The murderous intent in Minato's eyes was palpable, a chilling aura that froze the air around him. Even A and Killer B, two of the most battle-hardened shinobi in the ninja world, felt their confidence waver as they locked eyes with him. For the first time in years, they hesitated.
"Ah…"
A scream broke the tension. A Cloud Ninja standing to Minato's left had caught the full force of his gaze and couldn't suppress the terror bubbling within him. His scream was cut short in an instant.
A flash of yellow light streaked through the air. By the time anyone realized what had happened, the ninja's life was already gone. A thin, precise cut marred his neck, and blood trickled down slowly, staining the earth beneath him. The body slumped into a growing pool of crimson.
"Namikaze Minato!"
A's voice thundered across the battlefield. His eyes burned with fury—not just at the deaths of his comrades but at the sheer audacity of Minato's actions. He wasn't holding back, wasn't showing any restraint.
Swish!
A and Killer B sprang into motion, moving like twin storms of destruction through their ranks. The air around them crackled with energy, their combined chakra surges sending waves of pressure across the battlefield.
"Heavy Flow!"
"Thunderbolt Slash!"
The two unleashed their signature attacks as they charged at Minato, who stood resolute among the Cloud Ninja. A's Lightning Release armor flared violently, its energy tearing apart the ground as he closed in. Killer B's tailed beast coat had receded slightly but had become denser, its form sharpening like a blade honed for war.
Yet despite their rage, Minato's eyes held something far more potent—an unrelenting storm of his own. Their betrayal of Konoha's alliance, their willingness to sacrifice his comrades for strategic gain… it all ignited a fire within him.
"You've hurt my comrades. I won't forgive that," Minato whispered, his voice like steel.
"Flash of Light!"
Minato disappeared in a golden blur, his speed amplifying with every movement. The chakra he had expended earlier against the Fourth Kazekage had already been replenished, his reserves bolstered by the latent power of the Nine-Tails sealed within him.
Swish!
In an instant, Minato reappeared between two Cloud Ninjas standing close together. They didn't even have time to process his presence before his hands gripped their shoulders tightly.
"Shhh…"
The next moment, violent streaks of lightning and rainbow light descended upon him. A and Killer B's combined attacks arrived with the force of a hurricane, intending to crush him entirely.
But Minato had planned for this.
He used the two Cloud Ninja as shields, holding their limp bodies like ragdolls to absorb the incoming strikes. Their armor was useless against the force of their comrades' attacks. Seeing this, A and Killer B had no choice but to halt their assault mid-motion, slowing just enough to avoid harming their own men further.
Minato took full advantage of their hesitation. In the blink of an eye, he and the two Cloud Ninja disappeared.
Puff!
They reappeared several meters behind A and Killer B, at the location of a pre-placed three-pronged kunai. Minato stood silently, his face devoid of emotion as his kunai swept cleanly across the throats of the two Cloud Ninja. Bright blood spurted into the air before they collapsed at his feet, lifeless.
A and Killer B turned, rage and disbelief contorting their faces. In mere moments, Minato had claimed two more lives.
"Scatter! Stay away from his kunai!" A roared, his voice shaking with frustration. He might have been consumed by anger, but he wasn't foolish enough to ignore the danger.
But Minato was far from done.
He sneered, the sound sharp and mocking, as he grabbed the two corpses lying in front of him and hurled them with force into the ranks of the Cloud Ninja.
Bang!
The bodies collided with the startled soldiers, who instinctively reached out to catch them.
"You're dead!" A bellowed, his voice feral as he surged forward alongside Killer B. The remaining Cloud Ninja heeded his command and began retreating, keeping a wary distance from Minato's kunai.
Minato's lips curled into a grim smile. "Really?"
He vanished again, moving faster than the eye could track. A and Killer B reached his previous location only to find it empty.
Swish!
The sound of kunai striking echoed faintly. Minato reappeared behind another Cloud Ninja, his blade cutting cleanly through the man's chest. The ninja fell forward, collapsing atop the corpse he had been holding.
"Impossible!" A growled, his teeth grinding audibly. "How can he move this freely?"
Killer B, ever perceptive, narrowed his eyes. "It's the corpses. He's marked them for his Flying Thunder God Technique."
Even as the realization dawned, it was too late.
Crack!
Minato's bloodstained kunai found its mark again, slashing across the throat of another ninja. Within moments, six elite Cloud Ninja lay dead. The ground was slick with blood, and the air filled with the metallic scent of death.
Chaos consumed the battlefield. The remaining Cloud Ninja broke ranks, fleeing in every direction. Fear had overtaken them, and in their eyes, Minato wasn't just a man—he was a demon cloaked in golden light.
"How can this be happening?!"
From a distance, C, the commander of the Cloud Ninja forces, watched in horror. His pupils constricted as his mind struggled to comprehend the massacre unfolding before him.
Bang!
A sudden shockwave snapped him back to the present. Sakumo Hatake's chakra blade descended upon him like a thunderous hammer, forcing him into a defensive stance.
C crossed his arms, blocking the blow, but the sheer force sent him skidding backward. His feet gouged deep trenches in the earth before he managed to steady himself, the ground beneath him fracturing from the impact.
When the dust settled, C's eyes darted to Minato. Even from this distance, he could feel the weight of the younger man's murderous intent.
Sakumo, standing across from him, clenched his jaw. He had fought beside Minato for years, understood his brilliance and resolve. But the aura Minato exuded now was something else entirely.
"This… this isn't like him," Sakumo thought, gripping the kunai Minato had given him in preparation for what came next.
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