A massive fireball collided with the torrent of falling boulders in mid-air.
BOOM!
The flames exploded, illuminating the dark gorge like midday.
But as Nishikawa Tetsu had predicted, even searing heat couldn't stop the crushing weight of tons of rock empowered by gravity. The fireball was instantly snuffed out, and though the surface of the stones was scorched black, they kept hurtling downward—roaring with deadly force.
"Scatter!"
Uchiha Fugaku barked.
Not that he needed to—Tetsu and Minato had already leapt aside the moment Fugaku began weaving signs.
THUD!!!
A boulder slammed into the ground where they'd just stood, sending muddy water spraying meters into the air. The earth quaked violently, as if trying to swallow them whole.
Tetsu used the blast's shockwave to spring off the wet cliffside, bouncing across the rock face until he found cover behind a jagged outcrop.
He had barely caught his breath when a sharp whistle pierced the rain.
"Earth Style: Earth Lance!"
The ground erupted—jagged stone spears lancing upward like fangs, targeting the exact places the three had landed.
"Hmph!"
Fugaku snarled. His Sharingan spun wildly, pushing his dynamic vision to the limit.
Twisting mid-air with inhuman precision, he narrowly dodged the fatal strike and flung a handful of shuriken as he rotated.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Sparks flew. The Uchiha clan's legendary throwing skill was on full display—those shuriken curved through the air, bypassing the spears entirely to arc toward the shadows high on the cliff wall.
"Not bad, Sharingan brat. Fast reflexes."
A gruff voice echoed from above.
With a burst of smoke, four Iwa-nin appeared—each clad in red-brown armor.
Leading them was a towering man with a jagged scar across his left cheek. He peered down at the trio with mocking amusement.
"But with two little burdens dragging you down, how long can you hold out, Leaf punk?"
The scarred Jōnin slammed both palms into the ground.
"Earth Style: Great Mud River!"
The solid canyon floor liquefied into a raging sludge of mud and stone.
Tetsu's feet slipped—the ground turned traitor in an instant, and he began sliding downward with the current.
"Tetsu!"
A streak of gold flashed through the rain.
Minato's figure appeared beside him, seizing Tetsu by the collar. With a surge of chakra underfoot, he bounded up onto a dry ledge, narrowly avoiding the flowing trap.
"Thanks, Minato," Tetsu said, steadying himself and drawing a kunai.
"This terrain's a nightmare for us," Minato muttered, eyes sharp with worry. "They've got the high ground, and Earth Style's twice as powerful on rocky ground like this."
"That's not all."
Tetsu's gaze was locked on the enemy above, his voice steady. "It's a textbook team comp. One Jōnin for control and offense, three Chūnin for suppression and defense. That scarred guy's chakra level is on par with Fugaku-senpai's."
Meanwhile, in the heart of the gorge, Fugaku was under siege.
Not only did he have to dodge the unstable mud beneath him, but also the relentless ninjutsu raining down from above.
"Earth Style: Rock Bullet Barrage!"
Fist-sized stones came down like machine-gun fire.
Fugaku's hands blurred through signs, his chest swelling with air.
"Fire Style: Phoenix Fire Jutsu!"
Dozens of small fireballs burst from his mouth, intercepting the oncoming rocks one by one.
But the downpour of the Land of Rain smothered the flames' power. What should have melted stone only barely shattered it.
Shards grazed Fugaku's cheek—blood mingled with rain, streaking his face like war paint.
"This fucking weather…"
Fugaku grit his teeth. Frustration boiled within him.
On a flat field—or under clear skies—he could have overwhelmed them with genjutsu and Fire Release.
But this terrain… this cursed rain… had sealed away half his power.
"Minato! Quit gawking and cover me!"
Fugaku roared, abandoning defense to charge straight up the cliff, rocks pelting his armor.
"Got it!"
Minato's expression sharpened. He spun a special kunai between his fingers.
"Body Flicker Technique!"
In a blink, he vanished.
When he reappeared, it was directly behind the scarred Jōnin's flank—silent as a ghost.
"So fast!"
The Iwa-nin Chūnin gasped, unable to track the golden blur.
Minato's kunai sliced through the air, aimed cleanly at the Jōnin's carotid artery.
But just before contact, the Jōnin smirked.
Without even turning, his skin darkened into a hard, earthen sheen.
"Earth Style: Earth Spear!"
Clang!
The kunai struck with a metallic ring.
Minato felt like he'd stabbed a steel plate. The recoil numbed his grip.
"Too soft, brat! That tickled!"
The Jōnin spun and launched a punch like a cannon blast.
Minato barely ducked—fast enough to avoid decapitation, but not the backlash. The wind shear from the strike sheared several golden hairs from his head.
"Fall back!"
Minato didn't hesitate. He leapt away, returning to Fugaku's side in a flash.
"No good, senpai. His skin's hardened—regular kunai won't pierce it." Minato panted, face grim.
He hadn't yet developed the Rasengan. Against a tanky Earth-style user like this, he had no finishing move.
Fugaku had just reached the enemy stronghold—but was immediately blocked by three Chūnin who summoned a Mud Wall.
The four Iwa-nin now stood atop the cliff behind a half-dome of reinforced earth. Firing slits dotted its surface like a bunker.
"This is what Konoha calls elite clan?"
The scarred Jōnin sneered from behind the wall. "You can't even scratch my armor. Might as well crawl home and cry."
"Oh, wait. You're not going home!"
All four began weaving signs.
The gorge trembled.
They were preparing a large-scale combo jutsu—intending to bury all three Leaf shinobi beneath the canyon forever.
A dead end.
Fugaku stared at the dome, fingers twitching near his eyes.
"Minato. Take Tetsu and fall back."
His voice was low and rough. "I'll break through myself."
He was ready to burn his Sharingan—ready to unleash an unfinished, large-scale genjutsu.
"It won't work, senpai."
A hand landed on Fugaku's shoulder.
Tetsu had reappeared beside them—soaked, hair plastered to his face—but his eyes burned with intensity.
"That hardening jutsu reinforces skin density through chakra. Unless you've got a high level of piercing strength, brute force won't cut it. And more importantly…"
He pointed at the dome, lips curling into a slightly mad grin.
"They built that shell to defend against Fire Style and shuriken. Half-sealed, only forward-facing slits for offense. Right?"
"So what?" Fugaku snapped. "This isn't a classroom!"
"Enclosed space. Dry interior. Plus…"
Tetsu ignored him and pulled two explosive tags and several gray-white powder pouches from his pack.
He turned to Minato, tone calm—as if discussing dinner plans.
"Minato. Can your Body Flicker place these inside their firing slits with precision?"
Minato blinked—then looked down at the powder, realization dawning. His eyes lit up.
"I only need to throw it in right?"
"Exactly. Scatter it inside."
Tetsu then turned to Fugaku and handed him an explosive tag.
"Senpai. The moment Minato returns, even if it makes your eyes bleed—get this tag in there with a shuriken. You must ignite the powder."
"...You're thinking of..."
Fugaku stared at the items, frowning. But looking into Tetsu's unwavering eyes, he stopped. He didn't ignite his Sharingan.
"This is science, senpai."
Through the rain, Tetsu gazed at the dirt bunker as if already watching it burn.
"But if you want to give it a fancy name… you can call it dust explosion."