Konoha Year 50.
Within the borders of the Land of Hot Water, at the battlefield where the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning met, two squads encountered each other unexpectedly.
"That blond hair… and that teleportation technique… it's definitely Konoha's Yellow Flash!"
A sensory-type shinobi from the Kumogakure squad stared at the leader of the opposing Konoha team and swallowed nervously.
"If it's really him… Captain, we can retreat now!"
The Kumogakure sensor recalled an order that had been passed down from the higher-ups and immediately suggested it to their squad leader, A.
However, There was no intention of retreat whatsoever in A's eyes. Instead, he said thoughtfully,
"So he's the ninja who single-handedly stopped the mission to seize the Nine-Tails…"
"A, the son of the Third Raikage…"
Across from him, Minato Namikaze's expression grew solemn. He spoke to his teammates behind him.
"His speed is extremely fast. Don't interfere."
As he spoke, Minato took out more than a dozen special three-pronged kunai from his pouch and scattered them around the battlefield.
He could sense the eager fighting spirit burning in A's eyes. This battle was inevitable.
Seeing this, A grunted and activated his Lightning Release Chakra Mode. Lightning surged around his body as thunderous chakra wrapped him in a blazing aura.
With a powerful stomp, his figure vanished—and in an instant he appeared directly in front of Minato Namikaze.
Seeing Minato standing there expressionless, seemingly unable to react, a trace of disdain flashed through A's eyes. He raised his massive fist and smashed it straight toward Minato's face.
But just as A's fist was about to touch the tip of Minato's nose—
Minato tossed the special kunai lightly in his hand.
In a flash, his figure disappeared and reappeared atop a large tree more than ten meters away.
The next instant—
Minato flashed again, appearing behind A. Catching the kunai he had just thrown, he thrust it toward A's back!
A's pupils shrank.
Although he could see Minato's movements clearly, his body was fully committed to the previous attack and he had no time to react.
Slash!
Minato's special kunai came down—nearly severing a massive octopus tentacle.
Using the tentacle's push, A evaded Minato's attack and retreated quickly to the center of the Kumogakure squad.
"You okay, B?"
A looked at Killer B, who had extended the octopus tentacle, feeling both relief and concern.
Minato's attack seemed ordinary, but in truth the kunai was imbued with highly concentrated of Wind Release chakra, giving it tremendous destructive power.
More importantly—
Wind Release countered Lightning Release.
Even though A's defense was greatly enhanced while in Lightning Release Chakra Mode, under the elemental disadvantage he couldn't guarantee he would have escaped that strike unscathed.
Minato Namikaze truly lived up to the reputation that forced Kumogakure's leadership to issue the humiliating order:
"If you encounter the Yellow Flash during a mission, you are permitted to abandon the mission immediately."
If this had been a one-on-one fight, he would already have been defeated.
"I'm fine… don't worry about me."
Killer B breathed slightly heavier as he fixed his gaze firmly on Minato, not daring to relax at all.
Minato's Flying Thunder God Technique was simply too fast.
A single instant could determine the outcome of the battle.
Hearing this, A relaxed slightly before turning his attention back to Minato.
That guy… is he the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki?
At that moment, Minato himself felt a trace of surprise. Instead of continuing the pursuit, he turned around and faced both A and Killer B in a tense standoff.
"Two against one… and with opponents like A and the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki. We should withdraw for now, Minato."
A ninja from the Inuzuka Clan in the Konoha squad analyzed the battlefield situation and voiced his suggestion.
Whether it was A or the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki, both possessed strength far beyond ordinary jōnin, reaching the level of a Kage-level shinobi.
On their side, only Minato Namikaze could fight them head-on.
No matter how powerful Minato was, there were simply too many uncertainties in this battle.
After all, they had met completely by accident—there was no need to risk their lives fighting here.
Minato Namikaze could naturally analyze the situation on the battlefield as well. He had already begun considering retreat.
"Trying to run?"
A clenched his fists, ready to strike.
Minato Namikaze was the rising star of Konohagakure in this war and a strong candidate to become the next Hokage.
If they could eliminate him here, it would be a tremendous blow to Konoha.
Right now, the odds were two against one.
The advantage was theirs.
There might never be another opportunity like this.
Even if it meant paying a certain price to keep Minato here, it would be worth it.
A's thoughts raced rapidly, and in an instant, he decided.
The atmosphere on the battlefield grew increasingly tense.
The members of the Konoha squad also sensed the killing intent radiating from A and immediately realized things were turning bad.
"Looks like I arrived just in time. Now it's two against two."
Suddenly, a clear voice echoed across the battlefield.
A figure appeared beside Minato Namikaze.
He wore a Konoha forehead protector and a standard jōnin flak jacket. On the cuff of his sleeve was embroidered the Uchiha clan crest.
"Ren, what are you doing here?"
Seeing the newcomer beside him, Minato's eyes lit up with surprise.
The young man standing there had sharp, well-defined features—arguably even more handsome than Minato himself. He was Uchiha Ren.
"Ren is here!"
When the Konoha squad recognized him, they were equally delighted and immediately felt a wave of relief.
"The Kirigakure forces have already withdrawn," Uchiha Ren explained calmly. "So I came here to provide support and help end the fighting here as soon as possible."
His gaze shifted to A and Killer B, and a faint smile appeared on his face.
"Looks like my luck is pretty good. If we capture the two of them, Kumogakure will have no choice but to surrender."
Minato froze for a moment before quickly realizing the implication.
"You're right!"
The Third Raikage of Kumogakure was already dead.
And the two standing before them—A and Killer B—were now Kumogakure's strongest remaining forces.
If they were captured, the long stalemate between the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning would finally come to an end.
Once Kumogakure surrendered, the only enemy Konoha would still face would be Iwagakure of the Land of Earth.
The Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, was a shrewd man.
He would never dare face Konoha's full might alone.
If that happened, then the Third Great Ninja War would finally come to a complete end.
"Damn it! You brat from the Uchiha clan! What do you think we are?!"
A's anger flared as he glared at Uchiha Ren's confident expression.
In his fury, he was ready to smash Ren into pulp with a single punch.
"Wait!"
The Kumogakure sensory-type shinobi suddenly noticed something terrifying. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead as he hurriedly spoke.
"Lord A… that's Uchiha Ren, the one who made a name for himself on the Kirigakure battlefield!"
"Uchiha Ren?"
A frowned slightly.
"Is he really that strong? Why have I never heard of him before?"
The sensor ninja quickly explained:
"Uchiha Ren and the rest of the Uchiha clan only joined the war after Kirigakure declared war on Konoha."
"So for now, his reputation has only spread across the Kirigakure front."
"Uchiha Ren once defeated Kirigakure's Fourth Mizukage."
"He also fought the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist alone—killing four of them and severely injuring the other three."
"Uchiha Ren is a shinobi whose fame stands alongside Konoha's Yellow Flash."
"And among Kirigakure's ninja…"
"They respectfully call him—"
"Konoha's Red Sun."