Just as Namikaze Minato and the other person spotted each other, the Rock ninja vanished from their sight in the next moment. There was no warning—it was as if the person had disappeared into thin air.
Minato's pupils constricted. This ability to instantly obscure their vision was something he had only seen among elite jōnin—Jiraiya, the jōnin they had killed together as a trio, and Uchiha Kin. Even when other ninja used the "Shave" technique, their movements could still be traced.
"Where'd he go?" Kushina widened her eyes, oblivious to the danger. She hadn't realized their enemy was far from ordinary.
Minato quickly grabbed Kushina and lunged forward. Her face flushed with anger, but before she could scold him, a massive iron trap burst from the ground, snapping shut with a row of sharp spikes. The sight turned Kushina pale.
"Earth Release: Snaring Trap!"
The Rock ninja reappeared atop a tree, two kunai in hand, and charged at the two. His speed was overwhelming. By the time Minato and Kushina hit the ground, he was already upon them.
Minato sprang up to meet the enemy, but after just three exchanges, he was kicked away, slamming into a tree. The gap in their strength was too vast.
Seeing the Rock ninja move to finish Minato, Kushina panicked. Her breathing shifted.
"Water Breathing!"
"First Form: Water Surface Slash!"
Her kunai transformed into a blade of water as she closed the distance with a swift horizontal slash. The attack was direct and fast—yet the Rock ninja simply raised his foot and kicked her under the arm, sending her stiffening to the ground.
As he prepared his next move, Minato created a shadow clone, which lunged at the enemy. The Rock ninja leaped back, hands already weaving signs.
"Earth Release: Earth and Stone Dragon Technique!"
A dragon of rock and soil erupted from the ground, circling the ninja before hurtling toward the two. But Minato had already completed his own hand signs.
"Wind Wall!"
A barrier of raging wind blocked the dragon's path. The earthen beast collided with the wall, dissolving like dust in water, unable to breach it. The dragon crumbled into swirling dirt, obscuring both sides.
Minato pulled Kushina into the cover of a tree, and the two communicated in hand signs. Even the slightest noise could invite another attack.
"He's a jōnin," Minato signaled, having gauged the enemy's level from their brief clash. The difference in experience and taijutsu was insurmountable. "If we keep fighting, we'll die."
Kushina, though disheveled, refused to back down. "Then maybe I should—" She was ready to unleash Kurama's power. No jōnin could withstand a Tailed Beast Ball.
"Kushina," Minato cut in, his expression grave. "I don't know what power you hold, but Jiraiya-sensei made it clear—he didn't want you revealing it. We can't rely on that yet."
"Then what do we do?" Kushina's mind drew a blank. There was no Uchiha Kin to bail them out this time. Despite being only two years older, Kin had already surpassed ordinary jōnin. That kind of genius was beyond them.
"I have a plan," Minato said, edging his kunai forward as he scanned for the enemy. Perhaps infected by Kin's recklessness, he too wanted to test his limits.
His hands moved rapidly in Konoha's specialized sign language, outlining the strategy.
The Rock ninja observed the surroundings with Earth Release: Fish in Earth Reflection Technique. The two Konoha chūnin were well-hidden, but he wasn't worried. His only hesitation was whether to leave or kill them.
Their youth and rank suggested they were prodigies. If he didn't eliminate them now, he might never get another chance. Glancing toward the distant battlefield, he noted how difficult it would be for Konoha's forces to break through.
"Make it quick," he decided. Why not kill them before leaving? Their skills were no match for a jōnin.
Then he spotted a glint—a kunai embedded in a tree. Smirking, he swam through the earth and into the trunk, closing in silently. When he reached their position, he found the kunai deliberately planted, an explosive tag attached.
"Clever," he muttered. Lucky he hadn't approached directly.
Suddenly, he sensed movement above. Minato hung from the branches, poised to strike.
"Since you've given me the opportunity…" The Rock ninja surged upward, kunai aimed for Minato's heart. At this range, even the Foundation Internal Art couldn't save him.
The boy's face twisted in fear—then poof. A shadow clone.
"A decoy?!"
Thin wires coiled around the ninja's arms as a barrage of shuriken sealed his escape.
"A trap?" He scoffed, preparing to dive back into the wood. His pride was his ability to move freely through earth and trees.
But then—
BOOM!
The tree exploded. Before he could react, wires entangled him, explosive tags burning.
KABOOM!
The blast consumed everything. Minato and Kushina had pooled all their explosive tags for this.
From a distant tree, the two dropped down.
"Did it work?" Kushina asked.
Every step had been Minato's design—psychological warfare and tactics straight from the Academy. Mastering them wasn't easy, though some had slept through those lessons.
For now, Minato wasn't sure. He scanned the area cautiously.
Then—
"You… clever brats!"
A charred figure erupted from the earth, seizing their ankles.
...
Read 50 advance at patreon.com/CNBLUE
(End of Chapter)