I apologize for the terribly late post. I fell asleep while writing this and thought that I had posted this earlier only to realize that I had not. I also realized too late that I posted this chapter without proofreading it so I apologize for the typos and grammatical errors. I've since proof read and revised my mistakes. The next few chapters will be from Tsunade's point of view. Thank you to everyone kind enough to review, heart and/or follow this story. You guys are the fuel that keeps me burning.
Chapter Five
"Can the Sharingan detect seals?" Minato wondered, light blue eyes studying the back of Fugaku Uchiha's head for a reaction. If the stoic Uchiha had heard him, he betrayed no signs detectable to Minato's gaze. "Although it's something that I've always wondered about, there's a very specific reason I'm asking now." Minato stated with a small frown. A half-glare was the only response his words elicited from the Sharingan-wielder.
"And what's that?" Tsume asked with an indulgent smile as she walked past. Minato's eyes narrowed as he took in the leash in her right hand. He slowly traced the rope backwards where it was attached to Daisuke's slender neck. The redhead's eyes were partially obscured by the shadow of his bangs as he walked quietly, hands bound behind his back. Beside him, Shizune walked quietly, dark eyes doing their best to avoid meeting the captive's dusty brown eyes. Minato felt a small smile tug at the corners of his lips when he took in the indignant sheen in his student's normally-warm brown eyes as she glared at the boisterous Inuzuka's mane of brown hair.
"Tsume-san," Minato said deliberately avoiding her question. He didn't miss the way Daisuke's head tilted up ever so slightly at the sound of his voice. "Is that really necessary?" When she gave him a quizzical frown, he shifted his gaze to the leash in her hands with a pointed frown.
"We'll soon be at war." The Inuzuka replied bluntly."We can't afford to let our guard down around our enemies, no matter how young."
"He's just a kid." Minato protested. "Besides everyone knows that the only way to survive in the shinobi world is by aligning with one's enemies." The spiky-haired blond didn't miss the subtle tilt of Fugaku Uchiha's head to the side as they continued walking.
"Fah! You sound just like that weakling husband I married." Tsume barked dismissively.
"If I recall correctly, your husband Nousagi-san almost single-handedly disqualified my team from the survival phase of the Chunin Exams by killing our charge."
"Have you no shame?" Tsume wondered with an incredulous arch of her eyebrow. "Admitting to almost losing to a weakling like that when you graduated top of your class at the academy."
"We must learn to face facts, no matter how inconvenient." Minato replied calmly.
"Those thunderclouds are getting bigger." Minato started at the sound of Tsunade's voice. She hadn't spoken since they had first set out that morning. In fact, she hadn't said a word to anyone other than Shizune since laying eyes on the bloody corpse the night before. Although they were several hours removed from the incident, it was very clear that she was still shaken by what had happened. When she spoke, her voice was hoarse and hollow from disuse, amber eyes dull and distant. Minato watched her with a twinge of sympathy before catching himself after recalling Jiraiya's stories of her quick temper. "Lord Fugaku, we should probably seek shelter."
"I'd prefer for us to seek shelter further up ahead." Fugaku replied bluntly. "Besides, traveling in the rain should help mask our scents from any pesky trackers that might be tailing us."
"Normally I wouldn't argue with that logic. However," Tsunade said pausing to glance at Daisuke from the side of her eye. "Given the fact that he only just barely survived the poison, I'd rather not risk any unnecessary exposure to the elements given his condition and weakened immune system."
"Tsume-san, what say you?" The Uchiha clan lord asked abruptly shifting his gaze to the Inuzuka. Although Tsume seemed just as taken aback as Minato and Tsunade were, she masked it by pretending to confer with her ninken before responding. "Are you still picking up their scents?"
"Yes." She replied. "If we stop now, they'll only get further and the rain will wash away any hint of their scent making it impossible to track. Besides, Kuromaru would have said something if he had picked up anyone tailing us. As for the prisoner, I'm sure you can cure him of a little cold, Tsunade-hime."
"Did I stutter?! I said I'd rather not risk any unnecessary ailments with his weakened immune system." Tsunade snapped, biting her lower lip in anger to keep it from trembling.
"Namikaze-san?" Fugaku said turning to Minato. "What say you? Rest or keep going?"
"Why're you asking him?" Kuromaru wondered with a deep growl.
