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Minato wasn't sure how much time he had left after hearing what he had been reported. A messenger had told him that Kakashi was up against an unknown Uchiha that had been taking out the left flank right as he arrived in the encampment. He was worried about the captain. Although Kakashi was a capable soldier, spellcaster, and military leader, he couldn't help but worry about him as he worried about his own son. He remembered fondly how he had looked out for Kakashi ever since he was taken in by and pledged his allegiance to the Senju regime. He'd never forgive himself if something happened to the young man, hell, his wife would never forgive him.
"Kakashi went off on his own," he guessed, directing his question to his student's second-in-command.
Tenzo was at a loss for a moment. "Uh, y-yes, sir. He wanted water-casters to be brought to the front but most of the men in the area have already retreated. We didn't get any intel on the situation since and none of the men on the frontlines had gotten a good look at the Uchiha leading the attack. The Captain said he wanted to hold him there until we could regroup," he explained hastily.
Minato sighed. "That kid's going to get killed one day," he muttered to himself.
"Sir?" Tenzo wasn't sure if the higher ranking officer said anything of importance.
"Ah, nothing, Tenzo. Just… talking to myself," Minato confessed, rubbing his temples. He had just managed to push back the Uchiha's infantry to the center of the forest where they had retreated once encountering the fire. What good was scorched, dead land to anyone anyways? It had taken a couple of hours, but at least they wouldn't have to worry about them for a while.
"Ah, sir, if it helps, he had a familiar send us intel on the situation," Tenzo added, trying to reassure him.
"What did he report, Tenzo," he inquired gruffly.
Tenzo swallowed. "The Uchiha is an unknown masked man with purple caster's armor. He seems to have four champions at first glance, a swordsman, a mace-wielder, a knife-thrower, and a fire caster. He didn't recognize any of the champions," the young officer noted, "but that's all we've heard. Pakkun just got back here a few moments ago, sir. We haven't been able to do anything yet, but we were planning on sending armored casting units down to assess the situation and push them back."
Minato was stumped. Maybe they retreated by now, but then again, why would an Uchiha act alone with only a handful of champions? "Is there any other report of hostile units in the area, either from Captain Kakashi or any of the other officers," Minato asked.
"No, sir. Just the five men that the Captain said were there. No one else," Tenzo answered nervously.
"You're kidding me," he blurted out, unable to keep his annoyance or worries to himself any longer.
Yamato was taken aback by his unexpected shout and shook his head, "No, sir, Lord Namikaze! That's everything we know. What are your orders, sir?"
"Have all available fire-casters and at least two platoons of pikemen follow me back towards the last known location. In addition, I'll need a small handful of healers to take care of any survivors that are trapped in the fire," he ordered.
"Yes, sir! Right away," Tenzo said with conviction and quickly ran off to gather the troops for the military leader.
In his stead, an older man with dark hair and bark-colored, wrinkled skin strode up to him. "Namikaze-dono, how goes the battle? I hear you've pushed back the savages, is that right," the man asked in a casual tone, searching his face for answers. It was Danzo. He was part of the war council, but Minato never expected to see him on the battlefield. He still hadn't found it in him to trust the old man, but he had been a part of the war council since the time of Hashirama Senju, Lady Uzumaki's great-grandfather. He was a highly influential individual, and regardless of what Minato thought of him, he had to keep a steady footing with him regardless of what he felt. The very fact that the man was here sent uneasy shivers up his spine.
"Yes, we've managed to push the hostile forces out, although we're still dealing with a few renegade battle-casters that seem to have been separated from the main Uchiha force," the military leader stated briefly.
"Hmm, is that so," the old man asked. "I suppose you're preparing to launch a counterstrike against them," he mused.
"Yes, sir. There are men trapped by the fire that are still in combat with the renegade forces," Minato confirmed. "We're heading to back them up."
After a moment's hesitation, "Then I wish you the best of luck, Namikaze-san. I hope you are able to lead a successful attack once again." He spoke with relative ease, but didn't sound sincere in the least before inclining his head respectfully and making his way back to his litter, manned by porters.
A moment later, Yamato came back. "Sir, I've rallied the troops you requested. Anything else I can do, sir?"
"Thank you, Tenzo, but no. Just keep the fire at bay and focus the water-casters on keeping the perimeter damp so the fire doesn't spread any further," he answered. The lower-ranking officer inclined his head respectfully to him right before Minato began to trek through the forest with the allied troops.
Trees creaked and groaned as fire licked up their sides and at their bases and the brush and undergrowth were ablaze in an all-consuming inferno that wound its way around everything the eye could see like a famished beast. The smoke burned Minato's eyes and nose as he and his troops pushed forth. He had ordered the fire-casters that he brought with him to use their magic to control the flames and keep the path clear so they could keep an eye out for any stranded soldiers, or Kakashi. After several minutes of jogging through the forest, the entire area shook and several nearby trees shuddered, raining burning branches down on the unsuspecting troops before anyone could react.
"What the hell was that," a young fire-caster, Anko Mitarashi, yelped in surprise.
"It was an explosion," Minato said bluntly. "We must proceed with caution," he warned his troops. "Is anyone injured?" The healer, an older man with a seemingly permanent frown, was keen to look over the others to make sure no one had gotten injured in the shockwave. Explosions were unpredictable. They could take losses at a moment's notice if there were any other blasts. Minato tried his best to hide his anxiety. There was no doubt that it came from the same area the young wolf-shifter was in. "Everyone seems fine. No moderate or major injuries, Namikaze-dono," the healer reported.
