Chapter 239: Curtain Rises, The Night Before Hell!
"You said... Uchiha Ci?!"
In the hospital room, upon hearing Minato's exclamation, Kushina was momentarily stunned. A chill ran down her spine as if an icy serpent had slithered up her back.
She couldn't help but recall the foolish yet determined young man, his face flashing before her eyes.
In Konoha, apart from Minato, he was the only one willing to risk his life to save her!
His decisive actions when facing the rampaging Nine-Tails, the moment his arm was crushed as he hurled that colossal sword skyward, and the breathtaking combination attack executed by the three of them—capable of subduing the Nine-Tails...
Every one of these moments was deeply etched in her heart, adding vibrant colors to her otherwise bleak and monotonous life as a Jinchūriki forced to live in anonymity.
She truly wanted to acknowledge this child as her younger brother!
"That's right! The Flying Thunder God kunai I entrusted to Uchiha Ci has been activated!"
"This is the Flying Thunder God Mutually Instantaneous Revolving Technique I mentioned to you before, though for now, it can only transmit the Flying Thunder God marker's signal."
Namikaze Minato's expression was grave as he clenched the Flying Thunder God kunai from the cabinet, swiftly attempting to get out of bed. He reached for the blue inner shirt and green Jōnin vest hanging on the hospital wall.
"No time to hesitate—I have to go help him now!"
"Kushina, I'll have to trouble you to explain to the Third Hokage!"
"Wait!"
At that moment, Kushina firmly grabbed Minato's shoulder. With a slight exertion of strength, she easily pressed him back onto the bed.
"Minato, I must—"
Minato struggled briefly, only to realize in astonishment that Kushina's grip was unbelievably strong—it felt like ten bulls were pinning him down, making it impossible to break free.
"Minato!"
Kushina called out sharply, a hint of frustration in her furrowed brows as she gazed at him.
"Listen, you're not the only one who cares about that kid!"
"I'm worried about him too!"
"But if even Ci needs help, then with your current condition, what can you really do?"
Her eyes fell to Minato's waist and abdomen, where layers of bandages were wrapped. Due to his abrupt movements, faint traces of blood had already begun to seep through.
Tsunade had said his injuries would take three months to heal properly. Now, after only a month and a half, Minato was far from recovered.
At this moment, faced with Kushina's brutally realistic words, Minato fell silent for a few seconds before resolutely replying,
"I promised him—I won't be late again!"
"I know!" Kushina nodded and then said,
"That's why I'm keeping you here... and—"
Before she finished speaking, she closed her eyes, and a faint crimson chakra surged from her body, enveloping her. It formed a tail-beast cloak that continuously billowed backward—
A unique and incredibly stylish windbreaker-like Tailed Beast Cloak.
"This is thanks to you and Ci—I was only able to achieve this because of you two!"
"Though there are still some flaws, for this one time... it should be barely enough!"
The next moment—
She grasped Minato's hand, fingers interlocked, passing her chakra—imbued with love—through their touching palms, linking them together.
Finally, a faint red Tailed Beast Cloak enveloped Minato's body.
Kushina slowly opened her eyes, her expression serious as she spoke:
"Take my power with you—bring that foolish brat back!"
Seeing Kushina in this state, exuding an awe-inspiring presence, Minato couldn't help but curve his lips into a gentle smile, his eyes narrowing warmly.
"Mm!"
"I definitely will!"
With those words, he donned his blue robe, fastened his Jōnin vest, and gripped the kunai tightly.
At this moment, his gaze sharpened to an unprecedented degree!
Behind him, the monumental stone faces of three Hokage loomed, and his head aligned perfectly with the position of the Fourth Hokage's unfinished visage.
In the next instant—
The legendary fastest shinobi in the world, carrying the weight of duty and trust, leapt out the window, toward the twilight horizon—
A golden-red streak of light, racing toward the most perilous battlefield of the ongoing Shinobi World War!
