In the perpetually overcast border forest, the Sunagakure troops marched swiftly.
Suddenly, a deafening explosion shook the air as flames erupted beneath the feet of a Sunagakure ninja at the front of the formation. An exploding trap had been triggered, its blast wave overturning nearby bushes.
"All units, take defensive positions!" Sunamaru, the squad leader, shouted, raising his hand. The formation instantly halted as the ninjas rapidly dispersed, their eyes sharp as they scanned their surroundings.
Their search quickly revealed several more traps.
"These traps are rather crude," one of the ninjas muttered, crouching to examine the remnants. "The detonator wires are buried so shallow. How did anyone fall for them?"
"Don't let your guard down. Our enemy isn't some Ninja Academy brat. They wouldn't make such a mistake. These traps were likely set in haste," Sunamaru warned, his eyes narrowing as he surveyed the environment. "This also suggests the enemy might be close."
No sooner had he spoken than a small, blond-haired figure peeked out from behind a rock by the roadside.
The moment they recognized Minato's face, the air grew still.
"He really is just a kid..." the ninja who had examined the traps couldn't help but grumble.
Sunamaru glanced at the Konoha forehead protector on Minato's head and sneered. "Has Konoha fallen so low that they're sending children to the battlefield?"
Despite his mocking tone, Sunamaru felt no relaxation.
After carefully observing his surroundings, Sunamaru was surprised to find that the child before him was indeed the only enemy ninja nearby.
This kid's been sent here to die!
"Kid, did you set these traps?" Sunamaru asked, studying Minato. He felt a sense of unease, but couldn't pinpoint anything wrong.
Minato ignored the question.
He calmly gazed at the hundred-plus ninjas before him and slowly formed the Confrontation Seal.
"Not good! It's a trap!"
Seeing Minato's stance, Sunamaru's expression darkened. "Disperse!"
Swish-swish-swish—
In an instant, the previously dense formation broke apart.
Yet after a brief period of vigilance, nothing happened.
Heh—
Minato couldn't help but laugh.
He hadn't expected his simple gesture to cause such a stir among the Sunagakure ninjas.
Noticing Minato's smile, the Sunagakure ninjas all cast complicated, unreadable glances at Sunamaru.
"Lord Sunamaru, he just seems to be forming the Confrontation Seal."
Hearing his subordinate's blunt remark, Sunamaru's face darkened.
"My apologies, I misjudged the situation."
Sunamaru rubbed his temples. "It's just that a child from an enemy village suddenly appearing on the front lines is a bit strange."
"Hmph, he probably got separated from his team, stumbled upon us, and realized he couldn't escape, so he's just putting on a show to buy time, right?"
"Speaking of which, he managed to take down one of our Chūnin with a trap. I guess he didn't die in vain after all."
At the front of the crowd, a Sunagakure Jonin drew his kunai. "Let me finish him off quickly!"
But before he could finish speaking, Minato suddenly flicked his wrist, sending three kunai flying toward Sunamaru.
Perhaps due to the distance, the kunai were slightly off target. Only one landed with a wobbly thud in the dirt before Sunamaru.
The remaining two kunai landed on open ground to his left and right.
"Heh—"
Seeing this, Sunamaru burst into bitter laughter. "Unbelievable! We're being delayed by this brat—hundreds of us, on the march—and I was just thinking—"
Swoosh—
Sunamaru's words died as a sharp blade flashed in a white arc, like a ferocious wolf's fang, instantly severing his head!
Before him stood Hatake Sakumo, frozen in a lunging stance, his sword still raised from the strike.
Minato was half-crouched behind Sakumo, one hand resting on the Jonin's thigh, the other retrieving the kunai from the ground.
In just an instant, they had completed the decapitation!
As Sunamaru's head flew through the air, before the enemy could react, the two figures vanished in a flash, reappearing at the location of another kunai.
Another flash of blade light. In Minato's perception, the strongest chakra signature within the Sunagakure team—apart from Sunamaru—was instantly extinguished. Two high-level combatants had fallen in less than half a second.
Just as Minato retrieved his second Flying Thunder God Kunai, the Sunagakure ninjas finally reacted.
"It's Space-Time Ninjutsu! Watch out for the kunai that kid throws!" a Jonin shouted.
But his warning was unnecessary. The surrounding ninjas had already scattered completely, even tossing several kunai attached to Exploding Tags near the original one.
Yet in the next instant, Minato suddenly threw another kunai.
"Shoot that kunai down!"
A nearby Jonin temporarily took command and ordered.
Though the Flying Thunder God Technique was elusive and unpredictable, its combat mechanism was straightforward and could be seen through at a glance.
But seeing through it was one thing; stopping it was another entirely—
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!"
Minato formed hand seals with one hand, completing them in less than half a second.
The three-pronged kunai in mid-air split into two, then into four, transforming in an instant into a rain of kunai that darkened the sky.
"Wind Release: Turbulent Air Dance!"
A Sunagakure ninja with an iron fan on his back stepped forward and swung the fan with a violent motion, scattering the swarm of kunai Shadow Clones into the air.
"Tsk, tsk. Your space-time coordinates are useless now, kid. Sunagakure has no shortage of Wind Release users."
The Commanding Jonin couldn't help but sneer, his smile chilling. "And you, Konoha's White Fang! Even if you can scurry around like rats, do you think your camp can just spread its legs and run away?"
"This is troublesome..."
Hatake Sakumo glanced at Minato. "I didn't expect them to find a counter so quickly. Should we retreat?"
"There's no need for such complications. Since they're so fond of blowing..."
Minato produced a scroll. With a poof of white smoke, a massive steel sphere, one meter in diameter, materialized before them.
The sphere gleamed with a cold, metallic luster, radiating a heavy, oppressive presence.
Minato pressed his hand to the sphere, imprinting it with the Flying Thunder God Mark. He took half a step back, twisting his body.
Under the bewildered eyes of Hatake Sakumo and the assembled Sunagakure ninja, Minato unleashed a thunderous punch!
Clang—!!!
A deafening metallic roar tore through the air as the steel ball transformed into a blurred afterimage, hurtling forward with the terrifying speed of a cannonball!
Wherever it passed, it gouged a deep trench in the ground, its whistling howl like the roar of a colossal dragon, carrying an aura of destruction as it charged straight for the Sunagakure troops!
In that instant, the Sunagakure ninja across the way could even hear the chant of the Death God woven into the wind's howl!
"W-What the hell is that thing?!"
"Scatter—!!! Now—!!!"
The Sunagakure ninja's cries were drowned out by the steel ball's whistling roar, but this was only the beginning—
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!"
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
In an instant, the massive steel ball split in mid-air—into two, then four—
In the blink of an eye, hundreds, then thousands of identical steel balls filled the sky, blotting out the sun!
With a deafening roar that split the air, they crashed down on the Sunagakure troops like an avalanche!
Under Hatake Sakumo's stunned gaze, Minato's face lit up with barely contained excitement.
"This technique is called: Training Steel Flying Thunder Starfall Annihilation Technique—First Form!"
Hatake Sakumo:
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