Minato nodded in affirmation. Time to set-up the field. "Listen up, team," he announced, "I'll two of our fire-casters and a healer to follow me to the epicenter. We'll be back-burning the flames to keep it from spreading further and try to contain the hostiles in a smaller area. If there's any survivors caught within, our healer will check them out and carry them to safety. We'll also use our other fire-caster to keep a path free for any injured that need to find their way out of the blaze. Platoons Alpha and Beta, you'll form a semicircle at the entrance to deter any escaping hostiles from leaving the area. Does everyone understand the plan?" Everyone seemed to have committed it to memory. Minato had figured it would be more than enough to keep the Uchiha and their champions at bay. Although they were masters in fire magic, you would have to have a bottomless pit of stamina to evade the inferno that would ensue. True, the fire would eventually burn out, but not before Minato would instate his rescue operation.
The troops got into position and Minato headed out with the fire-casters and the healer towards the battlezone. The fire-casters began to work their magic to set the brush and trees on fire, a clear path mystically remaining immune thanks to Anko's reluctant charm. (She would have much preferred to follow Minato to combat the Uchiha.)
They sped through the trees, light on their toes, startling when a barrage of explosions began to go off, so louder than the rest. Minato stopped for a moment and heard a yell that sounded like Kakashi's. "Get the rest of the forest lit. I'll be right back," Minato commanded calmly.
"But Namikaze-dono-," the healer pleaded.
"I'll be gone for a moment. I have to be somewhere," and in a flash of brilliant light, he was racing towards the sound. He knew he was in the right area as he spotted dozens of slain men and women lying motionless and bloody on the ground. Some looked as though they were trying to escape to carnage and destruction to no avail. The wind around him picked up, raising the flames around him as he practically flew across the ground.
He spotted his charge. The young wolf-shifter was being tormented by the masked Uchiha as the man stomped on Kakashi's bloody ankle. Minato's crystalline blue eyes glinted as though they'd become as cold as ice. Magic of the same shade and intensity glowed on his fingertips until there was a wrathful sphere of wind in his palm. In a blink of an eye, he was slamming into the Uchiha with the orb of magic, shredding the side of the enemy's armor and sending him flying backwards. The man recovered, landing on his feet, and glared at Minato, his less than righteous intent palpable.
"Namikaze," the Uchiha hissed, unforgiving crimson eyes burning holes in the leader's skull.
Minato broke their gaze and took a moment to assess the wolf-shifter as he lay motionless. He was broken and bloody, his right arm lay almost bonelessly across his chest, his face was covered in small cuts, as was his throat, the armor padding on his legs and arms were scorched and blackened, and lastly, there was a chunk of wooden debris jutting through the young man's ankle. His heart ached at what the kid must have gone through.
He flicked his wrist and a Raijin kunai slid into his palm easily. "Uchiha," he called in response. "It seems you've done a number on my Captain."
The Uchiha said nothing, continuing to stare into the depths of the other man.
"I was going to offer you the chance to retreat," Minato remarked, "but this, I cannot easily forgive." The wind immediately picked up, whipping around the three of them, the wall of flame roaring with renewed strength and began to pick up rather than staying in one place, spreading until it surrounded them in a vortex of flame.
The Uchiha narrowed his eyes and readied his blade in preparation for Minato's attack. Minato made a move and disappeared from sight, reappearing in the air before the Uchiha, slashing at his head, his kunai meeting the resistance of a cold steel blade. He disappeared again, reappearing behind the Uchiha, swiping at him with a wide kick. His swing was dodged and he disappeared again. The masked man was alert, looking around for a clue as to Minato's next attack.
Kunai began soaring towards the Uchiha from every direction. There seemed to be dozens in volley after volley. They clashed against his sword as he easily deflected them. Bright orange magic glowed on his fingertips and he made to cast flames out in all directions, but nothing happened. The fire in his palm died before it could grasp its first breath as the vortex continued to rage around them. "Damn you," the masked man hissed, readying his blade once more, expecting Minato to strike from the air in any direction. More kunai flew towards him that he deflected easily, but right when he wasn't expecting it, fell from directly above and pummeled him to the ground with another sphere strike. The man gasped as his breath was stolen from him and he was forced into a crater. Minato had trapped him like a rat, already having removed the Hatake from the area before the barrage even began.
Minato took a step back and watched as the man attempted to move from the crater, gasping for breath as the air was sucked from the area. The Uchiha reached for his sword in front of him. "I-It's not… fair," he choked out, his eyes began to drift closed as he blacked out, unable to breathe. The blond man called his crystalline blue magic to his fingertips once more, this time, it flowed like water in his palms, trickling down the sides. "No… Don't… touch," the Uchiha breathed as Minato pressed his palm to the center of Uchiha's back. For a moment there glowed a line of glyphs until it vanished beneath the man's armor. Ethereal chains wrapped around the man's body, sealing his magic right as he fell unconscious. Minato maneuvered him over his shoulder. He was heavier than he was used to, but he managed and sped off.
After a few minutes, he reappeared and the vortex slowly died down the blaze going with it. He scanned the area and saw nothing but destruction and corpses. The champions had abandoned their master. That was fine. Minato had other things to attend to and in a flash, he was gone.