—
Outside Hell Valley, at the border between the Land of Hot Water and the Land of Frost, before a hilly terrain—
Before the densely packed, seemingly endless army of Kumogakure shinobi, a white-haired little girl hugged a backpack filled with documents, nervously awaiting the results of the sensory check performed by the square-faced, spiky-haired Sensor Chūnin, Motoi.
"They've appeared!"
"I detected Killer Bee and Matatabi's chakra signals!"
"They've successfully reached the northern side of Hell Valley and, as planned, have launched a Tailed Beast Bomb!"
Hearing this, Mabui took a deep breath and asked urgently,
"Quick! Check again—are they following the strategic directives?!"
Motoi didn't dare slack off. He immediately formed hand seals, continued sensing, and reported in real time:
"No problems!"
"Killer Bee has also fully transformed into his Tailed Beast form! The second Tailed Beast Bomb has been fired according to plan!"
Mabui patted her chest, exhaling in relief.
"With this, half the plan is a success! Next, we just need to confirm enemy casualties and prepare for the next barrage!"
"Finally, we'll retrieve the Tailed Beast!"
"I really hope we can wipe out all those red-eyed freaks from Konoha in this round!"
It wasn't hard to tell from the future secretary of the Raikage's words—
Kumogakure's operation against Hell Valley was meticulously planned based on intelligence Killer Bee had gathered during his last probe.
Step one:
Notify the Blood Pool Clan—who had pledged a brotherly pact with the Raikage's son—to incite a riot!
Step two:
From the northern side of Hell Valley, closer to the main Kumogakure forces, deploy two Jinchūriki in full Tailed Beast transformation.
Use Tailed Beast Bombs for long-range bombardment, aiming to annihilate Konoha's defensive encampment!
Step three:
Hit and run. Maintain distance, prioritizing enemy casualties from afar.
This plan was devised based on crucial intelligence gathered in the previous operation—
Konoha's second Jinchūriki, Uchiha Ci,
Who, at extremely close range, seemed to possess a technique capable of inflicting massive damage on Tailed Beasts.
To minimize unnecessary losses, they adopted this long-range assault strategy.
Finally, an elite team would advance to recover the Tailed Beast while eliminating all remaining defenders in Hell Valley.
To ensure the success of their future invasion into the heart of the Land of Fire, they planned to leave no survivors.
Of course, the Tailed Beast retrieval was primarily focused on Matatabi, whose Jinchūriki, Yugito Nii, though talented, had yet to form a perfect synchronization with the beast.
Privately, Mabui had complaints about this—
After all, Kumogakure possessed Turtle Island, the perfect training ground for Jinchūriki.
And Yugito, who had been training there since before Killer Bee even became a Jinchūriki, should have already achieved synchronization.
But the real problem was—
Cats were just too damn hard to please!
These thoughts only lingered in her mind for a moment before Motoi's ongoing report snapped her back to reality.
"The plan is going smoothly!"
"Both Tailed Beast Bombs have landed precisely on Konoha's main camp!"
"They're finished!"
Motoi couldn't suppress his excitement, feeling exhilarated at the imminent success of their operation.
However—
In the very next moment—
His smile froze.
"W-What is that?!"
Motoi's eyes widened in shock as he gazed toward the southern side of Hell Valley, his voice trembling in disbelief.
"S-Someone is charging at the Tailed Beast Bombs?!"
Hearing this, Mabui's face paled instantly.
"What did you say?! What's happening over there?!"
"Damn it!" Motoi's entire body trembled as he swallowed hard, his voice quivering:
"T-That guy..."
"He just crushed both Tailed Beast Bombs with one hand!!!"
"Not good!"
"He's charging straight at Matatabi!"
After a brief moment of sensing—Motoi suddenly fell silent.
After a long pause, he stammered:
"Th-The... The Two-Tails... it-it's gone berserk!"
Mabui, who increasingly felt like she was witnessing a supernatural horror story,
Was left completely stunned.
A chaotic mess of thoughts, and an operation reduced to chaos.
In her daze, her hands moved instinctively—
Forming the "Ram" seal.
The initiation sign for—
Secret Art: Heavenly Transfer Technique.