"Fwoosh—!"
The moment Minato appeared on the battlefield, both Hashirama and Tobirama were drawn to him instantly.
"That young man in the white cloak… is he the Fourth Hokage?" Hashirama leaned forward, eyes narrowing in interest. "He looks so young."
"Mm," Tobirama nodded, examining Minato's chakra. "But that's definitely the Flying Thunder God Technique… He actually mastered it?"
He sounded equal parts surprised and satisfied.
After all, he had created that jutsu decades ago. At the time, very few had the talent to learn it, even fewer to wield it in actual combat. And yet here stood a Hokage two generations later, commanding it with ease. That was enough to stir some pride in the Second Hokage's heart.
"In a way," Tobirama muttered with a smirk, "he's kind of like my student, then."
"You're claiming someone as a disciple just because they learned your jutsu?" Hashirama chuckled.
"I invented it," Tobirama said defensively. "It's only fair."
They both quieted as Kai—still standing silently nearby—offered a short answer to their unspoken curiosity.
"His name is Minato Namikaze. Fourth Hokage of Konohagakure."
Both brothers turned toward him.
"Is he strong?" Tobirama asked bluntly.
Kai didn't hesitate. "Not the strongest… but the best Hokage Konoha has ever had."
That statement hit like a shockwave.
Hashirama blinked. "That's… quite the compliment."
"Especially when you're standing in front of the First and Second Hokage," Tobirama muttered, raising a brow.
Kai didn't explain further. He didn't need to. Because the moment they turned back to the battlefield, they saw Minato already engaged in a high-speed confrontation with the masked man—Uchiha Obito.
The air distorted with every flash of light as the two vanished and reappeared across the clearing, exchanging attacks faster than the eye could follow.
"That's the Sharingan," Tobirama muttered, narrowing his gaze. "Another Uchiha."
Hashirama gave him a look.
"Don't say it."
"I didn't say anything."
"You were about to say 'evil Uchiha.'"
"Well, he is. Look at him—attacking during childbirth, unleashing the Nine-Tails inside Konoha? That's not exactly community service, is it?"
Hashirama sighed but said nothing. Even he couldn't defend Obito's actions.
As the two Hokage brothers watched closely, Kai offered more insight.
"The masked man's body is partly artificial—half of it's made from your cells, Hashirama."
Hashirama stiffened. "What?"
"He's been modified with First Hokage DNA," Kai continued. "That's how he can withstand the stress of using space-time ninjutsu and control the Nine-Tails with his Sharingan."
Tobirama frowned. "What the hell… Who would give Uchiha my brother's cells?"
"You'll find out soon enough."
Just then, Obito phased through one of Minato's kunai and launched an ambush from behind—only to be countered instantly by a flash of yellow light. Minato vanished, reappeared, and slammed a Rasengan directly into Obito's back.
BOOM.
The masked man was sent hurtling through the air, crashing into the dirt with a pained grunt. But even before he landed, Minato's hand shot up, forming a seal.
"He marked him," Tobirama said. "That was the Second Stage of Flying Thunder God."
"Wait," Hashirama said slowly, "didn't you say that technique can only target marked positions, not people in motion?"
"Yes… That's what makes this so impressive." Tobirama's voice lowered. "He's combining Flying Thunder God with active ninjutsu, without any delay. That's more refined than I ever managed."
"You're telling me," Hashirama said, genuinely impressed, "he's performing high-level teleportation and Rasengan simultaneously?"
Tobirama nodded. "A ninja can't typically use two jutsu at once. He's an exception."
"Then this guy…" Hashirama smiled. "He's something special."
Kai said nothing, only folded his arms. But his silence said more than enough.
On the battlefield, Minato moved again—this time appearing directly in front of Obito, right where he had placed his mark a moment ago.
Then he struck.
"Contract Seal!"
Minato's palm slapped Obito's stomach, severing the bond between the Uchiha and the Nine-Tails in an instant.
A blinding flash followed—and the oppressive chakra that had hovered in the air moments ago suddenly vanished.
"He cut off the control link," Tobirama said with visible satisfaction. "That's how it's done."
Obito staggered backward, gasping for breath.
"You… really are something else," he muttered, his voice rasping through the mask.
"But this isn't over. The Nine-Tails… will be mine again."
Without waiting for a response, Obito activated Kamui and vanished into a swirling vortex, escaping before Minato could land another hit.
Hashirama exhaled. "He's lucky Minato let him go."
"No," Kai corrected him. "Minato made the right choice. Chasing Obito would've left the Nine-Tails free to rampage."
As if on cue, a massive roar echoed across the village. The Nine-Tails, now freed from control, let out a deafening bellow and slammed its tails into the ground. A wide radius of buildings collapsed like sandcastles in a storm.
Minato's expression hardened. Without another word, he vanished again, teleporting toward the beast's location.
...
Back on the overlook, Tobirama crossed his arms.
"He's fast. Faster than me."
Hashirama nodded slowly. "And decisive."
"His instincts are sharp," Tobirama added. "He didn't hesitate once during that whole fight."
Kai allowed himself a small smile. "And that's why I said—he's the best Hokage."
"He really could've become something," Hashirama murmured. "If he'd lived longer…"
The thought lingered in the air.
They didn't need Kai to confirm it.
The fact that Minato—the man who just outmaneuvered and defeated a Kamui-wielding Uchiha—would still die that very night… it weighed heavily on them.
"You said he was the best Hokage," Tobirama said quietly. "Then why did he die?"
Kai didn't answer right away.
Instead, his gaze dropped to the center of Konohagakure, where the Nine-Tails' rage continued to level block after block of the village.
"…Because he chose the village."
That was all he said.
And in that silence, Hashirama understood exactly what that meant.
"…He's going to sacrifice himself?"
Kai didn't respond.
Tobirama didn't say anything either.
But both could feel the tension rising again as the final battle loomed.
...
Back in the village, Minato landed atop the Fourth Hokage monument. His eyes narrowed as he took in the destruction below.
The Nine-Tails loomed large, chakra swirling violently, mouth open wide as it prepared to unleash another Tailed Beast Ball directly onto the heart of the village.
Minato didn't flinch.
His hand flashed through hand seals. Then, in a golden flash, he vanished—reappearing midair, just inches from the beast's head.
He slammed a specialized kunai into the Nine-Tails' shoulder.
"Eight Trigrams Sealing Formation!"
Golden chains of chakra exploded outward, wrapping around the beast. The Tailed Beast Ball fizzled out before it could finish forming, its energy collapsing back into the beast's body.
And then—
Another flash.
Kushina appeared beside Minato, eyes hollow but determined.
"This is our last job together," she whispered, holding Naruto tightly in her arms.
"We'll seal the Nine-Tails inside him."
Minato hesitated—just for a moment. But he nodded.
Together, they began the sealing.