Chapter 169: I Will Engage in Gundam Form!
Minato Namikaze considered himself a ninja who had seen his share of storms. The Sannin of Konoha, the AB Combo of Kumogakure, the Tsuchikage and Jinchuriki of Iwagakure... he had truly witnessed a great many of the ninja world's top-tier powerhouses. Even his own future wife, Kushina Uzumaki, was a hidden master of incredible power. If she unleashed the Nine-Tails, all bets were off.
However... if the various water jutsu that Uchiha Kagami had displayed earlier—including the super-waterspout that connected heaven and earth—were still within the realm of his understanding, then this chakra giant currently flying freely through the sky... what in the world was that?!
"Such powerful Yin Release chakra, and it's been stabilized into a form like this..."
Minato was somewhat numb. He suddenly felt like he couldn't understand the times anymore. Weren't ninja battles supposed to be about probing, deception, and exploiting an enemy's weaknesses to land a killing blow? Even when a colossal creature did appear, it was usually a Tailed Beast or a giant summon, something separate from the ninja themself. But Uchiha Kagami had just pulled out a super giant... and a flying one with wings, at that.
By Minato's estimation, the bright yellow giant was at least ten meters tall. The moment a humanoid entity of that scale appeared in a real battle, it basically signaled the end of the era of the "traditional ninja." At least, in his own self-assessment, Minato knew he had no way of dealing with it.
Even without testing the defensive strength of this "giant jutsu," Minato knew his strongest single-target attack was Sage Art: Goemon, a composite technique that required Sage Mode and the assistance of Fukasaku and Shima from Mount Myōboku to combine fire, wind, and oil. But molding sage chakra required him to remain completely still for a long time, and his own chakra limits prevented him from using it for extended periods. For Minato, Sage Art: Goemon was essentially an ultra-high-power, single-shot attack with a long charge time. It had power, but its practical combat value was almost zero. That was why he rarely used Sage Art in battle; he simply wasn't very good at it.
Setting aside Sage Art, Minato's strongest single-target attack—in terms of practical application—was still just hitting people with his kunai. Fire Style? Wind Style? Against the flesh and blood of a ninja, a cold weapon was still the most effective tool. But using a kunai against a ten-meter-tall flying giant?
Minato looked at the special kunai in his hand, then at the yellow giant in the sky.
"Keisuke, look..."
"Look at this!"
Keisuke raised his right hand. A black shadow sphere materialized in his palm and shot towards the bright yellow giant in the sky.
Spiraling Shadow Killing Cannon!
The projectile streaked across the sky like black lightning, striking the giant's torso in the blink of an eye.
BOOM!
The attack slammed into the yellow giant. The collision of two equally powerful forms of Yin Release chakra produced a deafening roar in mid-air. Based on the principle of same-nature cancellation, the Yin Release chakra in the cannonball and the Yin Release chakra comprising the giant's body neutralized each other. The point of impact on the giant's form visibly faded in color, but aside from that, there was almost no other effect. In fact, under the near-endless supply of chakra from the Edo Tensei, the damaged area was rapidly returning to its original color.
Minato's heart sank. He had personally witnessed the power of Keisuke's "Super Burst Spiral Death God Missile." It was the same attack that had blown a hole straight through Kagami's reanimated body last time. If not for the immortality of the Edo Tensei, he would have died then and there. But now, this same attack, which could pierce an immortal body and collapse a cliff face, couldn't even break the yellow giant's defense?
Minato felt an unprecedented level of mental pressure from his lack of offensive options.
Keisuke felt it too. Excluding the Dust Release he couldn't use yet, the Spiraling Shadow Killing Cannon was one of the most powerful attacks he had. He never thought it would be so ineffective against a Susanoo.
Unlike Minato, however, Keisuke's understanding of the Susanoo was much deeper. In his assessment, the one Kagami was using, aside from the strange wings, was roughly a "Stage Three Susanoo." It had a complete humanoid form, wielded a strange weapon, and was covered in special armor. Aside from its size, it was incredibly close to "Stage Four." At this stage, a Susanoo had almost no weaknesses, save for a few highly specialized jutsu. Add in the fact that it could fly... even Keisuke felt this was going to be a tough fight.
But while Keisuke and Minato felt the pressure, the reanimated Kagami felt no fatigue at all. After familiarizing himself with the Susanoo, he beat its yellow wings and dove straight for the two ninja on the water below. The Susanoo raised the strange spiral spear in its right hand and, like a knight from a storybook, thrust it towards them with ferocious speed.
Without needing any prompting, both Keisuke and Minato dodged to the side. An increase in size inevitably brought a decrease in speed. Both ninja were incredibly fast, and they easily evaded the direct charge.
The Susanoo crashed into the water's surface like a yellow meteor, sending up a massive wave. Using the splash as a momentary screen, Keisuke instantly resonated with the power in his Chakra Crystals and created a Shadow Clone.
Water and Fire nature chakra were rapidly molded and extracted within the clone's body. Like a warrior who knew no fear, it charged straight for the spot where the Susanoo had landed.
As the water settled, Minato's gaze fell on the conspicuous yellow giant, but he was surprised to see Keisuke charging toward it. "Is that... a Shadow Clone?" he murmured, his brow furrowed as he prepared to provide support at a moment's notice. "Does Keisuke have a strategy?"
What Minato saw next was a scene he would likely never forget for the rest of his life.
The clone of Keisuke stomped hard on the water's surface, using the faint repulsive force to launch itself high into the air. At the same time, it drew back its seemingly ordinary right fist. The Water and Fire chakra within its body finished fusing, creating new Boil Release chakra that was brought to its boiling point in an instant. Wisps of white steam seemed to rise from the clone's entire body.
"Peerless Monstrous Strength!"
The clone aimed for the Susanoo's chest and poured every last bit of its chakra and strength into a single, straightforward punch. The boiling power surged forward like a raging river.
CRACK—CRACKLE!
The clone's fist collided with the bright yellow Susanoo. There was a short, sharp impact, followed immediately by the sound of something shattering. Centered on the point of impact, spiderweb cracks bloomed across the Susanoo's armor, spreading rapidly across its entire chest.
Clink!
With a crisp sound, yellow fragments began to flake off the Susanoo's torso, dissolving into the air. The same armor that had easily defended against the Spiraling Shadow Killing Cannon now had a massive hole blown through it by a single punch from a Shadow Clone. The colossal giant itself was even knocked back several steps by the force of the blow.
"The power of that punch..." Minato's eyelid twitched. "I remember now, Keisuke trained with Tsunade-sama for a while, didn't he?"
But before he could finish his thought, the Shadow Clone exploded in a puff of smoke. Clearly, that one punch, which had combined both Monstrous Strength and Boil Release, had exceeded the chakra output limits that a clone's body could handle. It had dissipated the moment its chakra was spent.
Even so, that single strike had given Minato something he hadn't had before: hope.
"Keisuke, how many more of those attacks can you use?"
But Keisuke didn't answer. Instead, he asked a question of his own. "Minato-san, if I can shatter this yellow giant and pull Kagami out, can you seal him in an instant, just like last time?"
"If I focus entirely on the sealing jutsu, I won't be able to participate in the fight..." Minato thought for a moment, then gritted his teeth. "But I guarantee it. The moment you bring him out, I'll slap the seal on him!"
"That's enough."
Keisuke stared at the already-regenerated chest of the yellow Susanoo and silently released the technique of the Yin Seal.
'I will engage in Gundam form!'
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