The enormous fireball crashed violently in midair against the torrent of rocks pouring down.
"Boom!"
The flames burst apart instantly, lighting up the dim canyon as bright as day.
However, just as Nishikawa Tetsu had predicted, although the heat could evaporate the rain, it couldn't stop several tons of rock, powered by gravity.
The fireball was instantly snuffed out. The massive boulders were only blackened on the surface, and still came hurtling toward the three of them with a deadly rush of wind.
"Scatter!"
Uchiha Fugaku roared.
He didn't need to tell them. The moment he began forming Hand Seals, Nishikawa Tetsu and Namikaze Minato had already sprung to either side.
"Boom—!!!"
The boulders slammed into the spot where the three had been standing. Mud splashed three meters into the air, and the ground trembled violently, as if it were about to swallow everything.
Using the shock wave's recoil, Nishikawa Tetsu kicked off the slick rock face several times in quick succession and tucked himself behind a jutting boulder.
He had barely steadied himself when he heard several sharp whistles cut through the rain.
"Earth Release: Earth Rising Spears!"
The ground surged upward. Several sharp stone spears shot up like fangs from beneath the earth, stabbing precisely toward the spot where the three would land.
"Hmph!"
Uchiha Fugaku snorted. The Three Tomoe in his eyes spun wildly as he pushed his dynamic vision to its limit.
He forcibly twisted his waist in midair, dodging the deadly strike at an awkward angle, while flinging several Shuriken with both hands.
"Clang, clang, clang!"
Sparks flew. The Uchiha Clan's superb throwing skills were on full display. The Shuriken arced through the air, curved around the stone spears, and shot straight toward the shadows above the rock face.
"As expected of the Sharingan. Quick reactions."
A gruff voice came from above.
With a "poof," white smoke cleared, revealing four Stone Ninja wearing reddish-brown armor.
Their leader was a burly Jonin with a vicious scar across his left cheek. Looking down at the three in their sorry state, he wore a mocking grin.
"But with two deadweights in tow, how long can you hold out, brat from Konoha?"
The Scarred Jonin slammed both hands onto the ground.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow River!"
The canyon floor, once solid, instantly turned into a raging mudslide.
Nishikawa Tetsu felt the ground give way beneath him. His balance failed, and he slid down with the mud.
"Tetsu!"
A flash of gold cut through the rain.
Namikaze Minato appeared beside Nishikawa Tetsu in an instant and grabbed him by the collar. Chakra erupted beneath his feet, and he leaped onto a patch of high ground untouched by the mud, forcefully stepping across the flowing sludge.
"Thanks, Minato." Nishikawa Tetsu quickly righted himself and drew a Kunai from his Ninja Tool Pouch, staying on guard.
"This terrain is far too unfavorable for us." Namikaze Minato furrowed his brow, worry showing in his clear blue eyes. "They have the high ground, and Earth Release is several times more powerful in rocky terrain like this."
"That's not all."
Nishikawa Tetsu analyzed the situation calmly, his eyes fixed on the enemies above. "They're a standard squad. One Jonin is handling the main attack and controlling the battlefield, while three Chunin provide suppressing fire and defense. That scarred man's Chakra reserves are about the same as Senior Fugaku's."
While the two spoke, Uchiha Fugaku had already been forced into a fierce struggle at the center of the battlefield.
He had to dodge the mud flowing beneath his feet while facing a dense barrage of Ninjutsu from the four enemies above.
"Earth Style: Rock Iron Bullet!"
Countless fist-sized rocks poured down like machine-gun bullets.
Uchiha Fugaku formed Hand Seals at lightning speed, his chest swelling as he drew a deep breath.
"Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
More than a dozen flames burst out like phoenix flowers, knocking down the incoming rocks one by one.
However, the torrential rain in the Land of Rain severely weakened Fire Release. The flames, which could normally melt rock, could now only barely shatter it.
Tiny shards of stone cut Uchiha Fugaku's cheek. Blood mingled with rainwater as it ran down, making him look especially savage.
"Damn weather!"
Uchiha Fugaku gritted his teeth, filled with humiliation.
On a plain, or in clear weather, he would have already turned the tables with Genjutsu and Fire Release.
But the wretched terrain and weather had sealed away his strength.
"Minato! Don't just stand there watching! Cover me!"
Uchiha Fugaku shouted. He stopped defending passively and charged toward the top of the rock face through the falling boulders.
"Got it!"
Namikaze Minato's gaze sharpened as he spun the specially made Kunai in his hand.
"Body Flicker Technique!"
