"Dust Release?"
Kushina's eyes widened at the jutsu exploding in front of her.
That was supposed to be the Tsuchikage's signature move — the legendary ninjutsu that could erase anything it touched. Even Kushina, who hated studying, knew from the Academy textbooks how terrifying Dust Release was supposed to be.
But what she was seeing? Yeah… this wasn't it.
"That's not Dust Release at all!"
Kushina lunged forward, chakra chains flaring at her back, and smashed her fist straight into the girl's face. With a crack of air, the girl's body shattered into drifting particles. Yet her smug voice still echoed from the dust.
"Not as strong as the Third Tsuchikage, sure. But my Dust Release is nothing to sneeze at."
The dust swirled, each particle sharpened with chakra. In theory, deadly. In practice? It was like being stabbed with a nail clipper. Annoying, painful, but hardly lethal.
Kushina gritted her teeth, golden chains coiling protectively around her body.
"It's useless," the dust-girl crowed. "You can't block fine dust that easily."
Instead of charging blindly, Kushina darted toward the nearby stream. She knew enough to trust her gut — and water was the one thing this fake Dust Release wouldn't play well with.
The enemy noticed her plan. "Don't even think about it! Dust Release: Condensation!"
A blackened dust clone materialized, rushing to intercept.
"Out of my way!" Kushina's punches blew through the fragile copies, her monstrous strength tearing them apart like paper dolls. She dove into the creek, the thin surface of water blocking the dust from reaching her.
The enemy re-formed on the bank, glaring with an ugly scowl. Her technique, despite the name, wasn't real Dust Release — just an earth-style variant dressed up fancy. Weak in power, but excellent for reconnaissance. And now, in front of water, completely nerfed.
"You think hiding in there will save you?" she spat, hurling shuriken.
Kushina's chains lashed out, smacking them aside and then snaring the girl herself. With a twist, the enemy's body crumbled into dust once again.
"What a pain in the ass jutsu…" Kushina muttered, crouching in the shallow water. The Kyuubi's chakra was already knitting her wounds shut, but stalling too long was dangerous. If this girl's teammates regrouped, things would get ugly.
"My comrades will finish yours," the enemy's voice taunted from the dust. "That blond brat? He's fighting my wild-beast partner. Loves torturing his prey. He'll be killing your friend right about now."
Kushina didn't flinch. If there was one person she trusted, it was Minato Namikaze.
The enemy tried again. "And that other one… the Uchiha. My teacher has been dying to add a pair of Sharingan to his collection."
That hit home. Kushina's eyes hardened under the water. She and Uchiha Jinzō bickered constantly, but he was still her comrade.
"Then I'll end this fast." She formed a hand seal."Kagura's Mind Eye — open!"
She surged out of the stream.
"Finally!" The dust-wielder grinned, sweeping another cloud toward her.
Kushina didn't even bother dodging — she tanked the pain and bolted straight for the real body hiding behind the trees. The girl cursed and turned to flee, kicking up dust clones as she ran.
But Kushina was relentless. Chains lashed out, binding her in midair.
"Got you!" Kushina roared, dropping down from above. Her fist cratered the girl's skull with monstrous force, slamming her to the ground in a heap. The dust dissolved.
Panting heavily, Kushina stood victorious.
Meanwhile…
"Great. Just my luck."
Uchiha Jinzō stood on a rock, hand hovering over his sword hilt, facing down an Iwa jōnin named Nakadō. The man hung upside down from a tree, watching him like a predator.
"Let's pretend you didn't see me," Jinzō offered dryly. "You walk away, I walk away."
"Sorry," Nakadō replied with a thin smile. "Orders are orders."
A kunai whistled out of nowhere — but Jinzō's blade was already up, sparks flying as steel met steel.
The fight exploded instantly.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!""Earth Style: Rock Iron Cannon!"
Flame clashed with stone, the blast wave forcing them apart. Then they were in each other's faces again, trading taijutsu blow for blow. Nakadō's physique gave him the edge, but Jinzō's control let him slip in precise counters.
A flash of blue light sparked at Jinzō's fingertip — Spirit Pill. The bullet of chakra attributes fused together, tearing through Nakadō's shoulder.
The jōnin snarled, forcing him back with a kunai. Then the ground itself betrayed Jinzō — hands dragged him under.
"Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu!"
Sand and soil wrapped around his body, crushing him from all sides. Nakadō's jutsu cascaded one after another, a relentless tide of earth techniques dragging Jinzō deeper and deeper. His body was battered, bleeding, scorched black by a hidden paper bomb. He could barely move.
He tried to draw on the Eight Gates, but his body had nowhere near the chakra to sustain it.
"Damn it… I won't die here!"
With a roar, Jinzō unleashed a desperate technique.
"Spirit Pill — Self-Destruct!"
The unstable fusion of all seven chakra attributes detonated, ripping the battlefield apart. The ground split as Jinzō clawed free, his body burned and shredded but his scarlet Sharingan blazing through the blood and smoke.
The fight was far from over.