"Doton: Doroheki! Doro Doumu!"
The walls of earth rose from the ground, quickly forming a seamless prison.
This was a B-rank confinement jutsu, designed to trap anyone within it, absorbing the chakra of those caught.
Three figures slowly emerged from the ground afterward.
The leader, a thin young man, placed his hand on the earth prison, frowning slightly before he removed it.
Without the chakra to sustain it, the prison collapsed into soft mud.
But inside, there was no one.
"They're fast. Must be Konoha's prodigy genin."
They had launched their attack the moment they were detected, yet those three still managed to escape in that instant.
Such speed wasn't typical for genin. The ages of the Konoha ninja didn't suggest they were chunin or jonin either, which had been the basis for their attack.
"Sensei, they've split up."
A young girl with scorpion-like black markings on her face pointed in different directions.
Her ability to sense chakra made her a reliable asset for their leader, Nakatou.
Under her direction, the three Konoha ninja had split up and were fleeing at high speed. Their movement was impressive, nearly reaching the speed of a jonin.
"Let me tear them apart!"
The flat-haired boy beside her was grinning with bloodlust, unconcerned about the enemy's strength.
"Split up and pursue them!"
Nakatou ordered after a moment of thought. Destroying Konoha's promising genin would only benefit Iwagakure in the future.
As for the possibility of failure…
Nakatou was leading two ninja, both of whom were considered prodigies themselves.
Given the age difference, he didn't believe failure was an option.
The three of them swiftly turned into shadows, chasing their targets.
Minato was moving quickly through the forest, his brow furrowed.
In that brief moment when the enemy ninja attacked from underground, a strong sense of danger alerted them.
The attacking team had at least one jonin.
They had immediately split up and fled, knowing that if even one of them could escape and deliver the message, the others might have a chance to survive.
If a jonin caught up to one of them, it would be up to their luck and skill to survive.
Their skills were still far from that of a jonin.
This cold, calculated decision was communicated by Jin through hand signals.
In that brief moment, Minato hadn't had time to disagree; the enemy had already unleashed their jutsu.
They had no choice but to follow Jin's plan, as it was the only viable option.
Minato understood Jin's reasoning.
If they stayed together, the enemy jonin would have been capable of taking them all down.
It was better for one to face danger while the others escaped.
Splitting up was the best choice at the time.
"Kushina, Jin, stay alive!"
Minato thought grimly as he sped through the forest.
His ears twitched as he heard the sound of pursuit behind him.
The sound of footsteps scraping against branches was getting closer.
Judging by the frequency, there was only one pursuer.
The heightened senses from his basic internal techniques made him extremely sensitive to sound; it would be difficult for the enemy to mask their presence, though it seemed they weren't trying to.
Minato immediately stopped on a tree branch, waiting for the pursuer.
No matter who it was, he needed to delay them.
If it was a jonin, he was prepared to give his life to buy time.
He tightened the knot of his forehead protector.
He was ready to die if necessary.
Soon, the figure of a young boy came into view, stopping on the opposite branch.
It wasn't the jonin.
Minato's heart sank.
He had hoped it would be the jonin, as he considered himself the most expendable among the three.
"Are you disappointed to see me?"
The boy licked the blade of his kunai, drawing blood as he grinned maniacally.
He looked like a madman.
"A little,"
Minato admitted as he drew his kunai, quickly assessing the boy's strength.
The boy appeared to be around fifteen or sixteen years old, older than Minato, but age had never been a reliable indicator of a ninja's strength.
Minato never underestimated anyone.
"You're really starting to piss me off,"
The boy bared his sharp teeth.
"My name is Yamasaru. Tell me your name, Konoha's prodigy."
Anyone Nakatou-sensei considered a promising Konoha genin must be a prodigy.
"Konoha prodigies are my favorite prey."
Yamasaru's excitement grew, his brown hair beginning to take on a reddish hue.
"Namikaze Minato."
Minato crouched on the tree trunk in a launching stance, facing Yamasaru.
"I'm not much of a prodigy."
At least, not compared to Jin.
"It doesn't matter. You'll die here anyway."
Yamasaru's body began to transform, his hair turning blood red, and his face shedding dirt and sand.
"Kekkei Genkai: Doton: Beast of Earth!"
As Yamasaru began his transformation, Minato had already completed his hand seals.
Taking a deep breath,
"Fūton: Daitoppa!"
A powerful gust of wind blew toward Yamasaru.
Yamasaru leapt off the tree just in time, the sand and dirt on his body forming tendrils that anchored him to the surrounding trees, stabilizing his position.
Minato's legs then pushed off the ground with great force, propelling him forward like a spring, kunai in hand, aiming for Yamasaru's chest.
Yamasaru's tendrils of sand and dirt pulled him away, avoiding the attack.
In response, two more tendrils sprouted and lashed out at Minato.
But Minato was already prepared.
"Tateageiri!"
He stepped on the tendrils, closing the distance to Yamasaru in an instant, moving as if the tendrils were solid ground.
Within a heartbeat, Minato was close enough to strike. His kunai slashed out.
Blood splattered.
Yamasaru's chest sprayed blood as his pupils turned crimson. He kicked out, forcing Minato to retreat.