"You're a sensory-type ninja aren't you?" The tone of Fugaku's voice suggested that he already knew the answer to his own question. Regardless, Minato nodded in response as their eyes met. "I figured as much. My jutsu binds the subject to the caster allowing me to detect everything you feel. It's remarkable that even with your chakra sealed you're still able to pick up something my eyes missed."
"Why did you bind Minato-sensei, Fugaku-sama?" Rin wondered blinking slowly in confusion.
"I wasn't taunting you back then, Fugaku-san." Minato said with an apologetic sigh deliberately avoiding his student's question. "I was—"
"Warning me," Fugaku said. "I know now. I just hope it's not too late."
"What are you getting at?" Tsume asked clearly confused. "What warning? Too late for what?"
"We're walking into a trap." Fugaku stated matter-of-factly. The group abruptly came to a halt at the Uchiha's words. Rin and Shizune's eyes widened as they scanned the surrounding trees for any sign of hostiles hiding or approaching.
"What?!" Kuromaru barked. "Impossible."
"Nani?" His partner Tsume growled. "You're not making any sense, Fugaku-senpai! I thought we were supposed to meet up with Orochimaru-sama and Hizashi-san. What's all this nonsense about warnings and us walking into a trap?!" When Fugaku didn't respond, she hissed in annoyance before adding, "don't tell me you're going to listen to him of all people."
"Minato, how many?" Fugaku asked ignoring Tsume as he turned to face the blond. As he spoke his once-onyx irises adopted the sinister crimson sheen of his keke genkai. Minato opened his mouth to say something just as the ground beneath them began to tremble violently.
"Scatter!" Fugaku boomed against the shattering crash of thunder. An earsplitting roar followed as the earth parted beneath their feet leaving behind a great chasm where they once stood. Minato detected a falling branch above him and moved to get out of its path. However, his limbs were still bound by Fugaku's jutsu, hampering his speed significantly. He lifted his hands to shield himself as he braced his body for the impact that never came. When he opened his eyes, he was laying sideways, ears ringing as something warm and sticky clung to his cheeks. He opened his mouth to call out to Rin and the others but instantly choked on the cloud of dust rising around him.
From the corner of his eye he noticed the massive trunk of a tree spinning violently in a sweeping arch. The blonde Sannin let out a feral roar as she hurled the fallen tree at Tsume. Kuromaru grabbed his partner's sleeve, dragging her out of harm's way before the tree could land, crushing the ground where she had been standing mere seconds before. Beside him, Minato noticed Shizune gingerly guiding an unconscious Daisuke into a sitting position before awkwardly pulling him away from the surrounding rubble. He became vaguely aware of someone shaking his shoulder and turned to find Rin mouthing something at him.
"Where's Fugaku-senpai?" Minato wondered wide-eyed. Rin mouthed a response but her lips moved too quickly for Minato to read. Balling his fists with an annoyed growl, Minato slowly but surely fought his way to his feet. Swaggering dangerously, his light blue eyes scoured the dust-colored fog for any sign of the onyx-eyed clan lord. Rin pulled his sleeve down as she stood on tiptoe, pressing a chakra-laden palm to his bleeding cheek. Minato moved her hands to his ears as the ringing sound crescendoed to an unbearable pitch.
Better, sensei? Rin mouthed at him. Minato felt his heart sink as a harrowing realization slowly sank in.
Fugaku! The Uchiha's words from before rang in Minato's mind as he doubled his efforts to reach him. His ears must have been damaged by the blast. If our bodies are still linked, that must mean that he's still alive.
"Lady Tsunade!" Shizune's voice rang out as a blinding flash of lightening illuminated the battlefield. As she cried out, the blonde Senju let out another wild roar as she plunged a chakra-reinforced fist into the ground beneath her feet. Dust and debris flew up in the air around them as they scrambled to escape the splintering crater beneath them.
From the corner of his eye, Minato felt someone snatch Shizune out of harm's way as he pulled Rin to safety. Relief flooded him when he turned to find the Uchiha clan lord gently depositing Daisuke and Shizune on the ground beside him.
"Fugaku-senpai, your ears." Minato mouthed to the dazed Uchiha as he turned to face him.
The Uchiha turned away, Sharingan trained on the spinning silhouettes of Tsume and Kuromaru's signature attack. Minato grabbed Rin's arm to get her attention before pointing to Fugaku's injured ear and then to his own.
