At the Border of the Moon Country, Konoha Camp
Inside the command tent, Hatake Sakumo slowly set down the scroll in his hands. His sharp eyes rose to meet the gazes of the senior Konoha shinobi standing before him—each responsible for maintaining the camp's security.
"Hokage-sama has sent word," Sakumo began, his voice calm and steady. "We are to maintain the current balance on this front."
The assembled jonin nodded in unison, their expressions respectful, but a subtle hint of doubt lingered in their eyes.
It wasn't about the order itself—it was about something else.
Minato's absence.
Though Sakumo had already explained Minato's disappearance to the troops, the latter's towering reputation in Konoha made his absence impossible to ignore.
Whispers had begun circulating among the ranks. After all, during the previous Shinobi World War, Minato had vanished for a time only to return with a new technique that turned the tide of battle. With his innovations, Konoha had dealt crushing blows to the Sand Village's elite forces, securing ultimate victory.
Now, the war had reached another stalemate, and many hoped that Minato's current absence signaled the development of another groundbreaking technique.
The jonin filed out of the tent, their silent hope palpable. But just as the last of them reached the exit, one paused.
Suzuka Hatake.
She turned slowly, her piercing gaze locking onto Sakumo. Her brow furrowed slightly, suspicion flickering in her eyes.
"You've been acting… strange lately, haven't you?"
Sakumo felt a sharp jolt in his chest.
Minato had explicitly asked him not to reveal Kakashi's capture to Suzuka, Suzuka's husband. Sakumo had honored that request, believing he had hidden his turmoil well. But Suzuka's keen eyes had pierced through his facade.
"Maybe it's just the war," Sakumo replied evenly, forcing a calmness he didn't feel. "The Third Shinobi World War has dragged on for over half a year. Fatigue takes its toll on everyone."
He lifted his eyes, meeting Suzuka's piercing gaze head-on. For a tense moment, it felt like she might press further. But slowly, her suspicion softened.
"After this war is over," she murmured, her voice softening, "the three of us should take some time to relax together. Just our family."
Sakumo's heart twisted painfully in his chest.
Their son, Kakashi, was in the hands of Kirigakure. Though Minato believed his life wasn't in immediate danger, there was no guarantee he'd return safely. Facing Suzuka, completely unaware of their son's peril, tore at Sakumo's soul.
But even so, he couldn't tell her the truth.
The knowledge would break her.
"Mm," Sakumo hummed softly, forcing a nod.
Suzuka gave him a small smile before turning and walking out of the tent.
The moment she was gone, Sakumo's calm exterior crumbled. He clenched his fists tightly.
"Suzuka… I'm sorry."
In the Forest, Several Miles from Konoha Camp
A dark chakra orb pulsed ominously in Minato's palm, its glow deep and steady. With a flick of his wrist, the orb disappeared from his hand and reappeared in front of a tree marked with his Flying Thunder God seal—its white jade-like surface faintly glowing.
"Buzz."
The seal began to emit a soft light, resonating with the chakra orb. As the glow intensified, ripples started to form in the space between the mark and the orb—subtle at first, but growing steadily more pronounced.
The distortions were clear to Minato's trained eyes. Even the tree trunk behind the seal warped slightly, its shape shifting unnaturally as the space bent around it.
Minato's heart pounded in his chest.
"Just a little more..." he murmured, his eyes never leaving the expanding ripples.
Deep within him, the Nine-Tails stirred.
Though its power was now fused with Minato's, the beast was not immune to fear. It, too, had experienced the unpredictable force of space-time—a force that had twisted its existence beyond comprehension.
Anger and fear surged within the Nine-Tails, but more than anything, it felt a reluctant awe for Minato's audacity.
However, the beast's pride quickly buried those emotions beneath a veil of fury. Were it not for Minato's control, the Nine-Tails would have lashed out, but now it could do nothing but watch.
As the distortion grew, Minato noticed something alarming.
The light within the chakra orb began to flicker erratically. Though subtle due to the space distortion, Minato's sharp eyes caught it immediately.
"Not again..."
Reacting swiftly, he formed a series of hand seals, activating the special kunai he had placed around the area. Black lines shot out from the kunai, attempting to form a Space Barrier to contain the instability.
But as the barrier expanded, it encountered resistance.
The distortion of space itself slowed the spread of the barrier's lines, almost halting their advance entirely.
Minato's breath hitched.
"The space distortion is interfering with my barrier..."
Pushing down the rising anxiety, he quickly altered the seals, redirecting the barrier to cover the surrounding area instead of trying to contain the distortion directly.
But even this adjustment felt sluggish.
"Buzz."
The chakra orb suddenly flared, its unstable light exploding outward. Minato's hands flew through seals again, shifting the barrier's focus to protect the path leading back to the Konoha camp.
If this power spiraled out of control, it would decimate his comrades.
Just as he was about to expand the barrier further, the explosion of light collided with the distorted space.
But something unexpected happened.
The destructive energy that should have torn through the forest dissipated into the distortion, as if swallowed whole.
Minato's eyes widened in surprise.
The energy—enough to flatten the entire area—vanished without a trace. The space distortion had absorbed it completely.
Minato's mind raced, analyzing the situation. With a quick adjustment, he completed the barrier, sealing off the surrounding area within a few meters.
Moments later, the residual energy from the explosion bypassed the distorted space and struck the outer edges of Minato's barrier.
But the Space Barrier, fueled by Minato's chakra, absorbed the impact effortlessly.
The forest fell silent once more.
Minato lowered his hands, his chest rising and falling with labored breaths. His experiment had failed to achieve the intended result—but it had revealed something far more valuable.
Space itself could be manipulated, distorted to such an extent that even destructive energy became nullified.
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