"Aiya…" Ryuji turned around, looking towards Minato who had retreated to a distance and was clutching his shoulder, a hint of mockery playing on his face. "You clearly had the winning move in your grasp, why let it go so easily?"
"Captain, what happened?"
Shibi asked, his voice tense.
He had thought this was a battle they had firmly in hand, yet the situation suddenly reversed. He hadn't even figured out what happened yet.
Choza on the other side was roughly in the same state.
"Be careful of his armor. There are weapons hidden inside."
Minato warned his teammates while taking out an antidote and injecting it into his thigh.
Although there was no wound, there was a sensation on his skin as if sharp objects had pricked him.
To be safe, he injected the standard-issue Konoha antidote.
After all, puppeteers are also poison masters, each skilled in using poisons.
And this antidote, personally developed by Tsunade, could counteract most known poisons on the market.
"Tsk, so cautious."
Seeing his opponent's actions, Ryuji made no attempt to hide the regret on his face.
Choza and Shibi looked at Ryuji in astonishment, more precisely at the armor he wore.
It was called armor, but it hardly seemed to offer any protection.
Aside from soft plates resembling patches on various joints and tube-like connectors linking these plates, there was no other protection.
'Could something like this hide weapons?'
However,
Despite their doubts, out of trust in Minato, they also believed it completely.
"He's a puppeteer, so having some hidden mechanisms or weapons on his person wouldn't be surprising. Try to avoid close combat if possible." Shibi said, spreading his hands that had just formed seals, and a large swarm of insects flew out from his sleeves, swarming towards Ryuji like a dark cloud.
[Ninja Art: Insect Technique - Bug Ball!]
Ryuji gave a light smile, raised his right hand, and five Chakra Threads shot out, grabbing the roof beam. With a gentle pull, he leaped up, avoiding the insect swarm just before it arrived.
Whoosh!
A black figure descended from above.
A silver-haired, masked boy holding a short sword slashed down from the beam.
Ryuji seemed to have anticipated it. He flicked his fingers, causing the Chakra Threads tied to the beam to swing, making him shift away from the attack falling from above like on a swing.
Moreover, at the moment they passed each other, Ryuji kicked Kakashi, sending the prodigious boy flying to crash into a distant pillar, cracking it.
[Partial Expansion Technique!]
Having just landed on the beam, before Ryuji could steady himself, a giant hand swatted over, intending to flatten him along with the beam.
But he showed no fear.
Behind him, the tubes connecting the right shoulder, knee pads, and gauntlets expelled gas, accompanied by the roar of a massive engine.
Ryuji sneered as he raised his right fist, punching towards the giant hand that was larger than his entire body.
Boom!
A shockwave of air spread from the point of impact. The gigantic palm was actually punched aside, toppling a section of brick and stone.
Choza, standing below, unable to control the force, stumbled and slid across the ground before falling.
Ryuji, also unstable on his footing, was flung away by the recoil.
Fsss! Fsss!!!
While in mid-air, the tubes connecting the armor plates expelled gas.
Utilizing this minuscule force, he adjusted his posture and stabilized his balance in the air.
He flipped backward, his legs crashing into the wall he was supposed to hit. The immense force caused numerous cracks to spiderweb outwards and spread continuously.
Finally, the entire wall could no longer bear the force, crumbling and collapsing with a roar.
After passing through the wall, Ryuji had dissipated most of the momentum, but upon landing, he still slid a considerable distance before barely coming to a stop.
The moment he stopped, a figure flickered before him. Minato had appeared in front of Ryuji, a Chakra Sphere compressed to its limit and spinning rapidly in his hand, aimed straight for his face.
'The motion bore a seventy percent resemblance to Naruto's from earlier. Should I say, as expected of father and son?'
In this critical moment, Ryuji's first reaction was actually to complain in his heart. Or perhaps, such a situation simply didn't constitute a crisis for him.
Just as the Rasengan was about to hit his face, Ryuji suddenly shot out his right hand, grabbing Minato's wrist and pulling it to the side.
Simultaneously, he leaned his body in the opposite direction, brushing past Minato.
Boom!
Minato crashed headfirst into the wall behind with a startling impact.
Ryuji didn't turn to check the situation, because the insect swarm, flapping their wings, had caught up. He broke into a run, dashing through the open hall, evading the pursuing bugs.
"Human Boulder Technique!"
Choza transformed into a giant fleshy ball, charging from the side; Kakashi, holding his short sword, blocked the path ahead; behind, the insect swarm chased; all around, yellow flashes flickered, waiting for an opportune moment to strike.
If Ryuji tried to escape through the only opening, he would fall right into the offensive assault of the Yellow Flash.
He didn't need to complete an effective attack. Just delaying for a moment, until the other companions' attacks arrived, would end the battle.
This wave was a sure-kill formation.
"Not giving me time to retrieve my puppets, huh…"
Ryuji stood still, a cold smile on his face as he watched the attacks closing in from three sides.
These individuals had clearly carried out missions together for years, their coordination flawless, utterly incomparable to the ten elite Allied Forces' Shinobi from a few days prior.
However…
The Human Boulder, accompanied by the trembling of the floor, came rolling forth; the insect swarm blotted out the sky, sealing off the jumping path and the other opening.
Kakashi, to avoid being caught in the crossfire, approached more slowly from the front.
Minato still moved rapidly around the periphery, creating confusion while preparing to deliver the fatal blow at any moment.
"My puppets were released from the very beginning."
As his words fell, scorching flames illuminated the interior, and the temperature skyrocketed.
Shibi, controlling the insects from a distance, let out a cry of pain, and the insect swarm seemed to lose command, hovering in place like headless flies.
The flickering yellow figure immediately rushed towards Shibi.
With two points of the encirclement breaking down, Ryuji seized the opportunity, darting out from amidst the insect swarm and avoiding the Human Boulder.
Kakashi pursued, but several scarab-like beetles burst from the ground, spewing flames at him.
Kakashi halted abruptly and retreated, forming hand seals.
[Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!]
A thick earthen wall rose before him, blocking the flames, but he also lost sight of Ryuji.
The Human Boulder circled around and sped back. Ryuji punched through the floor and jumped down, causing the boulder to fall through as well.
The sure-kill formation was completely resolved.
Ryuji didn't relax. He quickly retrieved two scrolls and summoned Gin and 'Armor'.
'Armor' was a humanoid puppet made of metal mixed with hard wood, its figure even slimmer than Gin's. The coupling joints were exposed on various parts, looking as if it would fall apart with one punch.
Moreover, no trace of weapons could be found on this puppet. It looked like an unfinished work, or perhaps a puppet not meant for combat.
Yet, after summoning this puppet, Ryuji showed a relaxed expression.
As if victory was assured.
"Well then, let the second round begin!"
Ryuji spread his hands, Chakra Threads linking to various parts of Armor. Gin also opened her pair of brilliant silver eyes.