"Earth Release Barrier: Earth-Style Prison Wall of Clay!"
Earthen walls rose from the ground, swiftly forming a seamless prison.
A B-rank containment jutsu—once trapped, no one could escape. These walls absorbed the chakra of those imprisoned.
Three figures emerged slowly from the ground.
The leader, a lean young man, placed his hand on the earthen prison, frowned slightly, then withdrew it.
Without a supply of chakra, the prison collapsed into mud.
But no one was inside.
"Incredible reaction speed. They must be Konoha's elite genin."
They had activated the jutsu the moment they were discovered, yet the trio had escaped in that split second.
Such speed was unheard of for ordinary genin. Their age ruled out the possibility of them being chūnin or jōnin.
This was the confidence behind their ambush.
"Chūdō-sensei, they've split up."
A girl with black scorpion-like markings on her face pointed into the distance.
Her scouting abilities were highly trusted by Chūdō.
According to her senses, the three had separated and were fleeing rapidly along different paths.
Their speed astonished her—it was on par with a jōnin's retreat pace.
"I'll tear them all apart!"
A buzz-cut boy beside her grinned savagely, indifferent to the enemy's strength.
"Pursue them separately!"
Chūdō made the decision instantly. Eliminating Konoha's elite genin would only benefit Iwagakure in the long run.
As for the possibility of failure?
The two with him were also hailed as geniuses.
Given the age gap, he saw no chance of defeat.
The three quickly vanished into the shadows, giving chase.
Namikaze Minato darted through the forest, his brow furrowed.
The moment the underground assailants struck, an overwhelming sense of danger had alerted them.
Their attackers included a jōnin.
The trio had immediately split up. As long as one escaped to deliver the message, the others might survive.
Those caught by the jōnin mid-retreat would have to rely on luck.
Their strength paled in comparison to a jōnin's.
This cold calculation had been Kin's idea, conveyed through hand signs in that critical moment.
Minato hadn't had time to object—the enemy's jutsu was already unleashed.
They had no choice but to follow Kin's plan.
It was the only viable option.
Minato understood Kin's reasoning.
If they stayed together, the jōnin could capture all three.
Sacrificing one was better than losing everyone.
Splitting up was the best decision at the time.
"Kushina, Kin… survive!"
Minato's expression darkened as he raced through the trees.
His ears twitched—the sound of pursuit grew louder.
Footsteps scraped against branches, closing in.
From the rhythm, only one pursuer approached.
Thanks to his Basic Internal Energy training, his heightened senses made it hard for the enemy to conceal their movements—not that they bothered trying.
Minato halted on a branch, waiting.
Whoever it was, he would stall them.
If it was the jōnin, he'd fight to the death.
Tightening the headband strap around his forehead, he steeled himself.
Soon, a teenage boy came into view, landing on an opposite branch.
Not the jōnin.
Minato's heart sank.
He had hoped the jōnin would chase him—of the three, he was the most expendable.
"You don't look happy to see me."
The boy licked the blade of his kunai, drawing blood from his tongue, his grin twisted with madness.
"A little."
Minato drew his kunai, assessing the enemy.
The boy was around fifteen or sixteen—older than him—but age didn't dictate a shinobi's strength.
Minato never underestimated anyone.
"You really piss me off."
The boy bared his sharp teeth.
"I'm Yamajū. Tell me your name, Konoha's genius."
Anyone Chūdō-sensei called a "seed" of Konoha had to be a genius, right?
"Konoha's geniuses are my favorite prey."
Yamajū's excitement grew, his brown hair tinged with red.
"Namikaze Minato."
Minato crouched low on the branch, poised to strike.
"I'm no genius."
At least, not compared to Kin.
"Genius or not, you'll die here."
Yamajū's body began to change—his hair turned blood-red, and his face shed flakes of earth.
"Secret Technique: Earth Beast Transformation!"
Before Yamajū could complete his transformation, Minato finished his hand seals.
