They were the definition of 'one man army.' Minato and Takeshi guarded the northern route, a stubborn wall preventing Kumogakure from gaining so much as an inch. Faced with this deadlock, the Kumo ninja were forced to change tactics: they began working directly with the Kirigakure forces.
This was a full-blown collaboration.
The combination of Lightning Release and Water Release proved to be a potent boost, significantly reducing the effectiveness of Konoha's defensive strategies. It also made the Third Raikage's ultimate plan clear: bypass Minato and Takeshi and wage guerrilla warfare using the Kirigakure ninja as guides.
It was a profoundly troublesome tactic.
The Kumo ninja had no need to navigate the mist, they simply followed the Kiri forces, using their Lightning Release to amplify the Water Release techniques unleashed around them. Aside from the Hozuki clan, who likely found the enhancement unnecessary or disruptive, everyone else seemed happy to finally have a way to fight effectively in the dense fog.
Minato was conflicted.
He wanted to shift forces, to support other fronts, but if he left the north, the entire line would collapse. Besides their Flying Thunder God combination, who else could possibly hold off the Third Raikage? Once the Raikage was free to move, the strategic situation would become truly dire.
"This is too passive."
"Meow?"
"..."
Minato sighed deeply.
Passive? What else could they do? Charge in? Two against the entire Kumogakure army wasn't how the Flying Thunder God was meant to be used, that was plain suicide.
Still, they hadn't been idle these past few days.
Originally, the Kumogakure main camp had been near the coast to the south. Now, they'd been pushed far inland, deep into the Land of Lightning. Minato and Takeshi had truly cornered the Third Raikage here.
"Meow~ If we could just get our hands on either the Two-Tails, or maybe one of Ay or Bee... Grabbing any of them feels like it would secure our victory." Takeshi said, his voice low as he lay sprawled on the hilltop.
Far below, the coast served as Kumogakure's temporary port. From their vantage point, they could observe the Kumo ninja's daily movements. They'd been observing the site since discovering it yesterday, but finding a way to attack was proving difficult.
Simply harassing them, as they had been doing, left Konoha at a disadvantage. They were fighting a two-on-one scenario across long battle lines. If this dragged on, Konoha would eventually face a four-village alliance. The village's resources would be drained. Even if they won, it would be a pyrrhic victory.
"The Two-Tails? Ay or Bee?" Minato glanced at Takeshi, then fell silent.
The easiest target among the three was probably the cheerful young man who loved to rap, Killer Bee. But he was inseparable from Ay, like brothers. Taking him would mean taking them both on.
The Two-Tails Jinchuriki, though... that was worth considering.
Minato recalled seeing her that day, the Jinchuriki was just a little girl, barely over ten, who didn't seem to have full control over her tailed beast's power. She was the easiest target
Moreover, with Minato's trick of handling Jinchuriki. While he couldn't perform the Uzumaki clan's bloodline-specific sealing techniques, he had mastered others. Given the opportunity, capturing a young Jinchuriki who couldn't fully control her beast was entirely feasible. The only obstacle, a crucial one, was holding back the Third Raikage.
That was crucial.
"I'll handle Yugito, but what about the Raikage and other Jonin's nearby?"
Minato felt a flush on his face. As a Sensei, he should be bravely shouldering the hardest problems, bearing the greatest burdens.
But he had a clear understanding of his own limits.
After days of skirmishes, Takeshi, Minato, and the Third Raikage knew each other's capabilities intimately. Everyone knew each other's speed and defense. Minato knew that he couldn't beat the Third Raikage.
"Meow~ I'll figure something out." Seeing Takeshi readily agree, Minato felt a fresh wave of internal conflict. It is hard to feel like a Sensei right now. He felt a complete lack of authority, of being the one in charge, of the dignified elder he should be.
"What's your plan?"
"Meow~ I'll build up Senjutsu chakra with two Shadow Clones, prepare a stronger version of the Rasenshuriken, and then you take the chance to capture Yugito... Be careful, you'll likely get hurt." Takeshi explained simply.
"Could it be...?" Minato quickly grasped what Takeshi meant by a 'stronger version' of the Rasenshuriken. 'He meant using something even larger than the Great Ball Rasengan as the base, then adding the Wind Release nature transformation... the Ultra-Big Ball Rasenshuriken.' 'This specific variation wasn't difficult to create, it just required sufficient large amount of chakra along with being in Sage Mode.'
Then, he created two Shadow Clones. In the next moment, he produced three packets of special cat food, and the clones immediately began devouring them.
Minato, on the side, had complicated feelings. 'According to Takeshi's plan, I just needed to capture Yugito amidst the chaos, then rejoin Takeshi here.'
But of course, that was easier said than done. The execution probably wouldn't be so simple. The more powerful the ninjutsu, the more preparation time it required.
The exact impact of such a jutsu remained uncertain. Its deterrent power alone was terrifying.
After waiting for a while, the main body and his two clones had recovered chakra and gathered sufficient Senjutsu Chakra. Then, with Minato's help, they were all transported to a hilltop near the Kumogakure camp.
Below their position, the Third Raikage was deep in thought, pondering how to finally overcome the two shinobi blocking his advance. 'Intelligence was crucial in ninja warfare,' he thought.
His own capabilities seemed to have been thoroughly analyzed by his opponents, yet his side knew almost nothing about theirs.
