[But in the next instant, the Masked Man and everyone beneath the Sky Screen watching the duel were struck dumb with shock.]
[Minato Namikaze's figure suddenly vanished into thin air. Following the Flying Thunder God Kunai he had thrown earlier, he instantly warped through space and appeared directly behind the Masked Man!]
["Boom—!!"]
[Minato Namikaze slammed his hand downward.]
[Terrifying energy erupted with a thunderous blast. The ground shook violently as a massive crater fifty meters wide was smashed into existence, sending shattered rocks and dust soaring into the sky.]
["This is Flying Thunder God: Second Stage!"]
[At the bottom of the crater, the Masked Man's voice was filled with incredulous shock.]
["A miscalculation... He actually used that Kunai to complete a spatial jump?"]
The Sky Screen hung high overhead, and the entire Douluo Continent was plunged into shock and amazement.
"This battle is way too exquisite! It's completely different from how us Soul Masters fight!"
"Minato Namikaze truly lives up to the title of Fourth Hokage. This duel has been an absolute eye-opener!"
"This kind of on-the-spot planning and combat intelligence is simply terrifying!"
"With a flash, he becomes a streak of golden light—he's practically a golden meteor teleporting through the air!"
Inside Spirit Hall's Worship Hall
Qian Daoliu stared at the Sky Screen and sighed from the bottom of his heart.
"What initially looked like a direct assault was actually just a feint to test and deliberately numb the Masked Man."
"The moment his opponent believed he had succeeded and dropped his Intangibility was the killing opportunity that decided the battle. Such calculations were truly brilliant."
Mighty Lion Douluo slowly nodded in agreement. "The combat philosophy of that continent is completely different from ours. They do not rely on prolonged battles of endurance; they place greater emphasis on spotting a weakness at a glance and settling everything with a single strike."
Golden Crocodile Douluo added in a deep voice, "Even more remarkable is his ability to analyze intelligence. After only two or three exchanges, Minato Namikaze had already figured out the Masked Man's shifts between tangible and intangible states, as well as most of his spatial abilities. Such insight is unheard of!"
Qian Daoliu recalled his several clashes with Tang Chen back then. They had always met force with force, and he had never considered that one could plan each step like this, playing to one's strengths while avoiding one's weaknesses.
He murmured to himself, "So... back then, I never needed to directly withstand Tang Chen's Clear Sky Hammer head-on."
"That's right, big brother!"
Golden Crocodile Douluo suddenly understood. "You possess the Angel Martial Soul and can soar through the skies. Your speed is unmatched across the continent. You should have focused on maneuvering and restraining him, dragging Tang Chen completely into a passive position!"
The other worshippers also voiced their agreement.
A confident smile appeared in Qian Daoliu's eyes. "If I fight Tang Chen again in the future, I will use this method and let him properly witness the might of the Angel God!"
Inside Pope Hall
Yu Zhi was thoroughly stirred, his gaze locked tightly onto the fierce battle within the Sky Screen.
Witnessing this peak duel firsthand was more than a hundred times more shocking than watching animation in his previous life.
Bibi Dong gazed at Minato Namikaze as he darted across the Sky Screen, then slowly analyzed, "What an extraordinary Martial Soul. He can actually teleport to the side of the Martial Soul he launches, appearing and disappearing without a trace, crossing vast distances in an instant."
"He can even forcibly transfer large-scale attacks capable of destroying mountains and cities."
"Flying Thunder God, is it?... With such speed and such spatial abilities, the name is truly well deserved!"
Then she asked in confusion, "The Naruto Continent and the Douluo Continent seem to have completely different combat approaches! Xiao Zhi, the Ninjas of your Naruto Continent seem especially skilled at fighting alone."
After considering it briefly, Yu Zhi responded, "That's right. We do have team coordination, but we have never had seven-person team formations like Douluo does. Most of us operate in three-person squads."
Bibi Dong nodded slightly, then grew curious. "What happened to this Fourth Hokage in the end? With his strength, he should have been able to quell this Nine-Tails unrest, shouldn't he?"
