Namikaze Minato's brows were tightly furrowed.
Yes.
Even without clashing directly, he already understood clearly.
Right now, he was no match for the Third Raikage.
There was nothing he could do.
His strongest technique was, without a doubt, the Rasengan.
But clearly… It couldn't pierce the Raikage's defense.
On the other hand, if the Third Raikage's Hell Stab were to land squarely, Minato knew it would kill him instantly.
Sure, he had the Flying Thunder God Technique, and he excelled at fūinjutsu.
But that was useless here.
At best, he could stall, force the Raikage to burn chakra—but beyond that, he had no decisive power.
Yes, he also knew senjutsu.
But his Sage Mode was crude, and even if he did manage to enter it, it wouldn't last long.
Most importantly—
Even with Sage Mode, he doubted a Sage Art: Rasengan could do more than barely scratch the Third Raikage's defense.
This wasn't the Minato of the Fourth Great Ninja War, revived with half the Nine Tails' chakra.
This was the Minato of the Third War era.
So naturally, facing such an enemy, he glanced toward Uchiha Kai.
"I can't say for certain," Kai shrugged. "Only real combat will tell. But one thing I am sure of—he can't kill me. Most likely… it'll end in a draw."
And he wasn't bragging.
Right now, Kai possessed the Three Colors of Haki. With Tekkai from Rokushiki layered atop Armament Haki, he refused to believe the Raikage's Hell Stab could break through his defenses.
And when it came to offense, he wasn't lacking either.
His so-called "meager" rewards from the system—Haki and Rokushiki—were, in truth, the pinnacle powers of the pirate world.
Sure, in One Piece they looked "common," as if everyone could do them later on.
But mastered together, refined with the variations developed by top fighters, they rivaled Devil Fruit users without fear.
Add to that the Mangekyō Sharingan—if he were willing to burn out his eyes, Kai was confident he could even kill the Third Raikage.
But until they truly crossed blows, he wouldn't make such a claim.
"I see," Minato nodded firmly. "Then it's fine. If you can't be defeated, we don't need to wait any longer.
Battle!"
Without a moment's hesitation, he flicked a Flying Thunder God kunai into the air.
With a casual toss, it spun and landed behind the Raikage.
And in the blink of an eye—
Minato vanished.
The next instant, he was at the Raikage's back, kunai in hand.
Rasengan!
No wasted words—just a sphere of chakra slammed into the Raikage's spine.
Boom!
The Raikage staggered forward a few meters under the blast.
But that was all.
The mighty jutsu barely tickled him.
With a disdainful snort, the Raikage whirled, three fingers extended—his Hell Stab lancing toward Minato.
But he couldn't hit.
Minato might not pierce his armor, but with Flying Thunder God, the Raikage would never land a solid strike either.
The two clashed instantly.
Watching Minato dive into battle, while countless other shinobi swarmed the Raikage below, Kai was left completely dazed.
Who am I? Where am I? What was I supposed to be doing?
He stood frozen, dumbstruck.
Weren't they supposed to play dirty?
Weren't they supposed to wait until the Raikage was drained, then swoop in from behind as the "fisherman's profit"?
So why…
Why had Minato charged straight in?
Of course, Kai wasn't stupid.
His initial shock faded, and the truth dawned on him.
Minato was too righteous.
He surely understood Hiruzen's scheme—hold him back, let Konoha's troops bleed, then have Minato land the final blow for the glory of killing the Raikage.
That one kill would make Minato's reputation soar.
Enough to eclipse Orochimaru and even the suddenly rising Uchiha, paving the way for him to be named the Fourth Hokage without contest.
But Minato couldn't stomach it.
Every second of delay meant more shinobi dying—many enemy Hidden Stone Village, but plenty of Konoha too.
He couldn't stand by, let them pile into a mountain of corpses, just so he could swoop in for credit.
That wasn't Minato.
Yes, some would call him naive.
But that was exactly why, even as a civilian-born shinobi, so many would follow him wholeheartedly.
"Ah…" Kai sighed, head aching.
He had already prepared to play scavenger.
Now Minato's move left him awkwardly stranded.
Should he charge in too?
His brain spun furiously.
A moment later, he decided.
Fine.
He'd been cautious ever since arriving in this world. Not once had he acted on impulse.
For Minato—the one shinobi he truly respected—he would allow himself this once.
He leapt down from the trees.
With a few swift steps, he landed on the battlefield, voice ringing out:
"All of you, fall back!
Anyone below Jounin—retreat twenty kilometers at once!
Minato-nii-san, you too—step back.
Leave this to me!"
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