Pushing Through the Limit Chapter 85: Distant Lands

To many, the Chunin Exams were a chance to elevate their position. Outside of war, it was the busiest event a village could experience. Depe

To many, the Chunin Exams were a chance to elevate their position. Outside of war, it was the busiest event a village could experience. Depending on who you asked, the description for them could change.

The oldest generation that was still currently alive… Those that were long since retired would tell you that not only were they a massive waste of time and resources, they also revealed Konoha’s secrets to its potential enemies that were allowed to walk its streets. It was worse than pointless, it was actively detrimental.

The younger generation on the other hand, those participating in these events would say that it was a chance for them to prove their worth to their village… To test their mettle and grow as Shinobi in a semi controlled environment.

Of course, there were also those that would see it for what it truly was… A replacement for war. One where the participating villages would have the chance to show off in front of visiting dignitaries, attracting business that would bring them further funding. Something that many minor villages and one major village depended on.

Minato, however, saw it as all those and more.

Twice a year, the villages would send their Genin to one of the Five great nations… Entrusting their future in the hands of their would be enemies and every year, those same Genin were safely returned home.

The Chunin Exams were proof that the Shinobi villages could cooperate with one another. That this peace they’d been enjoying since the Third Shinobi war came to an end didn’t need to be temporary.

“Hey there, how’s it going?” An orange haired man suddenly greeted him, before wincing. “Sorry… I mean, my apologies. That was a bit too informal, wasn’t it? Can I start over?” He asked sheepishly. “Greetings, Hokage-dono. Thank you for inviting me to your village on this day.”

Blinking, Minato stared at the man, before smiling. “No worries, you don’t have to be so formal. Please, take a seat. The finals will be beginning soon,” He gestured towards the chair next to him. “You must be Yahiko, right? One of Jiraiya-sensei’s students.”

“Thanks,” Yahiko breathed, sitting down bonelessly. “I’m still not used to all this formal cra…Uh, stuff.”

He didn’t doubt it. Ame had been going through a lot of changes in the past two decades. The village was progressing rapidly. Gone was the war torn nation and in its place was something that many would call a modern marvel.

Minato wouldn’t be surprised if it became the Sixth great Nation in the near future.

“So you’re one of Sensei’s students too, huh?” Yahiko hummed. “I guess that makes us brothers of a sort. You know, you look a lot like some of Sensei’s other students, Naruto and his sister, Naruko. Are they around?”

Other students? As far as Minato was aware, Jiraiya had only trained him and the trio from Ame… But Yahiko seemed certain that he’d trained others.

“No… They’re not here right now,” Minato replied. “If you wouldn’t mind, could you describe them for me. Being Hokage, I meet so many different Shinobi that all of the faces blend together.”

“Yeah, I get what you mean. It’s the same for me,” Yahiko chuckled. “They both had blonde hair and blue eyes… Let’s see, what else,” He muttered, tapping his chin. “Oh, yeah. They had whisker markings on their cheeks. They also seemed pretty self assured.”

He wasn’t sure about the woman, but that sounded a lot like the man that’d been spotted in Konoha a number of years ago when one of the elders was found dead… The one that was somehow capable of entering Kushina’s seal and using Mokuton of all things.

Funnily enough, it also described one other Shinobi here today.

“When was the last time that you saw them?”

“A while ago, actually,” Yahiko said, rubbing the back of his head. “Right around the time Hanzo died, they left a short while after he died. I was hoping to meet up with them today. Is Sensei here too?”

“He is, but I doubt he’s at the stadium,” Minato replied. “You’ll probably be able to find him at the hot springs. I’ll show you once the Chunin Exams conclude.”

“Thanks, that’d be a lot of help,” Yahiko grinned. “So, I guess Sensei’s still a pervert then? He looks about the same as the last time I saw him… Guess he decided to do his aging in advance before settling for his current look. We didn’t really get to talk when he gave the invitation, so it’ll be good to sit down for a while and relax. You can come as well… We’ll all hang out together”

“I might just have to take you up on that offer,” Minato chuckled easily.

