"I didn't expect the territory of the Land of Earth would be like this!" Senmei Asahi's voice was heavy with disbelief as he stared out over the barren landscape stretching before them.
The land was harsh and unforgiving. Rocky, jagged mountains jutted out like shattered teeth beneath a bleak gray sky. Sharp, icy winds howled relentlessly through the narrow valleys, slicing through their cloaks like knives. The ground beneath their feet was a coarse, granular sand mixed with pebbles—crunching loudly with every step they took.
Asahi's mind silently compared this cruel terrain with other lands he'd known. 'The Land of Earth... It's no better than the Land of Wind. No greenery, no fertile soil. Just desolation.' His breath fogged in the cold air, mingling with the faint dust storms swirling at the mountain edges.
Beside him, Namikaze Minato's face was set with grim determination. "Among all the countries in the Ninja World, our Land of Fire has the most fertile land and richest resources. That is why other countries attack us relentlessly. But Konoha is our home. We must never allow the enemy to destroy it." Minato said solemnly, voice steady and resolute.
Asahi straightened up, fists clenched. "Yes!" he replied firmly, then asked, "Minato-senpai, should we set an ambush here?"
He thought back to the original timeline where Minato had handled the task alone, blocking Iwagakure's reinforcements and allowing Kakashi and the others to destroy the Kannabi Bridge. Asahi had no reason to doubt Minato's capabilities or the mission's feasibility. Especially since he himself had recently mastered the basics of the Flying Thunder God Technique — a secret teleportation jutsu that could save him instantly from peril.
Still, the scale this time was different. Originally, the enemy reinforcements numbered only a thousand. Now it was five thousand — five thousand hardened shinobi from Iwagakure.
Minato nodded. "Yes, the Iwagakure support troops will pass through here. We must delay them long enough for Kakashi and Obito to destroy the Kamuna Bridge."
"Understood," Asahi said, lowering himself to the rough ground to rest, muscles tense beneath his clothes.
Minato's eyes flickered with a mix of excitement and calculation. "Asahi, you can use the Flying Thunder God Technique now, right?"
"Asahi nodded eagerly. "Yes! I can use it initially, but I can't teleport repeatedly yet. So for now, I can only use it to escape."
"That's enough." Minato said with a confident smile. "I have a plan."
...
The cold minutes crawled by, silence broken only by the whistling wind and distant rattles of loose stones tumbling down the mountainside.
Then suddenly, Minato reappeared beside Asahi, his expression sharp. "Here they come — about five thousand."
Five thousand. The number crashed in Asahi's mind like a wave of icy water. 'Five thousand shinobi. Not soldiers, not civilians — shinobi. Trained, dangerous, and numerous.'
Fear pricked the back of his neck. Could just two of them really hold back such an army? Yet years of training had taught Asahi to bury doubt deep beneath his resolve. He gave Minato a steady nod. "I understand."
Minato wasted no time. "We'll plant special teleportation kunai here as escape points. If it becomes too dangerous, we teleport back immediately."
Simultaneously, they withdrew the small, sealed kunai from their pouches — tools embedded with the Flying Thunder God markings. With practiced precision, they drove them into the ground, one at the base of a large rock, another near a twisted tree stump, establishing a web of teleportation points across their little battlefield.
Minato didn't truly need these safety nets. His mastery of space and speed made him almost untouchable. But he set the traps for Asahi's sake — a careful mentor's respect and caution.
Suddenly, Minato's voice cut through the cold air, sharp and commanding: "Here they come!"
A dark line appeared far on the horizon, swelling and growing until it revealed itself as a vast army of Iwagakure shinobi. Their armor glinted dully in the fading light; their footsteps thudded like thunder over the stones.
Asahi's grip tightened around his kunai. His nervousness ebbed away, replaced by a fierce, burning spirit.
'As a shinobi, how could I shrink from facing thousands? For years I've dreamed of embodying that unyielding will — the resolve to push forward even if the entire world opposes me. Now I have my chance.'
His eyes gleamed with determination, his body coiled like a spring ready to strike.
Minato noticed the shift in Asahi's demeanor and allowed himself a rare smile. How many shinobi in all the world would dare stand against five thousand enemies with only two fighters?
The Iwa army was nearing now.
*Whoosh!*
Without hesitation, Asahi sprang forward and hurled one of the special kunai directly into the heart of the enemy formation.
"Enemy attack!" a shocked voice shouted.
*Bang!*
The kunai slammed into the ground, narrowly missing a charging shinobi. Reflexively, the surrounding Iwagakure warriors scattered, breaking ranks as confusion rippled through their midst.
Yet after a tense moment, nothing happened.
No explosions, no deadly shuriken. Just a confusing silence that settled like a heavy fog over the enemy lines.
The shinobi on the receiving end gaped in disbelief. Had this been a mere prank? No, none dared laugh here — the tension was too thick, and the threat too real.
Suddenly, Asahi vanished from sight.
*Whoosh!*
Like a streak of lightning, his figure appeared beside the planted kunai. With his right fist clenched, he slammed it into the ground with devastating force.
*Boom!*
The earth erupted under the impact. Stones and dust exploded outward in a violent shockwave that lifted dozens of Iwagakure shinobi off their feet. Flying pebbles scratched exposed skin, stinging sharply.
Though the phrase "mountains collapsing and earth splitting" was a slight exaggeration, the raw power of that punch equaled the combined blast of hundreds of detonating talismans.
The enemy's tight formation fractured, lines breaking apart as their defensive posture crumbled.
*Whoosh!*
Minato appeared instantly beside Asahi, fluid and unstoppable. He spun four special kunai into the air and launched them outward in four sharp directions.
With a flurry of swift hand seals, those kunai multiplied exponentially — from four to eight, eight to sixteen, and soon a blizzard of steel blades scattered across the battlefield.
The technique was Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique, a deadly and precise jutsu only a master like Minato could control.
Then Minato unleashed his secret trump card.
"Spiral Flash Super Wheel Dance Roar Stage Three!"
The name sounded almost whimsical, but the raw power was undeniable. Minato's golden hair shimmered like a burning sun, his movements blurring into a cyclone of pure speed.
He was the legendary 'Yellow Flash', a storm of death no enemy could track.
Blades whistled, slicing through the air like thunder. Minato moved impossibly fast, each strike precise and lethal.
Iwagakure shinobi fell one by one under his assault, unable to react in time.
Their desperate attempts to regroup were futile — speed far beyond their reflexes overwhelmed them.
Asahi watched in awe, inspired by Minato's overwhelming prowess.
With this display of combined might, the impossible seemed within reach: to delay five thousand shinobi with just two warriors.
The battle had only just begun.
*****
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