Actually, even if Kakashi's chakra hadn't run out, he still wouldn't have been able to dodge Tendo Pain's black rods. The reason? He was out of energy.
Kakashi, the notorious energy hog – was that reputation undeserved?
Whoosh!
At the last possible second, a kunai with a three-pronged tip suddenly flashed past Kakashi's side. As the kunai reached Kakashi's eyes, his Sharingan clearly saw strange runes etched onto the handle of the kunai.
Clang!
The kunai and the nail collided in mid-air. They spun a few times before sticking into the ground.
"Kakashi, well done. Leave the rest to your teacher."
A golden flash swept by. In Kakashi's vision, a man suddenly appeared before him, bathed in sunlight that made him seem incredibly imposing.
Kakashi's heart pounded. He had an almost unbelievable urge to use his Sharingan to see the man clearly, but he could only make out a pure white robe, outlined with red, and a head of golden hair.
"No… this can't be…" Kakashi stared, dumbfounded, at the person standing in front of him. The robe billowed in the wind, and the prominent fiery red characters 'Fourth Hokage' in the center were unmistakably clear.
"It seems your injuries aren't too severe. Did you run out of chakra?" Minato turned, looking at Kakashi's current state with some confusion. When had Kakashi's stamina become so poor?
"Te-teacher, te-teacher…"
Kakashi opened his mouth, his throat feeling choked. Looking at Minato, who had revealed his true face, his mind went blank again, as if his intelligence had shut down.
"Never mind, leave it to me from now on. You just get some rest," Minato said helplessly, walking towards Kakashi.
"Don't think you can get away." Asura Path's voice was deep. He rotated his right wrist once or twice and shot out again, trailing steam.
Rocket Arm!
"Sorry, gotta run for a bit. I'll be back later," Minato said with a smile, his eyes narrowed. He ignored Asura Path's attack and placed his hand on Kakashi's shoulder.
Suddenly, the scene before Kakashi changed. Somehow, he found himself in a very, very large mansion.
"Alright, Neji, I'm leaving Kakashi in your care," Minato said, then vanished again like a stream of light.
"The Fourth Hokage is really fast."
"Yeah, Konoha really needs someone like him right now. Young and capable, with a style that reminds me of myself back in my day."
"Hey, don't just stand around watching. This kid looks like he's lost his mind."
"Huh?" Only then did everyone look at Kakashi, whom Minato had left there. Their brows furrowed, and they secretly lamented how poor the mental fortitude of Konoha's young people was.
At this point, Kakashi hadn't snapped out of his daze and was muttering to himself.
"I must have died to see my teacher… Yes, I must have died."
But how lucky to see my teacher right after dying.
Kakashi thought to himself. The afterlife didn't seem so bad. His teacher looked as young as ever. Perhaps he could see other acquaintances here too, like Rin, or Obito… A happy smile then appeared on his lips.
At this moment, he… felt like he had seen heaven (or perhaps hell).
"Disgraceful." Neji walked out from behind the group. A pale green chakra orb flew from his palm and merged into Kakashi's body.
Kakashi immediately felt refreshed and regained his peak condition, naturally waking from his 'dream.'
Thump!
His mind cleared. When Kakashi saw everyone in the room, he instantly fell to his knees again, his legs feeling like jelly.
"Kakashi, what's wrong?" Neji asked, confused, then pointed to an empty seat nearby. "There's a chair."
"No, this is comfortable!"
…
"Akatsuki? You're the ones who killed Jiraiya-sensei?"
In an open space, Minato slowly stood up from on top of Asura Path, staring at Tendo Pain across from him.
"Those eyes, that technique… you're the Fourth Hokage." A slight crack appeared on Tendo Pain's expressionless face. "You, a dead person, were brought back by Edo Tensei? I never expected that guy would summon you."
Seeing Minato's signature black eyes from Edo Tensei, Tendo Pain immediately thought of Neji, who had used the technique. This had to be his doing.
So, the question was, would he only revive the Fourth Hokage?
He felt a bit nervous now, as if he had come to his own death.
But Neji probably wouldn't be able to find enough sacrifices.
Right, it should be fine.
"Technically, we're fellow students. If you leave now, I won't attack you. How about it?" Minato said, scratching his head. Although he knew it was unlikely, he still wanted to try.
"Hand over Uzumaki Naruto, and I'll leave."
"As expected, it didn't work out. But you're really brave to try and take my son from me, right in front of his father."
Minato's gaze turned grim. He conjured a Rasengan in his right hand and charged at Tendo Pain. Just as Tendo Pain was about to use Almighty Push to push him away, he suddenly noticed a kunai appear in Minato's left hand, as if he were about to throw it.
Tendo Pain's pupils narrowed. He immediately abandoned the idea of using Almighty Push. Almighty Push had a five-second cooldown. For anyone else, those five seconds would be negligible, but Namikaze Minato was famous for the Flying Thunder God Technique. In five seconds, he had no idea how he would die.
Asura Path just now was the best example; he was defeated without any chance to react.
Thinking of this, Tendo Pain quickly flicked a black rod from his sleeve and confronted Minato with it, their weapons clashing.
Although Tendo Pain rarely used taijutsu in combat, his skills were undeniably formidable. Yet, he found himself at a disadvantage. The reason was simple: the Rasengan in Minato's hand could hit him in the face at any moment.
"As expected of Jiraiya-sensei's student, your judgment is excellent."
Minato's plan was the same as Tendo Pain's worry: wait for Almighty Push to cool down, then use the Flying Thunder God Technique with a Rasengan for a fatal blow. However, his judgment and reaction speed were indeed excellent; he instantly saw through his plan and launched a counterattack.
"Looks like there's no other way," Minato said, withdrawing and kicking Tendo Pain back. He then used the recoil to retreat.
Boom!
Minato directly slammed the Rasengan into the ground, causing the earth to crumble and split. Dust and smoke billowed, obscuring the Rinnegan's vision.
Immediately afterwards, two kunai shot out from the dust, whistling through the air as they charged towards Tendo Pain.
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