Showdown with Shendu (4)

"Is there no serious damage... That's good..."

"Right now, we should focus on Shendu!"

Buying as much time as possible for Uncle was the only thing they could do right now...

Meanwhile, Yellow Sponge kept darting back and forth in the air against Shendu, who was using the Rabbit Talisman. The gap in their strength was immense, so Yellow Sponge couldn't fight him head-on. All he could do was harass Shendu from time to time.

"Enough! You're as annoying as a mosquito!"

Yellow Sponge's ineffectual attacks had worn on Shendu's patience. The Rooster Talisman's symbol flashed in his eyes, and Yellow Sponge immediately felt a pair of invisible hands clamp down on him. He couldn't break free.

"Feel my wrath!"

Flames and sparks danced in Shendu's eyes. Just as he was about to crush Yellow Sponge's body, an inconspicuous Flying Thunder God Kunai suddenly appeared behind him. A moment later, Minato flashed into view, his handsome face bathed in blue light as he grabbed the kunai and thrust forward the small typhoon gathered in his palm—

"Rasengan!"

The Rasengan let out a sharp boom as it struck Shendu squarely in the back, churning his flesh. The pain made Shendu release Yellow Sponge for an instant. He turned and punched at Minato.

"You did hit me, but unfortunately... damage like this can be healed in an instant by the Horse Talisman's power!"

As Minato dodged the force of a punch powerful enough to flatten an entire forest, the wound on Shendu's back had already healed completely.

"The Horse Talisman's healing ability...?"

According to Uncle, Shendu possessed the powers of all twelve Talismans. Even without the Monkey Talisman stolen by the Hidden Organization, Shendu was practically invincible. He couldn't be killed or injured, had immense strength and super speed, and could breathe fire and shoot lasers from his eyes.

"He really is a tough opponent..."

"Minato! Don't forget what we set out to do!"

Just as sweat ran down Minato's forehead and he pondered what to do, Yellow Sponge, who was also a speedster, flashed to his side and reminded him.

That's right. Their goal from the start had been to buy time... But how could they buy time against a monster like Shendu?

"The games are over. Now you'll witness my true power—my power, Shendu's!"

With the Dragon Talisman in his possession, Shendu could finally show the people of the Ninja World his true power. The energy of the Dragon Talisman surrounded him like a cloak of flames. Then he raised both hands and slowly gathered fire.

Dozens of enormous fireballs appeared behind him, blotting out the entire sky. With the actual sun obscured, the ten gigantic, dazzling fireballs seemed like "suns."

"Uh-oh!"

The ten blazing fireballs were clearly visible across all of Konoha, and Minato couldn't help but feel troubled.

If they didn't stop Shendu, Konoha would undoubtedly be swallowed by flames and destroyed. Yet stopping an attack like this was nearly impossible.

"Can I only try to interrupt Shendu...?"

—Flying Thunder God!

A specially made kunai marked "Sword of Ninja Love" shot forward with a whistle. But the moment it neared Shendu and the ten fireballs, Minato noticed its sharp tip beginning to melt. Drops of scorching molten metal dripped from its edges, making it impossible to go any farther.

"This heat... It's beyond what a human could withstand..."

The flames cast Minato's face in red. He abandoned the attack less than a second after entering the fireballs. By the time he retreated, he was already drenched in sweat. His clothes and flak jacket had been burned through in several places, and they stuck unpleasantly to his skin, slick with sweat. Some of the skin left exposed had even suffered visible burns.

"...Less than a second of contact caused this much damage...?"

"Shendu's flames are far too hot. We need a way to cool things down..."

Minato didn't have Water Release chakra, so he was at a disadvantage against fire-based attacks.

"Is there really no way...?"

The fireballs Shendu controlled continued to swell. The heat spread, warping and blurring the scenery around them.

"Ice Age!"

Just then, wave after wave of bone-chilling cold swept over them, clashing with the scorching heat and forming a delicate balance that cooled the surrounding air.

In the blink of an eye, everything—bricks, earth, and the wreckage of buildings—was covered in several meters of ice, smooth as a mirror. Even Shendu was frozen for a few seconds.

"Squidward! Uh... I mean, Admiral Blue Octopus!"

Yellow Sponge's eyes instantly shifted into SpongeBob SquarePants' delighted expression. But remembering Marshal of Crab Kingdom's teachings, he immediately switched back to his serious battle face—a sleazy grin.

"Blue Octopus? Is he the last of the Three Admirals of Bikini Bottom?"

Minato looked curiously toward the source of the cold. A somewhat tall blue octopus stood on the slope, dressed in a white suit vest and a dark blue shirt, with a green visor over his forehead. He wore a Justice Coat, and ice covered half his face and half his body. His stance looked rather lazy.

"All right, Yellow Sponge. I just want to finish Marshal of Crab Kingdom's mission as quickly as possible, then go back and practice my clarinet solo..."

Blue Octopus sauntered over to Yellow Sponge and asked, "Where's Chixing?"

"He's helping Uncle prepare the ingredients for the spell."

"Um... you two? I know you're happy to see an old acquaintance, but now doesn't seem like the time to chat."

Minato watched Yellow Sponge become lively and chatter incessantly with Blue Octopus. He couldn't help thinking that this sponge monster must have a split personality.

At Minato's timid question, Blue Octopus nodded and said, "First of all, I'm not Yellow Sponge's friend..."

"Secondly, you're right."

Shendu broke free of the ice in an instant. At the same time, the ten dazzling "suns" began to fall.

Like ten suns falling at once, the ice Blue Octopus had created melted completely. The water then evaporated, and great clouds of steam billowed out with a hissing sound. The ground cracked, and the rising steam turned the area into a steamer, ruthlessly draining the moisture from Minato and every living thing around them. The heat alone battered the surrounding ruins again, reducing them to ashes.

"No...! At this rate, Konoha really will be destroyed!"

"I have no choice but to use that technique!"

"Mr. Yellow Sponge, Mr. Blue Octopus! Please help me!"

Minato used Blue Octopus's cold to cool his body so he could approach the fireballs as they descended toward the ground. Then he relied on Yellow Sponge's speed to get close enough. The cold wrapped around his ninja pouch, allowing him to briefly grip a Flying Thunder God Kunai without it melting. He raised the kunai horizontally, and a mass of formulae appeared in front of it.

The Flying Thunder God Formula spread out before Minato. Then the ten fireballs, about to swallow the horizon, suddenly seemed to become matter from another world, sinking into the black-hole-like formula.

—"Flying Thunder God Guiding Thunder!"