"I don't understand sensei, what's going on?"
"Our senses are linked." Minato explained slowly. "Any injuries either of us suffer affect the both of us. Right now neither of us can hear because Fugaku-senpai's ears are damaged. Once you heal them, my hearing should return."
"There's no time for that." Fugaku growled impatiently waving Rin's hands away as she prepared to heal him. "Tsume and Kuromaru are no match for her. They're barely holding it together against her but they won't last long. We need to help them."
"I don't understand," Shizune said trembling as she fell to her knees, unwilling to believe the sight before her eyes. "Why did Lady Tsunade—"
"She's not in control of her actions." Fugaku said, eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Her chakra is undisturbed so she can't be under a genjutsu."
"Fugaku-senpai," Minato said pulling Fugaku aside with an urgent look. "I need you to undo your jutsu." Fugaku complied without protest as their eyes met.
"How long did you know about it?" He wondered.
"Not soon enough." Minato replied as he pressed his palms together. "I need you and Tsume to buy me enough time."
"How much time do you need?" Fugaku wondered as he pulled out several storage scrolls from his flak jacket pockets. Various ninja tools and weapons emerged from the scrolls with a large puff of smoke.
"I'm not sure." Minato admitted as he directed his gaze towards the darkening clouds above as it began to drizzle.
"Are you planning to activate the honored sage mode?" Fugaku wondered.
"No." Minato replied as he unfurled a small storage scroll of his own. As they spoke, a violent earthquake sent them crashing to the ground as Tsunade's heels collided with the forest floor.
"Why the hell not?!" Fugaku asked grabbing the front of his shirt. "With your chakra sealed away do you really think you can take her with only taijutsu?"
"No." Minato admitted. "But even if I wasn't lousy at senjutsu, it would still take far too long to activate it for it to offer any strategic advantage. It's a miracle Tsume and Kuromaru have survived this long against her. I need you to buy me enough time to prepare a quick and decisive strike." Fugaku was about to say something but stopped when he noticed how intently Minato was watching the sky.
"So that's your plan, huh?" Fugaku said with a small smile as he rose to his feet. "This should speed things up a bit! Fire Style: Heaven's Flame!" Two majestic flame wyverns erupted from Fugaku's mouth, charging towards Tsunade in a dizzying circle. The Senju heiress easily ducked out of the wyverns' way as the jutsu circled her and her opponent. Unable to connect with its mark, the jutsu disappeared into a cloud of steam which rose to join the gathering thunderclouds above. "Alright, I'll hold her off for as long as I can." The Uchiha slammed his palm to the ground as a summoning formula appeared at his feet.
"Wait, I don't understand." Rin said not bothering to hide the urgency in her voice. "How on earth are you planning to subdue her when you can't cast any seals or even weave any hand signs?" As she spoke, Minato rolled up his sleeve, carefully slicing his forearm with a kunai before lowering it to his side. Rin gasped and rushed to his side, arms glowing with healing chakra. Her sensei stopped her with one arm as a giant hawk appeared with a cloud of smoke.
"You called Lord Fugaku?" The hawk greeted the Uchiha with a subservient bow.
"Get them to safety, Takamaru." The Uchiha said grabbing Shizune by the collar of her kimono with one arm and handing her over to his summoning. The giant hawk lowered its head to the ground allowing the Sannin's attendant to land on its back.
"Rin, get on." Minato said not bothering to hide the urgency in his voice as he moved his bleeding arm out of his student's grasp. "Quickly!" The brunette reluctantly climbed unto the hawk's back as the blond turned away. Fugaku helped Daisuke unto the hawk's back before handing Takamaru the end of the redhead's leash with a meaningful look.
"Fly Takamaru!" Fugaku ordered. The hawk let out a loud screech as it spread its wings, rising into the sky with a mighty flap. Minato watched as Rin's tear-stained eyes grew further and further away before disappearing into the ominous grey sky.
"Hold on Tsume-san! We're coming." Minato called out as Fugaku gathered his weapons into a long chakra-infused chain which began spinning protectively around him.
He's switching to kenjutsu since his preferred fire-style jutsus will be ineffective in this weather. That fire style jutsu earlier seemed to have sped up the storm's progress. Minato noted with a small frown as Fugaku charged into battle. The familiar sickening sound of crunching of bones filled the air around them as Tsume Inuzuka crashed into a nearby tree trunk shattering it in two. Minato pulled her out in time to avoid getting crushed by the falling tree, squatting to observe her with worried eyes.
