Minato's voice echoed in his own mind, calm but decisive, as the battlefield erupted around him. Facing the coordinated assault of the Third Raikage, A, and Killer B, he formed seals with practiced precision. Chakra gathered in his palms, condensing into tangible, shimmering energy.
With a swift motion, Minato swung his hands, and the chakra radiated outward as streaks of brilliant light. These rays shot across the battlefield, creating new Flying Thunder God marks that sparkled with the vibrant energy of sage chakra.
"Swoosh!"
The marks, scattered in key positions, were meant to give Minato his signature mobility. But Killer B was ready. Without hesitation, he opened his mouth, releasing a torrent of thick black ink. The ink sprayed across the battlefield, splattering over Minato's marks. It clung to them like a dark shroud, designed to suppress chakra and neutralize their effectiveness.
Killer B smirked, confident in his countermeasure, but Minato's chuckle cut through the tension like a knife.
"Do you really think that's enough?" Minato murmured, his tone light yet laced with challenge.
The ink might have obscured the marks visually, but they were infused with natural energy—sage chakra. As the dark ink spread, a faint blue glow began to shimmer beneath its surface, resisting the suppression.
In an instant, Minato vanished in a burst of yellow light, reappearing at one of his marks. His movements were so fast that even A, famed for his speed, couldn't track him.
Minato's sudden retreat from their encirclement caused the three attackers to pause briefly, recalibrating their strategy. Killer B's brow furrowed as the voice of the Eight-Tails rumbled within his mind.
"His chakra contains natural energy," the bijuu explained, its tone grudgingly impressed. "Your current mastery over my power isn't enough to suppress something like that."
"Got it," Killer B replied, his tone tinged with frustration. He quickly shared this information with A and the Third Raikage.
"I can't stop his marks without more time to charge. We'll need to take him down directly."
The Third Raikage's expression turned grim. He and A nodded, their movements tense and precise. Their coordination was flawless, a testament to their years of fighting together.
Minato, meanwhile, remained calm, his sharp mind processing the situation. He thought back to his previous battles, comparing strategies and strengths.
His experience fighting other jinchūriki, like Rōshi with the Four-Tails, crossed his mind. Rōshi had been able to destroy his Flying Thunder God marks by using the molten abilities of the Four-Tails—an advantage rooted in unique elemental properties.
But here, the Eight-Tails' ink couldn't achieve the same effect, despite Killer B's impressive control. It was a small but critical difference, one that Minato intended to exploit. His analytical mind continued to turn as his gaze settled on the Third Raikage.
Though Minato's earlier Senjutsu-enhanced Rasengan Shuriken had failed to cause significant damage, it had torn the Raikage's clothing slightly. Beneath the rip in his lightning armor, Minato caught a glimpse of a scar—a wound that seemed out of place on someone of the Raikage's unparalleled defensive prowess.
"What's the story behind that scar?" Minato murmured to himself, his curiosity piqued. The Third Raikage's body was legendary, described as the ultimate shield. To see such a wound raised questions. Who—or what—could have pierced his seemingly impenetrable defense?
Minato filtered through every piece of information he had about the Raikage. The most likely candidate seemed to be the Eight-Tails, as the Raikage had famously fought the beast to a draw on multiple occasions. But upon closer inspection, the wound didn't align with the Eight-Tails' methods of attack. It wasn't a scratch or a tear from tentacles, nor the result of a Tailed Beast Ball.
"This wound… it's a clean puncture," Minato realized. The size and shape of the scar suggested something sharp and precise, not the brute force typically associated with a bijuu.
As the pieces began to fall into place, Minato's eyes widened slightly. "Could it be… he wounded himself?"
The thought seemed absurd, but the logic was undeniable. The Raikage's ultimate offense—his lightning-charged spear—was likely the only force in the world capable of penetrating his own armor. If that was true, it presented a dangerous but exploitable flaw.
Minato's musings were interrupted as the Raikage, A, and Killer B launched their renewed assault. The battlefield trembled beneath the Third Raikage's raw power as he charged forward, his index finger extended in a deadly spear.
The air itself seemed to shatter around the attack, explosions of sound and force rippling outward with each strike.
"Bang, bang, bang!"
Minato's mind raced. The Raikage's ferocity was unmatched, but his newfound hypothesis lit a spark of hope. If he could confirm the self-inflicted wound theory, he might stand a chance.
Without hesitation, Minato formed seals, summoning two sage clones. They moved with blinding speed, intercepting A and Killer B, their purpose clear—to buy Minato a few critical seconds. Though A and Killer B lashed out with fury, the clones' skill and natural energy-infused strength held them at bay.
The real Minato darted toward the Third Raikage, Rasengan already forming in his palm. His heart pounded, but his resolve was unwavering. This was his gamble.
"Senjutsu: Rasengan!" he cried, the spinning orb of energy crackling with power.
The Third Raikage's eyes narrowed as Minato approached, his spearhand already poised. The sheer intensity of the Raikage's attack made the air around Minato's face prickle painfully. But in the final moments, Minato twisted his body, narrowly dodging the strike. His Rasengan collided with the Raikage's elbow joint instead.
"Boom!"
The impact sent a shockwave through the air, but as expected, the Rasengan alone couldn't break the Raikage's defenses. Yet, Minato had been watching carefully. As the Raikage shifted to counter, Minato saw it—a momentary weakness. The Raikage's left hand moved to brace his right arm, his own strength working against him.
"It's true," Minato thought, his pulse quickening. "He's vulnerable to his own attack."
But before he could act further, the Third Raikage's left hand transformed into a four-fingered lightning spear, lashing out in a blindingly fast counterstrike. Minato barely had time to react as the sharp spear surged toward him
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