Nawaki's mood changed almost instantly, and with his actions, the battle that had been stagnant due to the fight between Sakumo and Chiyo broke out again. His roar also reached Minato's ears, and he suddenly looked at Nawaki.
Others didn't understand, but how could Minato not know what Nawaki meant?
Sarutobi Ao's leg was the one that had been broken by the Sand Ninja Jonin.
"Senior Nawaki, don't be impulsive!" Minato shouted. Judging from the opponent's chakra level and appearance, he was definitely a Jonin.
How could Nawaki, with his strength, deal with a Jonin?
Just as he was about to rush to Nawaki to stop him, a ninja, who seemed to be at the level of a Sand Ninja Jonin, blocked his path.
"Get out of my way!" Minato shouted, but the opponent was naturally not intimidated by this.
In the continuous battles, Minato's chakra had also been consumed considerably, so he couldn't deal with the opponent in a short time.
By this time, Nawaki had already collided with the Sand Ninja Jonin.
"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet!"
Behind Nawaki, the ground bulged, and several Earth Dragon Bullets were immediately shot towards the Jonin.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Wave!"
The Jonin, seeming at ease, unleashed dozens of wind blades. After the two jutsu collided, the wind blades shattered several Earth Dragon Bullets, with some still remaining, attacking Nawaki.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!"
Startled, Nawaki retreated. A wall of earth rose in front of him, blocking the remaining wind blades, though the wall cracked.
Swish!
A figure jumped up from the cracked earth wall, swinging a long sword down towards Nawaki.
Startled, Nawaki blocked the attack with the kunai in his hand.
"Bang!"
The two weapons collided, and the earth wall collapsed.
"Kid, you've grown a lot."
Despite the clash, Nawaki was immediately suppressed. His ability was far behind that of the Jonin. The fact that he had managed to release ninjutsu earlier was likely because his opponent had been holding back slightly.
Nawaki's eyes burned with fury, his killing intent fierce, but he was no match for the Jonin.
This was an undeniable fact. No matter how angry he was, reality couldn't be ignored.
"You really want to kill me, but you should thank that kid. If it weren't for him, you'd have died long ago," the Jonin said sarcastically. To him, Nawaki was just an insect that could be squashed at any moment.
Even though Nawaki had grown stronger recently, it was still useless.
Nawaki was too impulsive!
"But... that kid can at least live. You, however, don't have such good luck today!"
The Jonin's eyes darkened, and the strength in his hands increased. Despite Nawaki's Senju heritage and strength beyond his peers, he was still far weaker than the Jonin.
"Dang!"
The weapons clashed again, sparks flying as Nawaki was forced to retreat. Before he could fully dodge, the blade grazed his wrist holding the kunai, though the wound wasn't deep.
"Little mouse, go to hell!"
As he tried to escape, the long sword came down again, and this time, he couldn't avoid it.
"Instant Step!"
At the critical moment, a yellow flash darted through the battlefield, appearing in front of Nawaki to block the fatal blow.
Minato's eyes drooped slightly, his breathing heavy. He had finally dealt with his own opponent, but the continuous battles had drained much of his chakra.
"Another little devil!"
The Sand Ninja Jonin sneered upon seeing Minato. The last time he had tried to kill Nawaki, someone had blocked him.
Sarutobi Ao hadn't been able to hold on, but Minato was a different situation altogether.
"I'm taking your life today," Minato said angrily. Although he and Sarutobi Ao hadn't been particularly close, Minato had a good impression of Ao.
Seeing his disabled body made Minato feel sorry for him, and now, facing the culprit, he wouldn't stand idly by.
Nawaki, too, was stunned. Seeing Minato's back, his heart ached.
That day, Sarutobi Ao had saved him the same way.
"Minato, I'll help you!" Nawaki's expression shifted as he swung a kunai, attempting to strike the Jonin facing Minato.
However, he suddenly felt his arm go limp, and he couldn't even hold the kunai.
"Hah..." The Jonin sneered knowingly.
"This time, even if another little brat steps in, you won't survive!" the Jonin said coldly. Minato forced him back and glanced over.
The wound on Nawaki's wrist was turning purple and black, the discoloration spreading along his blood vessels.
"Your sword is poisoned!" Minato shouted angrily at the Jonin.
The Sand Ninja laughed. "This is poison from Lady Chiyo herself. No one in the entire ninja world can cure it."
"Damn it!"
Minato cursed, quickly taking out a rope from his ninja bag and tying it around Nawaki's arm, just above the wound.
This would slow the poison's spread, but it was only a temporary fix.
Unless they cut Nawaki's arm off.
In that case, Nawaki would no longer be a powerful ninja—perhaps not even a ninja at all.
Without the ability to perform hand seals, his strength would be greatly diminished.
"You're clever, kid, but you still can't save him." The Jonin laughed again, not rushing to attack.
Minato's face darkened. But what the Jonin said wasn't entirely true.
Chiyo's poison wasn't incurable!
"Senior Nawaki, come with me!" Minato said, bending down. "Get on my back."
"I can walk by myself," Nawaki insisted.
"No, that will only speed up the poison's spread," Minato replied, dismissing Nawaki's objection.
Swish!
At that moment, the Sand Ninja lunged at them again.
"How dare you ignore me?"
Clang!
A slender figure appeared in front of them, sword in hand, blocking the attack.
"Leave this guy to me," Suzuka said to Minato with a slight glance while facing the enemy.
Minato nodded. "Thank you, Senior Suzuka!"
With that, he carried Nawaki on his back and dashed toward the battlefield's edge.
By now, everyone in Konoha had realized that Nawaki was poisoned, and they pressed their opponents, clearing the way for Minato. With his speed, Minato finally managed to escape.
Once he was dozens of meters away from the battlefield, he heightened his sensor abilities to the maximum. Even if he used the Flying Thunder God Jutsu to bring Nawaki back to the Konoha camp, Jiraiya and the others who had received Sakumo's signal for help would likely still be far off.
Feeling Nawaki's consciousness slipping and his chakra fading, Minato grew even more anxious.
"Please, hang on!"
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