Something's off… I still don't know if this ninjutsu has other uses. Better stay cautious.
In the blink of an eye, Akashō grabbed Minato Namikaze's lower leg with his left hand. His right hand shot up and then came slashing down, feline claws extending from his fingertips mid-swing.
"BOOM!!!"
The strike missed. Akashō's claw slammed into the ground instead, blasting the surrounding air into a shockwave. The earth within dozens of meters shattered apart, sending debris and dust flying everywhere.
It missed?
Akashō straightened and looked behind him. Minato Namikaze was crouched where he had been standing just before the attack, staring at him with a tight frown.
What monstrous physical strength…
Watching Akashō—whose eyes seemed to glow red through the dust—Minato's back was already soaked in cold sweat. Forget taking a direct hit—even a graze might've cost him everything below the waist.
So this is a fight where I absolutely cannot be touched… a pure contest of speed and reaction…
"Instant movement… without the limitation of kunai, you might not dominate everyone in this ninja world, but at the very least, no one should be able to kill you if you don't want them to."
Akashō casually waved away the dust, studying Minato with interest.
No—even with the kunai restriction, if I want to, no one can kill me.
Minato grumbled internally.
Akashō beckoned at him. "Come on. Let's continue."
Minato fell silent for a moment, then—under Akashō's slightly puzzled gaze—pulled out dozens of Flying Thunder God kunai from his waist.
"Take this—Shuriken Dance Technique!"
He flung all the Flying Thunder God kunai at once, scattering them around Akashō.
"And now—Spiraling Flash Super—"
Before Minato could finish the name of his move, Akashō stomped the ground. A shockwave burst outward, instantly blasting away all the kunai stuck nearby.
Akashō expressionlessly picked at his ear.
"Spiraling Flash… Super what now?"
This guy really is Jiraiya's student—he can drag out a move name until nightfall.
Minato froze in place.
"If you're not coming, then I will."
Akashō lifted his right foot—and the moment it came down, he was already in front of Minato, driving a brutal kick toward his stomach.
But within that single second, Minato had already thrown a Flying Thunder God kunai and flipped over Akashō's shoulder to his back.
Akashō didn't turn around. Instead, he lashed his tail backward. It cut through the air with a sharp howl, striking the kunai and sending it flying out of sight, while his fist continued forward.
And once again, he hit nothing.
"Hm?"
Akashō frowned slightly and turned around. Minato had already retreated over ten meters away, holding three Flying Thunder God kunai in each hand. Another one was planted at his feet.
When did he…?
Akashō exhaled in irritation. Like trying to swat a fly—impossible to hit. Annoying as hell. He'd expected Minato to teleport to the kunai behind him, but instead it had just been bait.
Even though it was the very technique Minato was famous for, he didn't blindly rely on it like most would. Instead, he did the opposite—what a cautious guy.
Minato watched Akashō carefully. Under normal circumstances, he would've teleported behind him at that moment to attack. But in that instant, he remembered the tail behind Akashō.
A fighter who relies on raw physical combat… there's no way that tail is just for decoration.
Now it was proven—his connection to that kunai had vanished completely. It had clearly been smashed to pieces. If he had teleported behind Akashō to attack—or even just to dodge—his spine would've likely been snapped clean in half by that tail.
As for the kunai at his feet—it had been thrown behind him when he first teleported back to his original position. Even Akashō hadn't noticed that.
Compared to other enemies, Neferpitou had an extra tail. That wasn't just like having another arm—it severely restricted someone like him who relied on multi-angle attacks with Flying Thunder God.
More importantly, without relying on Flying Thunder God, his Body Flicker simply couldn't match the speed of this seemingly fragile woman. He had no choice but to keep using Flying Thunder God—and that drained a lot of chakra. Troublesome…
Still… it's not like there's no way to deal with this.
Minato formed a hand seal.
"Shadow Clone Technique."
Puffs of white smoke burst out, and four identical Minatos stood side by side.
Let's test it out first.
Akashō raised an eyebrow at the sight. A clone technique, huh.
It was a commonly used ninjutsu among shinobi—also mentioned in the scroll Orochimaru had given him.
Aside from the basic clone technique used by academy students and genin, which only served as a visual distraction, there were also more advanced variants like earth clones and water clones favored by chunin and jonin.