The next second, he vanished from where he stood.
When he appeared again, Namikaze Minato had flickered like a ghost to the Scarred Jonin's rear flank.
"So fast!"
Several Stone Ninja Chunin gasped. They hadn't even seen the blond boy's movements.
The Kunai in Namikaze Minato's hand whistled through the air as it thrust toward the Scarred Jonin's carotid artery.
But just as it was about to strike, the Scarred Jonin smirked. Without even turning his head, his skin instantly turned blackish brown.
"Earth Release: Earth Spear!"
"Clang!"
A sharp metallic clash rang out.
Namikaze Minato felt as if he'd stabbed a steel plate. The tremendous recoil numbed his hand.
"Too green, brat! That attack can't even break my skin!"
The Scarred Jonin swung a punch behind him.
The fist came with a rush of wind. If it connected, Namikaze Minato's head would burst like a watermelon.
Thanks to his extraordinary reflexes, Namikaze Minato leaned back and dodged at the last possible moment, but the punch's force still sliced off a few strands of his blond hair.
"Fall back!"
His strike had missed, so Namikaze Minato immediately retreated. After several leaps, he returned to Uchiha Fugaku's side.
"It won't work, Senior. His skin hardened. Ordinary Kunai can't pierce it." Namikaze Minato panted, his expression grim.
He hadn't developed the Rasengan yet. Against an Earth Release shinobi with such high defense, he truly lacked a way to land a one-hit kill.
Uchiha Fugaku had also reached the enemies, but the other three Stone Ninja immediately blocked his path with an "Earth Flow Wall."
The four Stone Ninja stood atop the towering rock face, looking down on them. A semicircular earthen wall rose around them, protecting them like a turtle shell and leaving only a few firing slits.
"So these are Konoha's geniuses and elite clan members?"
Standing behind the earthen wall, the Scarred Jonin spoke with contempt. "You can't even get past my defenses. You should go home and drink milk."
"Oh, I forgot. You're not going home!"
The four Stone Ninja began forming Hand Seals at the same time.
The surrounding rock walls started to shake violently. They were clearly preparing a large-scale combination Ninjutsu, planning to bury the three Konoha brats in the canyon for good.
A desperate situation.
Uchiha Fugaku stared at the sturdy earthen wall, his hand moving to his eye.
"Minato, take Tetsu and retreat."
Uchiha Fugaku's voice was low and hoarse. "I'll force my way through."
He was preparing to overdraw his Dojutsu and use a large-scale Genjutsu that he hadn't yet fully mastered.
"It won't work, Senior."
A hand suddenly pressed down on Uchiha Fugaku's shoulder.
Nishikawa Tetsu, who hadn't made a move until now, had somehow come up behind them.
He was soaked through, his black hair plastered to his face, but his eyes shone with an alarming brightness.
"That hardening technique uses Chakra to alter the density of the skin. Unless you have the penetrating power of something like Four-Finger Nukite, a frontal assault will only waste Chakra. And..."
Nishikawa Tetsu pointed at the semicircular earthen wall and gave a slightly crazed smile.
"They built this partly enclosed semicircular fortification specifically to defend against Fire Release and Shuriken. They only left firing slits facing forward, right?"
"So what?" Uchiha Fugaku impatiently knocked Nishikawa Tetsu's hand away. "This isn't the time for a lecture!"
"An enclosed space, a dry interior, and..."
Nishikawa Tetsu ignored Fugaku's anger and took out several bags of grayish-white powder that he had prepared at camp, along with two Explosive Tags.
He looked at Namikaze Minato, his tone as calm as if he were discussing what to have for dinner.
"Minato, can your Body Flicker Technique get these bags precisely through the firing slits in that wall?"
Namikaze Minato froze for a moment. Then he looked at the powder in Nishikawa Tetsu's hands, seemed to understand, and his eyes lit up. "I just have to get them inside?"
"Right. Get them inside and scatter the powder."
Nishikawa Tetsu turned to Uchiha Fugaku and handed him the Explosive Tags.
"Then, Senior Fugaku. The moment Minato gets back, even if your eyes bleed, you have to send this Explosive Tag through with a Shuriken. Make sure it ignites the powder inside."
"You mean..." Uchiha Fugaku looked at the items in his hands, frowning. But when he saw the certainty in Nishikawa Tetsu's eyes, he inexplicably abandoned his plan to overdraw his Dojutsu.
"This is science, Senior."
Through the rain, he seemed to be looking at a group of dead men. "Its scientific name is—Dust Explosion."
Before you continue