"Dust Release?"
Kushina was startled by the jutsu her opponent had just used.
After all, Dust Release was the signature technique of the current Tsuchikage. It was a technique surpassing even the bloodline limit, known as a bloodline selection. Even though Kushina wasn't the most studious, she had read about the immense power of the Tsuchikage's technique in books.
But this wasn't the same.
"This isn't Dust Release at all!"
Kushina leaped forward with the Swift Step technique, instantly closing the distance between her and the girl. She aimed a punch right at the girl's face, using her monstrous strength.
But the girl disintegrated into a cloud of dust before the punch could land, her body scattering into the air. Though her voice still echoed.
"While it's not as powerful as the Tsuchikage's, my Dust Release isn't weak either."
The dust storm grew thicker, and every grain of dust became sharper under the power of chakra.
However, the attack's strength was nothing to worry about.
It was like trying to cut someone with a nail clipper—not deadly, but certainly painful.
Three golden chains emerged from Kushina's back, wrapping around her, trying to shield her from the dust's damage.
"It's useless. Tiny dust particles aren't so easily blocked," the girl said smugly from within the cloud of dust.
But instead of searching for the girl's location, Kushina focused her gaze on the nearby stream.
She moved quickly, using Swift Step to cover the distance.
The girl noticed what Kushina was attempting.
"Don't think you can get away!"
"Dust Release: Dust Body Technique!"
The dust reformed into the shape of the girl, but her entire body was now brown, composed entirely of individual dust particles.
She tried to intercept Kushina.
"Get out of my way!"
Kushina smashed the dust clone with a single punch, dispersing it instantly. Her monstrous strength was not something easily blocked, especially by such a weak clone.
Breaking through the barrier, Kushina dove into the stream.
The dust cloud followed, but the thin layer of water on the surface completely blocked it. The dust couldn't penetrate the water and could only swirl uselessly above.
The dust gathered again into the shape of the girl, who glared at Kushina, still submerged in the stream.
The girl's so-called "Dust Release" wasn't real Dust Release; it was actually a mutated Earth Style secret technique, the kind of technique each ninja village had a few of.
However, her version of Dust Release was weak—more useful for reconnaissance than combat.
And the greatest weakness of her Dust Release was water.
"Don't think hiding in there will save you," the girl sneered, throwing several shuriken at Kushina in the water.
In response, Kushina's chains lashed out, deflecting the shuriken and continuing to reach toward the girl.
The chains wrapped around the dust girl, twisting tightly and dispersing her into dust once more.
"What an annoying jutsu," Kushina muttered, crouching in the shallow water. The stream wasn't deep, so she had to remain in an awkward position.
Her wounds were already healing rapidly, thanks to the Nine-Tails' chakra.
But this was just a stalemate. If the girl's allies came to help, it would become a bigger problem.
"My comrade and sensei are already pursuing yours friends," the girl called out, using Kushina's comrades to taunt her.
"The blond kid is facing my comrade, Yamabe, known as the Mad Beast. He enjoys torturing his prey—he's probably already started killing your friend."
She was trying to provoke Kushina, but her words only made Kushina more calm.
She wasn't worried about Minato. He was strong.
Seeing that her words had no effect, the girl shifted her focus.
"And that other one, with the Uchiha crest on his back—my sensei is quite eager to add a pair of Uchiha eyes to his collection."
At this, Kushina's face changed. Even though she and Jin didn't always get along, he was still her comrade.
"The jonin is chasing Jin? I need to finish this quickly."
Kushina formed hand seals with both hands.
"Kagura Mind's Eye—open!"
The next moment, she leaped out of the water.
"You finally came out!" the girl exclaimed with joy, commanding her dust to swarm toward Kushina.
But Kushina ignored the dust, letting it tear at her as she rushed forward.
"Tracking jutsu!" the girl exclaimed, her face twisting in shock as she turned to flee. She had been hiding among the trees from the beginning.
As she ran, she continued to control the dust, trying to cause more wounds on Kushina's body.
"Damn it, how is this brat still bleeding so much?" the girl thought in frustration.
Her method of fighting was to make her enemies die from blood loss, but this girl seemed to have an endless supply of blood. No matter how much she bled, she remained unharmed.
"Found you!"
Kushina leaped high into the air and spotted the girl immediately.
Her chains shot out first, quickly binding the girl in layers.
"Die a hundred times over!"
Kushina's fist came crashing down on the girl's head. The impact was so powerful that the girl's skull visibly caved in, and her eyes bulged as she collapsed to the ground, motionless.
Panting heavily, Kushina finally allowed herself to relax.
The battle was over.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the forest...
"Jackpot," Jin muttered, standing atop a rock, hand resting on the hilt of his sword as he stared at the man before him.
