Chapter 28: My Last Wish

The terror that Minato Namikaze brought upon the Hidden Stone Village could be seen vividly in Old Purple at this moment.

He originally intended to use the hand sign for Lava Stream Grand River, but in an instant, he switched to Lava Armor. It was as if he had forged himself into a colossal lava turtle, encased entirely in a shield made of magma, with four tails flailing wildly behind him. Clearly, he had suffered under the relentless assault of the Rasengan, leaving him with no small measure of trauma in his later years.

Yet Minato made no move to attack. After tossing three flash bombs, he landed beside Kakashi and the other two.

“Sensei! I knew you’d come!” Obito shouted, exhilarated.

“Mm, yes…” Minato appeared somewhat shaken.

Kakashi glanced at Minato, his brow slightly furrowed.

Of course, this Minato was none other than Shiraki in disguise, wrapped by White Zetsu and using the Wood Style Transformation Technique. It was a flawless impersonation, made more convincing by licking a few flash bombs on the battlefield for authenticity. As for his landing, it was rather inelegant—Afei had transformed himself into an ultra-resilient rubber band tied to a tree, launching Shiraki so that he landed next to Kakashi and his companions. Had he missed, he would have crashed into the sea of lava, becoming a laughingstock.

Seeing that the attack had not yet arrived, Old Purple’s impenetrable lava shield cracked open, and he emerged clad in the Tailed Beast’s cloak.

“Minato Namikaze… you arrived just in time!”

“Senior Old Purple, I didn’t expect we’d meet again here.” Shiraki steadied himself, feigning calm. What was there to fear? At worst, he’d be reborn once more.

“So it’s your student? No wonder he’s so skilled. What a pity, I was so close to finishing him off.” Old Purple looked regretfully at Minato.

“Now that I’m here, you won’t be allowed to wreak havoc any longer.” Shiraki surveyed the scorched earth, anger burning in his eyes.

“Sensei! So many people… so many of us were killed by that magma monster! You must avenge them!” Obito, tears streaming, stood beside Shiraki.

“Mm, I will!” Shiraki only wished Obito would hush.

“Oh? Do you still think you can keep me here?” Old Purple snorted coldly.

“Senior Old Purple, since you came alone, it’s only natural for me to try. If Hidden Stone Village loses its Four-Tails Jinchuriki, the tide of battle would surely shift…” Shiraki’s face showed eager excitement, but inwardly he was cornered. He could only say this—he couldn't exactly tell Old Purple to leave now and come back another day because there were guests at home.

He could only hope that Minato's legacy of terror ran deep enough to keep Old Purple from attacking and prompt him to flee.

“Hmph! Even if your speed is unmatched, if you can’t break through my lava shield, it’s pointless.” Old Purple didn’t attack directly, instead trying to intimidate them, proof that he was feeling nervous!

“That’s true, your defensive ninjutsu is formidable, but don’t forget—this is the Land of Fire. All I need to do is hold you here.” Shiraki secretly rejoiced.

Old Purple’s chest heaved for a long time, but ultimately, he backed down. Indeed, once Minato’s reinforcements arrived, he’d be easily trapped alone.

“Hmph, next time, let’s meet on the frontlines!” Old Purple turned to leave. His specialty was wide-area, high-impact attacks—the deadly lava furnace that could rival thousands, not dueling with assassin-type shinobi like Minato.

This operation was merely meant to destroy the supply relay closest to the front, to trouble Konoha and slowly bleed the beast dry.

“Whew…” Shiraki let out a sigh of relief.

“Sensei! He’s running! Use Rasengan to finish him off!” Obito panicked.

“Mm, I’ll use my Grand Rasengan right away!”

“Hurry! He’s almost gone!”

“I’ll use it on you instead!” Shiraki wished he could churn Obito’s head into a Rasengan.

“Obito…” Kakashi had caught on, stopping Obito’s foolish antics.

Old Purple’s footsteps halted. He slowly turned around.

Gulp… Shiraki swallowed hard.

