On the other side of the battlefield.
Minato stood steadily on a tree branch that would easily break with a light pull, but under his feet, it didn't even sway.
His gaze fixed on the enemy he had kicked, a thin man on the ground rapidly forming hand seals.
Without a headband, it was impossible to determine which ninja village he was from.
"Wind Release! Wind Cutter Technique."
Invisible wind blades appeared out of thin air, flying at high speed.
Minato vanished from the spot with Shunshin no Jutsu, and the tree he had stood on was instantly sliced in two.
The falling tree hit another tree.
The opponent's attack wasn't over yet.
"Wind Release! Chaotic Wind Cutter Technique!"
More invisible wind blades turned into sharp blades, cutting down every tree in their path.
Minato's agile figure stepped on the falling tree trunks, moving quickly.
He always managed to dodge the wind blades just in time.
He hadn't taken any damage so far.
"Kid! All you do is run!!"
The man, frustrated, had set many traps during the fight and even exposed weaknesses.
But this kid just dodged, never falling for any traps.
Whenever he tried close combat, the kid would quickly pull away.
This left him no choice but to keep firing jutsu like a turret.
He threw shurikens into the air and clapped his hands.
"Wind Release! Gale Palm!!"
Countless shurikens shot towards Minato at high speed, making a constant "thunk thunk thunk" sound as they hit trees.
Minato threw a few shurikens in return.
The man quickly used Gale Palm again, blowing the shurikens away.
Minato didn't give up. He stopped on a tree.
"With my current strength, I'm not your match."
The man didn't listen, continuing his hand seals.
More wind blades flew towards Minato.
Minato weaved through the wind blades, avoiding them effortlessly.
"Damn kid!"
The man cursed, holding a kunai and charging at Minato.
Seeing the man approach, Minato chose to hang upside down on a tree, forming hand seals.
"So I need to enhance my strength."
"This is the first time I'm using this jutsu. Let's see if it can defeat you!"
"Whirlwind Dance! Rapid Wind Roar! Four Forms!"
Wind began to swirl around his body.
The next moment, the man in mid-air quickly blocked his neck with his kunai.
"Clang!"
Sparks flew as the kunai clashed.
Minato's figure disappeared, reappearing behind the man, seeming to float.
Their kunai clashed rapidly.
The man was finally forced to the ground.
His eyes darted quickly.
His kunai moved swiftly in defense, clashing with something unseen in the air.
"What's with you, kid!!"
The man roared, his kunai slicing through the air. Minato floated above him, always just out of reach.
His fast-moving taijutsu was a real headache.
"It's the wind."
Minato explained softly.
If you looked closely, you could see a layer of air wrapping around his body.
Any attack, whether punches, jutsu, or weapons, created a wind larger than the one around him, moving his entire body.
Whirlwind Dance! Rapid Wind Roar! Four Forms was his creation, combining four forms and wind chakra.
It was his proud invention.
A type of ninja taijutsu, enhancing his evasion but lacking strong offensive power.
Minato's figure moved like a phantom, attacking the man from all directions.
The man could only defend, unable to counterattack.
Missing his target, any attack was futile.
It wasted chakra and stamina.
Using Shunshin for movement, Kami-e for controlling the airflow, Tekkai for quickly adjusting internal chakra, and a useless Shigan for offense.
This created his Whirlwind Dance! Rapid Wind Roar! Four Forms!
Shigan was his only offensive technique, but not as good as a kunai.
Creating this jutsu at ten years old was impressive, thanks to Jiraiya's teachings and his internal energy control over chakra.
But the jutsu had a major weakness.
Once again, his kunai was blocked.
Minato appeared on a nearby tree, panting heavily.
The wind shield around him dissipated.
The stamina cost was too high. For a normal ten-year-old ninja, the chakra consumption was immense, unbearable.
But Minato had built up chakra through his internal energy, so the consumption wasn't too bad.
"Kid, out of stamina? Wind Cutter!"
As the wind blades flew towards him, Minato stood still, as if truly exhausted.
The next moment.
"Spirit Gun!"
A small blue light pierced the back of the ninja's head, through his forehead, and through countless trees before stopping.
As the man fell, the wind blades vanished.
"Gin, you came just in time." Minato greeted Gin from afar, sitting on the tree branch.
"Minato, you really surprised me."
Gin instantly crossed the distance between them, standing beside Minato.
He hadn't expected Minato to develop a new jutsu using the Four Forms.
Though crude in Gin's eyes, it was a start.
He might create something stronger.
All thanks to Gin's cheat ability, which used to directly insert knowledge into his brain.
Now it was like a search engine with artificial intelligence.
"I'm still not as good as you." Minato replied with a sense of loss.
Though a top student at the ninja academy, he couldn't match Gin, feeling a sense of defeat.
He wasn't yet the future Yellow Flash of the ninja world, just a boy.
A normal person would offer comfort.
But Gin was Gin.
"You're a hundred years too early to catch up to me."
Gin boasted proudly, despite it being a small help from his cheat ability.
But it was his, so it was his talent.
"I'm worried about Kushina."
Minato changed the topic, knowing seeking comfort from Gin was pointless.
If he ever turned evil, Gin would likely be the cause!!!
"Her? No need to worry." Gin shrugged. "That girl really thinks she's hiding it well."
Minato realized the problem, his face bitter.
Gin was like the genius described by the Second Hokage. Accepting he couldn't compare was tough.
But Kushina's strength was surprising too.
Though she thought she hid it well, both knew the truth.
Kushina was the strongest of the three.
"Boom!!" A distant explosion echoed.
A massive energy shield appeared, like the end of the world.
A strong wind followed, forcing them to grab the tree to steady themselves.
When it stopped, they looked at each other.
Unlike Minato and Gin's intense battles, Kushina's was a chase.
"Stop running if you dare!!"
Kushina roared, her three chains wrapping around trees, moving like Spider-Man.
Her enemy stepped on trees, flames erupting from his feet, rocketing forward.
The fleeing man glanced back, terrified.
"A perfect Jinchuriki! What is the village doing!!"
Kushina glowed with golden light, like a sage.
She reached for the fleeing enemy, a giant golden fox paw emerging.
The man jumped, flames from his feet dodging the paw.
A tree was pulverized under the paw.
With such power, why stay and die?
His Fire Release boosted his escape speed.
As for clones, Konoha's Jinchuriki could tell real from fake.
The Uzumaki clan had sensory jutsu.
No time to think, he had to escape!!
"Damn, everyone's gone. This mission is a total failure."
The fleeing man gritted his teeth.
Ahead was a weak point in Konoha's barrier. If he could reach it, he had a chance.
"Damn!! I won't let you escape!!"
Kushina, angrier, raised her hands. A black-red ball formed above her palms.
Tailed Beast Ball!!
"Die!!"
She hurled the Tailed Beast Ball at the ninja.
It was her full-strength attack.
Her chakra drained rapidly, even drawing from the fox to complete it.
(Kurama: Someone stop this crazy girl!! She's robbing me!!) As the ball fell, it expanded into a huge energy shield, followed by a sweeping wind.
Seeing the huge crater, Kushina couldn't maintain her form, reverting to normal. Pale, but excited.
"I'm so strong! Hahaha..."
Her laughter faded.
Green-vested figures appeared.
The leader, an old man with a hat.
"Third Hokage, fancy meeting you... hahaha."
No wonder Naruto took after his mother.
(End of Chapter)