Chapter 154: Yellow Flash VS White Mask!
"The Flying Thunder God Technique..."
The white-masked man showed no fear of the kunai embedded in his forehead, nor did he pay any mind to the shadow tentacles wrapped around his body. He simply spoke with a soft, reflective sigh. Before his words could even drift away, Minato's next wave of attacks was already upon him.
Flying Thunder God Technique!
Realizing his thrown kunai had failed to pierce the man's defenses, Minato instantly activated the special formula marked on it. He traversed space in a flash of light, appearing directly in front of his opponent. At some point, he had drawn another Flying Thunder God kunai from his pouch. Gripping it firmly in his right hand with its unique, three-pronged blade pointing down, he sliced with incredible speed at the white-masked man's neck.
Thunk—
It sounded like a dull axe striking a great tree.
Minato's kunai hit the man's neck with a short, muffled thud and simply got stuck, giving none of the clean feedback of a successful slice.
'His neck has the same incredible durability as his mask!'
The thought flashed through Minato's mind but did nothing to slow his next move. As if sawing through wood, he put all his strength into his right arm, yanking the stuck kunai and grinding it viciously across the man's neck.
Screech—
The razor-sharp kunai grated against his opponent's throat, producing a cringe-inducing, abrasive sound. Minato caught a glimpse from the corner of his eye that the blade was not stained with even a drop of blood. He seized the moment to leap backward, creating distance just as the shadow binding was about to wear off.
In a few short moments, Minato had executed a flawless, flowing close-quarters combo. Unfortunately, from start to finish, he had been unable to break the enemy's defense.
'Not even the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki's manifested chakra can withstand a cut from a Flying Thunder God kunai. That white mask, and the defense on his neck...' Minato watched his enemy with extreme vigilance.
Without a continued supply of Yin Release chakra, the black tentacles created by the Spiraling Shadow Piercing Bullet began to fade.
"To think the Nara clan's shadow techniques could be developed to such a degree. Truly a generational talent," the white-masked man said, stretching his limbs. He reached up and pulled the kunai from his forehead, his empty, comma-shaped eyeholes fixed on Minato. "But by comparison, for you to advance the Second Hokage's space-time ninjutsu to this level, to the point that even the... formula's structure has changed... you are truly worthy of the name 'Konoha's Yellow Flash'."
Hearing this, Minato's blue pupils contracted slightly. In that instant, he threw out every theory he had about the man's identity. He was no bounty hunter, nor was he a Kiri ninja. His knowledge of the Nara clan's secret techniques could be explained away by their long history, but there was no way he could have known about Minato's jutsu so easily, let alone name the Flying Thunder God Technique itself! Even within Konoha, most ninja only knew that Minato was extremely fast; they didn't know he had mastered and upgraded the Second Hokage's signature jutsu.
'Could he be someone from the village? But what he said before...'
Minato tightened his grip on his kunai and asked in a cold voice, "Who exactly are you?"
"I told you. I am merely a ghost who has vanished from history."
The white-masked man flicked the kunai in his hand, sending it flying until it stuck into the trunk of a thick tree. In the next moment, he clapped his hands together and, as if he had no concern for chakra consumption, unleashed a water jutsu of incredible scale.
"Water Release: Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"
Rumble!
A tidal wave of water surged forth from in front of him. It rapidly converged into a massive, oval-shaped sphere of water that expanded outwards at an unimaginable speed. In just a few breaths, the water from this jutsu had completely submerged a vast swathe of land around the former Kannabi Bridge, creating a temporary lake as wide as the original bridge was long.
"A chakra reserve of this magnitude... is he a Jinchuriki?" Minato gripped his kunai and leaped backward, avoiding direct contact with the water. "It's said that the Hidden Mist's Three-Tails is a beast that excels at Water Style. But... their Jinchuriki shouldn't know about the Flying Thunder God Technique!"
In the sky, Nara Keisuke and his team also noticed the massive water jutsu below. The three members of Team Minato grew worried for their teacher.
