The wind whispered through the quiet, well-tended cemetery in Tokyo. Minato Namikaze stood still, dressed in a dark coat, his head bowed before two polished marble tombstones engraved with his parents' names. His piercing blue eyes shimmered with unshed tears as he knelt, placing fresh white lilies at the base of each grave.
"It's been four years…" Minato's voice was low but steady. "I'm sorry I couldn't save you… I should have been stronger."
He clenched his fists as memories of that fateful night surged forward—the coldness of Deathstroke's blade, the sound of his parents' last breath, and his own helplessness. His time on Lian Yu had sharpened him, transforming him from a broken young man into a warrior. But no amount of training could ease the guilt.
"I've done a lot since that night," Minato continued, forcing himself to speak through the lump in his throat. "I trained harder than ever… learned to fight, to survive. I'm not the same person anymore. I swear I'll honor your memory."
He exhaled, placing a hand on his father's tombstone. "I'll never let something like that happen again."
A familiar deep voice resonated in his mind. "They would be proud."
Minato nodded silently. Kurama's voice, gruff but oddly comforting, grounded him in the present. He rose, brushing the dirt from his hands, and turned to leave.
As Minato made his way through the busy streets of Tokyo, something in the air shifted—a vibration of impending danger. His keen senses sharpened instantly.
Then came the explosion.
The ground shook violently as a deafening roar echoed through the city. Minato snapped his head toward the source—a towering rock-like monster rampaging through downtown Tokyo. Cars were hurled like toys, buildings crumbled, and terrified civilians fled in all directions.
Without hesitation, Minato sprinted into a nearby alleyway. From a hidden compartment in his bag, he pulled out an ANBU-inspired combat uniform he had crafted using advanced materials he acquired over the years. Black combat armor fitted snugly over his body, reinforced with lightweight plating, and a wolf-like mask with red markings concealed his face.
"Time to move," he muttered, sliding his custom kunai into their holsters.
Minato emerged from the shadows, tossing kunai across the city streets with pinpoint accuracy. Each one struck key locations—building rooftops, alleyways, and nearby cars—forming a calculated grid of teleportation points.
He vanished in a blur of yellow light.
Reappearing mid-air above a crumbling office tower, Minato grabbed a falling child just before they hit the ground. Another flash—he teleported both himself and the child to safety on the far side of the street.
He spun and vanished again. This time, he reappeared just in time to catch a collapsing support beam threatening to crush a group of trapped civilians. With a mighty heave, he hurled the beam aside and teleported them all to safety.
"Get to cover!" he ordered firmly before flashing out once more.
"Good work," Kurama's voice resonated in his mind. "But the beast isn't slowing down."
Minato nodded grimly. The monster was still on a rampage, its giant rocky limbs smashing through everything in its path. With civilians mostly evacuated, it was time to focus on taking the creature down.
He flicked a three-pronged kunai high into the air—right behind the monster's back. The weapon shimmered as it arced through the sky before embedding itself in the pavement behind the beast.
In the blink of an eye, Minato vanished—reappearing directly behind the monster with a fully charged Rasengan in hand.
"Take this!" he roared, driving the spinning sphere of chakra directly into the monster's back.
A deafening explosion tore through the street as the Rasengan connected, blasting the monster apart in a shower of shattered rock and molten debris. When the dust settled, a massive crater remained, smoke rising from its smoldering edges.
Minato landed lightly on the ground, breathing steadily. His mind was already calculating his next move in case the monster regenerated—but the threat was over.
Before Minato could slip away, he heard hurried footsteps behind him. He spun, kunai ready—but stopped when he saw a determined-looking news reporter holding a microphone. A small camera drone hovered behind her, broadcasting live.
"Wait!" the reporter called breathlessly. "Who… who are you?"
Minato hesitated. He'd intended to remain in the shadows—but now the world had seen him. He couldn't ignore the chance to become a symbol of hope.
"Tell them your name," Kurama urged.
Minato frowned beneath his mask. "What name?"
Kurama chuckled. "Call yourself the Yellow Flash."
Minato blinked. "Why that name?"
"In your old world, your enemies feared that name," Kurama explained. "But here… let it bring hope instead."
Minato allowed himself a small smile. Turning back toward the camera, he spoke clearly:
"I am… the Yellow Flash."
With that, he vanished in a flash of golden light, leaving behind only a faint shimmer in the air.
Gotham City - Wayne Manor
Thousands of miles away, in the darkened study of Wayne Manor, Bruce Wayne sat in front of a glowing monitor, intently watching the live news broadcast from Tokyo. The footage replayed in slow motion, showing the masked figure teleporting with stunning precision, destroying the monster with incredible power.
Bruce leaned back, his sharp mind already working through the implications.
"This world is getting… dangerous," he murmured. His fingers danced across the keyboard, pulling up multiple classified databases. His mind sifted through possibilities, ruling out known metahumans, supernatural entities, and military experiments.
The screen flickered, and a new file opened, titled:
"Contingency: Yellow Flash."
With cold precision, Bruce began typing detailed notes, preparing strategies in case the mysterious warrior ever became a threat. His eyes narrowed, determination etched into every line of his face.