“Hehehe… Almost fooled me. You’re not Minato Namikaze, are you? Quite a mastery of the Transformation Technique—you almost tricked even me.” Old Purple’s expression gradually twisted into a fierce scowl, his face flushed like an enraged gorilla.

“What… What does he mean…” Obito was confused.

Shiraki angrily ruffled Obito’s hair. “Obito, you’re just too clever—Sensei loves you for it!”

“Idiot… If Sensei were really here, he’d launch a surprise attack immediately.” Kakashi rolled his eyes.

“Oh well, I guess we’re doomed together.” Shiraki was unfazed—at worst, he’d lie low for a year after reincarnation.

“So… who are you really?” Obito still couldn’t believe it.

“Your friend from the Underworld. When you get to hell, please send regards to your parents—how did they ever produce such a specimen?” Afei melted off Shiraki like liquid, reforming as a cat-shaped mass, though the mask remained firmly in place.

“Shiraki?!… Sorry, I dragged you into this.” Rin apologized earnestly.

“It’s nothing, really…” Shiraki waved it off, as if seeing through the meaning of life.

Old Purple, nearly deceived, was furious. The four tails of his beast cloak danced wildly.

“I’ve decided… to give you the grandest funeral.”

A deep black Tailed Beast Ball began to condense between his tails, the immense, sinister chakra making their hearts race.

“Tailed Beast Ball…?” Shiraki was stunned. He didn’t expect to encounter this ultimate ninjutsu right out of the rookie village. Though it wasn’t the monstrous Nine-Tails version, it was enough to kill them a hundred times over, their bones vaporized to ash.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck—Shiraki turned to Kakashi.

“Is Minato’s sensory ability exceptionally strong?”

“…Yes, otherwise he couldn’t sense spatial coordinates. But why do you ask…” Kakashi hesitated briefly, then answered.

“Can he sense a Tailed Beast Ball explosion?” Shiraki pressed.

“Absolutely!” Kakashi was certain.

“So, all we need to do is survive this attack!” Shiraki thumped his fist.

“…Maybe you don’t understand the power of a Tailed Beast Ball.” Kakashi didn’t want to crush Shiraki’s confidence, but…

“I’ll take it!”

“You can’t…”

“Stop. I know more than you think—listen to me now.” Shiraki fixed Kakashi with a blazing gaze, gripping his shoulders and speaking with utmost sincerity:

“Hit me with your Thousand Years of Death.”

“What…” Kakashi’s mind nearly exploded. He never imagined someone would make such a perverse request before dying.

“Hurry! There’s no time! Just do it!” Shiraki even struck a pose, patting his backside at Kakashi:

“Before I die, I want to experience the Hatake family’s secret technique firsthand. This is my final wish!”

The football-sized Tailed Beast Ball shot from Old Purple’s mouth.

“Well then… sorry!” Kakashi roared, forming the hand sign, using all his strength to jab forward.

This was the signature move that earned his father the title "White Fang of Konoha." This strike would be delivered with full power—no holding back!

“Suffered 1000 points of critical true damage to weak point.”

“Entered near-death state, triggered 'Desperate Struggle.'”

“Pain sensation MAX, triggered potential surge, all attributes +100%.”

“Quest complete: Experience the power of Thousand Years of Death.”

“Reward received: 500 gold coins.”

“System… buy me a Banshee Veil!!!”

Yes, the first major item he had dreamed of—a device that could block one enemy skill, the ultimate tool for dramatic effect!

“Banshee Veil: +300 HP, +70 ninjutsu resistance, +100% base HP regeneration.”

“Unique passive: Grants a ‘Hungry Ghost Path’ shield that absorbs one enemy ninjutsu. If you don’t take damage for 40 seconds, the shield refreshes.”

Shiraki’s face flushed, tears streaming, as if he were a champagne bottle uncorked, chakra gushing from behind.

“Whoa! Rin, look—he’s flying!” Obito watched Shiraki shoot straight out, marveling.

A mere Tailed Beast Ball—what’s so impressive?

If the Executioner’s Blade can withstand it, surely my Banshee Veil can too.