Chapter 8 - Who's Faster?

With a flash Minato appeared on top of the Hokage Rock. Looking at the beast in the distance causing wanton death and destruction upon the village that he loves, a calm rage set in.

'As the next Hokage, I will protect the village, my family, right now. This is what I need to do. I won't allow it to do as it pleases anymore!' Minato silently declared to himself.

Suddenly the beast reared its head toward his direction. A blood red Sharigan reflected in each of its eyes. The Kyuubi opened its maw wide and began to draw in massive amounts of chakra gathering it into a dark viscous orb forming between its razor-sharp jaws.

" I won't let you have your way here!" Minato's hands began to blur as he formed the Transportation Barrier Jutsu. As he finished the Kyuubi let loose a roar and launched the Bijuudama obliterating anything in its path on its way toward the Hokage Rock. Before the impact a large seal formed like a spider web covering the mountain, it slowly pulled the Bijuudama in until it disappeared from sight. Minato pushed his chakra into the seal and sent the Bijuudama through space to a marked location far outside of the village. Seconds later a flash of light followed by an intense explosion rocked the earth, causing the village to shake like an earthquake was happening.

'For this large of an explosion I'll have to be careful of where I send it. I must report all that's happened to lord third immediat-' lightly sweating from the amount of chakra he spent to send the Bijuudama away he almost didn't realize that a hand was about to grab the back of his head.

Trusting his instincts Minato spun, and with a kunai in his left hand he thrust it at the head of his hidden assailant. Seeing the kunai come closer the masked man ducked under the assault and used his right hand to grab ahold of Minato's arm.

With his free hand Minato quickly formed a Rasengan and drove it toward the chest of the masked man. Feeling the danger, the masked man left a seal on Minato's trapped arm before leaping backward dodging the rotating sphere of chakra.

Once barely out of range the man flashed a single hand sign while breathing in and then launched a sea of fire toward Minato. Feeling the heat from the vast amount of flames beginning to burn his skin and threatening to consume him he was forced to flash away to a marked location outside of the village.

Landing on the ground with his clothes still smoldering, Minato pushed himself up to one knee. 'Any longer and I would have been turned to ash' The brief dance with death he had with the masked man made him realize how dangerous his opponent really was.'

With a light thud the masked man flashed into existence a few meters in front of Minato." I won't let you get away." The deep uncaring voice of the masked man sounded through the empty clearing.

' He knows the flying Raijin Jutsu too? Is that how he took Kushina and moved away so quickly? A shinobi who outmaneuvered the Anbu assigned under Lord Third's direct control... Who slipped through a top-secret barrier... And knew that the Kyuubis' Seal would weaken during childbirth. Furthermore, he undid the Kyuubis' Seal, tamed it and... Went in and out of the barrier set up by Konoha without being caught. I know of only one shinobi capable of this.' Minato thought through the process of what happened over the past few hours and came to the only logical conclusion he could for the identity of the masked man.

"You are Madara Uchiha aren't you?" Grabbing his kunai, Minato flared his chakra, erasing the Teleportation seal on his left arm and pushing himself to his feet.

"I wonder about that." Letting two Kodachi fall from each sleeve, "Madara" clasped one in each hand and began to loosen his shoulders and back.

'It doesn't matter who this is, he is extremely dangerous, I need to be careful. If he is controlling the Kyuubi the same way as Madara he must be using a Summoning contract, he can't hold it for long. I have to defeat him and break the contact before going back to the village. I just have to trust that Lord Third can protect the village before I get there.' Seeing his adversary finish his preparations, Minato roused his chakra and tensed his muscle ready to strike at any moment.

"Now that I have freed the Kyuubi, You people have no hope left!" With the end of his words as a signal both shinobi lunged at each other at high speeds.

Minato threw his kunai into the throat of the oncoming man. Easily following the speed with his Sharingan "Madara " flicked his first sword deflecting the kunai up and away while his body flickered away out of existence. Suddenly the hairs on Minato's neck stood on end as he felt wind drive like a point heading toward his back, without a second thought he flashed to the kunai he previously threw catching it mid-flight. He turned around and saw "Madara " slightly crouched holding both swords, the second with a small drop of blood on the tip.

"You are fast, your title truly proceeds you. I wonder though. Who's faster?" "Madara" Taunted Minato speaking in a haughty tone full of disdain.

'He almost had me, he is the second fastest shinobi I have ever seen after the Raikage. This will be over in an instant. I can't waste too much time here with the Kyuubi still in the village. I'll have to risk it.' Quickly coming up with a plan Minato readied himself for the next exchange.

As if planned, both shinobi started sprinting to each other one more time. When the distance shrunk to half the size, Minato once again threw the kunai in his hand toward "Madara" while forming a Rasengan in the other, thrusting it forward.

"Madara" sneered inwardly thinking 'The same trick didn't work the first time, why would it be any different now.' Once again, the kunai was deflected by his first sword out of his vision while the other slashed toward the oncoming head of the yellow flash. The sword drew closer and closer toward the unguarded face of Minato.

'NOW!' Watching the blade grow larger in his vision, Minato's previously empty hand flickered, throwing out a shuriken toward the deflected kunai hitting it and sending it flying above the back of "Madara".

Just before the blade contacted Minato's skin he vanished and reappeared above "Madara". Grabbing his kunai and without delay he rotated his body slamming the Rasengan into "Madara's" back forcing him into the ground creating a shockwave and a crater below them sending dust in the air. With that moment of contact Minato set a Teleportation seal on the skin of "Madara".

Flying out of dust a disheveled figure came to a stop panting and gasping for breath. His swords long lost from the last exchange, his now empty hand held on to his shoulder. The damaged arm slowly dripped blood and another type of white liquid until it fell off.

As the dust settled another figure could be seen standing almost undamaged breathing slightly heavily and with a cold look on his face staring at a broken "Madara".

"You got me, so that's why they call you the yellow flash. I should have never let down my gaur-" Before the last word could escape his lips Minato was already Infront of him with his kunai hilt deep into his stomach. With his free hand Minato placed it on his enemy's chest and formed a Contract Seal breaking the hold "Madara" had over the Kyuubi.

"Madara" Kicked out causing Minato to jump back, separating them by a few meters. pulling out the kunai lodged in his stomach, he threw it far away then ran his chakra over his skin removing any Seals still in place.

"I must hand it to you, you wounded me and managed to break the Kyuubi free from my grasp. However, the Kyuubi will be mine eventually. I am going to rule the world... And there are so many ways to go about doing that." As the last word was spoken, "Madara" flashed out of existence.

Minato stood there sweat, dripping down his face, barely holding himself up.

'If he was serious, the shinobi world would have a very strong enemy. That fight took a lot out of me, let's just hope Lord Third was able to keep the Kyuubi at bay.' Looking in the direction of the village Minato could still hear angry roars and the sound of destruction echoing through the air. ' I have to hurry.' without another thought Minato flashed to the village.