The tendrils pulled Yamasaru to another branch, where he looked down at the blood dripping from his chest.
He had been injured.
Gritting his teeth, he snarled,
"You dare injure me?"
He looked up at Minato, but there was no one there.
"Soru! Renzan!"
Minato reappeared on a branch behind Yamasaru, flicking the blood off his kunai.
He had no time to waste.
Multiple wounds appeared on Yamasaru's body, and the tendrils of dirt and sand on his back were swiftly cut off, falling to the ground as mere mud.
"Sorry, but I don't have time to waste here."
Minato lowered his kunai, the wind swirling around him, causing his hair to flutter as he prepared for his next move.
"The fight has just begun!"
Yamasaru roared as more blood-red sand and dirt sprouted from his body, bringing him to his most powerful state.
Even Konoha's prodigy couldn't possibly...
"Zangetsu!"
A sharp wind blade appeared in the blink of an eye, slicing through Yamasaru's body before he could react, cutting down the trees behind him in a wide swath.
"How… can he be so strong?"
Yamasaru couldn't understand. His family's secret technique hadn't even fully activated, but because he enjoyed torturing his prey, he had been holding back.
But the Konoha ninja hadn't held back at all.
It was like Yamasaru had been toying with his prey, while Minato had gone all out from the start.
A thin line of blood appeared from Yamasaru's forehead down to his abdomen. With a look of disbelief, his body split in half and fell to the sides.
The battle was over.
He hadn't expected to lose in just a few exchanges.
And to lose his life.
He was a genius of Iwagakure!!
Minato didn't spare a glance at the fallen body.
He quickly dashed back into the forest.
Kushina had stopped by a small stream, not far from where they had split up.
Staring at her reflection in the water, she clenched her teeth in frustration.
She knew she should be retreating quickly. If she were captured or killed, the loss of the Nine-Tails would be a significant blow to the village.
Kushina knew what the best choice was.
But…
"I can't accept this! How can I just run away?"
The light reflected off the stream, illuminating her determined face.
She had fled when Uzushiogakure fell, and now she couldn't abandon her comrades and run away again.
Gripping her kunai, she turned back the way she had come.
"I won't abandon my comrades!!"
She was stubborn like that.
She had followed Jin's order to retreat, but now she would act on her own will.
"What a touching speech."
A girl with scorpion-like markings on her face was leaning against a tree, watching Kushina.
"An enemy?"
Kushina assumed a fighting stance. She hadn't gotten a good look at the attackers earlier, but the moment the ambush began, she had sensed enough to know they were in danger, prompting their escape.
"Aren't Iwagakure and Konoha still allies?"
The girl tapped the belt at her waist, displaying the Iwagakure insignia.
"So skinny!" Kushina exclaimed, then quickly shook her head. This was hardly the time to be thinking about such things.
"Oh, you have a good eye. Maybe I won't kill you after all," the girl laughed, a strange sound that made Kushina uneasy.
After all, not many in her village could appreciate her perfect figure.
Kushina, however, remained focused on the enemy.
"If you want to kill me, you'll have to show what you're made of. Bring it on!"
With limited battle experience, Kushina didn't rush in to attack but instead waited for the girl to make her move.
The girl smiled seductively.
"Sweetheart, I've already started."
Swoosh.
A thin line of blood appeared on Kushina's cheek. Her pupils contracted as she quickly sidestepped.
But the attacks seemed to come from everywhere, leaving multiple small cuts on her body.
Kushina's eyes darted around, trying to identify what was attacking her.
But all she saw was air.
No, wait… her pupils dilated as she finally noticed the nearly invisible particles of dust slicing through the air.
"You noticed," the girl giggled. No longer needing to pretend, she clapped her hands together.
"Doton: Dust Field!"
Countless particles of dust began to gather, covering the area around them.
Though it didn't obscure vision, Kushina had to shield her face with her hands as more tiny cuts appeared on her body.
"Let me ruin that pretty face of yours," the girl said, her expression turning vicious.
Kushina grit her teeth, trying to find a way to counter the attack. The dust particles were so small and sharp that they seemed impossible to block or evade. Each movement brought more pain as the cuts multiplied across her skin.
She couldn't let it end like this.
Suddenly, she felt a surge of anger and frustration. She was Uzumaki Kushina! She wasn't going to let some Iwagakure ninja beat her like this.
"Enough!"
With a roar, Kushina's chakra flared, and the air around her seemed to pulse. The dust particles were pushed back momentarily, giving her a brief respite.
The girl watched with a mixture of curiosity and amusement.
"Interesting… you're stronger than you look. But it's not enough."
Kushina knew she had to act quickly. Her options were limited, but she wasn't going down without a fight.
"Fūton: Kaze no Yaiba!"
She channeled her chakra into the wind, forming a blade of air that she sent slicing toward the girl.
The girl's eyes widened slightly, but she didn't seem too concerned. She raised her hand, and the dust particles in front of her thickened, creating a barrier.
The wind blade collided with the dust, scattering some of it, but not enough to reach the girl.
"You'll have to do better than that," the girl taunted.
Kushina's frustration grew, but she refused to give up. She wouldn't let herself be defeated so easily.
"You haven't seen anything yet!"
Kushina's determination burned bright as she prepared to unleash her next move.
(End of Chapter)