"Don't look at me like that." Tsume's voice was low and strained as blood oozed out her lips with each syllable. "It's going to take more than that to finish me off. I promised my little girl, Hana, that I'd make it home for her birthday party and I never go back on my word!" Kuromaru flew to her side, eyes narrowed in anger and exhaustion as he appraised his partner's condition. Satisfied that the Inuzuka was in no immediate danger, the ninken turned his fury upon Minato.
"Given your calm demeanor, I can only imagine that you somehow foresaw this."
"I'm sorry. My warning would have been less cryptic if I had guessed the seal's subject in time." Minato said with an apologetic bow.
"Well, what are you just standing around for?" Tsume barked weakly when she noticed Minato. "Fugaku's specialty is genjutsu and chakra suppression. He's no match for that big-breasted beast by himself."
Minato's eyes lit up as another blinding flash of lightning illuminated the churning grey skies above them. The hairs on his arms and on the back of his neck spiked up as the static energy around him became palpable. He pressed his bleeding palm unto the small storage scroll he had pulled out before and felt a surge of chakra emerge with a dull puff of smoke.
"Nani?" Kuromaru's eyes narrowed as he took in Minato's cackling chakra-laden palm. "Ah, so you stored some of your chakra inside that summoning scroll allowing you to use it in the event that you were ever low on or out of chakra." Minato's eyes narrowed into deadly slits as he straightened up into an offensive stance. Ignoring the high-pitched squeal of lightning growing around him, Minato watched Fugaku and Tsunade's battle, tracing the blonde's movements with a razor focus. After discerning a pattern in her movements and attacks he quickly devised an opening for his strike and flew into action.
Lightning surged through his body spurring his feet forward at an ungodly speed even he would have been unable to attain on his own. He closed his eyes as he launched forward, body bracing for the inevitable impact. Even before the collision, he knew his hand had found its mark. Electric current spiked dangerously around him enveloping their bodies in a massive explosion as the earth shook beneath them. Minato felt the corrupting energy disintegrate in Tsunade's body as he knelt down to catch her falling form in his outstretched hands.
At first, the gentle patter of rainfall filled the air around them as the soothing smell of damp earth replaced the metallic odor of blood. Minato slowly scooped the unconscious Sannin into his arms as he rose to his feet. He turned towards the spot where he had last seen Fugaku but noticed that he had flown to Tsume's side and was gingerly guiding her body unto Kuromaru's back. He heard the screech of Takamaru's call as the hawk circled the skies above them. Just as Minato raised his hand to wave the bird down, a sudden wave of nausea forced him to his knees. He dropped Tsunade to the ground, gasping and wheezing as he waited for the earth to stop spinning. His vision blurred and spun out of focus as a vaguely familiar sensation flooded his veins.
It took him several moments to realize that he had collapsed on top of Tsunade's limp form. And even then, his body refused to cooperate when he tried to move off her. Exhaustion anchored his limbs to his side as light blue eyes watched the raindrops slide down the bridge of his nose before pooling beneath him. A chilly breeze drifted over them as a fierce shiver wracked his lithe frame. Although his brain screamed at him to rise up and seek shelter from the elements, his mind was far too fuddled to maintain a coherent thought. Words and faces scrambled after each other in rapid succession, each dissipating the moment he began to make sense of them. For a split second, he forgot who he was and where they were as a pair of small blue sandals entered his line of sight. He watched as the sandals hurried to his side and heard a strangely familiar voice calling out to him as he was turned on his side.
"Sensei! Sensei!" He wanted to call out to Rin to say something comforting as he gave her that reassuring smile she seemed so fond of. But his mouth refused to move as his head rolled over to the side, light blue eyes staring hazily up at the inky sky as sheets of chilly rain poured down from the heavens.
The first thing Minato noticed when he came to after what felt like several hours was that he was not alone. Blond eyebrows creased slightly as he tried to discern the person's identity through their chakra signature alone. Although his eyes were closed, he could feel the pervasive darkness of the underground cavern as he listened intently to the figure's breathing. While he couldn't quite tell if the person had noticed him stirring earlier, something about this presence seemed strangely familiar and foreboding at the same time.
