Lightning and fire collided violently with a deafening blast! The Lightning Spear was cleaved apart, scattering into arcs of electricity, but the tremendous recoil also numbed Shinji's sword hand, sending a dull ache through the web between his thumb and forefinger. The gap in strength was unmistakable from the very first exchange!
Minato pushed his extraordinary speed and Body Flicker Technique to their limits, darting across the battlefield like a streak of blue lightning. He hurled shuriken and kunai strung with explosive tags from fiendishly tricky angles, precisely disrupting and pinning down the other two Cloud Ninja attempting to flank them. His tactical clarity was frightening. He always appeared at the most critical point with barely a moment to spare, using his speed to relieve the immense pressure on Shinji and Kushina.
Though Kushina had yet to perfect her Adamantine Sealing Chains, the oceanic reserves of chakra inherited from the Uzumaki Clan and her innate sealing power made the Cloud Ninja wary. Her golden chains moved like living golden pythons, whipping and blocking with howling gusts of wind. They effectively hindered and slowed the approach of two Cloud Ninja, creating room for Shinji and Minato to counterattack.
"You Konoha brats are tougher to crack than I expected!" Unable to break through despite his repeated attacks, the lead Cloud Ninja's eyes flashed with vicious impatience. He formed hand seals again, gathering far more chakra than before as an oppressive, heart-pounding pressure filled the air! "I don't have time to waste on you! Lightning Release: Lightning Tiger Massacre!"
Violent Lightning Release chakra gathered furiously before him, finally forming an enormous Lightning Tiger that roared ferociously. With the momentum to destroy everything in its path, it opened its massive, lightning-wreathed jaws and lunged toward the three of them! The attack covered a vast