It was interesting though. Hanzo’s death was quite literally the day before this Naruto fellow was spotted in Konoha. That was quite the distance for him to travel in one evening.

What made it even more intriguing was how he suddenly disappeared afterwards… Leaving no trace behind, it was almost like he was a ghost.

“I see that I’m not the only one attending this year,” A man wearing full white robes commented, his face hidden behind a veil. “Tell me, Hokage-sama, is there anyone else of note attending these exams or will it just be us?”

“It’s just the three of us, Kazekage-sama,” Minato replied. “I did extend an invitation to the other Kage, but, seeing as none of their Genin made it to this stage, they elected to not come.”

Humming softly, the Kazekage sat on the opposite side to Yahiko. “It’s their loss. I dare say that the conclusion of these exams should be rather interesting… Especially since both of our sons are competing.”

“Your son’s competing?” Yahiko asked, looking towards the contestants booth. “Which one is he?”

“The blonde one in the back,” Minato answered. “His name is Naruto.”

“Naruto?” Yahiko asked, abandoning his search. “That’s… Interesting. I wouldn’t mind meeting him after these exams are over.”

“I’ll introduce you,” Minato nodded.

“Speaking of introductions,” The Kazekage noted. “I don’t believe that I’ve formally met your other guest, Hokage-sama.”

Yahiko grinned sheepishly. “Yahiko of the Akatsuki… Leader of Amegakure. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Kazekage-sama.”

“Likewise,” The Kazekage replied. “Although I can’t say that your presence was expected here today. I was under the assumption that Ame was still under a strict lockdown.”

“It was, but we’re in the process of lifting it,” Yahiko explained. “Travelers can come and go as they please, but some locations are still forbidden. The gardens being one such place that no one is allowed to enter.”

“Understandable,” The Kazekage nodded. “You wouldn’t want to give away your nation's secrets. It’s much the same in Suna.”

As it was in Konoha… Although, Minato couldn’t say that he wasn’t intrigued.

The gardens, as Yahiko mentioned, were a place of international interest, especially since no outsider had ever laid eyes on them. Providing the majority of Ame’s food needs, they were one of the rainy nations most closely guarded treasures.

The main thing that made it interesting was how such a small nation was able to grow more than enough food for their people in a flooded environment.

That being said, the Land of Fire had more than enough farmlands sprinkled across the countryside, but those like The Land of Wind had to rely on exports in order to get by, something that they were currently struggling with due to their own budgetary problems.

It wasn’t anything too serious yet thanks to the Kazekage’s efforts in collecting and selling his gold dust. However, if things didn’t change in the next few years, Suna would be in a tough spot.

Tensions were measurably higher between their two villages, but not so much that relations would devolve into a war… At least, Minato hoped.

There were rumors that Suna might try something, but to attack during the Chunin Exams was not something the other nations would take lying down.

If Suna truly tried something, they would likely be barred from competing in the other villages. No one would want to welcome them into their village if they proved to be so untrustworthy, effectively cutting off all ability to advertise their Shinobi’s prowess.

Minato truly hoped that wasn’t the case here. If not for his, then for Suna’s own good. The Sand village wouldn’t survive the fallout.

“Oh, it looks like they’re beginning now,” Yahiko murmured as he leaned forward in his seat. “I can’t wait to see how strong everyone is. This is going to be so awesome.”

…PTL…

Hours passed as the Chunin Exams progressed and soon it was a little past noon with the final few rounds scheduled to begin soon. Only three more fights and the day would be over.

“It seems we’ve reached the end of the line, Hokage-sama,” The Kazekage commented. “My son versus your son. It should be quite a spectacle. I’ve heard great things about him.”

“Oh, your sons are going to be competing in the next round,” Yahiko hummed. “That should be pretty interesting.”

Sighing, Minato nodded. “It should.”

“Why so gloomy? Shouldn’t you be, I don’t know, excited?” Yahiko asked. “Your son’s done a pretty awesome job so far.”

Yahiko wasn’t wrong. Naruto had proven his abilities in these exams. He’d earned his promotion. That, however, wasn’t what was bothering Minato.

