Anrokuzan slowly rose to his feet and said,
"Some little rats have come in."
Dragon Vein energy swirled around him like a whirlwind.
Rubble and dust floated within the field of energy, forming an eerie, frozen tableau.
Minato's expression turned grave—he finally understood the true nature of the Dragon Vein's power.
It wasn't ordinary chakra at all, but highly concentrated Natural Energy!
He had felt this kind of energy before while training at Mount Myoboku. It was the key to entering Sage Mode.
But why hadn't he been turned to stone?
At that moment, the entire altar seemed like an inexhaustible spring of Natural Energy, continuously supplying Anrokuzan with power.
"Fighting in this domain..."
Minato's fingers tightened around his kunai without him realizing it.
"He's practically invincible. I need a chance to use Flying Thunder God to move him somewhere else."
Without another word, Minato vanished from where he stood.
The next instant, he appeared less than three feet behind Anrokuzan, the spinning Rasengan in his hand emitting a piercing shriek.
"Rasengan!"
The azure chakra sphere slammed squarely into Anrokuzan's back.
The violent rotational force tore a gap through the Natural Energy coiling around him.
Anrokuzan's body flew backward, crashing into the rock wall and leaving a web of cracks.
Minato didn't press his advantage. Instead, he took half a step back and assumed a defensive stance.
He knew all too well that an attack of this caliber would hardly do much damage to Anrokuzan.
Sure enough, a low laugh came from the dust cloud.
"The Yellow Flash of Konoha... Is that all you've got?"
Anrokuzan emerged slowly from the dust, completely unharmed.
"Let me show you something interesting."
With that, Anrokuzan pressed his hands together.
In an instant, the Dragon Vein energy coiling around him twisted and warped as