The power of the Giant Rasengan was astonishing. It managed to withstand the slicing force of the hurricane blades and even began to gain the upper hand.
Suddenly—
Boom!
The howling hurricane exploded entirely, dispersing into chaotic wind blades that scattered in all directions, like a storm cannon detonating at its origin.
Swish! Swish...
Several specially crafted kunai, infused with Wind Release chakra, shot out from the storm unnoticed, heading directly and accurately toward Sōmi.
The kunai moved at incredible speed, reaching Sōmi in the blink of an eye.
Whoosh!
A flash of red and yellow light suddenly appeared atop one of the kunai.
"Flying Raijin: Second Step!"
Grasping the kunai, Minato Namikaze appeared in an instant, slashing downward at Sōmi.
Sōmi seemed momentarily unprepared, only managing to cause the chakra surrounding him to surge violently, quickly materializing into a small Shukaku-like form to defend himself.
Screech!
The kunai in Minato's hand gleamed brightly, its power significantly enhanced by the large amount of chakra infused into it. The vacuum blade attached to the kunai grew sharper and more potent.
As Sōmi became surrounded by the kunai, the space around him seemed to freeze momentarily.
Swish! Swish! Swish...
The faint sound of slicing air echoed as the yellow vacuum blade left deep marks in the air.
Minato's figure darted and flickered across the kunai, moving so rapidly that, from afar, it appeared as though a dense star-shaped formation of light had been etched around Sōmi.
"Flash Star Swallow Dance: Celestial Step!"
Even Sōmi's Senjutsu Chakra-fortified "absolute defense" could no longer hold, cracks forming along its surface. The yellow streaks of light seeped through, cutting and penetrating along the fissures.
Finally, the back of the small Shukaku construct was sliced open, revealing Sōmi's figure.
Minato reappeared in the upper left, paused briefly, and then vanished again.
When he reappeared, the vacuum blade in his hand had been compressed into the shape of a sharp spike, resembling a medieval rapier.
Without hesitation, Minato thrust the rapier directly toward Sōmi's heart!
But something strange happened.
Despite being pierced through the heart, Sōmi didn't show any signs of pain. His body disappeared with a pop.
It turned out that the Sōmi standing there was merely a shadow clone!
Judging by Minato's calm expression, he seemed to have anticipated this outcome.
Although Sōmi's shadow clone was cloaked in Senjutsu Chakra, making it difficult to discern, Minato, now in Sage Mode, could still sense the difference. After all, the strength of Senjutsu Chakra varied significantly.
The Senjutsu Chakra in this "Sōmi" was far less concentrated than during their earlier battle.
Minato's combat style relied on speed and surprise. Over the years, he had developed a method to quickly enter Sage Mode.
This weakened version of Sage Mode allowed Minato to activate it almost instantly, though at the cost of significantly reduced duration and Senjutsu Chakra reserves.
This was why Minato had been seizing every opportunity to gather Natural Energy earlier.
For Jiraiya, this mode was of little use, as the limited Senjutsu Chakra wouldn't even suffice for a complete Sage Technique.
But Minato valued the enhanced sensory capabilities of Sage Mode above all else.
Based on this foundation, Minato's Wind Release techniques weren't developed for large-scale destruction like the Rasenshuriken but were instead tailored to complement his swift, close-range combat, resulting in blades of unparalleled sharpness.
After defeating Sōmi's shadow clone, Minato clasped his hands together, forming the seal for his own shadow clones.
Boom!
Several Minato clones, each with eight chakra tails, appeared amidst clouds of white smoke. They vanished in a flash, scattering across the battlefield.
If Sōmi had distributed shadow clones across the battlefield, Minato would do the same, eliminating these scattered enemies one by one!
Meanwhile, the Fourth Raikage, who had been observing from the sidelines, had already left the scene. Clearly, he had strategically retreated after assessing the situation.
After all, if Minato were to capture him and use him to threaten Kumogakure, it would be a massive loss of face. It was better to retreat decisively.
Before Minato's main body left, he furrowed his brows slightly, glancing toward a certain direction on the battlefield. However, he didn't investigate further.
Having exhausted his Senjutsu Chakra, Minato had exited Sage Mode and could no longer sense the faint presence in that direction.
After hesitating for a moment, Minato's main body transformed into a flash of light and disappeared.
...
Beneath a rocky slope on a distant mountain, after Minato had left, a pitcher plant slowly emerged.
The pitcher plant split open, revealing a peculiar figure with a half-black, half-white body.
"That was close..."
"They must have noticed us, right?"
"The sensory abilities of Sage Mode are truly impressive..."
A sharp, high-pitched voice came from the white half of the figure.
"Indeed!"
"Minato and that Sōmi guy... their power is overwhelming..."
"And if we're not mistaken, Sōmi has already taken Kakashi's Sharingan, hasn't he?"
"This complicates things..."
"If Sōmi discovers the true power within that eye..."
"I've told Obito more than once to retrieve his eye. Power is only reliable when it's in your own hands! But he just stays silent!"
"He even warned us not to act on our own!"
The black half spoke in a low, grumbling tone, filled with frustration.
"Where is Obito?"
"Where did he go?"
"Wasn't he supposed to be collecting Sharingan as spares?"
"He doesn't even know his own Sharingan has been taken! Can we really rely on this kid who loves taking care of old folks?!"
The pitcher plant twisted slightly as the white half voiced its dissatisfaction.
After all, both halves of Zetsu, at least "on the surface," were creations meant to serve the elderly dancer. To them, Obito and Nagato were merely tools for achieving their goals.
But now, the developments in the ninja world were increasingly slipping out of the Akatsuki's control, causing them to doubt Obito's capabilities.
Especially the black half, whose thoughts were particularly complex. He couldn't allow the millennia-long plan to fail once again!
Behind the "dutiful child of a thousand years" lay endless longing and loneliness for his mother.
Especially during each full moon, he would stand on the highest point, gazing at the moon. Only then could he faintly feel his mother's presence...
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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