Minato Namikaze saw through Qianyu's intent. He didn't recklessly use the Flying Thunder God Technique to warp to a marker and attack.
In Qianyu's view, the Flying Thunder God was indeed troublesome, but not impossible to deal with.
Its speed was undeniable. No hand seals. A direct, instantaneous warp to a marker's location. No pause in between—a true blink of an eye.
But after Minato warped, he still needed to physically make his attack.
That was the opportunity.
Seizing it, however, was no simple feat. It demanded reaction speed fast enough to block or dodge Minato's follow-up.
To counterattack? You'd need reactions faster than Minato's.
There was another way.
Like Qianyu had just done: identify the kunai, predict the warp point.
But that only worked if there were few markers on the field. Too many, and Minato could warp at will. Even a successful prediction would just send him warping away again the next instant.
Minato drew several more Flying Thunder God kunai and hurled them at Qianyu.
Qianyu lowered his stance. The starting posture for the First Form: Thunderclap and Flash.
Minato guessed Qianyu was planning to unleash the Flash the instant he warped in.
But Minato was confident in his own speed now. He didn't believe Qianyu could land a hit—not even with that God Speed technique from before.
He used the Flying Thunder God. His destination: the first two kunai, still embedded in the ground.
Two warps. Shuriken flew at Qianyu from all directions.
Qianyu activated Kenbunshoku Haki. The shuriken's trajectories sharpened in his perception. He shifted with minimal movement, letting them pass.
The next instant.
Minato warped to the location of a flying kunai mid-air, caught it, and thrust down at Qianyu.
As Qianyu moved to react, Minato warped again. To another flying kunai, one now terrifyingly close to Qianyu. He reversed his grip and slashed.
The thrust had been a feint. Meant to force Qianyu into using Thunderclap and Flash.
This slash was the real attack.
By Minato's calculation, if Qianyu had used the Flash, his back would now be exposed.
But to Minato's surprise, Qianyu hadn't used it. He was still facing him, head-on.
CLANG!
Qianyu's sword met Minato's kunai.
Before the next strike could follow, Minato warped away, putting distance between them.
Minato looked at Qianyu, impressed. "Your combat instincts really are as sharp as ever. To realize it was a feint and abort your technique so flawlessly…"
Qianyu gave him a strange look. "Who said I was going to use Thunderclap and Flash?"
Minato blinked. "Huh? But your stance…"
Qianyu didn't bother explaining. He simply resumed the low, coiled posture.
That posture wasn't for the Flash. It was to complement his Kenbunshoku Haki, letting his body move faster on pure reflex. The Flash was fast, but its mobility was nothing compared to the Flying Thunder God. Using it here was pointless.
Minato warped in several more times, launching attacks from different angles.
Qianyu only defended. He didn't counterattack.
Against this full defense, Minato found no opening. Whether he appeared in front or behind, the moment he materialized, Qianyu was already moving—blocking, dodging.
Qianyu was relying entirely on his Kenbunshoku Haki now. The instant Minato's presence reappeared, it was pinpointed. Combined with Qianyu's own exceptional reflexes, it was enough to defend.
But it wasn't enough to outpace Minato's own reaction speed. He couldn't launch an effective counter.
So he focused solely on defense.
But he wasn't giving up on offense. He was waiting. For an opening.
The moment came when Minato, instead of drawing fresh kunai from his pouch, reached down to retrieve one embedded in the ground.
"Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash—Eightfold!"
Lightning erupted around Qianyu. A streak of thunder shot forward.
"Finally attacking!"
Minato's spirits lifted at seeing the purely defensive Qianyu finally move. He warped away, again and again.
Qianyu used the terrain, changing his trajectory each time. Every time Minato reappeared, the streak of thunder was already adjusting, aiming for him.
But he never touched even Minato's sleeve.
Qianyu stopped. He stood still, looking at Minato some distance away.
Minato was thrilled. For so long, Qianyu's Thunder Breathing had been a headache. Now, he could handle it with ease. He might not be able to win yet, but Qianyu couldn't beat him either.
"Eighteen."
The number made Minato pause. "What?"
Qianyu's eyes swept over the kunai on the ground. "You only have eighteen Flying Thunder God kunai, total."
Minato's gaze followed. Then his face paled.
Seventeen kunai were embedded in the ground. Plus the one in his hand. Exactly eighteen.
His eyes snapped back to Qianyu's hand. A nearly invisible wire was coiled there.
Qianyu gave it a sharp tug. The seventeen kunai on the ground skidded together into a single, tangled pile.
A shadow clone appeared beside him. Two pairs of crimson, three-tomoe Sharingan fixed on Minato. A slow grin spread across Qianyu's face. "Now, you only have two sets of markers to warp to. You can't zip around so freely anymore. Use the Flying Thunder God again, and I just need to watch your hand… and that pile."
Minato's expression hardened. Now he understood. The pure defense. The waiting.
It had all been for this.
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