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Just as Minato and Kushina spotted the figure, the enemy noticed them too.
In the next moment, the Iwa shinobi disappeared from their sight.
There was no warning, as if the person had simply vanished.
Minato's pupils shrank.
This ability to instantly obscure their presence was something he had only seen from jōnin-level shinobi.
Jiraiya, the jōnin who had been killed by a trio's combined assault, and Gin—these were the only ones he knew who possessed such abilities.
Even if other shinobi used Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Technique), you could still see the movement trail.
"Where did they go?" Kushina's eyes widened, unaware of the danger.
She had no idea the enemy was no ordinary shinobi.
Minato quickly tackled Kushina, pushing her forward.
Kushina blushed slightly, about to scold Minato, when a giant iron trap suddenly sprang up from the ground, its spiked jaws snapping shut. Kushina's face turned pale at the sight.
"Doton! Tsuchi Otoshi!" (Earth Release: Earth Capture Device)
The Iwa shinobi reappeared in the trees, two kunai in hand, rushing towards Minato and Kushina.
He was incredibly fast. Just as Minato and Kushina hit the ground, the enemy was already upon them.
Seeing the enemy charging in, Minato quickly got to his feet to face him.
After just three exchanges, Minato was kicked, sent flying, and slammed into a tree.
The gap in their skill was too large.
Seeing the Iwa shinobi about to finish off Minato, Kushina grew frantic, her breathing shifting.
"Breath of Water!"
"First Form: Water Surface Slash!"
The kunai in Kushina's hand transformed into a blade of pure water, delivering a swift slash at the Iwa shinobi.
Quick and direct.
But to her surprise, the Iwa shinobi lifted his leg and kicked her under the arm, freezing her in place as she fell to the ground.
Just as he was about to make his next move, Minato summoned a shadow clone, lunging at the Iwa shinobi.
The Iwa shinobi leapt in place, avoiding the attack, and quickly formed hand seals.
"Doton! Doro Ryū no Jutsu!" (Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet)
A stone dragon emerged from the earth, circling the Iwa shinobi once before hurtling toward Minato and Kushina.
But Minato had already begun forming his own hand seals.
At that moment, his jutsu was complete.
"Kaze no Kabe!" (Wind Wall)
A wall of fierce wind formed in front of them, and the stone dragon, upon colliding with the wind wall, disintegrated as if dust entering water, unable to penetrate.
The stone dragon quickly dissipated, leaving only a cloud of dust obscuring both sides.
Minato pulled Kushina up, and the two communicated silently through hand signs.
Any sound at this point could trigger another attack from the enemy.
"He's a jōnin."
After their brief exchange, Minato understood the level of their opponent's strength.
His experience and mastery of taijutsu far surpassed theirs.
"If we keep fighting him, we'll die."
Minato laid out the worst-case scenario.
"Then how about I..."
Despite her disheveled appearance, Kushina's fighting spirit remained undeterred. She was ready to unleash the power of the Nine-Tails and fire a Tailed Beast Bomb.
She didn't believe any jōnin could withstand it.
"Kushina."
To her surprise, Minato's face was serious.
"I don't know what kind of power you have, but Jiraiya-sensei didn't want you to expose it, so it's best not to use it now."
"Then what do we do?"
Kushina, struggling to come up with any other solution, realized they were in a tight spot without Gin's support.
Gin, who was only two years older than them, was already a force that even seasoned jōnin couldn't handle.
Such a genius.
Neither of them could compare.
"I have a plan. Maybe we can try it."
Minato slightly revealed the tip of his kunai, searching for their opponent's location. Perhaps influenced by Gin's bad habits, Minato was also curious to test his own limits.
Then, he quickly began signaling with his hands.
This was the special hand language used by Konoha for communication.
Slowly, Minato gestured the entire plan through hand signs.
Meanwhile, the Iwa shinobi used Doton: Dochū Eigyo no Jutsu (Earth Release: Hiding Like a Mole Technique) to observe from below.
The two Konoha chūnin had hidden themselves well.
Though he hadn't found them yet, the Iwa shinobi wasn't worried about dealing with two kids.
He was just hesitating—should he leave or kill these two brats first?
They were young, already chūnin, which meant they were likely Konoha's prodigies.
If he didn't kill them now, he might not get another chance in the future.
He glanced toward the distant battlefield.
Breaking through to here wouldn't be easy, as the Konoha shinobi were quite strong.
"Finish this quickly."
He made his decision. Why not kill these two before leaving?
While these two had some skill, they couldn't match a jōnin.
In the next moment, he saw a glimmer of light—a reflection from a kunai embedded in a tree.
He used the Dochū Eigyo no Jutsu to move through the earth, swiftly approaching the two, with kunai in hand, ready to strike.
When he reached the location, he saw the kunai deliberately stuck into the tree, with an explosive tag attached.
"Clever."
Thankfully, he hadn't rushed in recklessly.
As he continued searching, he noticed a shift in the light. Looking up, he saw Minato hanging from a tree branch, poised to strike.
"You've given me the chance. How could I not take it?"
The Iwa shinobi surfaced, swiftly thrusting his kunai at Minato's chest.
At such a close range, even with the enhanced reflexes from Kihon Naikō (Basic Inner Technique), it was impossible to react in time.
A look of terror crossed Minato's face as his heart was pierced.
"Poof!" Minato's body turned to smoke.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!?"
At the same time, thin threads wrapped around the Iwa shinobi's hands, and countless shuriken blocked all avenues of escape.
"A trap?"
The Iwa shinobi was unfazed by such a trap, prepared to dive back into the trees.
His technique allowed him to move freely through the earth and trees, a source of pride for him.
But in the next moment—
"Boom!!"
The entire tree exploded.
Before he could react, the Iwa shinobi was entangled in more threads, with explosive tags burning at the ends.
"Boom!!"
A massive explosion engulfed everything. It was all of Minato and Kushina's explosive tags.
From a tree in the distance, the two finally leapt down.
"Did we get him?"
Kushina asked curiously.
Every step had been arranged by Minato. Psychological warfare and strategic thinking were part of the ninja academy's curriculum.
But mastering it was another story.
Some people even ignored it completely, choosing to nap instead.
As for now—
Minato wasn't sure if they had succeeded either.
He cautiously scanned the area.
"You two... quite the tactics!"
A dark shadow suddenly emerged from the ground, grabbing both their ankles.
(End of Chapter)