"Who are you?" Minato asked quietly. When there was no response, Minato finally forced his eyelids apart, moving to lean his weight on his elbows as he waited for his vision to adjust to the darkness. At first, only piercing darkness greeted him as he turned towards the area where he had detected the figure earlier. Blue eyes widened as a dark silhouette slowly but surely emerged from the shadows. The figure lifted its hand and Minato quickly felt exposed without the familiar feel of his kunai strapped to his person. The tension in his shoulders quickly dissolved when he noticed the figure press its finger to its mouth instead as it turned back towards the doorway.
"It must have been remotely activated because Hizashi-kun didn't detect any other presence in the forest that night." Even behind closed doors, Minato could still recognize Orochimaru's silky voice as the Snake Sannin walked down the corridor. He felt two others accompanying him as he watched the figure press its body against the door, listening intently to their muffled voices.
"And you're sure of that?" Fugaku asked with a concerned frown.
"Positive." He heard Hizashi replied stiffly. "I thought perhaps you were all under some elaborate genjutsu when we noticed you fighting yourselves."
"Well, at least Namikaze-san's chakra network seems to have been restored." Fugaku said after a lengthy pause. "If it hadn't been for him, we all would have been dead."
"Oh?" Orochimaru said softly. "How so?"
"He knew that the enemy had planted a seal on one of us and was trying to warn me about it. Speaking of the enemy, were you both able to track down that other shinobi that attacked them at the hotel that night?"
"We were only able to find his body." Orochimaru replied. "At least what was left of it."
"What do you mean?" Fugaku asked clearly confused.
"We know he was injured, but when we found him it was almost as if his body was in the process of disintegrating from the inside." Hizashi replied.
"It looked as if all of his internal organs were ruptured at the same time."
"Tsunade's punches tend to have that effect on people." Orochimaru stated with a chuckle.
"Not really." Fugaku countered. "Tsume took one of her punches to the gut—just like those assassins and she's still alive. As far as we can tell none of her organs have ruptured and barring some freak accident, she should make a full recovery."
"Hmm, quite the mystery indeed." Something in the Snake Sannin's voice sent a shiver of apprehension down Minato's spine.
"Anyways, what do we do now?" Hizashi wondered. "If Princess Tsunade herself could have been compromised, we can't risk anyone getting back to Konohagakure until we're sure that none of us have been interfered with." There was a long uncomfortable pause as Minato turned his attention towards the figure once more. It shouldn't have been this difficult for him to discern the figure's gender at this range. Normally, he was able to detect a person's gender miles away and was even in the process of determining their clan from their chakra signature alone.
"Might I ask how exactly Minato-kun was able to detect this puppet-master seal on Princess Tsunade, when your Sharingan was unable to?" Minato didn't realize that he had been holding his breath until the Snake Sannin spoke again, breaking the silence that had fallen over the group.
"What exactly are you implying?" Fugaku asked at length. Even though he couldn't see him, Minato could imagine the scowl lining the Uchiha's features as he stared down the Snake Sannin.
"Humor me," Orochimaru said with a small chuckle. "But isn't the Sharingan capable of detecting disruptions in a person's chakra network?" Minato clenched his fists and bit back an angry growl.
"What's your point?" Fugaku asked intentionally ignoring the Sannin's question altogether.
"You and Hizashi were able to detect the disturbance in Minato-kun's chakra signature instantly, yet you were unable to notice Tsunade's corruption?"
"What exactly are you implying?" Minato felt a touch of gratitude as he noted the clipped edge to the Uchiha clan lord's normally-stoic tone.
"Jiraiya is always going on about how brilliant Minato-kun is," Orochimaru replied quietly. "And if you think about it, this really is rather ingenious."
"There's no way he could have cast the puppet master jutsu." Hizashi scoffed dismissively. "His chakra was sealed away prior to Tsunade's…attack. He'd have to have placed it on her weeks ago and by all accounts this mission is their first direct encounter."
"All I'm saying is that Minato-kun isn't one to give up easily on something once he sets his mind to it." The Snake Sannin countered. "He also isn't one to do anything without reason. Look at the Uzumaki girl, he pursued and seduced her until she finally revealed her clan's most secret techniques to him."
