Minato recognized the B-ranked technique this Suna ninja was using—Beast Wave Gale Palm. Its power wasn't to be taken lightly; it could slice straight through ninja tools with the wind blades gathered on the palm.
So, anyone watching would think Minato was basically committing suicide by facing it head-on.
But what this Suna ninja never even imagined was that Minato possessed a technique stronger than Beast Wave Gale Palm—one that could be launched instantly too.
An A-ranked ninjutsu—Rasengan!
*Poof!*
At such close range, there was no way for the Suna ninja to dodge. The wind-covered fist slammed directly into the Rasengan.
*Thud!*
Instantly, the wind blades scattered. Blood burst from the blood vessels in the Suna ninja's arm.
Minato still held the Rasengan firmly, his eyes cold. He quickly adjusted the angle and drove it into the enemy's other forearm.
The limb twisted violently. The Wind Release chakra around the fist vanished, falling helplessly beside Minato's face.
The tendons and bones inside had been crushed by the Rasengan. Without chakra support, the jutsu just collapsed.
All of this happened in an instant. By the time the Suna ninja screamed in pain, Minato had already shattered both his arms.
*Crunch!*
Without hesitation, Minato took a kunai in his other hand and sliced the enemy's throat.
Meanwhile, Mikoto and the others were still over ten meters away from their targets.
Seeing how Minato had taken down an elite jonin in seconds, Mikoto froze—then her eyes shot wide open.
If she hadn't seen it herself, she wouldn't have believed it!
"Next time, take my warning seriously," a voice snapped, snapping her out of shock. Shikaku Nara sighed and shook his head. Only then did Mikoto react, looking up to find a Suna ninja standing barely a meter away, face twisted in malice, kunai stabbing toward her.
Yet he couldn't move a muscle—the shadow beneath his feet was linked to Shikaku's.
It was the Shadow Imitation Technique—a secret art passed down by Konoha's Nara clan. It bound opponents in place through shadow linkage.
Mikoto slammed her kunai into the immobilized Suna ninja and turned to thank Shikaku.
Shikaku sighed again. "I said it already—don't underestimate your enemies…"
"Got it, thanks!" Mikoto replied, before charging forward to engage enemy ninjas.
Over four thousand ninjas erupted into battle, the roar of death shattering the desert's silence.
After taking down an elite jonin like that, Minato was no longer someone the Suna ninjas dared underestimate.
Among the Konoha forces, one man twitched slightly at the corner of his mouth. After all, just three months ago, this boy who could defeat jonins in an instant had still been under his command.
He was Akai Shuji, captain of the Sixth Guard Unit, and a tokubetsu jonin of Konoha.
[Wind Release: Distance Blast!]
In the chaos of battle, a Suna ninja spat out a Wind Release projectile. It then appeared to gain a mind of its own, weaving around a Suna ninja standing in the center before slamming toward Minato, who was locked in combat with the one who launched the Wind Release.
However, Minato, who possessed sensing abilities, had already foreseen it. He intentionally left himself vulnerable to bait his opponent, then activated 'Instant Flash' and vanished from sight.
"Boom!"
The Wind Release projectile struck the shoulder of a Suna ninja not far behind Minato. Composed of countless tiny wind blades, the impact sliced through both flesh and bone.
The Konoha ninja who had been evenly matched with him seized the opening and landed a killing blow.
"Damn it!"
Realizing his failed ambush had cost him an ally instead, the Suna ninja inwardly cursed. At that moment, a blade came slashing down from behind him.
A wave of danger surged through him, but by the time he turned his head, it was already too late.
"Clang!"
Just then, a black shadow darted forth from the crowd and intercepted the deadly strike meant for him.
The Konoha ninja responsible for the attack was stunned—blocking his assault was a black humanoid puppet.
[Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!]
Immediately, the humanoid puppet's body flared to life. Its mechanical compartments burst open, launching countless shuriken outward.
[Dang! Dang! Dang!]
The Konoha ninja wasn't slow to react either, using his ninja blade to bat away the incoming projectiles. However, some slipped past his defense and pierced his flesh.
At first, the strikes felt trivial—like mere mosquito bites.
But the next moment, a numbing sensation overtook his entire body.
Instantly, a sharp blade shot from the mouth of the black humanoid puppet and drove straight through his forehead.
Minato, watching from not far away on the battlefield, naturally noticed what happened, though he couldn't reach in time to save him.
All he could see now was the cruel smirk creeping across the face of the Suna puppet master a few meters away.
"Damn it!"
Minato gritted his teeth. And within this brief moment, hundreds of black figures emerged onto the battlefield. They moved like ghosts, weaving effortlessly among the fighters with their compact frames and claiming at least dozens of Konoha ninja lives.
Even if their surprise attacks failed to kill outright, the poison-tipped shuriken ensured death.
The Suna puppet master squad!
"Rasengan!"
Minato unleashed another Rasengan instantly, obliterating a Suna ninja mid-attack. But at this moment, he had no intention of seeking a new opponent. Instead, he activated Instant Flash and darted across the battlefield.
A black puppet crouched behind a Konoha ninja engaged in a fight against a Suna ninja, preparing to launch a sneak attack.
"Crash!"
At that moment, golden light flashed. The puppet was cleaved vertically in two by a sharp wind blade. The momentum didn't stop there—Minato slashed sideways again, utterly destroying the puppet.
The Suna puppet master launching the surprise attack was alarmed. Yet just as he locked eyes with Minato, the latter's figure had already vanished from his sight.
"Clang!"
Danger surged through his being. Reacting instinctively, the Suna ninja spun around and clashed with Minato, who had appeared right behind him.
Puppet masters may have weaker combat abilities themselves, but they're still ninjas and certainly capable of defending themselves.
Minato clashed fiercely with the Suna puppet master. After more than a dozen exchanges, he finally struck him down.
Blood dripped from the kunai in his hand, yet Minato's brow remained deeply furrowed as he cast a sidelong glance. In this short span of time, another dozen Konoha ninja had fallen to ambushes by these puppets.
The Konoha ninja had also eliminated two puppet masters, and with the one Minato had eliminated, that totaled three.
But compared to Konoha's growing losses, that number was virtually meaningless.
"We can't keep going on like this!"
Minato's eyes darkened. Under the surprise attacks from the Suna Puppet Brigade, the casualty ratio between Konoha and Suna continued to widen dangerously.
At this pace, the Konoha forces were sure to be wiped out!
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