Faced with the corrosive mist swirling just inches away, Namikaze Minato once again displayed astonishing reflexes and speed. As he shot backward, he shifted his body a foot to the side, narrowly avoiding the perilous attack.
The corrosive mist tore through the rock wall behind him, leaving a small but seemingly bottomless hole. A plume of pungent white smoke rose from it.
It was easy to imagine the damage an attack like that would cause if it hit someone head-on!
Although Terumi Mei's attack had once again failed to hurt Namikaze Minato, it had successfully slowed him down. Terumi Mei caught up and immediately engaged him in a Taijutsu exchange. They traded blows without giving an inch, but Terumi Mei seemed to have a slight upper hand, attacking noticeably more often than he did.
Neither of them was a Taijutsu specialist, but the force and speed of their attacks both exceeded the level of an ordinary elite jonin. Every clash of fists and feet sent gusts of wind bursting around them.
Namikaze Minato was still holding back. As he dealt with Terumi Mei, he watched the battlefield from the corner of his eye, searching for the enemy who had used Ice Release to intercept his Flying Thunder God Kunai.
He wasn't naive enough to think that someone intercepting six Flying Thunder God Kunai at once was a coincidence. If he didn't take that enemy out, his effectiveness on this battlefield would be greatly reduced.
"You're distracted even while we're fighting. Don't you think you're underestimating me a little too much?"
Terumi Mei saw that Namikaze Minato's attention wasn't on her at all. His eyes kept roaming over the surroundings as if he were searching for something, and she couldn't help feeling a little indignant.
At her words, Namikaze Minato brought his attention back to her.
"You're strong, but you can't stop me."
His tone was calm, yet it carried a powerful confidence.
As soon as the words left his mouth, he suddenly picked up speed. He took a step back, putting less than half a meter between himself and Terumi Mei, then swept his arm out, sending several Flying Thunder God Kunai hurtling in different directions at varying speeds.
Namikaze Minato hadn't been able to find the one using Ice Release. The simplest solution was to repeat his previous tactic and lure his opponent into striking again.
Terumi Mei realized something was wrong. Thinking Namikaze Minato meant to use the Flying Thunder God Technique to shake her off once more, she could only hope Uesugi Shinji would intercept those strangely shaped kunai again.
If they could keep Namikaze Minato from using the Flying Thunder God Technique, then even if she couldn't defeat him, the Kirigakure shinobi would eventually wipe out the Konoha forces. By then, Konoha's strategic goal of reinforcing Sunagakure would have utterly failed.
Uesugi Shinji didn't disappoint Terumi Mei. Several slender, inconspicuous streaks of white light shot down from above the valley. They hit every Flying Thunder God Kunai and burst into Ice Spikes, knocking them all out of the air.
In that instant, Namikaze Minato found the one who had been intercepting his Flying Thunder God Kunai. He looked up toward the source of the white lights and met the cold gaze of Uesugi Shinji.
A fierce killing intent flashed in his eyes, and the aura around Namikaze Minato changed in an instant.
Uesugi Shinji, caught in Namikaze Minato's presence, felt his breath catch. It was as if a creature had been targeted by its natural predator. He knew he was being affected by the other man's aura. Any shinobi with a presence like that had to be at the very top of the Shinobi World!
"Yellow Flash. Before long, that title will probably haunt every shinobi village except Konoha. But it's a shame your 'flash' won't be much use against me!"
Uesugi Shinji's eyes were just as full of killing intent. At some point, he had drawn the Wakizashi at his waist with his left hand.
Namikaze Minato abandoned the Flying Thunder God Technique and headed straight for Uesugi Shinji with the Body Flicker Technique. Even without using the Flying Thunder God Technique, his Body Flicker Technique was still so fast it left other shinobi hopelessly behind. Even Terumi Mei couldn't match his speed and could only chase after him.
Crossing the battlefield took Namikaze Minato no more than two or three seconds. In the blink of an eye, he was in front of Uesugi Shinji.
Without a word, Namikaze Minato swung the Flying Thunder God Kunai in his right hand toward Uesugi Shinji's neck. It was a simple move, but its incredible speed would be difficult for an ordinary elite jonin to react to.
To most people on the battlefield, Namikaze Minato's Taijutsu looked like a blurry shadow flickering past. But to Uesugi Shinji, whose Light Brain could capture the movement of objects, his opponent's actions were crystal clear.
That was precisely why Uesugi Shinji had been able to intercept Namikaze Minato's Flying Thunder God Kunai. It gave him some confidence that he could fight this exceptionally powerful enemy.
Uesugi Shinji swiftly raised his Wakizashi and firmly blocked Namikaze Minato's kunai, but the force of his opponent's blow still sent him staggering back two steps.
Their eyes met. Uesugi Shinji saw the blade-sharp glint in Namikaze Minato's eyes, as well as Terumi Mei, who had caught up with them using the Body Flicker Technique.
But Terumi Mei was several paces behind Namikaze Minato. The kunai she thrust forward couldn't keep up with his speed.
"So fast!"
Although Uesugi Shinji could accurately track Namikaze Minato's movements, facing him for real made him realize just how hard it was to keep up. Even with his focus and reflexes pushed to their limits, he was barely managing.
In the next instant, Namikaze Minato's figure vanished from in front of him. All Uesugi Shinji saw was a fleeting golden flash. When his opponent appeared again, he was already behind him.
This wasn't the Flying Thunder God Technique, but the absolute limit of Namikaze Minato's Taijutsu speed. At such close range, this move was even more dangerous than the Flying Thunder God Technique!
Just then, a crisp cracking sound came from Uesugi Shinji's chest, followed by an explosion of shattered ice.
Namikaze Minato had already struck him in the chest. Uesugi Shinji had just managed to use Ice Release to form a defensive layer of Ice Armor over his chest, blocking the fatal blow.
But the Ice Armor had been thrown together at the last moment and wasn't very strong. The impact had shattered it completely.
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