Unlike the confidence he showed when fooling Kushina, Minato was actually incredibly nervous inside. What he did today was completely acting on his own initiative, and if it failed, he could already imagine how furious Shin would be.
But didn't his brother say he was a natural at learning the Flying Thunder God Technique?
He had been laying the groundwork for quite some time now. Today, he had to succeed. Clenching his fists tightly, he could feel that his palms were already soaked in sweat.
However, sensing the spatial fluctuations that were much stronger than usual, he gained a bit more confidence.
---
"What's wrong?"
On the other side, Tsunade touched Shin's forehead and asked with concern.
"I'm not sure either!" Shin frowned. "I just feel uneasy, like something's not right."
"Could it be from overwork?" Tsunade muttered resentfully, "It's all Orochimaru's fault."
Her grudge against Orochimaru for monopolizing Shin ran deep. Who just pulled someone's boyfriend away in front of their girlfriend during a date?
If these two ever got married, would he try to crash the wedding? And Shin was just as bad. He kept apologizing like he didn't want to go, but ran faster than anyone else.
This felt way too much like how her grandmother used to complain about her grandfather and Madara.
Wait, no, he was forced! It was all Orochimaru's fault!
But Shin shook his head. This level of mental strain shouldn't be enough to cause such unease. So it definitely wasn't because of Orochimaru.
And if it wasn't Orochimaru, and Tsunade was right here and safe, then... was it Minato?
Suddenly, he shot to his feet, looking in a certain direction, and vanished in an instant.
---
One minute earlier, as he kept drawing on the Flying Thunder God mark on the kunai several meters away, Minato's perception of it became increasingly clearer. In the past, he could only sense the spatial connection when he was holding the kunai engraved with the mark.
But now, between him and the kunai, there was a faint, invisible channel, intangible to the eye but clearly perceptible to him. Carefully regulating his breathing, he adjusted the chakra in his body, reaching an unprecedented level of sensory focus.
Suddenly, the Flying Thunder God mark dozens of meters away was successfully activated. Before he could even react, he vanished with a whoosh from where he stood.
Kushina quickly covered her gaping mouth, staring in disbelief at what had just happened.
Did it actually work?
But soon, she began to panic. Three whole seconds had passed, and Minato still hadn't reappeared.
She had seen Shin demonstrate the Flying Thunder God Technique to Minato before; the transition was always instantaneous. It should never take this long.
A terrible feeling rose in her chest, and she began to tremble uncontrollably.
"Minato, where are you?!" Kushina shouted desperately. "Don't scare me like this, come out, now!"
As if responding to her words, Minato suddenly appeared in midair dozens of meters away.
Kushina's eyes lit up, but immediately sensed something was wrong. He didn't respond to her. His body dropped straight toward the ground.
She nearly broke down, dashing forward recklessly. But just before she could catch him, a figure appeared ahead of her and caught him firmly, landing gently on the ground.
"Shin-niisan?"
But at that moment, it was as if he hadn't even heard Kushina's voice. His whole body felt like it had plunged into an ice-cold abyss, and he began to tremble uncontrollably.
Minato looked utterly miserable, his face ashen and drained of all color.
His clothes were in tatters, the remaining fabric soaked in blood, and his exposed skin was covered in dense, horrific wounds, torn and mangled.
Though he was still alive, his life force was incredibly faint, like a candle flickering in the wind, about to be snuffed out at any moment.
No. No way...
His mind went blank. He completely lost his composure and had no idea what to do next.
Stay calm… stay calm!
Those words kept echoing in his head. He knew he had to begin treating Minato immediately. But the scene before him left his body frozen, completely out of his control, as if all strength had drained away, leaving only trembling.
Fortunately, at that moment, another figure rushed over at top speed. It was Tsunade, who had gone full throttle the moment Shin disappeared, racing over without a second thought.
She wasn't far, so she made it just in time.
Quickly scanning the scene and getting a rough understanding of the situation, she performed a Body Flicker, instantly appearing in front of Minato. At the same time, she released her Yin Seal and began using her Mystical Palm Technique, placing her hand on Minato's chest.
She shielded his heart and lungs while swiftly assessing the state of his body.
When she confirmed that although Minato's life was in danger, his brain remained intact thanks to the protection of his skull, she finally let out a heavy sigh of relief, and then poured even more energy into the healing process.
"Don't just stand there! Minato's going to be okay, get over here and help!" Tsunade shouted when she saw the light start to return to Shin's eyes.
It was like Shin had been struck by lightning. His whole body jolted as he snapped out of it completely. He immediately knelt down, pressing his trembling hands onto Minato's abdomen.
Left hand: Mystical Palm Technique.
Right hand: Revitalization Technique.
The combined life force generated by the two chakra types turned into a stream of healing energy, flowing through Minato's body, into every limb, every cell... nurturing and restoring him from the inside out.
Only Kushina stood nearby, completely at a loss, not knowing what to do.
"Who did this?" Shin's eyes were bloodshot, his face twisted with rage.
"It was... it was Minato… he was testing the Flying Thunder God Technique..." Kushina was already in tears, sobbing uncontrollably. "He said… he wanted to protect you. He said… once he learned the Flying Thunder God, he'd never have to be separated from you again…"
Her words struck Shin's soul like hammers, sending him into another daze.
He looked down at Minato's broken body, like someone who had been through endless torment, and was instantly engulfed in an overwhelming wave of regret.
It was me...
I'm the one who caused all this.
Hahaha...
At first, he had assumed that someone had ambushed Minato, and he'd planned to heal Minato and then...
But it turned out… the cause of everything was himself.
It was me. I'm the bastard who did this.
I'm the one who pressured him since he was a kid, constantly pushing him to grow faster.
I'm the one who told him that only strength could protect me.
I'm the one who said that if he mastered the Flying Thunder God, we'd never be apart…
He ended up like this… all because of me.
What the hell have I done?
Every torn inch of Minato's body felt like it was ripping his heart apart.
He had always said he wanted to protect me… but I'm the older brother. It's my job to protect him!
Someone like me… I don't deserve to be his brother.
Overwhelmed by this intense storm of emotions, his mental energy began to spiral into chaos, showing signs of complete breakdown.
Sensing that Shin's mind was on the verge of collapse, Tsunade shouted, "What happened to you? Snap out of it!"
But Shin could no longer hear anything. Except for his hands continuing to perform healing techniques mechanically, he had lost all control over himself.
Memories from the past kept flashing through his mind.
I'm such a damned fool. He's my brother… How hard could it have been to just let him grow up happy?
It's because I'm too weak. I couldn't even protect my one and only brother.
I'm worthless. If only I had been a little stronger… none of this would have happened.
Minato's near-death, Kushina's words, the crushing guilt and self-blame, the desperate thirst for power, all of it collided in his heart, creating overwhelming psychological pressure.
In the next moment, a sharp pain erupted in Shin's eyes. Blood and tears gushed out together.
His Sharingan activated, three tomoe spinning, and that was only the beginning. The tomoe pattern began to change and evolve further.