Over a hundred Hidden Rain ninja swarmed forward, launching a frenzied assault against the five Konoha shinobi. Nearly a hundred kunai and shuriken rained down like a storm.
Everyone immediately used their strongest defensive techniques to withstand the ferocious barrage.
There was no room to dodge. Not even Shimizu could evade every attack in time.
No matter how fast the Body Flicker Technique was, it still required hand seals. Only Minato's seal-less Flying Thunder God could probably handle such a hail of weapons with ease.
Hyūga Satomi released a surge of Gentle Fist chakra from her tenketsu, spinning at high speed like a top. In an instant, she deflected all incoming ninja tools.
This technique—Eight Trigrams Palm: Rotation—was essentially an absolute defense.
Meanwhile, Nikaidō Naoko and Akimichi Yoshimaru stood back-to-back, coordinating flawlessly to block every strike.
Naoko had already cast an Earth Release defensive jutsu before the Rain ninja's attack landed, shielding them completely.
Yoshimaru, using Partial Expansion Jutsu, enlarged one arm and swept away countless kunai and shuriken, successfully neutralizing the crisis.
Shimizu, for his part, activated a seal-less Water Release: Water Formation Wall. The azure barrier of water easily absorbed dozens of kunai, shielding him from harm.
That makes two A-rank techniques used already...
"Our turn to counterattack," Minato said calmly, standing atop a tree branch with a Hidden Rain corpse at his feet.
His short golden hair gleamed brightly in the early light. Using the g Flying Thunder God, he had already eliminated one enemy before the others could even blink.
"Flying Thunder God consumes a lot of chakra, doesn't it? You really think you can use it hundreds of times?" the spiral-masked ninja mocked.
"I have them," Minato replied. "They are all incredibly reliable comrades."
For even Minato to admit such a thing meant that in this desperate encirclement, he knew he couldn't handle it alone.
No one could coast through this crisis.
Everyone had to go all out.
In Minato's eyes, those dull-eyed Rain ninja were clearly being controlled by some kind of secret technique.
"And those 'comrades' of yours," Minato continued, "are nothing more than walking corpses."
Before he finished speaking, Yoshimaru's massive arm had already seized a Rain ninja, swinging him around like a windmill to smash into others.
Beside him, Naoko launched an Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet, bombarding the Rain ninja with ninjutsu.
Satomi's Byakugan flared as she charged into the enemy lines. With supreme perception and nimble Gentle Fist strikes, she cut through their formation, scattering sprays of blood.
On the other side, Shimizu didn't let his Water Wall dissipate after the initial block. Instead, he maintained a steady output of chakra, keeping the defense active as the Rain's projectiles continued to pour in. Under the wall's continuous protection, he rapidly completed the seals for his first area-of-effect technique.
Water Release: Wild Water Wave!
A basic Water Release jutsu whose power could be freely adjusted depending on the user's chakra, flexible and versatile.
From his mouth, a torrent of water erupted like a waterfall, surging forward.
The massive flow crashed into dozens of Rain ninja ahead. But because the water's offensive power wasn't particularly strong—its range being the main advantage—many chose not to leap into the trees.
As he expelled the torrent, Shimizu was already forming hand seals again.
Lightning Release: Earth Flash!
Normally, it was just a standard Lightning Release technique. But when paired with Water Release, its power multiplied exponentially.
Shimizu unleashed chaotic blue lightning from both hands, which rapidly spread through the water…
Wherever the Wild Water Wave surged, blue lightning followed.
The field of vision filled with blazing azure light—so bright it seemed to illuminate the very sky.
Dozens of Hidden Rain ninja were struck by intense electric currents, their movements instantly slowed to a crawl.
"Stop that Konoha ninja, quickly!" the spiral-masked man shouted urgently.
Anyone could see that the seal-less Water Release defensive jutsu was maintaining a full 360-degree barrier at high intensity. The chakra consumption had to be enormous.
But why would he burn through so much chakra just to endure until his next technique?
A powerful sense of danger surged through the masked man, and he immediately sank into the ground.
At that very instant, Shimizu completed his seals.
Water Release: Water Severing Wave!
Unlike typical Water Release techniques, Severing Wave focused immense water pressure into an extremely small area, achieving devastating cutting power.
A high-pressure, razor-thin jet of water burst violently from Shimizu's mouth.
It transformed into a sharp water blade, sweeping across the battlefield with unstoppable force—while the paralysis effect of Lightning Release: Earth Flow had not yet dissipated.
Two Rain ninja rushing forward to stop Shimizu ran straight into it.
In the blink of an eye, the water blade sliced through the battlefield like a craft knife through paper.
It was as though a painted scroll had been cleanly cut in half—beneath the precise divide lay broken trees and mutilated corpses.
With a single S-rank technique, nearly twenty Hidden Rain ninja were slain.
"Whoa, whoa! What a terrifying jutsu! Good thing I ran fast…" the masked man exaggerated loudly. He had already reappeared on the other side of the battlefield. Then he added curiously, "Wait—that's the Second Hokage's Water Release technique, isn't it? How do you know it? I thought that jutsu was long lost?"
"You know quite a lot," Shimizu said coldly.
He had already used Body Flicker to appear behind the masked man, kunai in hand, striking for a lethal blow—
Only for the attack to be evaded once again by an absurdly strange and fluid movement.
This reaction time... this speed...
By now, Shimizu had a comprehensive understanding of his own speed. There were indeed many jōnin who could react to his Body Flicker ambush—especially those fully focused on fighting him.
But blocking and dodging were different matters.
Blocking meant you couldn't avoid the strike and had to defend.
Yet this masked man had dodged with astonishing ease.
No wonder Minato's Flying Thunder God hadn't worked on him before.
This masked man was powerful.
As if to confirm Shimizu's thoughts, while leaning back to evade the kunai, the masked man spun into a sweeping kick.
Too fast!
Shimizu had no time to dodge. He raised both arms to block—
Boom!
It felt like being struck by a high-speed cannonball. Shimizu was sent flying more than twenty meters, crashing hard enough to snap a tree in half.
He has this kind of strength, too? Shimizu thought, gritting his teeth. How can a ninja this powerful be a complete unknown?
The masked man pressed the attack relentlessly. Wooden branches burst from the ground once more, stabbing toward Shimizu.
Lightning Release: Twin Lightning Blades!
His hands glowed blue as he traced a perfect defensive circle around himself. Every branch was severed instantly.
"Whoa! Another Lightning Release that doesn't need hand seals!" the masked man's tone grew increasingly flippant. "Good thing I'm at least ten times stronger than you guys—otherwise I'd already be dead."
Shimizu locked eyes with Minato in the distance, who was still cutting down enemies. Both understood—the key to this battle was taking down this masked ninja.
The strength he displayed was beyond belief.
"I've met ninja like you before," Shimizu said, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. "Flashy, loud… And when you lose, your face looks completely different. So later—"
He slowly raised his kunai to his face. The cold blade obscured his eyes.
In his field of vision, he deliberately avoided looking at the area above the masked man's neck.
Because deep down, he still feared the possibility—
That the man's true identity was Uchiha Madara.
The man with the Mangekyō Sharingan.
So under no circumstances could he look him in the eyes.
"Try not to cry."