"That's quite enough of that." The figure declared in a low unfamiliar voice as it noticed Minato struggling to get out of bed. The room spun out of focus as he collapsed to the floor, his breath coming out in harsh ragged rasps as he fought to regain his bearings. He felt the figure slowly approach him before stopping mere feet away to consider him with an inquisitive tilt of its head.
"What on earth do you think you're playing at?" Minato barked glaring daggers at the figure. His eyes narrowed painfully as an uncomfortable pulse of foreign energy surged through his torso, bending him forward.
"Save your strength." The intruder cooed. "Trust me, you're going to need it."
"Hel-!" Minato's eyes widened as his voice caught suddenly in his throat. Long fingers grasped desperately at his slender neck as a stabbing pain ripped through his larynx.
"I wouldn't call out if I were you." There was something sinister about the soft waifish timbre of the figure's voice as he stroked soothing circles down Minato's back.
"Oh? Why not?" Minato managed through gritted teeth.
"My, my such spirit." The figure taunted with a half-impressed chuckle. "I certainly hope it holds up once I'm through with you."
"My body…what have you—?"
"I want to know how you did it." The figure said abruptly cutting him off as he settled down unto a chair facing his bed. Although he could see the sheen of the stranger's sclera, he couldn't quite make out the color of his eyes. "How did you detect my seal?"
"I see you've stolen another body," Minato noted with a pained frown abruptly changing the subject as he observed the slightest hint of red in the figure's hair. "Did you really think that you would be safe approaching me in his body?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact I did" The villain replied with a soft chuckle. "Would you like to prove me wrong?"
"Some other time." Minato replied quietly, doing his best to school his expression into an inscrutable mask. The puppeteer gave no hint that his efforts to feign indifference were convincing or not.
"You haven't answered my question." The puppeteer noted with an impatient sigh. "How did you detect my jutsu's seal?"
"Sorry, but you'd have better luck interrogating a brick wall." Minato shot back defiantly.
"I guess we'll just have to see about that." The puppeteer threatened as Daisuke's body rose and turned to leave. He abruptly paused at the doorway at the last moment, skinny hands poised over the doorknob before turning to give him a warning look. "Come to the western outskirt of the forest at midnight or the child dies. You've seen what I can do, you know the suffering I'm capable of inflicting. Do. Not. Test. Me."
"If it's just me that you want then leave him out of this." Minato barked rising to his feet. An invisible force froze him in place as he met Daisuke's glassy-eyed stare. His tone softened and he lowered his gaze to his feet unable to quite meet the redhead's eyes anymore. "Please."
"Come to me and I will spare the child." The puppeteer said softly as Daisuke pressed his index and middle fingers together, he paused to add "you have my word" before vanishing with a cloud of smoke.
For the longest moment, Minato sat motionless at the edge of his bed, eyes staring at the spot where Daisuke's body had been standing mere moments ago. Sweat dripped down the side of his forehead as a plan gradually began to take shape in his mind. Without thinking, Minato slid out of bed, left hand reaching for his traveling bag as his right pulled out a blank scroll from the front pocket of his backpack.
Hunched over the dancing flame of a dying candle he had pulled from a nearby drawer, Minato carefully traced the final character of the seal formula unto the blank scroll before finally straightening up to inspect his handiwork. He flattened the scroll unto his bed as he lifted the candle with his good hand, eyes studying the formula carefully.
All was still in the vast underground chamber. Judging by the spiral patterns on the ceilings and sparse furniture they were in one of Orochimaru's many safe houses littered throughout the Land of Fire. From the corner of his eye, he noticed the gleaming face of his wristwatch peeking out of his tracksuit pocket.
Eleven forty-two.
Wincing slightly, he lifted the hem of his nightshirt until it was over his head before gently setting it aside. Turning his attention to the scroll on his lap, Minato lifted it up, carefully pressing the scribbled text to his exposed chest. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as the cool ink of the jutsu formula came in touch with his still-smarting skin. Minato carefully wrapped the scroll around his body pressing the tome until the formula was transferred unto his skin. After confirming that the formula was completely pasted on his skin, Minato pressed his hands together before weaving a complex pattern of hand signs as he channeled chakra to his heart. A stinging pain enveloped his body as the seal gradually faded into his skin.
Satisfied, Minato finally rose to his feet just as the first chimes of midnight echoed through the gloomy dungeon. He carefully tiptoed towards the door, stepping over the threshold without any fear or hesitation as he prepared for his date with destiny.