"That Wind Release Ninjutsu is unbelievably powerful!?"
Watching cracks gradually spread across the ice mirror bracing the ice statue from the front, Uesugi Shinji was astonished. What he didn't know was that his opponents, Namikaze Minato and Sage Fukasaku, were just as surprised.
Though "Void-Splitting Jade" wasn't Senjutsu, its penetrating power and destructive force were among the best even for an S-rank technique. It had struck the ice statue head-on, yet had failed to shatter it completely. Instead, the two forces had reached a brief stalemate.
One second, two seconds.
More and more cracks spread across the ice mirror, branching outward in a dense web. It clearly couldn't hold on much longer and was on the verge of collapsing completely.
By now, all of the Three-Tails' chakra had drained from Nohara Rin's body. Uesugi Shinji kept his hands clasped before his chest, maintaining the sealing array. The Outer Path Jade in the air spun more and more slowly, its outward-radiating energy and light rapidly drawing back into the sphere.
"One last step, and the Outer Path Jade will be complete!"
A bead of cold sweat ran down Uesugi Shinji's forehead. He was on the verge of success—all he had to do was complete the final seal—but the ice statue shielding him had nearly reached its limit.
Just then, three pillars of ice suddenly rose beneath Uesugi Shinji's feet. They lifted Nohara Rin's body from the ground and stood it upright in front of him.
At the same moment, a sound like shattering glass rang out. The incredibly sturdy ice statue and ice mirror burst into a storm of ice crystals, utterly pulverized by "Void-Splitting Jade."
Uesugi Shinji's attention sharpened to its absolute limit. The approaching trajectory of "Void-Splitting Jade" formed a clear moving image in his eyes, while the Light