Aizen's Shot

Looking at the fool in the distance, spouting grand ambitions like a madman, Aizen couldn't help but let the corners of his mouth twitch in amusement.

"Relying on the power of a mere dragon vein to conquer the world. What is Mukade thinking?" Aizen mused, mildly entertained by the ridiculousness of the idea.

However, Aizen wasn't in any rush to intervene. Watching the battle involving the Child of Prophecy was more intriguing to him. He was genuinely curious about the potential of Uzumaki Naruto.

As for the Hyuga brothers, they noticed their captain's reluctance to engage and naturally refrained from helping Naruto.

But now.

"Wind Style: Vacuum Great Sphere!"

"Secret Art: Insect Sphere!"

"Partial Expansion Jutsu!"

In a flash, a golden figure appeared behind the giant puppet and unleashed a powerful wind attack!

A massive wind ball, ten meters in diameter, slammed into the puppet, sending it flying backward as cracks began to spiderweb across its surface.

Next, a swarm of black insects surged forth, swarming over the puppet's body, gnawing at its structure and devouring its chakra.

Finally, Akamichi Chōza's massive form appeared, his right hand enlarged by his jutsu as he slammed the puppet to the ground!

As the giant puppet was suppressed, Minato's heroic figure landed gracefully in front of Naruto.

Soon after, Aizen and Sāra, along with the others, arrived on the scene.

"Ah! Big Brother!" Naruto cried out in delight upon seeing Minato.

He held a deep respect and affection for this powerful blond ninja who had saved him multiple times.

"Yes," Minato responded with a smile, acknowledging Naruto warmly. At this moment, neither he nor Akamichi Chōza wore their masks.

Crack! Crack!

Suddenly, the giant puppet that had been pinned down began to make ominous noises!

Hearing the sound, everyone's expressions—except for Aizen—turned grim.

"Oh no, the power of the dragon veins is too overwhelming! My insects can't hold it back anymore!" Aburame Shibi's voice carried a rare note of fear.

At the same time, the giant puppet began to tremble violently, straining to regain its mobility.

"This is troublesome," Minato muttered, frowning at the situation.

An enemy with such massive chakra reserves and terrifying regenerative abilities was a nightmare for someone like him, who specialized in explosive strikes.

In this scenario, if they were on their own, Minato knew they would have to follow the original plan: have Sāra sever the dragon veins while he and Naruto contained Mukade.

But now.

Minato cast a quick, thoughtful glance at Aizen beside him.

"Mukade, empowered by the dragon veins, is nearly unbeatable. Queen Sāra, you should be able to sever his connection to the dragon veins, correct?" Minato asked, his tone serious as he turned to Sāra.

Sāra was momentarily stunned, but quickly recovered, nodding vigorously. "Yes, that's right! But I need to reach the secret chamber where the dragon veins are sealed!"

Minato nodded, as if expecting that answer.

He then turned to Aizen and said, "Me, you, and Naruto will focus on restraining Mukade. The others will protect Sāra and help her cut off the dragon veins. Does that work for you?"

Aizen's eyes flicked toward Minato, a slight smile playing on his lips. "No problem."

Under Minato's orders, the Hyuga brothers and Akamichi Chōza took Sāra under their protection, leaving only Minato, Aizen, and Naruto to confront Mukade.

As they prepared for the next phase of the battle, Minato glanced at the giant puppet, now writhing under the swarm of insects, though it would take some time to fully subdue it. Without any visible anxiety, he leaned toward Aizen and asked in a low voice, "By the way, Aizen, when Naruto was fighting Mukade earlier, why didn't you step in?"

With Aizen's strength, it was clear that if he had acted, Mukade wouldn't have been able to cause much trouble. So why had Naruto been in danger just moments ago? Moreover, Aizen's aura remained calm and stable, clearly indicating that he hadn't intervened.

"You'll understand once you see that young man in action," Aizen teased a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Huh?!" Namikaze Minato felt a bit unsettled. There was something about Aizen's tone that made him feel as if he was being made the butt of a joke.

"Hey, you two! That Mukade guy is about to break free! You need to get serious—he's really strong!" Naruto's face fell as he watched Aizen and Minato, who seemed to be having a casual conversation instead of focusing on the battle at hand.

Naruto couldn't shake the feeling that these two were a bit unreliable. He figured that, in the end, he'd have to rely on himself.

Aizen, however, never imagined that he would one day be considered unreliable by someone like Naruto, the most unreliable person he'd ever met.

Pfft!

At that moment, the giant puppet under Mukade's control finally rid itself of the parasitic insects and broke free.

"I guess I've got no choice," Naruto muttered, rolling his eyes as he noticed that Aizen and Minato were still standing idly by. With a resigned look, he prepared to face the challenge alone.

Quickly, Naruto formed a Shadow Clone, and to Minato's shock, began forming a Rasengan.

As Naruto charged toward Mukade, Minato's mouth went dry. He turned his slightly stunned gaze to Aizen, who seemed to be enjoying the show.

"Is this the reason you mentioned earlier?" Minato asked, his voice a bit shaky.

Aizen's eyes narrowed with a knowing smile. "Yes. If you look closely at the boy's appearance, doesn't he resemble Uzumaki Kushina? And then there's his Uzumaki surname, the Rasengan, and the fact that he's from the future, decades later."

"No wonder! You wanted to observe this kid's strength carefully, which is why you didn't step in!* Minato said, finally understanding. His tone turned serious as he processed the revelation.

"Exactly," Aizen nodded in agreement.

"But don't wait any longer. Mukade is incredibly strong, and Naruto is still struggling to handle him." Now aware of Naruto's identity, Minato's concern for him grew.

"Ah... that's true. I suppose it's time I take care of him," Aizen replied nonchalantly as if the matter were trivial to him.

Meanwhile, Naruto was indeed in trouble again, caught up in the battle against the giant puppet. He grimaced as purple chakra oozed from the puppet's wounds, and then the puppet began firing countless hidden weapons, flooding the area around Naruto.

In the midst of the crisis, Minato's figure flashed, and he instantly appeared beside Naruto, using the Flying Thunder God Technique to transport them both to safety.

"I'll leave the rest to you," Minato said with a chuckle, glancing at the unscathed Naruto before turning to Aizen.