"Kushina, everyone! Hold these giants off for now—I'm going after the one controlling them!" Minato's voice rang out clearly, determination evident as he looked toward Kushina and the three toads from Mt. Myoboku. After a quick nod from each, Minato turned, his body disappearing in a blur.
Swish!
Minato's speed, unrivaled across the ninja world, seemed to multiply with the enhancement of Sage Mode. As he raced toward Mukade's hidden location, his movements left a trail of afterimages, blurring the line between reality and illusion, making it nearly impossible to tell where he truly was.
Mukade, sensing the rapid approach, clenched his teeth in frustration. "He's closing in… looks like I need to act now," he muttered bitterly. Mukade knew his strength alone wouldn't be enough against Minato, even if the Hokage were a teenager. But desperation lent him courage, and he made a grim decision.
Quickly forming hand seals, Mukade rushed to a massive stone pillar within his chamber, slamming his palms against its rough surface.
Bang!
The stone pillar shattered, the fragments scattering as Mukade moved with fierce resolve. One by one, he pressed his hands against the remaining pillars, each crumbling under his touch. With each collapse, a faint purple glow around Rōran dimmed, like the last light of a dying flame.
Boom, boom!
Simultaneously, the five giants facing Kushina and the toads began disintegrating, their rocky forms collapsing into heaps of rubble.
"What just happened?" Kushina withdrew her chains, watching in confusion as the giants broke apart, no longer animated by the dragon vein's power. Her hesitation lasted only a moment before she followed in Minato's direction, concern etched on her face.
Nearby, Princess Sara, who was aiding civilians under Naruto's guidance, felt a pang of dread in her heart. She clutched her chest, a look of alarm crossing her face.
"Sara, are you alright?" Naruto asked, noticing her sudden distress.
Sara took a steadying breath, her brow furrowing with worry. "The dragon vein… it's unstable. I need to seal it immediately!"
Naruto's eyes widened as he realized the gravity of the situation. Without hesitation, he created several shadow clones. "Tell me the quickest way to get there, and I'll take you," he said with resolve.
Blushing slightly, Sara nodded, gesturing in the direction of the dragon vein's core. "It's… this way!"
Naruto's shadow clone lifted Sara, nodding to his duplicates as they leaped up, swiftly weaving through the buildings of Rōran with Sara's guidance. Meanwhile, Naruto's real body took a deep breath, turning to the remaining civilians.
"We're running out of time," he said urgently. "Everyone, follow me as quickly as you can."
Naruto's azure eyes shifted, deepening to a scarlet hue as his pupils elongated into vertical slits. He clasped his hands together in a familiar sign.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
In a sudden eruption of smoke, thousands of shadow clones filled the area, each dispersing to support the civilians. Despite the strain on his chakra, Naruto gritted his teeth, his focus unwavering. His clones each took up two people, distributing the crowd evenly.
Swish, swish, swish!
With incredible coordination, Naruto's shadow clones dashed forward, each carrying civilians to the safety of an area unreachable by the dragon vein's energy.
As Naruto worked to lead the civilians away, Minato and Kushina both paused, sensing a disturbance in the natural chakra around them. Standing atop a building, Kushina felt a strange sensation in her abdomen—a surge of power stirring restlessly.
Kushina held her breath, steadying herself. With her chakra control and skill in sealing techniques, she knew the Nine-Tails wouldn't break free. But the sudden unrest within the seal was unsettling, and she couldn't shake the feeling that something ominous was approaching.
At the same moment, Minato, who had nearly reached Mukade's hiding place, felt the familiar energy of the Nine-Tails pulsing within Naruto. His eyes narrowed in recognition. So… the Nine-Tails is in Naruto's body even now, he thought, feeling a pang of sorrow mixed with concern.
Though he couldn't discern the exact events of the future, Minato had pieced together enough from Naruto being a Jinchuriki to realize that a tragic incident involving the Nine-Tails was somehow unavoidable. But this was a question for another time—right now, his focus needed to remain on Mukade and the immediate threat to Rōran.
Following the guidance of natural energy, Minato advanced toward the building where Mukade was hiding. Yet, just as he approached the entrance, a surge of energy erupted, causing him to leap back in alarm.
Bang!
The ground beneath the building splintered, cracking outward in a spiderweb pattern as the entire structure began to disintegrate. A blinding, dark purple light burst forth, splitting the air with a violent intensity. What started as a narrow beam soon expanded, obliterating the remnants of the building and casting an eerie glow across the area.
The beam grew wider, its deep purple hue intensifying as it shot upward, splitting the sky with an unnatural vibrance. The sheer force of the energy shook the very air, creating a tremor that reverberated across the landscape. Minato watched in awe as the light expanded, nearly distorting space itself.
Fixing his gaze on the beam, Minato spotted a figure at its center. Though partially obscured, he could feel the figure's gaze locked onto him, a sinister smile lurking in the shadows.
"Fourth Hokage," Mukade's voice reverberated, filled with malice. "You, your son, and your wife have meddled in my plans for the last time. Prepare to meet your end!"
As his words echoed through the air, the purple beam shrank, condensing around Mukade's form. At that moment, Kushina arrived beside Minato, her eyes widening as she took in the intense light.
"Minato…" she whispered, glancing quickly at him before shifting her gaze back to the ominous energy surrounding Mukade.
"Look," Minato said grimly, nodding toward the beam. Through the enormous crack below, the dragon vein's energy pulsed with a frightening power, surging like a roaring river beneath Rōran. Its energy channeled upward, linking with the light surrounding Mukade.
"This is…" Kushina's eyes grew wide as she realized what she was seeing. The light extended down into the massive underground fissure, where the potent energy of the dragon vein flowed freely, its power fully exposed.
A sense of foreboding settled over Minato as he felt the shift in the energy around them. He placed a hand on Kushina's shoulder, and in a flash, teleported her a safe distance away.
Bang!
Suddenly, the purple light contracted, merging into Mukade's body. As the light faded, Mukade stepped forward, now connected to the dragon vein by a massive, glowing tail of energy. His once-human form had twisted, his previously handsome features contorting into a grotesque, enlarged version of himself.
Minato's eyes narrowed, realizing the gravity of the situation. "He's actually consuming the dragon vein's power…"
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