On the rooftop, Minato Namikaze and Rasa, two of the strongest Kage among the hidden villages, stood silently facing each other. Neither made a move.
Meanwhile, Shisui and Baki clashed in an intense battle.
Shisui formed hand seals with both hands.
"Phantom Shifting Body Technique!"
Using his Sharingan, Shisui created multiple illusions. The clones, along with his real body, surged toward Baki.
Baki immediately performed hand seals with both hands. "Didn't expect I'd get to see the famous Shifting Body Technique of Shisui so soon. Then I should give it proper respect."
"Wind Release! Sickle Weasel Technique!"
Baki channeled wind chakra into the air, unleashing slashing attacks like blades. The wide-ranged, long-lasting, and highly destructive technique instantly shattered a large section of tiles beneath them on the rooftop.
However, Shisui's illusions remained intact even after being struck, advancing relentlessly toward Baki.
Baki made no move to evade these illusory attacks.
Because of the Wind Scythe attack, Shisui's real body couldn't break through—after all, those illusions lacked real damage potential.
"There you are!"
Baki locked onto Shisui, who stood not far away, just outside the range of the Sickle Weasel Technique.
Baki retrieved several shuriken from his pouch.
"Wind Release! Shuriken!"
He infused the shuriken with Wind Chakra before hurling them toward Shisui.
Yet although the shuriken pierced through Shisui's body, they merely passed through without causing any harm.
Baki hesitated for a moment. "Also an illusion?"
At that moment, Shisui had already appeared behind Baki. Holding a kunai, he thrust it toward Baki's head.
Instantly, Baki used the Substitution Jutsu to evade Shisui's attack.
After switching places using the Substitution Jutsu, Baki quickly created distance between himself and Shisui. Although his face remained expressionless, cold sweat drenched his back.
Shisui deliberately left an illusion standing outside the range of the Sickle Weasel Technique to make Baki believe it was his true form. Then once the Wind Scythe stopped, during his next attack, he would exploit his opponent's opening.
If his reaction hadn't been fast enough, he might have died—or at least suffered severe injuries.
Shisui started forming hand seals again.
[Fire Release: Dragon Flame Stream!]
Compared to Hinata's Dragon Flame Stream, the four fire dragons spewing from Shisui's mouth far surpassed those of others in speed, size, and power. They attacked Baki from four different directions.
Baki managed to block three of the fire dragons, but there was no way to stop the fourth one.
"Crap!"
Trapped without room to dodge, Baki could only watch helplessly as the fire dragon approached.
Just as the final fire dragon was about to strike Baki, a golden wall surged up and blocked the flames.
This golden wall came, of course, from Rasa.
And at the exact moment Rasa intercepted Shisui's fire dragon to protect Baki, Minato Namikaze sprang into action.
Minato Namikaze hurled a Flying Thunder God Kunai toward Rasa. As it neared him, Minato activated the Flying Thunder God Technique, teleporting to the kunai's location midair, catching it, and lunging at Rasa.
Instantly, Rasa manipulated the Gold Dust beneath his feet, lifting himself higher into the air.
"Magnet Release: Gold Dust Spear!"
Rasa compressed the gold dust into a drill-like shape and launched rapid, consecutive strikes at Minato Namikaze.
As Rasa thrust forward with the Gold Dust Spear, Minato had already used the Flying Thunder God Technique again, reappearing on a kunai he had previously placed on the rooftop.
Standing there with a slight frown, Minato gazed up at Rasa in the sky.
"Magnet Release... huh?"
The trajectory of the Flying Thunder God Kunai Minato had thrown at Rasa was off.
It should have appeared nearly right beside him—but instead shifted slightly, leaving space between them.
Using Magnet Release, Rasa had altered the kunai's position, preventing Minato from appearing nearby unexpectedly.
"Magnet Release: Golden Sand Torrential Wave!"
Rasa gathered a massive amount of gold dust in the air before sending it cascading downward toward Minato Namikaze.
Minato continuously used the Flying Thunder God Technique to evade. Soon, the entire rooftop was covered in a thick layer of gold dust.
Standing atop the golden surface, Minato hurled numerous Flying Thunder God Kunai at Rasa.
Then, without pause, Minato dashed swiftly between locations using the Flying Thunder God Technique, making it impossible for Rasa to predict where he would appear next. Forced to wait for Minato to reveal himself, Rasa could only counterattack with his gold dust—but with little effect. Defense became his only option, let alone retaliation.
Just as Rasa barely blocked an attack from the front, Minato suddenly appeared behind him—already forming a glowing orb in his hand as he thrust it forward.
[Rasengan!]
Even though Rasa tried to block with his gold dust defense, the sheer power of the Rasengan sent him crashing back onto the rooftop.
Baki stared wide-eyed as Rasa slammed into the roof. The strongest Kazekage of Sunagakure—revered as the mightiest among sand ninja—had already been pushed into a disadvantage so soon.
After getting back up, Rasa immediately began forming hand seals.
[Magnet Release: Gold Dust Cage!]
Rasa generated sharp, bamboo-shoot-like spikes made of gold dust across the entire rooftop, restricting Minato's movement.
Relying on his superior mobility, Minato continued launching high-speed attacks against Rasa.
Meanwhile, Rasa carefully defended while searching for openings to strike back, leveraging his Magnet Release advantage against Minato's Flying Thunder God Kunai.
The battle temporarily reached a stalemate.
At this moment, Shindai, Pakura, and Hikaku Uchiha were surrounded by a group of Sand ninja.
Their leader was Yura, another loyal lieutenant of Rasa.
Yura shook his head in regret as he looked at Pakura. "As former comrades-in-arms, I truly don't want to kill you. But unfortunately, Pakura, you're now standing on the opposite side from us."
Pakura activated [Scorch Release: Extremely Steaming Murder], three fireballs swirling behind her back, as she coldly replied, "It's not me who has taken a stand against you—it's you who forced my hand. It's your choice to take a position opposite me."
Shindai sneered, "Just a bunch of misfits anyway. Perfect, we'll eliminate you first and then confront Rasa."
Shindai summoned Kannazuki, whose hands transformed into cannons, beginning to bombard the Sand ninja surrounding them.
Pakura and Hikaku Uchiha coordinated, launching ninja techniques against the Sand ninja.
The Sand ninja were swiftly overwhelmed, suffering heavy losses.
Yura was startled by the level of offensive power displayed by Shindai, Pakura, and Hikaku Uchiha. He had assumed that numbers would be their advantage—but clearly, things weren't going their way at all.
In Konoha Village,
Deidara molded his Explosive Clay into a massive flying dragon that launched explosive projectiles in its wake.
Kakuzu unleashed his secret technique, Earth Grudge Fear: Nature Mask, firing multiple jutsu across the battlefield to cause widespread destruction.
The Deva Path left a trail of devastation in his wake, beginning with a powerful Shinra Tensei that flattened everything around him.
Hiruzen Sarutobi had already regrouped the Konoha ninja forces, leading them to counterattack the Sand ninja who had invaded Konoha.
Danzo arrived at the arena with his men, setting his sights on Hikaku Uchiha, who was locked in combat with the Sand ninja.
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