Naruto: Fire-Release system

Chapter 136: Minato Namikaze vs. Obito, Round Two!

Swish! Swish!

The sharp sound of wind being sliced echoed through the dense forest as a yellow flash darted through the trees. Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage, moved with blinding speed, his every step purposeful as he pursued his quarry.

Suddenly, Minato stopped in his tracks.

He sensed something—a subtle disturbance in the space ahead. The air wavered, and the figure of a man wearing an orange spiral-patterned mask materialized before him.

Minato's heart clenched. There was no mistaking it. This was the same masked man who had orchestrated the Nine-Tails attack years ago, the one responsible for his and Kushina's deaths.

Though Minato couldn't see the man's face, his aura and chakra signature were unmistakable. He had marked him with the Flying Raijin seal during their last encounter, and that connection had remained ever since.

The sight of the masked man triggered a flood of emotions in Minato—anger, determination, and a sharp focus. This time, he would not let him escape.

Without a word, Minato hurled a kunai at the masked man, its trajectory swift and precise.

The masked man stood still, unfazed. The kunai passed harmlessly through his body, as if he weren't there.

Minato vanished from his position, reappearing in a golden flash behind the kunai's path, spinning a Rasengan in his hand. He slammed the glowing sphere into the man's back—only for it to pass through him as well.

Minato frowned, withdrawing quickly to avoid a counterattack.

He had already experienced this mysterious ability during their first fight. The man could make his body intangible, allowing any attack to phase right through him. Minato knew it wasn't genjutsu or an illusion; this was a spatial manipulation jutsu beyond what most shinobi could comprehend.

"Why did you stop attacking?" the masked man taunted, his tone dripping with mockery.

"Who are you?" Minato asked sharply.

Though they had crossed paths before, the man's true identity remained shrouded in mystery. Minato could sense immense power emanating from him, but there was also something familiar, something he couldn't quite place.

"You'll find out soon enough," the masked man replied cryptically. "But for now, your focus should be on stopping me—if you can."

Minato tightened his grip on his kunai, his resolve unwavering. "Your plan is to stall me while Akatsuki completes their mission and abducts Naruto, isn't it?"

The man remained silent.

"I won't let that happen," Minato declared.

With a burst of chakra, Minato reached into his pouch and retrieved a vial containing Jiraiya's blood. He had prepared this in advance, knowing he could no longer summon the toads from Mount Myōboku through his own contract.

Forming a series of hand seals, Minato pressed his palm to the ground.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

A cloud of smoke erupted from the ground, and when it cleared, the massive form of Gamabunta stood towering above the battlefield.

"Jiraiya, I swear if this is another emergency—" Gamabunta began, but his grumbling stopped abruptly when he saw who had summoned him.

"Minato Namikaze?!"

Gamabunta's bulbous eyes widened in shock. "You're alive?"

Minato offered a sheepish smile. "Not exactly. It's complicated. Let's just say I've been temporarily revived. I'll explain everything later. Right now, I need your help."

Gamabunta let out a deep croak, his gaze shifting to the masked man. "That guy's trouble, isn't he?"

"He's the one who caused the Nine-Tails attack," Minato confirmed grimly. "And he's here to finish what he started."

Gamabunta gripped the hilt of his massive tanto. "Fine. I owe him some payback for all the trouble he's caused."

The battle resumed with renewed intensity. Gamabunta lunged forward, his blade slicing through the air toward the masked man.

But before the blade could connect, the man extended his hand.

"Shinra Tensei!"

An invisible force erupted from his palm, sending both Minato and Gamabunta hurtling backward. The sheer power of the attack shattered nearby trees and left deep gouges in the earth.

Minato's body, though resilient, was reduced to fragments of dust and ash—a side effect of the Edo Tensei technique. He began to reassemble, but the process took time.

Gamabunta, meanwhile, dug his claws into the ground, preventing himself from being completely thrown off balance.

"That's no ordinary jutsu," Gamabunta muttered, his tone grim.

Minato's form reassembled, his expression as calm as ever. "That's the power of the Rinnegan."

The masked man smirked beneath his mask. "You've caught on quickly, Fourth Hokage. The Rinnegan's power is beyond anything you've encountered before. Even your precious Flying Raijin won't save you this time."

"We'll see about that," Minato said, steeling himself.

The masked man raised his hand again.

"Universal Pull!"

Gamabunta's massive frame was yanked forward by an irresistible force. The giant toad roared in protest, but there was little he could do to resist.

Thinking quickly, Gamabunta unleashed a Water Release: Water Bullet, a massive sphere of water aimed directly at the masked man.

The masked man switched to his intangibility, allowing the water bullet to pass through him harmlessly.

Minato used the distraction to teleport to a kunai he had thrown earlier, positioning himself directly behind his opponent.

"This ends now!"

Minato drove his Rasengan forward, aiming for the man's blind spot.

But just as the attack was about to connect, the masked man disappeared, sucked into his own spatial vortex.

"You'll have to do better than that," his voice echoed from the void.

Minato's eyes narrowed. This wasn't going to be easy.

The battle had only just begun.

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