Naruto Bloodline Theory? Garbage, That's All

Both Ninjutsu had been invented by the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju.

After some time, many ninja across the various villages of the Ninja World had mastered this technique.

Shadow Clones possessed a portion of the original body's strength.

Their flaw was that no matter where they were struck, they would explode in a single hit.

So Mingren easily shattered it. Even though he had never fought someone using this technique before, his familiarity with Naruto Ninja allowed him to decipher it with ease.

Just as Mingren was about to step forward and finish him off,

he discovered that the other man had created three more clones.

And the original body seemed to be planning to run.

This made Mingren impatient.

"Get in the way!"

Facing the three Shadow Clones charging at him again,

Mingren took a step forward. His body went from stillness to motion in less than a second.

Whoosh!

A black shadow flashed past.

Bang! Bang! Bang!!

Three Explosive Sounds rang out through the air.

Relying on his excellent physical constitution, Mingren directly rammed the Shadow Clones apart.

Before the Stone Ninja had time to use Earth Style Ninjutsu to burrow underground,

Mingren grabbed him by the head.

This Stone Ninja's reaction speed could not be called slow. The instant he realized something was wrong, he chose to retreat.

However,

Mingren's understanding of ninja was clearly no less than his.

Anyone could guess that Iwagakure's ninja were best at using Earth Style to attack and flee.

Without giving him the slightest chance, Mingren clenched his right hand hard.

Crack!

His cheeks were squeezed into a twisted lump of flesh and blood.

[Strength... 10.7]

After killing the two of them,

Mingren did not hesitate.

He turned, leaped from the building, and charged straight toward the location of Sunagakure's three ninja...

Kitsuchi and Pakura, who were currently locked in a chaotic melee with Minato Namikaze and the others, knew nothing of this.

Of the two, one had already become a commander without troops.

The other would soon follow in the former's footsteps...

Hanzo's Desire to Recruit

Whoosh!

As Pakura and Minato Namikaze passed each other,

their clash temporarily came to an end.

Pakura, holding two fireballs in her hands, turned around.

Minato Namikaze made the same movement.

"Slippery as an eel..."

Pakura gave her assessment of Minato Namikaze's offensive.

With the Flying Thunder God Technique, Minato Namikaze came and went without a trace.

To defeat him, she had to seize the instant he came close and detonate the Scorch Release Jutsu in her hands.

Because of her special Kekkei Genkai,

Pakura could directly withstand the damage from the technique.

This seemingly "self-harming" attack was one of Pakura's trump cards.

And Minato Namikaze had clearly seen through the strategy Pakura intended to use.

After probing each other for several rounds, Minato Namikaze knew that deciding the victor in a short time was unrealistic...

Kitsuchi, with his broad and sweeping attacks, was also interfering from time to time.

There was no point in continuing the fight.

"Gentlemen, let us stop here."

Minato Namikaze was the first to put away his weapon.

Pakura considered it, then also dispersed the fireballs in her hands.

The three of them turned their gazes toward Orochimaru.

After a round of exchanges, Orochimaru had suppressed Yahiko, wearing a relaxed expression.

Yahiko, who had trained under Jiraiya, was naturally countered by Orochimaru in terms of fighting style.

That much could be seen from the countless times his Master Jiraiya had fought Orochimaru.

"Heh heh..."

Orochimaru smiled faintly.

The next second, his body suddenly twisted, and he slithered bonelessly toward Nagato beside them.

"Nagato, watch out!!" Konan immediately warned him.

Orochimaru rushed toward Nagato at high speed, but his eyes were fixed on Yahiko, intending to use this chance to make him reveal an opening.

However...

The next moment,

a violent force slammed into his body.

With a boom,

Orochimaru, along with the rainwater and muddy ground, was sent flying backward.

Seeing this,

Yahiko sighed in relief, but he was also worried.

Nagato had used "Shinra Tensei"... His trump card should not have been revealed so early.

Once the Five Great Shinobi Villages latched onto them, it would definitely become a problem.

"Go..."

Without the slightest hesitation, Yahiko retreated with Nagato and Konan...

In an instant,

only Pakura and the others remained, looking utterly baffled.

Pakura: "What was that just now..."

Kitsuchi: "He was blasted away..."

Minato Namikaze stared intently at the three figures disappearing into the night. "No hand seals. He only raised his hand..."

"Heh heh."

Orochimaru steadied himself and stuck out his tongue to lick the corner of his mouth.

What had that been just now?

He had thought that boy named Nagato was merely a bit player.

Just as he had been years ago, timidly following behind Yahiko.

But once they truly fought, Orochimaru discovered that Nagato seemed to be hiding some secret.

After thinking for a while, he found no connection to anything Jiraiya knew.

Orochimaru silently remembered the matter, planning to investigate further when he had the chance.

"Kakashi, did you see that clearly just now?"

Orochimaru suddenly turned his head and looked at Kakashi beside him.

Kakashi was lowering his forehead protector to cover his Sharingan.

"No, Lord Orochimaru..."

Kakashi Shook His Head.

Even the Sharingan, capable of catching the trajectory of lightning, had not seen Nagato form any hand seals.

"No hand seals, and it wasn't any technique I know..."

"Heh heh... Is that so..."

The Sharingan truly was a useful thing.

Orochimaru recalled Itachi Uchiha's performance, and all sorts of thoughts rose in his mind...

Besides,

after fighting Yahiko, Orochimaru determined that he was not the culprit who had killed Shikahide Nara and the others.

"The culprit wasn't Yahiko... It was most likely that one called 'Nagato'..."

Orochimaru voiced his conclusion.

Pakura thought for a moment, gave a soft scoff, and vanished into the darkness in an instant.

Before leaving completely, she would first find Hanzo's Granddaughter.

What Konoha could offer, Sunagakure could provide as well.

Kitsuchi nodded toward Minato Namikaze and the other two, then immediately left to rendezvous with his companions.

As for whether to negotiate peace with Amegakure or continue the war...

His father, the Tsuchikage known as "Two Scales," would probably choose the latter.

Iwagakure had never needed allies.

Nor would it allow itself to be bound by a mere agreement.

Yet Pakura and Kitsuchi did not know

that their companions had already become six cold corpses...

Drip...

Drip...

The blood on Mingren's fists dripped down, quickly washed away by the rainwater.

[Strength... 11!]

After dealing with the three Sunagakure ninja, Mingren glanced at his strength. It had already reached 11.

The anger in his heart cooled slightly as a result.

Then,

Mingren leaped upward, vaulted over several houses, and disappeared.