He took a deep breath.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
A violent whirlwind blasted toward Yamajū.
The boy leaped aside, his body sprouting earthen tendrils that anchored him to nearby trees.
Minato didn't wait.
He kicked off the branch, launching himself like a spring-loaded blade, kunai aimed at Yamajū's chest.
Yamajū's tendrils yanked him sideways, barely dodging the strike.
Two more tendrils lashed out.
Minato was ready.
"Tobizaru Slash!"
He danced across the tendrils, closing the distance effortlessly.
In a flash, his kunai struck.
Blood sprayed.
Yamajū staggered back, clutching his chest, his eyes blazing crimson.
He kicked out, forcing Minato back, then retreated to another branch.
He stared at the blood on his hands.
He'd been wounded.
"You dare hurt me?!"
He glared at Minato—but the boy was gone.
"Shave: Chain Slash!"
Minato reappeared behind him, flicking blood from his kunai.
He had no time to waste.
Cuts erupted across Yamajū's body, his earthen tendrils severed and crumbling to dust.
"Sorry, but I can't afford to drag this out."
Minato lowered his kunai, wind chakra swirling around him, his hair fluttering in the unseen storm.
"The fight's just starting!"
Yamajū roared, more crimson tendrils bursting from his back—his ultimate form.
No Konoha genius could possibly—
"Steel-Cutting Flash!"
A razor-edged wind blade materialized before him, slicing through his body and the trees behind him before he could react.
"H-how… so strong?!"
Yamajū couldn't comprehend it. His clan's secret technique hadn't even fully manifested.
He'd relished the slow terror of his prey, toying with them.
But his opponent had gone all out from the start.
Like using every ultimate move at once.
A red line split Yamajū from brow to belly.
With a look of disbelief, his body split in two, toppling to the ground.
The battle was over.
A few exchanges—that was all it took.
He'd lost.
Died.
And he was Iwagakure's genius!!
Minato didn't spare the corpse a glance.
He vanished into the forest.
Uzumaki Kushina hadn't gone far before stopping at a stream.
Staring at her reflection, she gritted her teeth, fists shaking with fury.
Logically, she should flee. If she died, Konoha would lose the Nine-Tails—a catastrophic blow.
She knew the smart choice.
But.
"I can't just run away!"
The water mirrored her defiance.
She'd fled the fall of Uzushiogakure. She wouldn't abandon her comrades now.
Gripping her kunai, she turned back.
"I'll never abandon my friends!"
She was stubborn like that.
Earlier, she'd followed Kin's order to retreat.
Now, she'd follow her own heart.
"How touching."
A girl with scorpion-like markings leaned against a tree, smirking.
"Enemy?"
Kushina assumed a fighting stance. She hadn't seen their attackers clearly—just sensed enough to know they had to run.
"Are Iwa and Konoha allies now?"
The girl tapped the Iwagakure insignia on her belt.
"So skinny!"
Kushina blurted out, then shook her head. Now wasn't the time!
"Ohoho, you've got good eyes. I almost don't want to kill you." The girl laughed oddly, pleased.
Most Iwa brutes never noticed her flawless figure.
Kushina stayed focused.
"Try it if you can!"
Lacking experience, she waited for the girl to make the first move.
The girl's smile turned sly.
"Sweetheart, I already have."
Whoosh.
A cut appeared on Kushina's cheek. She dodged left, but attacks came from everywhere—tiny wounds blooming on her skin.
Her eyes darted, searching for the source.
Nothing but air.
Wait—
Her pupils dilated.
Microscopic dust particles sliced into her.
"Caught me." The girl giggled, clapping her hands.
"Dust Release: Dust Cloud Domain!"
A storm of dust engulfed the area.
Though it didn't obscure vision, Kushina shielded her face as countless cuts formed on her body.
"Let's ruin that pretty face."
The girl's expression twisted with malice.
...
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(End of Chapter)