“You know,” Minato hummed. “Throughout all the time I’ve known you, Rasa, you’ve never once referred to Gaara as your son. In fact, I’m fairly certain that you’ve tried to have him assassinated a few times. Why the sudden change?”

“He what?!” Yahiko snapped, turning his gaze towards the Kazekage.

Caught off guard by the sudden accusation, the Kazekage let off a deep laugh that slowly changed pitch. “I never could fool you for too long, could I, Minato? I can see why Sensei picked you as his replacement over me. Tell me, when did you first realize that I wasn’t who I said I was?”

“Since you first sat down,” Minato muttered. “I’ve been trying to figure out why you’ve decided to betray us, Orochimaru.”

“There are countless reasons I could give…” Orochimaru paused. Reaching up, he tore off a layer of skin, revealing his face below. “But they would only be excuses. The truth is, I’ve grown bored with Konoha and wish to see something new take its place.”

“And you had to choose the Chunin Exams of all times?” Yahiko asked. “What are you, some kind of drama queen? Do you really need to be the center of attention this badly?!”

“Call it what you will, that won’t change the outcome of today,” Orochimaru hummed. “Also, do try and make this entertaining. I hate things that don’t move when they should.”

In a blur of movement, Orochimaru retreated to the rooftops just moments before one of Minato’s Kunai pierced his seat.

Stepping to the side as a Wind Chakra enhanced Kunai came screaming towards his face, he effortlessly tracked it and reacted as Minato suddenly appeared in front of him, blocking what would have been a lethal blow.

“Come now, that can’t be all that you’re capable of, Yondaime Hokage.”

Narrowing his eyes, Minato reached into his pouch and tossed a dozen Kunai around the rooftop, surrounding Orochimaru.

Taking off towards him, Minato’s form suddenly flickered before disappearing entirely, only to reappear directly behind Orochimaru with a Rasengan in hand.

Watching carefully as Orochimaru began to react to his speed, he teleported to another Kunai, this time, at his side, only to come face to face with his Kusanagi.

Contorting his body in an attempt to avoid the blade, Minato was suddenly given a lot more room as a Wind Style bullet collided with Orochimaru’s frame, sending him skidding backwards.

“I’m still here too, you know,” Yahiko commented, stretching casually as he walked towards Minato. “You’re not just fighting the Hokage.”

A small amount of blood dripped off Orochimaru’s form as he leaned forward, cradling his stomach. “Two on one… That hardly seems fair. Perhaps we should even those odds.”

Slamming his palms into the ground, a pair of coffins appeared in front of him, blocking a wave of Kunai and Shuriken that were accompanied by a blast of wind.

Teleporting to his Kunai embedded in the coffins, Minato was immediately forced to flash back to Yahiko’s side as a jet of water cut through it, threatening to tear him in two.

“I’m not going to lie, this situation is looking fairly bleak,” Minato muttered. His gaze locked on to the coffins as they slowly creaked open. “It might be for the best if you fall back.”

“And leave you to fight this bastard alone? Yeah, I don’t think so,” Yahiko retorted. “Besides, I wouldn’t be able to face Sensei if I abandoned you in your time of need. Face it, you’re stuck with me… Whether you like it or not.”

Unfortunately, any further argument was cut off as a wall of interlocking wood rose around the boundaries of the rooftop, trapping them in a cage of Chakra enhanced wood.

“Just so there won’t be any further interruptions,” Orochimaru idly commented as the resurrected bodies of the First and Second Hokage’s stood in front of him.

Although it might seem like it, Minato was fairly certain that this wasn’t a cage. Orochimaru would have known better than to try and cage someone that could use Space Time Ninjutsu. No, this was done as a challenge, one that Minato couldn’t refuse.

By creating a barrier around them, Orochimaru was isolating their fight from everyone else, keeping casualties to a minimum. Sure he benefited from it too, but not by much, especially with the Senju brothers under his command.

If this fight was drawn out into the general populace, the casualties would be tremendous.

There was also something else. Over the years, the only one that was ever able to truly react to his speed was the Raikage and perhaps Shisui in a few years. Orochimaru, however, wasn’t just reacting to his speed, but also actively predicting his movements.

