"Abdominal puncture, internal organs frozen by Ice Release… and she even had her chakra sealed with the Four Symbols Seal. In that case…"
"Four Symbols Unsealing!"
With a surge of reverse chakra flow, Minato pressed his hand against Kushina's abdomen, undoing the Four Symbols Seal that Hiromi had placed on her.
Within moments, deep red Nine-Tails chakra surged outward. Stimulated by her Uzumaki physique, it rapidly accelerated Kushina's healing and chakra recovery.
"…Minato…"
Kushina slowly opened her eyes. The familiar golden hair before her brought a soft relief to her expression—but that comfort quickly gave way to grief and anguish.
"Minato… Jiraiya-sensei… he…"
"I know."
Minato gently cradled her head, laying her flat on the cot within the tent. Though his features remained calm, his sky-blue eyes burned with chilling, suffocating fury.
"Rest. I'll be right back."
"Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique!"
A barrage of Water Release jutsu was unleashed by an entire unit, merging into a massive tidal surge. Concealed by thick mist, it roared toward the Konoha encampment stationed in Kazama Valley.
Dragons formed from water howled as water-blades slashed through the air—an overwhelming force bearing down.
"Enemy attack!!"
"Earth Style: Earth Wall!"
Caught off guard, Konoha shinobi scrambled into action. Earth Release users hastily formed hand seals, raising defensive earthen walls to block the flood.
Walls rose to meet the deluge, buying precious seconds—but just as quickly, skeletal bone weapons pierced through the stone. The crashing water smashed against Konoha's defenses with unrelenting force.
Within the mist, Kirigakure shinobi darted forward, launching their assault.
Despite his initial surprise, Commander Shibi Aburame swiftly composed himself and began organizing a counteroffensive.
But the disparity in readiness quickly became apparent.
Though Konoha held the defensive advantage, Kirigakure's well-prepared offensive swept through like a blade through paper. In an instant, their defenses were in shambles.
Blood and death flooded Kazama Valley.
"Hahaha! So this is Konoha? Pathetic!"
"Cut the chatter. Expand the assault—our objective is to wipe out Konoha's fighting force. Take Kazama Valley quickly. Lord Yoru is facing the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki—don't let the pressure fall all on him!"
"Understood!"
With a clear goal, the Kiri shinobi struck more viciously. In less than half an hour, Kazama Valley's defenses were fully breached. The battle devolved into brutal close quarters combat.
Thanks to the Aburame clan's elite insect users, Konoha managed to hold on in the mist—but the tide of battle was shifting.
Many Konoha shinobi fell, including members of secret technique clans and even some bloodline users.
But just as Kiri prepared to press their advantage, several signal flares burst into the sky above.
"Retreat signals?!"
A Kaguya clan jōnin blinked at the sight. "What the hell? Now?! We're about to finish this!"
"The Nine-Tails Jinchūriki must have gone berserk!"
"Prepare to pull out—don't hesitate. If she arrives, we could be wiped out!"
"Get serious. Victory's within reach—we're not retreating now." The Kaguya jōnin growled. "Even the nearest camp—Onshirato Mining Area—is more than ten minutes away. And the Jinchūriki is stationed all the way at Mizusawa Bridge."
"At full transformation speed, she'd still need twenty minutes to reach us. That's more than enough to crush Kazama Valley and be hailed as heroes."
"He's right! The prey's right in front of us! Attack!"
"Dance of the Camellia!"
"Secret Technique: Insect Tornado!"
The brutal clash resumed in the mist.
Then—a golden streak pierced the fog and entered the battlefield.
In the chaos, a kunai flew silently toward a Kiri shinobi. He casually sidestepped it, smirking as he raised his blade to finish a Konoha genin.
Suddenly—a cold flash.
Blood sprayed.
The Kiri shinobi collapsed mid-swing, the predator's sneer frozen on his lifeless face.
Thunk.
The stunned Konoha shinobi looked up—just in time to see a glimmer of gold fade into the mist.
That scene repeated across the valley.
Kunai embedded in the ground—some seen, some unseen. One by one, Kirigakure shinobi fell—none of them even knew what had hit them.
The mist grew quiet. The sounds of combat faded.
Even the elite Kaguya jōnin stopped, unsettled by the unnatural silence.
"Genjutsu?" he muttered. "No… no chakra disruption… wait—"
A flash of gold.
A Rasengan drove toward his chest. He reacted instantly, activating his Shikotsumyaku to unleash a volley of bone spears—but the attack shifted.
Boom!!
The Rasengan struck his back instead, blasting him across the field.
His Kaguya body was tough—he survived the blow. But as he rolled to his feet, he finally saw his attacker clearly.
Golden hair shone like sunlight. Piercing blue eyes radiated a killing intent that chilled the blood.
"The Yellow Flash of the Leaf…"
Even without having met him before, the hair, the speed—he knew exactly who had arrived.
And the realization struck like thunder.
"No… you were supposed to be on the Iwa front! Why are you—"
He never finished the sentence.
A kunai slit his throat before the words could escape.