Chūdō, the jonin, hung upside down from a tree, watching Jin silently.
From the moment Chūdō had locked onto Jin, there was no escape.
"How about you pretend you didn't see me and let me go?" Jin suggested.
After all, he wasn't particularly interested in the conflicts between the five great nations. If Minato hadn't noticed something strange, Jin wouldn't have even spoken up.
"Sorry, but this is my duty."
As Chūdō responded, a kunai silently appeared behind Jin.
Clang!
The sound of metal clashing echoed.
Jin had already drawn his sword, blocking the kunai.
In the next instant, Chūdō disappeared from where he had been hanging.
Both of them began forming hand seals simultaneously.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique."
"Earth Style: Iron Rock Cannon."
Jin shot out a massive fireball, while Chūdō spat out rocks that quickly expanded.
Boom!
The collision of the two techniques created a powerful shockwave, forcing them both back.
In the next moment, they clashed again, this time in close combat. Their taijutsu skills were evenly matched, but Chūdō's larger physique gave him the advantage.
Jin raised his hand, and a small blue orb appeared on his finger.
Spirit Ball!
The orb shot forward with incredible speed. Chūdō couldn't react in time, and his shoulder was pierced, leaving a bloody hole.
Grunting in pain, Chūdō used his kunai to force Jin back, retreating quickly.
"They said I couldn't take on a jonin... why didn't I believe them?"
Jin prepared to press the attack.
But before he could move, something grabbed his ankle. He glanced down to see a hand had emerged from the ground, gripping his leg.
"When did that happen?!"
Even though Chūdō had been injured just moments ago, he was somehow now beneath the ground.
"Earth Style: Head-Hunter Jutsu!"
Jin was pulled underground, but before he could be completely submerged, he formed hand seals.
"Six Gates—Celestial Thief!"
The jonin's chakra flowed into Jin's body, causing Chūdō to release his grip. Jin quickly jumped to a nearby rock to escape.
But then, a soft sound caught his attention. He looked down and realized there was a paper bomb stuck to the bottom of his shoe.
"Iron Body!"
Boom!
The explosion rang out as Jin vanished into the distance with Swift Step, his pants now reduced to shorts, and his shoes completely gone, his legs charred black.
The enemy's attacks came one after another, leaving Jin unable to keep up.
He glanced toward where Chūdō had been, but only saw a hole in the ground.
Jin quickly formed hand seals.
"Shadow Clon—!"
"Earth Style: Fissure Wave!"
Before Jin could finish, the ground beneath him cracked open, and he began to fall.
Desperately, he leaped onto the floating debris, trying to escape.
He scanned the surroundings, finally spotting Chūdō in the distance.
But the attacks kept coming, giving Jin no time to recover.
Chūdō slammed his fist into the ground, activating another jutsu.
"Earth Style: Earth Wave Sand!"
The ground shattered into countless grains of sand.
Jin was just about to escape when the sand surged like a tidal wave, swallowing him whole.
Buried within the sand, Jin gritted his teeth, curling his body to minimize the damage from the crushing pressure.
He was completely caught in Chūdō's rhythm. This man was nothing like any ninja Jin had faced before.
Their fighting styles were similar, but the results were worlds apart.
One mistake had led to another, and now he was on the verge of being overwhelmed.
"Earth Style: Antlion Technique!"
The sand beneath Jin turned to mud, spinning in a clockwise motion, grinding everything around it.
Buried in the mud, Jin knew that if this continued, his entire body would be crushed to pieces.
He could already hear his bones creaking under the pressure.
Chūdō had calculated every step, and Jin had fallen into his trap with each one.
Desperately, Jin searched through his mind for any jutsu that could save him. But the ones that came to mind were either too complex to learn on the spot or completely useless in this situation.
"Am I really going to..."
"Die here?!"
"No! Gate of Opening—Open!"
Opening just one of the Eight Gates wouldn't give him much of a power boost, and the technique he had developed from combining Six Paths with the Eight Gates was still incomplete, draining too much chakra.
But there was no way he would die here!
"Spirit Ball—Self-Destruct!"
A small blue light appeared within the mud, growing brighter and brighter.
The Spirit Ball wasn't made of pure chakra; it was a chaotic mix of earth, water, wind, fire, lightning, yin, and yang attributes. Its instability made it a dangerous technique.
When released in a destructive burst, it became a volatile bomb.
Boom!
The ground erupted in an explosion.
Jin, his body covered in blood, leaped out of the rubble. His skin had been burned off in several places, and even using Iron Body couldn't completely protect him.
Covering his face with his right hand, Jin peered through his fingers at Chūdō.
Those eyes, now glowing a deep shade of red, stared directly at his opponent.