“Still considering all of the angles, aren’t you, Minato,” Orochimaru chuckled. “Although it won’t do you much good. There is only so much a person can extrapolate when given incomplete data. Perhaps I should give you a clue as to what you’re dealing with.”

Reaching up to his face, Orochimaru peeled a portion of it off, revealing one that wasn’t his own beneath a layer of pale skin. A bright red eye with three tomoe stared out.

“Okay, what the hell is that?” Yahiko muttered. “I thought we were dealing with Orochimaru, not some kid playing dress up.”

“You’ve got it wrong,” Orochimaru grinned. “I’m the one playing dress up here. Tell me, what do you think of my new suit? It wasn’t my first pick, but it does come with more than a few perks. I did have to train it up a little for this day.”

...PTL...

“Damnit,” Naruto cursed as he narrowly ducked under a blast of sand.

To say that today hadn’t gone as he’d planned would be an understatement. What should have been the semi final match had devolved into a full blown invasion with a mixture of Suna and Oto Shinobi appearing in the arena’s stands, their presence causing a panic among the civilians.

He would have helped fight them off alongside the other Shinobi in the stands, but he was a little preoccupied at the moment.

“Naruto!” Gaara yelled, his face twisted in a cruel snarl. “Come provide meaning to my existence!”

Yeah, he was going to decline Gaara’s request.

Putting some distance between the two of them, Naruto exhaled a wall of wind that only just managed to push Gaara’s sand back. He needed a moment to think things through.

Gaara was dangerous, that much was painfully obvious to anyone that spent more than a minute around him. His sand was incredibly tough and able to act as both a defence and offence, but that didn’t make him invincible.

It was as Sasuke’s brother always said, every technique had a weakness. It was only a matter of finding and exploiting that weakness.

“Man, I really hope this works,” Naruto muttered as he reached into his pouch.

Grabbing a scroll, he flicked it towards Gaara and clasped his hands together and... Just as expected, the sand wrapped around it, keeping it from colliding with Gaara.

Pulsing his Chakra, the scroll suddenly detonated with a loud crack that sounded over the arena, before a flood exploded from the sand, causing it to drop limply to the floor.

Staring down at his hands in shock as his armour was washed away, Gaara held his hand out, attempting to command his now wet sand, only for it to move sluggishly, before drooping down into the water below.

“What have you done?”

“I removed your advantage,” Naruto smirked. “Let’s see how tough you are without your sand!”

Kicking off the ground, he rushed towards Gaara’s frozen form. His arm cocked back to deliver a knockout punch, only to spot a small distortion in the wind rapidly moving towards him.

Feeling something wrap around his torso, Naruto was pulled backwards, narrowly avoiding a blade of wind that sliced through the ground below.

“I believe that this was my son's match, not yours,” Kushina muttered, shooting a glare towards a man that suddenly appeared by Gaara’s side. “Unless you think that your skills have degraded to the point that you feel the need to begin as a Genin once more, Baki.”

“It is unfortunate that this is the way things have to be,” Baki murmured, buying some time as Kankuro and Temari arrived on the field. “I had hoped to give your son a quick death, but thanks to your actions, he will have to suffer through what comes next.”

That was ominous.

“The only one that will be suffering will be you,” A deep male voice announced as Sasuke and his father appeared beside them. “The sheer audacity you have to make such threats while you’re trampling upon my home... Should you somehow escape, you won’t be leaving whole, that much I promise you.”

“Hey, I was going to–“ Kushina began.

“If at all possible, could you please focus your attention on the Jinchuriki so that there won’t be any... Issues,” Fugaku said, interrupting her. “I will handle Baki while Sasuke takes care of his two helpers.”

That was bullshit. Naruto stepped forward to tell him as such, but was stopped by his mom who held him back.

“I appreciate the help, we’ll leave him to you,” Kushina said. “However, next time... Be careful where you stand. You’re in the splash zone.”

