha Ren! The one who dominated the Mist battlefield!"
"A nobody I've never heard of?" A frowns.
"He only joined the war after Kirigakure declared war," the sensor-type ninja explains quickly.
"But—"
"He defeated the Fourth Mizukage."
"And fought the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist—killing four and severely injuring the other three!"
"He's considered equal to the Yellow Flash!"
"They call him—"
'Konoha's Red Sun.'