"Rasa, looks like you're losing again this time. Even the old man Ōnoki was defeated by Namikaze Minato," Uchiha Fugaku said expressionlessly.
"Hmph!" Rasa didn't reply, just snorted coldly, manipulating his Gold Dust to surge toward Fugaku.
Fugaku formed hand seals: "Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation!"
The searing flames instantly melted all the Gold Dust.
Rasa was secretly startled. He had fought Fugaku before—how had Fugaku become so much stronger in just a short time?
If nothing else, his chakra reserves were far greater than before. To unleash such a large-scale, powerful Fire Release so casually... This level of power definitely placed him in the Kage tier.
"Damn it! Are we really going to lose again this time?" Rasa thought to himself.
Back to Namikaze Minato's side—
Ōnoki, who had just taken a direct hit to the waist from a Rasengan, could no longer even stand.
"As expected of the Yellow Flash. Kid, you've earned that title. I admit defeat... but Konoha still won't win!"
Ōnoki picked up a kunai and slashed off the section of his clothing with the Flying Thunder God seal, then, clutching his waist, staggered into the air.
Minato didn't hesitate to pursue. Now wasn't the time to sympathize with old men—if he could take down the Third Tsuchikage, this war would be over.
Just as Minato was about to grab Ōnoki, he suddenly sensed a terrifying heatwave surging from behind him.
He immediately canceled the attack and teleported to a Flying Thunder God kunai on the ground—only to discover that beside Ōnoki stood a strange man wearing a forehead protector with the symbol of Takigakure, but slashed—indicating he was a rogue ninja.
"Ōnoki's opponent this time isn't ordinary. Looks like the price you offered wasn't enough. I'll need a raise!"
"If we win this time, I'll increase your payment by 30%!" Ōnoki replied without hesitation.
"Alright! A 30% bonus and the Yellow Flash's head? I'd say this trip's worth it." The rogue Takigakure ninja turned and looked at Minato.
Although Minato didn't recognize him, the chakra radiating from this man made it obvious—he was solidly Kage-level, likely on par with Ōnoki.
"Who are you? You don't seem to be an Iwagakure shinobi," Minato asked, gripping a Flying Thunder God kunai.
The man burst out laughing. "Kids these days don't respect their elders, huh? At least know this—I'm from the same generation as your First Hokage!"
Minato clearly didn't believe him. If he really were from Hashirama's generation, he'd be in his 70s or 80s by now. The man in front of him didn't match that age at all.
"Who are you really? Why are you involving yourself in this battle?" Minato asked.
"Money, of course. Don't doubt me—I even tried to assassinate Senju Hashirama once. I wouldn't lie to a brat like you." the man replied disdainfully.
"You attempted to assassinate the First Lord Hokage?!" Minato was visibly shocked.
As a Konoha ninja, he'd grown up on legends of the First Hokage.
To think this man had once targeted him—just how strong must he be?
The pressure was mounting.
Nearby, Orochimaru—who was still entangled with the One-Tails' Jinchūriki—called out to Minato: "Minato, I know who that is. He's Kakuzu, a rogue from Takigakure. Now he works as a bounty hunter. A greedy bastard."
"Back when the First Lord Hokage fought Uchiha Madara in the Valley of the End, he was heavily wounded. After returning to Konoha for treatment, his body was greatly weakened. That's when Takigakure sent an assassin. That assassin was Kakuzu."
"How strong is he?" Minato asked quickly, still rattled by the revelation.
"Strong? I guess so. I mean, anyone who dares to go after the First can't be weak."
"But according to Lord Sarutobi, he didn't even fight the First. Apparently, he was scared off just by the First Hokage's chakra flare," Orochimaru said.
"That still counts as an assassination attempt?" Minato blinked.
"Of course it counts. The First's strength is beyond the understanding of your generation," Orochimaru licked his lips, a strange light flickering in his eyes.
Minato, now having a sense of Kakuzu's capabilities, felt a little more at ease.
Kakuzu, hearing Orochimaru dismiss him like that, scowled under his mask.
"Konoha's shinobi really are arrogant. Let me teach you kids how to respect your elders!"
He began forming hand seals to unleash a technique.
Minato wasn't about to wait—Kakuzu happened to be near one of his Flying Thunder God kunai.
Without hesitation, Minato teleported behind him and struck Kakuzu's heart with a Rasengan.
Kakuzu clearly hadn't expected Minato to be that fast. Against Flying Thunder God, he had no time to react—and lost one of his hearts before even getting a move in.
But Minato had only destroyed one heart—Kakuzu had five in total.
Which meant he'd have to be killed five times to truly defeat him.
"Kid, not bad! Your heart should suit me nicely," Kakuzu sneered, his right arm covered in Lightning Release chakra, stabbing toward Minato's chest.
Seeing how agile Kakuzu still was, with no signs of being on the verge of death, Minato was shocked and immediately teleported back.
Kakuzu missed, frowned, and said, "You're using Tobirama Senju's space-time technique, aren't you? What an annoying jutsu."
"Handle Minato for me, Kakuzu. Even if you can't kill him, just stall him," Ōnoki said, swaying as he flew off.
Ōnoki understood clearly: up to this point, Konoha had seized the initiative in this war.
Kitsuchi couldn't beat Uchiha Yuan. Ōnoki himself had lost to Minato. Rasa and Fugaku were evenly matched—but in this situation, being evenly matched wasn't enough. Chiyo and Ebizō were tied up by Uchiha clan elite jonin.
As for the regular ninjas—though the Iwa-Suna coalition had the numbers, they couldn't decide the battle's outcome.
The only chance left was the Jinchūriki.
Ōnoki planned to have them enter full Tailed Beast Mode.
A single Bijuu in full form couldn't be held back even by a Kage-level ninja. If both the One-Tails and Five-Tails transformed, there was still a chance to turn the tide.
Minato, noticing the direction Ōnoki had flown in, frowned. He realized what the Tsuchikage intended.
Konoha now held the advantage. The last thing Minato wanted was for the Tailed Beasts to be released.
"Hey, kid—what are you staring at? Lightning Release: False Darkness!"
Kakuzu struck decisively.
(To Be Continued...)