“Understood,” He nodded, before turning his gaze towards Gaara’s siblings. “I will offer you this one warning. Should you attempt to escape and damage my home further... Death is a mercy and I am not kind to my enemies.”

Taking off, he collided with Baki in a blur of speed, leading him to a secluded area of the arena while Sasuke moved to handle Kankuro and Temari.

“Che, who does he think he is, acting so smug,” Kushina muttered, before setting her sights on Gaara. “I guess that leaves you with us... Naruto, be a dear and handle him while I prepare a seal.”

“Sure thing, but how–” Pausing, he looked to his wrist which now had one of his mothers golden chains wrapped around it. “Wait, you’re not going to–“

“Ready yourself,” Kushina grinned.

Pulling on her chain, she swung him in a circle, rapidly gaining momentum, before releasing her hold, flinging Naruto right towards Gaara.

Crossing his arms in front of his face, Naruto smashed through a hastily made wall of sand, before colliding with Gaara’s frame, sending the duo flying into the arena wall where they both came to a sudden stop.

Letting out a wheeze as the wind was knocked from his body, Gaara’s head suddenly snapped backwards as Naruto’s fist smashed into his face. Shocked by the sudden sensation of pain, he tried to shield himself, but failed pitifully as he wasn’t well versed in Taijutsu.

Dropping to the floor, he felt something dripping from his face and looked down to see small red droplets staining his clothes. “Blood? MY BLOOD?!”

“Shut the hell up!” Naruto snapped, his fist colliding with Gaara’s head, knocking him into a state of semi consciousness. “Like I’m going to let you freak out after you’ve already tried killing me.”

Staring down at him for a moment, Naruto grabbed his leg and began dragging him back towards the spot where his mother stood before freezing as a massive burst of malevolent Chakra began to pour off Gaara’s body... Although, that wasn’t the reason for Naruto’s pause.

“WHO THE HELL'S THAT?!” Naruto yelled, pointing to a spot behind his mom where a cloaked stranger wielding a strange looking staff stood.

“LIKE I’M GOING TO FALL FOR THAT AGAIN!” Kushina roared back, only for the stranger to walk past her without worry.

“It would seem that I’ve arrived at just the right time,” The stranger hummed.

Holding his hand out towards Naruto, Gaara’s body was suddenly ripped from the ground and pulled towards him. Placing a hand against his head, the malevolent Chakra rapidly died down, before disappearing entirely, leaving him unconscious.

“Alright, who the hell are you and what are your intentions?” Kushina asked while positioning her chains around the stranger. “You have exactly five seconds to explain before I restrain you.”

“Me?” He hummed. Pulling his hood down, he revealed a head of red hair and purple, rippling eyes with orange markings beneath them. “I’m Nagato... A friend of Yahiko who was invited to attend these exams. I thought I would meet up with Jiraiya-Sensei while I was here and suddenly found myself accosted by a group of Suna Shinobi.”

“There’s a lot of that going around,” Naruto muttered under his breath.

Nagato nodded sagely. “Of course. Perhaps I should do something about that.”

Tapping his staff to the ground, a metallic clang sounded throughout the arena, before something odd happened. The attacking Suna and Oto Shinobi suddenly found themselves losing their footing. It wasn’t that they fell over, but rather that they were plucked from the ground and pulled into the sky.

“I’ll bring them down a little later... Once they’ve had time to cool off,” Nagato commented, before turning his gaze towards the interlocking wooden box that sat just above the Kage’s viewing area. “As for right now...” Taking a step towards the box, Kushina’s chains were forced away by an invisible force.

...PTL...

Teleporting to one of his Kunai near Yahiko, Minato took a moment to catch his breath, having not been allowed to stop moving since the fight first started. The rooftop was an absolute mess with large craters, pools of water, Kunai and trees spread across it.

“What’s the matter, Hokage-sama?” Orochimaru taunted. “Struggling to keep up with your predecessors? Perhaps you weren’t fit for the job after all.”

“You’re talking... A lot of crap... For a guy that’s just standing around,” Yahiko muttered. “What’s the matter? Too afraid to take us on so you have your little puppets do it for you?”

