Seeing that his technique hadn't dealt fatal damage, a trace of surprise flashed through Minato Namikaze's eyes. He knew exactly how destructive the Rasengan was. An A-rank ninjutsu wasn't something to take lightly—especially one built purely for power.
"Another evolution or modification?"
"A troublesome enemy."
"In that case, I need to strike fast. Give him no time to react and crush him in one hit."
"Looks like I'll have to use my Rasengan Shinkō Chōrinbu Kōsan!"
Excitement lit up Minato's face as he drew several kunai in each hand. He intended to finish the soldier in front of him in one decisive blow.
The soldier, though slowed after taking a Rasengan, quickly sprouted numerous pitch-black tentacles around his body. The Earth Grudge Fear tentacles could be used for both offense and defense. And with its hearts hidden deep inside the body rather than on the surface, its survivability was greatly enhanced. This stitched-together monster was truly well-made—no wonder it served as an Akatsuki soldier.
"Earth Grudge Fear, huh?"
"Then I'll need to destroy the heart..."
"Come! I'll show you my ultimate technique!"
Minato had already thrown kunai in all directions, and at the same time, he pulled out several flash bombs. Just as he was about to attack, thick fog suddenly surged around him, forcing his assault to a halt.
"What? The Hiding in Mist Technique?"
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
The sudden fog forced Minato to stop and switch to hand seals, trying to blow it away with wind—but the effect was minimal.
"Using the Hiding in Mist Technique to conceal himself..."
"This brings me back to the days I fought Mist ninja."
Minato dodged a water jet with the Body Flicker Technique. With the thick fog as cover, he couldn't pinpoint the enemy's position. Even with Kage-level strength, there was no easy solution—he wasn't a sensor-type ninja.
"Hokage-sama!"
"I'll assist you!"
"Byakugan!"
But that didn't mean they were without options. Hyūga Hizashi's arrival delighted Minato—he couldn't see, but the Byakugan could.
"Hizashi, you're right on time!"
"Hokage-sama, fifteen meters ahead to your left!"
"Got it! Rasengan!"
Minato charged straight in the direction Hizashi indicated, Rasengan in hand. It shot forward and reached the soldier.
The soldier wasn't surprised at all. He clenched his fists, and torrents of water surged around him.
"Whoosh!"
A second before the Rasengan hit, a water column enveloped him, taking the full brunt of the attack.
"Boom!"
The water column shattered under the blast, but the soldier emerged uninjured, only pushed backward.
"Too slow!"
"Rasengan!"
Against normal opponents, the soldier's abilities would have been impressive. But Minato wasn't a normal opponent—he was Konohagakure's strongest force, the Hokage.
The instant the soldier flew back, Minato appeared behind him with a kunai, landing another perfect Rasengan to his back. The soldier was blasted away again—but lightning fell at the same moment.
Without hesitation, Minato used the Flying Thunder God to disappear.
"Eight Trigrams Palm: Rotation!"
The lightning also engulfed Hyūga Hizashi. But the Hyūga clan's Gentle Fist and Eight Trigrams Palm made them exceptionally resilient. The Rotation was a powerful defensive technique—even under lightning, its high-speed spinning chakra dispersed the attack.
"What incredible vitality."
"He can still move after that?"
Hizashi knew the Rasengan well—it was an A-rank ninjutsu created by Kazuyama Gekkō, terrifyingly powerful. The Fourth Hokage had mastered it too, but he hadn't expected the enemy to still move after taking the hit.
"Just as Kazuyama said, these enemies have completely stepped beyond the bounds of humanity."
"In both vitality and combat power."
"Hizashi, support me. We need to finish these two monsters quickly!"
Minato understood there were certainly more of these monsters, and with the giant puppet at the main gate, dragging this out would be dangerous for the village.
...
Outside Konohagakure.
"Kazuyama Gekkō! You bastard!"
"Come out if you dare!"
With Susanoo fully unleashed, Muren Uchiha had believed he could finally settle the score with Kazuyama Gekkō. But things had gone completely off track.
The Seven-Tails appeared—great, he could have a proper fight. But the other guy—no, the other bastard—had vanished.
Using Transparent Escape Technique, Kazuyama Gekkō had disappeared right in front of Muren Uchiha, leaving the entire battle to the Seven-Tails Chōmei.
"Hmph! Uchiha bastard! Don't you ignore this grandpa!"
"Tailed Beast Ball!"
The battle-hungry Chōmei attacked Susanoo the moment he appeared, bombarding him relentlessly. As a chakra entity, he wasn't afraid of close-quarters combat—no attack on his body would work anyway.
Yet each time Chōmei unleashed his power, Muren Uchiha's expression grew more and more tense. There was no helping it—defending against the Seven-Tails' full-force attacks required full focus.
"Slash!"
Facing yet another Tailed Beast Ball, Muren controlled Susanoo to swing its spear-like Longinus down, cleaving the attack apart. Chōmei didn't mind at all. To him, it was just an ordinary Tailed Beast Ball.
"Take this! Scale Powder Explosion!"
"Sleep! Itch! Paralysis! Poison!"
Chōmei had spent years developing his Scale Powders, studying all kinds. Of course, most of the ideas came from Kazuyama Gekkō.
In battle, Chōmei unleashed a concentrated burst of chakra-formed Scale Powder, turning everything within a full mile into a world of powder. Even someone as strong as Muren Uchiha couldn't help but frown.
"Hmph! Such a vile tactic!"
"Haa!"
To avoid the Scale Powder's effects, Muren strengthened Susanoo's defenses, sealing off the central area around him with dense chakra. This way, even within the powder, he wouldn't be affected.
But was Chōmei's Scale Powder really that simple?
"Heh, knew you'd do that."
"Let me add something extra!"
Chōmei grinned wickedly and spewed Scale Powder again—but this time, it wasn't the usual white. It was a vivid green.