Yu Zhi slowly shook his head, his tone carrying a trace of melancholy. "He did not get his wish. The Fourth Hokage and his wife both died in that unrest. From childhood until now, I never had the chance to meet that legendary Hokage."
"So that's how it was. It seems there were still earth-shattering twists to come." Bibi Dong sighed wistfully.
Yu Zhi silently grumbled, More than a twist—they ended it by dying for love.
Inside Shrek Academy
Everyone's eyes were fixed upon the Sky Screen, watching Minato Namikaze's swift, sharp, and incomparably dashing figure.
Ning Rongrong could not help murmuring, "So... so handsome..."
Even Zhu Zhuqing, who was usually cool and taciturn, quietly nodded, a trace of approval flashing through her eyes.
Beside them, Dai Mubai, Oscar, Ma Hongjun, and the others kept glancing over. They were jealous, yet they had to admit that Minato Namikaze's bearing, presence, combat strength, and aura on the Sky Screen were all beyond reproach. They all wished the person above the Sky Screen were themselves!
Ning Rongrong shifted her gaze and happened to notice Tang San's ugly expression. She immediately spoke with a hint of teasing mockery.
"Tang San, look. This kind of swift, decisive fighting style is obviously much more reliable than your approach, isn't it?"
Anger surged through Tang San's heart as he secretly gritted his teeth and cursed, Damn Ning Rongrong. She opposes me at every turn—she has long earned her death!
He had never expected Minato Namikaze's Martial Soul to be so bizarre. Flying Thunder God could switch positions in an instant; it was simply heaven-defying. He could lock onto an opening and end the clash in the blink of an eye.
Suppressing the frustration in his heart, Tang San still stubbornly argued, "Although he luckily dealt with his opponent, the method I proposed before can still work!"
"It can work?"
Ning Rongrong immediately sneered. "Just keep dragging it out like that? Never mind whether you can wear the enemy down—you'll exhaust your own stamina and Soul Power first."
"With the Nine-Tails destroying things at that speed, by the time you slowly wear it down, Konoha will already have been torn apart completely!"
As soon as she said this, everyone at Shrek suddenly came to their senses.
That was right. Against a Ferocious Beast like the Nine-Tails that could destroy the world, there was no time for a drawn-out battle. A swift, decisive victory was the only way out.
Tang San's embarrassment was exposed in public. His face flushed red, and his voice carried a trace of stubbornness.
"The ordinary people of Konoha are necessary sacrifices! For the greater good, sacrifices must be made. You are merely showing a woman's softheartedness!"
Dai Mubai nodded slightly. Born into nobility, he naturally agreed with such a philosophy.
Oscar and Ma Hongjun vaguely felt that something about those words was wrong, but they could not immediately say what it was.
Ning Rongrong's eyes were filled with disdain. She could not be bothered to lecture him about lofty principles and simply retorted sarcastically.
"Alright, alright. I really couldn't tell that tiny Shrek had produced someone with the bearing of an emperor! It seems you were raised as a crown prince from childhood, weren't you?"
"You make it sound so easy. If one day you became one of those 'necessary sacrifices,' I wonder whether you could still speak so calmly?"
After saying that, she turned to the other two. "Oscar, what do you think? Fatty, you tell us too."
For a moment, the entire place fell silent, leaving only Tang San's heavy breathing.
The looks Oscar and Ma Hongjun gave Tang San became especially strange.
They both knew that Tang San came from an ordinary background and did not have an illustrious lineage. How could he say something like that? It was truly baffling!
Although Flender did not really agree with Tang San's remarks either, he was still the academy's headmaster!
Seeing the atmosphere grow increasingly awkward and knowing that further argument would only damage the team's harmony, he hurriedly stepped forward to smooth things over.
"Alright, alright, stop arguing. Just focus on watching the Sky Screen. What you need to do is learn from the battles of these powerful experts."
Ning Rongrong gave a haughty snort and said nothing more, turning back toward the Sky Screen in the heavens.
Tang San was left standing there stiffly, filled with indignation and humiliation.
Before you continue