Mutual Destruction?

Namikaze Minato was incredibly astonished that Uesugi Shinji could defend against his lethal strike at such close range. Since he began executing missions, this move had never once failed him.

Just then, Uesugi Shinji, with his back to Namikaze Minato, pressed his hands together. The ground beneath Namikaze Minato suddenly ruptured, and four ice walls rose rapidly, attempting to trap him completely within.

Although these four ice walls were extremely fast, such speed still could not threaten Namikaze Minato. Just as he prepared to use the Body Flicker Technique to evade, he suddenly felt his movements sluggish, as frost condensed from cold air had entangled his body.

In that split second of hesitation, the four ice walls completely trapped him. A top surface extended from the walls, sealing the enclosure entirely, making it look just like a coffin made of ice.

"Ice Release: Ice Coffin."

It turned out that before Uesugi Shinji was struck by Namikaze Minato earlier, he had already prepared his counterattack. At this moment, a rare flash of excitement flickered in Uesugi Shinji's eyes; if he could defeat such a powerful enemy as Namikaze Minato here, it would be a truly memorable achievement for him.

Rapidly forming hand seals, Uesugi Shinji unleashed his Ice Release chakra, preparing to form sharp ice spikes inside the ice coffin to put Namikaze Minato to death instantly.

However, before his hand seals could be completed, the Ice Coffin was shattered in an instant by Namikaze Minato from within. At this moment, Namikaze Minato held a chakra sphere glowing with a cyan light in his right hand—it was the "Rasengan," a ninjutsu he had created not long ago.

The Rasengan is an A-rank ninjutsu that requires no hand seals; the sphere itself is composed of a high-speed rotating chakra vortex, possessing immense destructive power.

Unlike the future Naruto Uzumaki, who needs to rely on shadow clones and spend a significant amount of time "rubbing" the vortex to use the Rasengan, Namikaze Minato could condense the Rasengan in his palm instantly!

Namikaze Minato, having just broken the Ice Coffin, was not yet completely out of danger, and his focus was heightened to the maximum. This Kirigakure Ninja skilled in Ice Release was already difficult to deal with, and Terumi Mei, who had arrived on the side, was continuing her assault on him.

"Lava Release: Lava Monster Technique!"

A massive amount of crimson magma erupted from Terumi Mei's mouth, covering the area where Namikaze Minato and Uesugi Shinji were located like a tidal wave.

It seemed that in order to take down Namikaze Minato, Terumi Mei no longer cared about accidentally harming Uesugi Shinji.

(Note: In the manga, Terumi Mei uses "Boil Release," a combination of Water and Earth, while in the anime version, she uses "Lava Release," a combination of Water and Fire. This book adopts the ability from the anime version.)

Namikaze Minato frowned, about to use the Body Flicker Technique to escape immediately, but Uesugi Shinji on the side did not let him leave, launching another attack to pin him down and leaving him no chance to evade the magma.

The opportunity to escape vanished in a flash, and the scorching, churning magma instantly swallowed both of their figures. Many ninjas nearby involuntarily stopped their ongoing battles, turning their full attention here.

Namikaze Minato was undoubtedly the key to the outcome of this battle; his life or death weighed on the hearts of every ninja present.

The Konoha ninjas wore expressions of nervousness and anxiety, while most of the Kirigakure ninjas held expectations in their eyes. Although they sacrificed a master like Uesugi Shinji, if they could drag this incredibly troublesome Yellow Flash to his death, it would undoubtedly be a gain for the Kirigakure side.

Sometimes war is just that cruel; the value of a ninja's life can be measured in such a way!

In the distance, Kisame and Rin felt a chill in their hearts upon seeing this, believing that Uesugi Shinji had died under Terumi Mei's indiscriminate attack.

The two looked at each other, both seeing intense killing intent in the other's eyes. If Uesugi Shinji had died like this, they would inevitably attack Terumi Mei, regardless of whether they died in battle or defected from Kirigakure.

On the other side, Hozuki Mangetsu, who was locked in a fierce battle with Kakashi, was also stunned. He had not yet learned Ice Release from Uesugi Shinji, and if Uesugi Shinji died here, he himself would not live much longer.

This moment of distraction by Hozuki Mangetsu revealed a flaw, and Kakashi seized the opportunity to use the Hatake Clan's ancestral sword technique, slicing Hozuki Mangetsu in half at the waist.

Having taken down Hozuki Mangetsu, Kakashi could not help but feel a slight sense of pride. This opponent, similar in age to him, possessed astonishing strength; if his own Lightning Release hadn't happened to counter the opponent's Water Release, perhaps he would have already been defeated by the other's hand.

But now that he had taken down his opponent, it only meant that he was the stronger one!

Kakashi felt no worry for his teacher, Namikaze Minato; he knew his teacher's Flying Thunder God technique was masterful, capable of reaching any location marked with a Flying Thunder God seal in the world instantly.

At this moment, in that sea of magma, there was nothing left but the remains of that pitiful Ice Release ninja!