The closer they got, the heavier the air became.
The forest gave way to ruin. Trees flattened. Earth torn open. Fire spreading in jagged lines across the ground.
Towering in the distance. Nine massive tails lashed violently through the air, each one carving m
And standing against it. A single figure. A flash of yellow moving faster than the eye could follow.
Minato Namikaze
And still. It wasn't enough to stop the destruction completely.
But Shinji didn't stay focused there long. Because closer. Another fight was happening.
A staff cracked through the air with force enough to split stone. Earth-style walls erupted from the ground. Only to be passed through like they weren't even there.
Fire roared, Wind cut, Lightning struck. And none of it landed.
Hiruzen Sarutobi
Across from him
The masked man.
"He made it here," Shisui muttered.
Shinji's eyes narrowed. "Of course he did."
"Let's go."
They moved as one.
Hiruzen shifted mid-combat, his staff extending as he struck again forcing the masked man to phase.
But even as it passed through Hiruzen's eyes flicked to the side. He sensed them.
"Shinji! Shisui!" he called. They landed beside him instantly. Shisui spun his blade once, settling into stance. "Miss us?"
Hiruzen didn't smile. But something in his posture eased just slightly.
"You shouldn't be here," he said. "Yeah," Shinji replied. "We've been hearing that a lot tonight."
The masked man tilted his head slightly.
"You again."
Shinji stepped forward. His eye throbbed.
"I figured it out," he said quietly.
Hiruzen glanced at him. "Explain."
"He's not always intangible," Shinji said. "There's a timing to it."
Shisui added, "A really small one."
Hiruzen's eyes sharpened immediately. "Then we exploit it."
The masked man moved first. Straight for Shinji.
"Shinji!" Shisui shouted But Shinji didn't move. He watched. Waited.
Now.
He twisted The strike passed his shoulder but not completely his hand snapped forward
Impact.
The masked man staggered half a step.
Hiruzen moved instantly.
"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Bomb!"
Flames roared forward. Forcing the masked man to phase again.
"Again!" Shinji called.
Shisui vanished, reappearing behind the masked man. Blade flashing.
A clean cut. Across the back.
The masked man slid forward slightly. Not much.
But enough.
For the first time. He was being pressured.
"So that's your trick," he said calmly.
Shinji's breathing was heavier. His eye burned harder with every use.
"Don't stop!" Hiruzen ordered.
The battlefield exploded into motion.
Hiruzen unleashed a barrage of jutsu Earth, fire, wind. Not to hit. But to force reactions. To control space.
Shisui darted in and out of range, a constant threat.
And Shinji tracked and waited.
The masked man phased through an attack
Reappeared, for just a moment.
Shinji moved. A direct hit to the ribs.
The masked man staggered again. Further this time.
His head turned slightly. Now he was focused on Shinji.
"…You're the problem."
Shinji didn't respond.
But inside His vision flickered. Edges darkening.
The masked man vanished. Reappearing directly behind Hiruzen. Striking.
"Hokage-sama!" Shisui shouted.
Shinji moved.
The world slowed again. He saw it. The moment. The gap. He intercepted Grabbing the masked man's wrist mid-strike, forcing it off course. Hiruzen twisted away instantly. A counterstrike
Staff extended. Cracking across the masked man's side.
The masked man was driven back several meters.
Hiruzen glanced at Shinji. "Your eye's"
Shinji wiped blood from his face. "Yeah."
No explanation. No time.
Far behind them Kurama roared again. Even louder. The ground shook violently.
The masked man felt it. They all did.
Something was changing. His control was slipping.
He straightened slowly.
"You've interfered enough."
Shisui tightened his grip. "Not planning on stopping."
Hiruzen stepped forward.
Neither was he.
Shinji exhaled slowly. His vision blurred again. But he forced it steady.
"Then let's end this," he said.
They moved together. Hiruzen attacked first A massive fire-style jutsu forcing space to narrow. Shisui followed blade aimed precisely
The masked man phased
But Shinji was already there. A direct strike. Full force. Shisui's blade followed through. Cutting deep across the masked man's side. For the first time, a real wound.
The masked man staggered back,hand pressing against the injury. Blood.
"…Tch."
His eye shifted slightly behind the mask. Calculating.
Kurama roared again, louder than ever. Minato's chakra flared in response.
The situation had changed. "…This isn't over," the masked man said. Space began to warp around him.
Shinji stepped forward, trying to stop it. His vision collapsed for a second causing him to stiffen.
The masked man vanished.