Near the border of the Land of Fire, a ninja group of about seventy is advancing steadily.
"Motomu, sense the surroundings." The Fourth A suddenly halted, commanding the Perception Ninja beside him.
As a rear diversion force, their most critical task is to avoid detection.
Now that their operation plan is reaching its final stage, the Fourth A didn't want a careless mistake to ruin it.
"Yes!" Motomu nodded, closed his eyes, formed Hand Seals, and concentrated Chakra to activate Perception Ninjutsu.
"Nearby, there are no... a powerful Chakra ninja is heading towards us."
Motomu initially thought there were no ninjas nearby, but suddenly sensed a strong ninja rapidly approaching, and this Chakra felt quite familiar to him.
"It's Namikaze Minato!" Motomu immediately recalled the name associated with this Chakra.
He probably will never forget Namikaze Minato because he once encountered Namikaze Minato during a mission with the Fourth A and nearly got killed.
"Hmm?" The Fourth A's eyes sharpened.
"Did they discover our plan so quickly?" The Fourth A frowned.
In their assumption, Namikaze Minato should be busy dealing with Hidden Cloud squads in the northwest.
The Hidden Cloud Ninjas within the group looked at the Fourth A, waiting for his command.
"Stop advancing, prepare for battle." After some thought, the Fourth A issued the order.
Without using Flying Thunder God, Namikaze Minato isn't as fast as him, but not every Cloud Ninja possesses his speed.
Even though the Fourth A felt unwilling, he acknowledged one fact: the moment Motomu sensed Namikaze Minato, their ambush plan was already compromised.
Following the Fourth A's command, the Cloud Ninjas drew their swords or took out their Kunai.
Upon sensing that Cloud stopped advancing, Namikaze Minato also slowed down, allowing time for his teammates to catch up.
Due to his speed and Perception Ability, Namikaze Minato was always at the forefront.
The Fourth A coldly watched the steadily approaching Namikaze Minato and others like Nara Shikaku.
The Hidden Cloud squads in the northwest of the Land of Fire would withdraw tonight, and those Hidden Clouds captured or killed by Konoha over these days wouldn't be more numerous than those Clouds killed Konoha Ninja in the northern Land of Fire.
Therefore, if he could keep Namikaze Minato here, then this plan could be considered successful, albeit not as successful as anticipated.
"We meet again." Namikaze Minato greeted, taking out two Flying Thunder God Kunai from his Ninja Pouch.
He and the new AB combination have been old rivals, meeting not only on the battlefield but also clashing during missions.
However, each battle's outcome was quite similar, where neither could truly defeat the other.
Flying Thunder God's Divine Speed and innate extraordinary reflexes placed Namikaze Minato in an undefeatable position.
However, the Lightning Chakra Mode of A is only slightly slower in close quarters, and he can strengthen his reflexes through Nature Transformation of Lightning Attribute. Plus, Killer Bee isn't just an ineffective accessory; Namikaze Minato also hasn't found a way to deal with the new AB combination.
"Perhaps there won't be a next time." The Fourth A said coldly, signaling Killer Bee with his eyes as he spoke.
This was Killer Bee's first battle since becoming the Eight-tailed Jinchuriki, and Namikaze Minato wouldn't have information on Killer Bee, thus using this intelligence gap to catch Namikaze Minato off guard.
Killer Bee suppressed his urge to rap, slightly nodding in response.
"Well, we shall see." Namikaze Minato wasn't provoked but showed a serious demeanor.
The AB combination has always been Hidden Cloud's signature, and even if it's the still-growing new AB combination, they must face them with full strength.
"The enemy has seventy-two in total, nineteen more ninjas than us." Namikaze Minato contemplated tactics.
Although he and the Fourth A exchanged fierce words, this wasn't a one-on-one or one-on-two battle, but a small skirmish between elite ninja squads.
And due to the urgency of the situation, Namikaze Minato brought fewer prepared ninjas compared to the Fourth A.
Whizz whizz whizz!!
Both sides acted with high coordination, launching a volley of Shuriken and Kunai at each other.
However, those standing here were Cloud elites trusted by the Fourth A and Konoha elites trusted by Namikaze Minato; neutralizing a regular Ninja Tool throw was child's play to them.
Both sides showcased their abilities in intercepting.
Sizzling!!
Crackle!!
Blazing blue lightning blossomed on the Fourth A as a powerful oppressive presence emerged in the forest.
Upon entering Lightning Release Chakra Mode, the Fourth A focused intently on Namikaze Minato, who was stationary, while keeping an eye on the Flying Thunder God Kunai struck down by Ninjutsu.
This Flying Thunder God Kunai was already close, and with Namikaze Minato's speed, using Flying Thunder God to approach followed by Instant Body Jutsu, he could appear right beside them.
Swoosh!
Namikaze Minato didn't use Flying Thunder God Jutsu to transfer but instead performed Instant Body Jutsu, appearing to the right side and throwing two more Flying Thunder God Kunai.
"Bee!" the Fourth A shouted, then transformed into lightning and charged towards Namikaze Minato.
Killer Bee calmly took out two Kunai and threw them, precisely blocking Namikaze Minato's Kunai, intercepting Namikaze Minato's Flying Thunder God Kunai.
Swoosh!
Namikaze Minato appeared at the location of the first Flying Thunder God Kunai.