Konoha Retreat (1)

Just as this was happening, Hozuki Mangetsu, who should have been sliced in two, stood before Kakashi once again, completely unscathed. Kakashi, caught off guard, failed to notice that another Hozuki Mangetsu had already launched a sneak attack from behind him.

"Kakashi, you shouldn't be distracted on the battlefield."

At the critical moment, a flash of golden light streaked by. Kakashi heard his teacher's voice in his ear, and the two Hozuki Mangetsu—one in front and one behind—were sent flying by a heavy strike from Namikaze Minato.

"Not a Water Release clone? That's a rare ability."

After knocking back the bodies that Hozuki Mangetsu had split into via liquefaction, Namikaze Minato was somewhat surprised to find that neither of them vanished despite the attack.

With Namikaze Minato's reappearance, the eyes of every ninja in the valley were drawn to him. Most had assumed his teleportation relied on specialized Flying Thunder God kunai, but it now appeared that the conditions for his teleportation might not be so simple.

Meanwhile, the massive lump of lava Terumi Mei had spat out rapidly solidified into limestone, only to be covered by a layer of frost. Immediately after, the frozen limestone exploded, and Uesugi Shinji walked out from within, completely unharmed.

Terumi Mei had known Uesugi Shinji could rely on Ice Release to survive her Lava Release, which was why she had used such a wide-range technique, yet it was a pity that even their combined efforts couldn't inflict the slightest injury on Namikaze Minato.

"Does his ninjutsu have no weaknesses?" Terumi Mei's tone held a hint of frustration.

Uesugi Shinji replied calmly: "His teleportation isn't reliant on those specialized kunai, but on the Space Sealing Technique inscribed upon them. Anywhere in the world that possesses the seal for this technique, he can reach in an instant."

At this, Uesugi Shinji's voice dropped: "Unless he chooses to be injured, he may truly have no weaknesses!"

If history were to follow the established path of the ninja world, Namikaze Minato would die shortly after the Third Great Ninja War during the night of the Nine-Tails. But as Uesugi Shinji had said, it wasn't that Namikaze Minato couldn't survive; he simply chose to sacrifice himself for the village and his son, Naruto.

Namikaze Minato, Uesugi Shinji, and Terumi Mei stood in a tense standoff, none of them daring to initiate the next attack.

Namikaze Minato scanned the battlefield. Konoha had already lost nearly half its men, while the Kirigakure side had suffered relatively few casualties. Without his presence to anchor the front lines, Konoha was now at a distinct disadvantage.

Not far behind him, the remaining half of the Konoha ninja who had stayed outside the valley arrived to provide support. Unfortunately, Terumi Mei had prepared for this; Suikazan Fuguki, who had been hiding nearby, led a Kirigakure unit to intercept the reinforcements.

There was no doubt that this battle was a total failure for Konoha, and continuing the stalemate served no purpose.

"Everyone, retreat immediately! I will cover the rear!"

At Namikaze Minato's command, he began weaving hand seals rapidly, seemingly preparing a technique. Hearing the order, the Konoha ninja stopped fighting and immediately converged, breaking toward the valley entrance.

Although the Kirigakure forces could surround the Konoha ninja, their numerical advantage wasn't significant enough to stop them from concentrating their power to break through in a single direction.

However, with Konoha in retreat, it was the perfect time to strike. The Kirigakure ninja immediately began their pursuit, doing their utmost to expand their victory.

"Kisame!"

Uesugi Shinji called out, and Kisame immediately appeared at his side. The two had long since developed a tacit understanding; even without a word, Kisame knew his intent.

Weaving hand seals rapidly, Kisame unleashed a terrifying amount of chakra. The air around him surged, sand and stone flew, and the commotion drew everyone's attention.

A Hyuga branch member on the Konoha side, possessing the Byakugan, wore a look of sheer terror, his voice stuttering: "A-a jinchuriki? No, that's not right... but how could a human possess such chakra!?"

A savage grin spread across Kisame's face as his technique reached completion.

"Water Release: Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"

His sharp-toothed mouth opened to its limit, and a massive volume of water erupted from his throat like a high-pressure cannon. In the blink of an eye, it overtook many of the retreating Konoha ninja, dragging them directly into the surging waves.

The Exploding Water Colliding Wave could be considered an enhanced version of the Great Waterfall Technique. Both were high-chakra, wide-range Water Release techniques capable of temporarily altering the geography of an entire region.

However, the impact of the Exploding Water Colliding Wave was far more powerful. Once struck, a ninja would feel as if they had been slammed by a massive tidal wave; those without sufficient physical fortitude could be knocked unconscious instantly.

Even if they managed to stay conscious, it was nearly impossible to escape once caught in such a violent torrent!

As Kisame unleashed this technique, not only were most of the Konoha ninja horrified, but many of the Kirigakure ninja were also stunned, unable to believe that the shark-faced man still possessed such reserves of chakra.

They knew that at the start of the battle, Kisame had already used a massive Great Waterfall Technique, and most had assumed he had exhausted the bulk of his chakra.

But seeing this Exploding Water Colliding Wave, which was even greater in scale, the Kirigakure ninja realized that Kisame's chakra reserves far exceeded their imagination!

"He is practically a human-shaped Tailed Beast!"

It was unclear who shouted it first, but before long, the name of Kisame Hoshigaki, the "Tail-less Tailed Beast," would spread throughout the entire ninja world.

Just as Kisame maintained the Exploding Water Colliding Wave, Uesugi Shinji began his own hand seals beside him. A biting chill rose from his body, flowing directly into the water of the technique beneath his feet.

By now, Namikaze Minato had completed his own technique. He knelt on one knee, pressed his hands to the ground, and a massive summoning formation appeared beneath him.

"Summoning Technique!"

At that very same moment, Uesugi Shinji finished his seals!

"Ice Release: Ice River!"