Patrol Level, IV

Kushina's Water Release was very strong.

Hiruzen had praised her for this. Her talent for ninjutsu was no worse than her talent for Fuinjutsu, and as a member of the Uzumaki Clan as well as a Jinchuriki, she had received plenty of special treatment. For instance, the Third Hokage himself would occasionally guide her ninjutsu training, and the Senju Clan had produced a copy of the Second Hokage's notes on Water Release training and given it to Kushina.

Honestly, that gesture had earned them considerable goodwill. It was truly generous. No wonder the Senju Clan had been able to suppress the Uchiha so thoroughly; there was a reason for it.

With these advantages, Kushina's Water Release Technique had improved greatly. Combined with the Uzumaki Clan's enormous chakra reserves, her combat strength was exceptionally formidable.

It was not just Kushina. Katsuki saw his own role the same way. The Uzumaki Clan were born mobile artillery platforms; that was not something their will could change. As long as they possessed sufficient talent for ninjutsu and mastered several powerful offensive techniques, they became the most tyrannical reapers of life.

After blocking the barrage of poisoned needles, Otome and Otoha stepped forward together and rapidly formed hand seals. The moment the Water Wall fell, following Tenzan's direction, they unleashed their techniques simultaneously.

Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique.

The Uchiha's signature ninjutsu. Do not mistake it for a mere C-rank technique. The Uchiha were the ancestors of fire manipulation; any Fire Release Technique in their hands was always much stronger than when used by others.

Wind Release: Great Breakthrough.

Immediately after Otoha and Otome, Minato released a Wind Release Technique, strengthening the flames.

The moment the water barrier fell, Rasa and Chizuko saw a rolling torrent of crimson fire rushing toward them. It had completely surpassed the very concept of a Great Fireball; at the very least, all they could see was red, with a blazing heat wave crashing into their faces!

Damn! This wasn't a Great Fireball at all!

Rasa only wanted to curse. What was with these brats? How did every last one of them know ninjutsu? Had Konoha's geniuses become this common?!

Ordinarily, genin-level battles were primarily based on Taijutsu. Out of ten people, perhaps one or two geniuses would have mastered ninjutsu, and nine times out of ten, those geniuses were disciples from major clans or students of some jonin.

Among Konoha's six brats, there was already one disciple of the Hyuga Clan, but the other four actually all knew ninjutsu—Wind Release, Fire Release, Water Release. Rasa frowned without realizing it. Originally, he had believed he had an eighty percent chance of taking down Katsuki's group, but after a single exchange, his confidence had wavered. Even with Chizuko assisting him, he did not think their odds were very high.

Magnet Release: Gold Sand Wall.

Though his thoughts raced, Rasa's actions were not slow in the slightest. With a one-handed gesture, the stream of sand and stone he had created earlier immediately surged and rolled. Quicksand flecked with golden light formed a towering wall of sand, its curved, semicircular rampart protecting Rasa and Chizuko at its center.

"Whoosh..."

The two Great Fireballs, fused together by the gale, transformed into a torrent of scorching crimson flames. Just as the sand wall took shape, the flaming torrent arrived. It quickly crashed into the wall, then split in two and flowed around the curved sand barrier.

Rasa's face turned slightly pale. Fortunately, he had used Magnet Release rather than Earth Release. Otherwise, he and Chizuko might already have been two lumps of charred black coal.

He could feel the blazing heat coming from ahead and from both sides. The Great Fireball Technique was a technique capable of instantly burning people into charcoal, its temperature terrifyingly high. Even the heat leaking through the sand wall made him feel as though he had returned to a desert scorched by the blazing sun.

So hot!

"Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle."

The moment the flames dissipated, the sound of rushing water rang out beside his ears, followed by the sound of boiling water. White mist drifted up over the wall, and thick cracks split across the sand barrier. Under Rasa's grim gaze, it collapsed with a roar in the span of a single breath.

Water Release: Water Colliding Wave.

This was the advantage of numbers: attacks connected one after another without pause. Once an opening was seized, the enemy was given almost no chance to catch their breath.

Taking advantage of Otoha and Otome's attack, Kushina launched a Water Colliding Wave. The sand wall, scorched by intense heat, was suddenly cooled. Under the double assault of ice and fire, the sturdy Gold Sand Wall became brittle and soft, and the Water Colliding Wave, despite its modest force, knocked it directly down.

"Chizuko, retreat quickly!"

The instant the sand wall cracked, Rasa shouted and swiftly withdrew. At the same time, he waved both hands, shattering the earth beneath his feet into rolling quicksand. Under his control, it formed layer after layer of barricades, blocking the water's impact.

Earth Release: Rock Rods.

Silently, concealed by the mist, Katsuki moved to Rasa and Chizuko's left and launched a surprise attack.

Stone pillars erupted from the ground, stabbing diagonally toward Rasa and Chizuko—fast and vicious.

Magnet Release: Gold Sand Shield.

Magnet Release truly was extraordinarily useful. Without needing hand seals, Rasa simply gestured with one hand and controlled the vast quicksand, forming several crudely shaped great shields before him. The stone pillars struck them as if they had hit iron ramparts. With a bang, the pillars shattered, unable to break through the Gold Sand Shield.

"Now that's a Kekkei Genkai. It really is a good thing!"

Katsuki had not expected to take down the future Fourth Kazekage with something like that. Gripping his short blade tightly, he stomped hard against the ground and vaulted over the not-so-tall Gold Sand Shield. He appeared above Rasa and Chizuko, diving down like an eagle pouncing on prey.

He descended at great speed. Fine blue arcs of lightning, as thin as strands of hair, danced along his short blade with sharp crackling sounds. They split apart the Gold Dust Cloud Rasa had hurriedly gathered and stabbed straight toward his forehead.

"Rip!"

The short blade cleaved through Rasa's head, but there was none of the red-and-white pulp Katsuki had expected to see. Rasa's body scattered into flowing sand.

Sand Clone.

At some point, Rasa had already replaced himself with a Sand Clone.

"Die, Konoha brat."

A cold curse rang out. The Puppet Master called Chizuko flicked her ten fingers as if playing an instrument, and the one-horned, three-armed Kaka Duda charged forward. Its tattered gray robe flapped loudly in the wind, while poisoned blades gleaming with a purple aura shot out from the puppet's arm joints.

Three arms, nine poisoned blades, spinning and cutting madly like wind wheels, formed a purple storm that instantly swallowed Katsuki, slicing him into pieces—only for white smoke to be churned endlessly by the back-and-forth slashing blades.

Chizuko's expression changed. Without a second thought, she controlled the puppet to rush back.

A Puppet Master's weakness was obvious: they were too weak in close combat. All their methods lay in their puppets. Especially for a genin like Chizuko, who could only control one puppet—even though she had trained in Taijutsu, ninety-nine percent of Puppet Masters were clearly more interested in researching and modifying puppets.

As for a Puppet Master's Taijutsu... heh!