Looking over at Yahiko, Orochimaru raised a curious eyebrow. “You’re still alive? How amusing, I could have sworn you died a little earlier. Well, that’s no matter. It won’t be long before that little problem is solved.”

Minato hated to admit it, but if nothing changed, that would be the case. The first and second Hokage were both in great fighting shape and didn’t seem to be tiring, unlike him and Yahiko. Worse yet, their bodies were able to fully regenerate from any wound, regardless of lethality.

There were ways that he could potentially deal with them. He had more than a few of his Markers placed around the world.

It wouldn’t be too hard to whisk them away and drop them into the deepest pits of the ocean, but there was one major problem with that plan... Namely that Tobirama was capable of using the Hiraishin.

No, what he needed to do was seal their bodies away before taking out Orochimaru. Unfortunately, there was only one technique he knew of that was capable of doing so on such short notice, but that was a last resort.

“Do you like them, by the way?” Orochimaru asked. “I considered myself well versed at using the Edo Tensei, but once I got these eyes, all I could see were the flaws... Flaws that I spent the past year fixing. What you’re facing now is the perfected form of the technique. Would you like me to show you what your predecessors were truly capable of?”

“Yahiko, I’m going to need you to buy me a little time,” Minato said. “There’s a technique I know that can end this, but I need a moment to prepare it.”

“Yeah, sure. Whatever you need,” Yahiko muttered.

Nodding his thanks, Minato began focusing his Chakra, only to dive to the side as Tobirama suddenly appeared between them. Yahiko, not being fast enough to fully dodge the attack, took a Kunai to the shoulder.

“Like I would give you the chance.”

Spotting a tendril of wood poised to impale Yahiko, Minato flashed to his side with a Rasengan in hand, drilling through the would be fatal blow.

This wasn’t good. The entire rooftop was almost completely entrenched in Hashirama’s Chakra, leaving no space that was safe for them to stand. As much as Minato disliked the idea, he was going to have to move this fight to a different location if he was going to have a chance of coming out alive.

Feeling a pulse of Chakra coming from outside of the wooden box, Minato pulled Yahiko to the side just as a beam of light burnt through the Chakra enhanced wood, slicing Tobirama in two.

“Damnit,” Yahiko grunted, pulling Tobirama’s Kunai out. “He couldn’t show up a few minutes earlier... If Konan sees this, it’s not going to be pretty,” He said, pressing his hand against his bleeding shoulder.

“You know him?” Minato asked cautiously.

“Know him? He’s practically my brother.”

Touching down on the rooftop, Nagato casually walked forward, unbothered by the forest that grew on top of it. “So this is where you’ve gotten to.” Holding his hand out, he promptly pulled Tobirama’s still regenerating body towards him, before relieving it of its soul, breaking the technique.

“So easily?” Minato muttered, watching as the second Hokage’s body crumbled into ash and dust, leaving behind the corpse of an Oto Genin.

“A technique of this nature is nothing special to me,” Nagato explained as he turned his gaze towards Yahiko. “How’re you holding out?”

“Been better... Been worse too,” Yahiko shrugged. “I’m just glad to see you here. Things were getting a little desperate.”

Nagato turned his sights towards Hashirama’s location. “I will handle the first Hokage while you two deal with Orochimaru.”

Knowing better to argue with someone capable of breaking Orochimaru’s hold over the past Hokage’s, Minato nodded and took off into the forest with Yahiko following closely behind.

Stopping behind a tree a short distance away from Orochimaru, Minato slipped one his last Kunai into his hands.

“Alright, so what’s the plan?” Yahiko whispered, glancing at the Kunai.

“I’m going to need you to stay at a distance,” Minato murmured. Crossing his fingers, he created a dozen clones, each of them holding their own Kunai. “What comes next will be dangerous, especially if you get caught up in it.”

Staring at him for a moment, Yahiko sighed. “Sure thing... But don’t expect me to just sit on the sidelines if things are looking grim.”

“Then I’ll just need to make sure that this goes right,” Minato hummed.

Scattering his clones around the forest, he dropped down from the tree and slowly made his way towards Orochimaru.

