The Weight of the "Golden Flash"

As approximately thirty Kirigakure ninja simultaneously unleashed the Great Waterfall Technique, a massive volume of water cascaded down from the top of the canyon. The sheer scale of the onslaught could no longer be described as a mere waterfall; it was, without exaggeration, a colossal tidal wave.

Among these Kirigakure ninja, Kisame Hoshigaki stood out as particularly eye-catching.

His appearance was already striking enough, but the scale of the Great Waterfall Technique he unleashed was truly terrifying. The volume of water he ejected alone was equivalent to that of seven or eight jonin combined, leaving the Konoha ninja below in the canyon stunned, unable to believe that any ninja in the world could produce such an immense quantity of water with a single Water Release technique.

Seeing these suddenly appearing Kirigakure ninja, Namikaze Minato knew that Kumogakure must have reached some sort of agreement with Kirigakure. Now, out of the five great shinobi villages, only Iwagakure had yet to make a move; the other four had all entered the fray. The Third Shinobi World War had become inevitable!

Forcing down the various anxieties about the future of the shinobi world, Namikaze Minato knew that the most important thing now was to defeat this unexpected enemy.

"Earth Release users, raise the terrain!"

As Namikaze Minato shouted his command, he used the Body Flicker Technique to charge toward the Kirigakure ninja above the canyon, throwing dozens of uniquely shaped kunai toward the surrounding heights as he moved. These kunai featured three blades and a ring of seals around the handle—they were his signature Flying Thunder God kunai.

Namikaze Minato's solo charge was, of course, not an attempt to take on the Kirigakure ninja above the canyon head-on by himself. Instead, he intended to draw their attention, while his true trump card lay in the Flying Thunder God kunai he had scattered in all directions.

Using these kunai, he could employ the Flying Thunder God technique to teleport to their locations, granting him absolute initiative whether he was launching an attack or evading one.

Seeing the Konoha commander charging at them single-handedly, Terumi Mei frowned slightly, unable to fathom what this suicidal attack was meant to achieve.

Although she had heard that Konoha's Yellow Flash could use space-time ninjutsu and possessed incredible movement, neither Terumi Mei nor the other Kirigakure ninja present believed that Namikaze Minato could threaten them all by himself.

The Kirigakure ninja who were not currently maintaining the Great Waterfall Technique unleashed a barrage of kunai, shuriken, and other long-range ninja tools at Namikaze Minato, covering the area in a dense, lethal rain in an attempt to kill him instantly.

However, in the next moment, a golden light flickered within the canyon. Namikaze Minato, who had been charging upward, had vanished, and a continuous series of screams erupted from the Kirigakure ninja scattered throughout the area.

In a single instant, Namikaze Minato had used the Flying Thunder God technique to kill eight Kirigakure ninja above the canyon. To the eyes of everyone present, it was as if he had simultaneously transformed into golden light and appeared in eight different locations at once!

At this moment, not only were the Kirigakure ninja stunned, but the Konoha ninja were as well. The only two who were not shocked, besides Namikaze Minato himself, were his student Kakashi, who understood the extent of his master's strength.

Although Namikaze Minato had displayed a certain level of power during the Second Shinobi World War, he had mostly carried out missions alone at the time, so few ninja truly understood the depth of his capabilities.

The shinobi world knew that Konoha had a genius ninja nicknamed the "Yellow Flash," but few yet realized just how heavy that title truly was!

Just as Namikaze Minato used the Flying Thunder God technique to reach the top of the canyon, the Great Waterfall Technique unleashed by the Kirigakure ninja had temporarily turned the entire valley into a vast ocean.

Although the Konoha ninja had used Earth Release to raise the ground beneath their feet to avoid being submerged, they were at a distinct disadvantage fighting Kirigakure ninja in such an environment.

After all, almost every Kirigakure ninja excelled in Water Release; utilizing the environment allowed them to significantly reduce their chakra consumption while simultaneously boosting the power of their techniques.

By now, the Kirigakure ninja had swarmed forward, stepping across the water to surround the Konoha ninja in the center of the canyon, preparing to wipe them out in one fell swoop, much like wrapping dumplings!

Namikaze Minato knew that if this turned into a protracted group battle, his side would inevitably suffer a crushing defeat. His only chance for victory was to harvest enemy lives at the highest possible speed.

The cultivation of ninja is extremely resource-intensive, and wars between ninja are usually small in scale, relying heavily on elite power. With both sides numbering only around a hundred, if Namikaze Minato went all out, he could turn the tide of the battle single-handedly in a short amount of time!

(Note: The scale of ninja warfare in this book will not involve battles of ten thousand; the author personally feels that is not very reasonable.)

Namikaze Minato's efficiency was extremely high; in the blink of an eye, several more Kirigakure ninja had died by his hand. Not far away, Terumi Mei watched Namikaze Minato with a grave expression, deciding to step in personally to hold him back.

"I didn't expect the Yellow Flash to be this troublesome. His threat level is no less than that of the legendary Sannin of Konoha!" Terumi Mei said in a heavy tone, feeling not the slightest bit of confidence in defeating Namikaze Minato.

"Senior Ao, please help command the troops. I must step in to hold back the Yellow Flash."

After speaking to Ao at her side, Terumi Mei immediately used the Body Flicker Technique to intercept Namikaze Minato. Time was of the essence; every moment she delayed meant another Kirigakure ninja would die at his hands.

Beside Ao, Uesugi Shinji, who had also yet to make a move, watched Namikaze Minato with a calm expression, though his inner thoughts were far from as tranquil as his face suggested.

Without a doubt, Namikaze Minato was the strongest enemy ninja he had encountered since he began executing missions!

Using his Light Brain to continuously analyze the various abilities Namikaze Minato displayed, Uesugi Shinji concluded that if he were to face him one-on-one during a mission, his mortality rate would be one hundred percent!

"Shinji, you all should move out as well. Eliminate all the Konoha ninja as quickly as possible," Ao said to Uesugi Shinji at that moment.

With the exception of Namikaze Minato's solo performance, Kirigakure had already gained the upper hand. Uesugi Shinji's squad had originally been intended as a trump card to be used at a critical moment, but in Ao's view, having them move out now to quickly sweep away the enemy was also a good choice.

Kisame Hoshigaki and Hozuki Mangetsu, standing beside Uesugi Shinji, both showed eager expressions upon hearing this. Although both appeared composed, the fighting spirit in their eyes was obvious to anyone.

Uesugi Shinji shook his head, his gaze still locked on Namikaze Minato, who was weaving through the battlefield as streaks of golden light. The man used the Flying Thunder God technique time and again to shake off the pursuing Terumi Mei, then picked off the Kirigakure ninja one by one, rendering Terumi Mei—the strongest individual fighter on the Kirigakure side—completely unable to exert her proper influence.

"I will go assist the commander in dealing with the Yellow Flash. If we cannot restrain him, we will only be able to achieve a pyrrhic victory in this battle," Uesugi Shinji said in a low voice.