Nara Shikaku hurriedly used his shadow to manipulate Yamanaka Inoichi, pulling him aside, then raised his foot and kicked toward Minato.
But Minato had already backed away after his first strike missed. Inoichi's kick hit nothing but air as Minato quickly gathered chakra.
The next second, two slashes flew toward them, each from a different angle and at slightly different timings.
If they moved in sync, one of them would be hit. If they moved out of sync, Inoichi would take the blow.
"Damn it!" Inoichi's expression changed. His voice, however, reached Shikaku through their mental link.
"Forget about me. Go help Choza."
The next instant, their shared thought link was severed, and both men dodged the incoming slashes separately.
Akimichi Choza had already noticed the situation. His expression darkened as he prepared to rush in and assist.
But Yuki Seisui quickly blocked his path.
"Choza, we've still got our fight to settle!"
Choza had evaded the earlier Wind Release attack, but Seisui had never expected to end the fight with a single jutsu anyway.
Before the Vacuum Sohere had even dispersed, Seisui charged in with his blade drawn.
"Shikaku and the others are too tied up now. Time for my Water Severing Slash!"
Just like before, his long blade came sweeping down toward Choza. But this time, Choza was prepared. Without being in the middle of an attack or leaving any openings, he easily sidestepped.
"Won't work!"
A smirk curled at the corner of Seisui's mouth. In the blink of an eye, a high-pressure stream of water shot from the blade and struck Choza square in the chest.
It didn't deal any damage or carry any force. But Choza's face turned pale.
"This is..."
Before he could finish his thought, a mysterious pulling force began dragging him toward the blade.
Seisui, unfazed by his missed slash, followed up without hesitation, aiming his next strike straight for Choza's throat.
Out of the corner of his eye, Choza spotted a shadow nearby. His heart dropped, he recognized that it was a Shadow Possession Technique, but at this distance, it couldn't possibly reach Seisui in time.
Making a quick decision, Choza's face hardened with resolve.
"Even if I die, I'll die fighting to protect my comrades!"
Without even attempting to dodge, he activated the Multi-Size Technique and hurled himself toward Seisui, aiming a powerful punch at his chest.
He chose the chest, its large surface made it hard to avoid, and it housed vital organs. A fatal blow if it landed.
Though the head was also a vital target, it was much easier to dodge.
Seeing Choza's suicidal charge, Seisui knew exactly what he was trying to do: a trade of lives.
But Seisui wasn't having any of it.
Instead of retreating, he shifted his body slightly, letting Choza's punch narrowly miss while his blade sliced cleanly across Choza's massive chest.
Even so, Choza seemed to anticipate this outcome. With a single sweeping motion, he batted Seisui away with one arm.
That was as far as he got.
The moment Seisui's blade struck Choza's chest, the water coating his body activated again, pulling Choza even harder toward the blade.
Wind chakra, sharpened and deadly, was infused along the edge.
Choza's body, now like soft dough under the power of the wind-enhanced blade, was effortlessly sliced in half diagonally.
"Choza!"
On the other side, Shikaku and Inoichi's eyes widened in shock at the sight of Choza's death. For a split second, their movements froze.
Minato saw this and his eyes lit up. "Now's my chance!"
Meanwhile, Seisui staggered slightly, his chest tightening before he coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Choza's Multi-Size Technique wasn't just about growing bigger. The power behind that swing, even though dodged, had knocked Seisui's internal organs out of place.
"Cough, cough..."
More blood spilled from his lips as a green glow enveloped his hands.
It was a Healing Technique.
Among the four scrolls in his family, three were ninjutsu techniques, including this medical ninjutsu, and the last was a chakra refinement technique.
He had mastered all of them.
Although the Healing Technique couldn't fully repair the damage, it could ease the pain and stabilize him.
"Damn it!" Nara Shikaku cursed inwardly. He'd kept part of his attention on Seisui this entire time, and seeing that the guy even knew Healing Techniques made him grit his teeth.
All they had were their clan's secret jutsu. Nothing more.
"Shikaku, focus!" Minato called out. He'd also noticed Seisui healing himself, but it came as no surprise, they had grown up together. He knew Seisui's capabilities well.
Minato hurled a three-pronged kunai at Yamanaka Inoichi.
Infused with chakra, the kunai flew at an incredible speed. At the same time, Minato slashed out another attack and tossed a second kunai toward Shikaku.
Then he rapidly formed hand seals.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Sohere!"
His speed was astonishing, three hand seals per second. His reaction time even more so.
The attacks reached Shikaku and Inoichi almost simultaneously.
They had no time to think. Both were stunned by the sudden barrage.
And that was when Seisui appeared behind Shikaku like a phantom.
Having worked with Minato for so long, he knew this was a feint. The real goal was to create an opening for his sneak attack.
If Minato's attacks hit, great. If not, Seisui would finish the job.
"Shikaku, it's over!"
A flash of cold steel, and Shikaku was cut down.
Yamanaka Inoichi had just barely dodged Minato's attack and turned in time to see his comrade fall.
A bitter smile spread across his face.
"Looks like you guys win this time."
"But I'm not giving up yet!"
He immediately cast the Mind Body Switch Technique at Seisui, hoping to take control of him.
In his mind, Seisui had just used that powerful water technique twice and taken two solid hits, he should be vulnerable to mental intrusion.
What he didn't expect was Seisui's formidable mental resistance.
This was someone who had lived two lives. In his previous life, he'd been a hardcore Naruto mobile game player, completely unhinged and deeply immersed in the lore.
Combined with his experiences in this life, his mental strength now surpassed even many Jonin.
There was no way a technique like Mind Body Switch could hold him.
Sure enough, Inoichi's confident smile disappeared in an instant, replaced by a look of intense pain.
He had attempted to invade Seisui's mind, and been forcibly repelled, suffering a harsh backlash.
Minato walked over and calmly picked up the three-pronged kunai, then without hesitation, delivered the final blow.
With Inoichi's death, the word Victory appeared above the Duel Arena.
The next moment, both Minato and Seisui were returned to the real world.
As they opened their eyes, they were met by three pairs of slightly resentful stares.
Seisui scratched his cheek awkwardly. After all, he had just killed them in the duel.
Still, the three only stared at them with mild exasperation, it didn't seem like they held any real grudges.
Choza let out a deep sigh.
"Can't believe the three of us lost."
"But after dying, we actually got to watch the rest of the battle from above the arena."
"That feeling..."
"It was pretty amazing."
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