“What’s this? You’ve come out of your hiding spot,” Orochimaru smirked. “I hope you’re not too tired for me, Hokage-sama.”

Saying nothing, Minato flicked his wrist, impaling the roof directly in front of Orochimaru.

“Come now, you can do better than that,” Orochimaru said while knocking the marker with his foot. “Such a direct approach won’t work on someone like me.”

“Perhaps,” Minato mused. “Perhaps not. You’ll never know the outcome of a thing until you try.”

“What are you playing at?” Orochimaru asked suspiciously.

“Playing? You’re the one that’s acting like this is some big game, not me,” Minato replied. Taking a low stance, he held his hand out as if he was about to form a Rasengan. “You better be ready for me, Orochimaru. What comes next is a technique I’ve been developing for a while. Hiraishin, third step.”

Watching as Minato disappeared in a flash, Orochimaru held his Kusanagi at the ready, scanning his surroundings with his Sharingan, only for his gaze to land on Minato who stood a little further back with a few of his clones standing in front of him, each holding their Kunai to the side.

“I see, so it was a bluff,” Orochimaru smirked. Ignoring the gust of warm wind that washed over him. “Congratulations, you actually managed to trick me. There is no third step to the Hiraishin, is there?”

“Oh, there is,” Minato hummed. “You’re currently experiencing it. The third step in a space time bubble that prevents you from being able to leave.”

Looking around, Orochimaru turned his gaze back to Minato. “And here I thought you were intelligent, Minato. You may be able to hold me for a time, but your Chakra will have long run out before backup capable of combating me arrives. You’ve lost.”

“Who says I’ll need to keep you there for long?” Minato asked. “This technique prevents everything from leaving while still allowing things to pass through unhindered. The only reason we’re able to talk right now is because I allow it. You’re a scientist, you should understand what that means.”

While it was an extremely Chakra intensive technique, the truth was that Minato didn’t need to keep it active for long. As the seconds ticked by, the pressure inside the space time bubble grew larger. With every step his clones took, there was less room for matter to occupy.

One step forward and the air surrounding Orochimaru began to boil.

Two steps and the inside sparked as the beginning stages of atomic fusion began to take place.

Five steps and it was a ball of brightly burning air, the interior of which resembled that of a star. Orochimaru’s body having long since been reduced to its elemental makeup.

Having his clones transport it to an isolated location, Minato breathed heavily. Sweat dripped down his face as exhaustion began to set in.

“That’s a pretty terrifying technique... Not going to lie,” Yahiko murmured, making his way over. “I can see why you didn’t want me to get too close.”

“If you think that’s bad, you should see the fourth step.”

“There’s a fourth step?!” Yahiko yelped, looking terrified.

Humming, Minato smiled. “Nope, I haven’t come up with that... Yet.”

“Yet he says. Between you and Nagato, I’m not sure who’s more terrifying.” Yahiko shook his head. “I’m going to need a drink after what I just saw... You coming? We could bring Nagato too... He’s hilarious when he's drunk.”

Looking around, Minato sighed. “Maybe later. I’ve... I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me,” He said tiredly.

Slinging his arm over Minato’s shoulders, Yahiko nodded sympathetically. “I get it. Later then… After you’ve done your duties as the Hokage. Until then… Do you know anywhere I could get something to eat? Between you, me and the ashes that used to be Orochimaru, I might have been so excited about today that I skipped breakfast.”

Letting out a short chuckle, Minato nodded. “Sure. I know just the place. It’s a little small, but they make the best Ramen.”

…End…

And that’s the end of ‘Pushing Through the Limit.’ One final glimpse of the alternate timeline to see how everyone was doing after Naruto made a few changes.

Things are largely better, but not completely perfect… As Orochimaru’s presence proved. But, without Obito and Zetsu’s influence, the world is heading in the right direction.

Anyways, the first chapter for my next story will be posted next week Friday. I’ll post the name and summary for it before then.

Until then… It’s been a genuine pleasure writing this story for all of you.

Heart breakers and life takers,
Thanks for reading!
ThatKIrcguy.