"Captain," Hyūga Retsu reported, her Byakugan still active, "the enemy's chakra levels are enormous, and they're replenishing extremely quickly."
"A very strange opponent..." Keisuke nodded. He was about to say more when the massive body of water below began to shift again.
"Water Release: Rain Formation!"
Countless spheres of water gathered on the surface of the lake and shot towards the Shadow Creature in the sky like bullets. Their range was immense, covering nearly every corner of the sky. Given their speed and size, a single hit would undoubtedly cause the Shadow Creature to "crash."
"Hold on!" Keisuke shouted, maneuvering the creature to fly out of the way. He weaved through the storm of water bullets, constantly evading the assault from below.
But having learned from the last attack, Keisuke wasn't just watching the projectiles coming up; he was also tracking where they went after they missed.
Just as he expected, like the "Water Dragon Biting Explosion" before, the bullets that missed their target once again converged in the sky, forming a super-sized sphere of water that rivaled the lake below. The sky looked as if a hole had been torn in it. A torrential downpour of fine, needle-like streams of water fell from the sphere, hammering down on the Shadow Creature.
Faced with such a high-density, high-frequency attack, even Keisuke's masterful flying skills weren't enough to dodge completely.
At the critical moment, Keisuke decisively ceased controlling the Shadow Creature and resonated with the power in his Chakra Crystal, forcibly summoning a wall of earth in the empty sky.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The high-pressure jets of water slammed into the earthen wall, creating a continuous roar. Thanks to the elemental advantage, the water-style streams couldn't penetrate the earth wall, but their powerful impact was unavoidable. The Shadow Creature was knocked out of the sky and began to fall toward the ground.
'His target is Keisuke's squad?'
On the ground, Minato frowned. He tentatively stepped onto the surface of the giant water dome and felt a surface tension not unlike that of regular water. He no longer hesitated. Running across the surface, he rapidly closed the distance to the white-masked man, intending to break his concentration and disrupt the jutsu.
The Yellow Flash's speed was incredible. He arrived near his opponent in an instant and flew through hand seals, molding his fire-style chakra.
"Fire Release: Flame Bullet!"
A fire jutsu inherited from Jiraiya, it wasn't just a simple burn; it was mixed with a special oil that greatly enhanced its power.
The white-masked man had been completely unconcerned by the Flying Thunder God kunai, but he seemed to respect the fire jutsu. He instantly dropped his "Rain Formation" and dove into the water below.
"Water Release: Surging Wave Strike!"
His movement speed underwater was astonishing. He instantly closed the distance with Minato, his gloved hands reaching up from below the surface, intending to drag him under and drown him.
But Minato's reaction speed was equally stunning. He instantly sensed the attack and leaped a short distance backward. He drew a kunai, gripped it with both hands, and after a brief moment of charging power, thrust it down into the water.
Hidden beneath the surface, the white-masked man saw Minato's counter. Several highly condensed needles of water shot up, aiming for Minato's vital points.
"Water Release: Heavenly Weeping Needles!"
Minato was caught mid-motion and had no time to change his position. The surprise attack was about to strike him.
In that very instant.
"Flying Thunder God Technique!"
Minato once again activated the special formula, and his entire body vanished from the spot.
The white-masked man emerged from the water and immediately looked towards the tree where he had thrown the kunai earlier. A large sphere of water now enveloped the tree, but there was no one inside.
"It seems he deliberately avoided this kunai's location..." The man knew his trap had failed; the Yellow Flash had gone elsewhere.
And he was right.
Minato's figure reappeared on the back of the Shadow Creature. Earlier, Orochimaru had given Uchiha Shisui a Flying Thunder God kunai. Now, Minato had used that very kunai to rendezvous with the main group.
"Sensei!" / "Minato-sensei!" / "Minato-senpai!"
A chorus of greetings erupted on the Shadow Creature.
Minato had no time to respond, turning immediately to Keisuke. "Keisuke, how are your chakra reserves?"
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