For instance, what exactly was the cat's lineage? How can it be this strong? And how does that Wind Release ninjutsu function? We've seen it's impacts but haven't figured out it's creation process.'
Ever since the first day's 'camp bombing,' Takeshi hadn't used that particular move again on their new camp.
He only used it when ambushing other large-scale patrol teams. For ambushing scattered shinobi, assassination was enough. With just the two of them, Kumo's forces were kept in a constant state of disarray.
The Third Raikage had wanted to gauge its full power, but the enemy simply refused to cooperate. He couldn't force a direct confrontation.
Just then, *Roar!* Two-Tails had appeared again. This time, Yugito couldn't suppress it any longer. Two-Tails went berserk. Fully transforming, the giant beast tore through the camp before charging... towards the distant hilltop.
"What's going on?" The Third Raikage's fury erupted, his body flaring with lightning as he shot forward.
'Those two rats are playing games,' he thought furiously. 'And now you, a mere Two-Tails, want a piece of me? Are you challenging me?'
His hand flared with electricity, the Hell Stab Four-Finger Spear Hand: Sky Drop.
He was still holding back. His strongest state, the Hell Stab One-Finger Nukite: the Ultimate Spear, was reserved.
But as he chased the Two-Tails out of the camp, he immediately sensed something was wrong.
But as he surged away from the camp, chasing the rogue Two-Tails, he instantly sensed that something was wrong. 'That chakra fluctuation...' His senses screamed. 'It's on the level of a Tailed Beast Ball...'
"Retreat!" The Third Raikage roared the command, abandoning his chase of Two-Tails as he exploded forward, racing towards the hilltop not far away. He'd been waiting for this, waiting for a chance for a head-on fight. 'Fine, let's have a head-on fight!'
But Two-Tails, refusing to be cowed, rushed even more frantically... not away, but towards the hilltop where Takeshi waited. In its rage, Two-Tails saw Takeshi as a persistent insult, a mere cat who dared to challenge it with overwhelming power. As a tailed beast, how could it possibly let a mere cat suppress its power?'
Yugito had completed her transformation, but she had lost consciousness, completely under Two-Tails's control. The massive tailed beast ran, then pounced, directly towards the hilltop.
The Rasengan forming in Takeshi's maw pulsed, growing stronger and stronger. One of his clones dispersed, returning its chakra to the main body. As it did, the shuriken blade surrounding the Rasengan pulsed, growing visibly larger, gradually forming...
The Third Raikage's eyes widened. 'This was different from before!' But in that moment of hesitation, one of the black cat's Shadow Clones surged forward to meet Two-Tails head-on, while the main body launched the massive Rasenshuriken it had formed.
Its true target, however, wasn't the tailed beast or the charging Raikage. It was the panicked shinobi attempting to retreat in the distance. If that attack connected, Kumo would suffer catastrophic losses. Its speed was incredible, there was no time to evade, no time to resist...
'There was no other way.' He took a deep breath, amplifying his Lightning Release Armor to its absolute peak. *Whoosh!* He surged upwards.
"Father!"
"Raikage-sama..."
Faint exclamations of alarm rose from the distant forces.
Meanwhile, Two-Tails roared in fury, lashing out at the Shadow Clone engaging it. Influenced by both its jinchuriki's distress and the infuriating cat, Two-Tails seemed utterly manic.
But the Shadow Clone vanished instantly, not destroyed, but dispersing on his own, his chakra returning to the main body.
Then, the black cat swelled in size, charging directly towards Two-Tails.
'Melee?' came the thought from below. 'Who's afraid of a close-quarters fight?' was Takeshi's unspoken reply.
Streaking through the air, the Third Raikage intercepted the massive Rasenshuriken. In the next instant, his reinforced hand, sharp as a spear, slammed directly into the Rasenshuriken.
*BOOM!*
The Rasenshuriken erupted, unleashing a furious storm of wind and chakra. The Third Raikage's figure was blasted back, his body wreathed in smoke and crackling with residual electricity.
But as he emerged, he saw a shocking sight:
Two-Tails was locked in fierce physical brawl with the black cat. They seemed surprisingly evenly matched, with the massive tailed beast even appearing to struggle.
What shocked him even more was this: In the next moment, Two-Tails abruptly reverted to her jinchuriki form, Yugito. Standing over her was...
...Minato Namikaze.
'The other of those two 'rats'.'
And the next second, they were gone.
'They kidnapped Yugito!?'
The Third Raikage couldn't help it, he started feeling dizzy from anger, frustration and injuries. His son, the Fourth Raikage, A, quickly arrived, his eyes scanning his father's condition. He froze, stunned.
The Raikage's body was severely injured, but his son's gaze fixed on his hand. To call it 'riddled with holes' would have been an understatement.
"Father."
Even though the Third Raikage's whole body was aching, his consciousness was still clear. Even in that state, he still possessed considerable fighting strength.
But the Wind Release attack had, after all, inflicted severe damage. His entire body felt weaker, and that hand... he wouldn't be using the Four-Finger Spear Hand: Sky Drop with that hand again.
He was quickly taken for medical treatment.
However, a medic-nin reported, "Raikage-sama, we can treat most of your injuries, but the hand... I'm afraid only Konoha's Tsunade has the ability to heal that."
'Tsunade?' the Third Raikage thought. 'Isn't she the commander on Konohagakure's eastern front?'
===============
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