Chapitre 62: Chapter 62: Pakura!
They descended the mountain and crossed the river.
At that moment, the memories from the shadow clones returned, and Shūichi Hoshita immediately reported, "Minato-sensei, there's indeed a trap to the east!"
"It's Chiyo, the Puppet Master!"
Minato Namikaze's eyes narrowed as he heard this, and he immediately halted, saying, "Follow the river south!"
The four of them quickly changed direction, abandoning their plan to circle around to the east.
As they followed the river downstream, Kurama Sanyo couldn't help but ask, "Minato-sensei, is this Chiyo really that formidable?"
Minato nodded slightly, "She's an outstanding female puppet master from the Sand Village."
"Moreover, she's skilled in medical ninjutsu and the use of poisons."
"During the last Great Ninja War, she caused a lot of trouble for our village. Fortunately, we had Lady Tsunade, who was able to counter her poison techniques."
Puppet masters, especially powerful ones, are notoriously difficult to deal with.
And Chiyo was among the best—it's said she possesses the legendary Ten Puppets created by Monzaemon, the strongest puppet master in the Sand Village's history.
Monzaemon was a remarkable ninja from the era of the First and Second Hokage and was the one who pioneered the path of puppet ninjutsu.
Hearing Minato's explanation, both Kurama Sanyo and Shisui Uchiha were taken aback.
Shūichi Hoshita also knew a bit about Chiyo.
She was a formidable and ruthless opponent!
If they were to encounter her along with other Sand Shinobi, without using the Flying Thunder God Technique to escape, Shūichi believed that aside from Minato, the rest of them would be in serious trouble!
Minato's decision to change plans was undoubtedly the right one.
The four of them continued south along the river, eventually entering a town called Ōtsu. They used the town's complexity to cover their tracks.
Shūichi and Shisui transformed into wild cats and exited the town, heading north into the forest, while Minato used the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport himself and Sanyo to their location.
This strategy completely threw off the Sand Shinobi, who had followed them to Ōtsu but were left clueless, losing the trail of Minato's team.
…
In the mountains, Shūichi Hoshita and his team found a cave where they could temporarily settle down.
Meanwhile, back at the battlefield on the mountainside, Chiyo arrived with several Sand Shinobi, silently observing the grim scene.
Three Jōnin and twelve Chūnin had been slaughtered in just a few minutes.
"That guy with the yellow hair!"
Thinking about Minato Namikaze's incredible Instant Movement Technique, Chiyo's expression grew even more serious.
"This sword wound... it must have been made by that kid with the short sword."
"A genius from Konoha..."
Chiyo examined each corpse, piecing together bits of information.
Finally, Chiyo turned to one of the Sand Jōnin and said, "Rasa, cancel the pursuit of Minato Namikaze and his team!"
Rasa frowned upon hearing this. "Lady Chiyo, the destructive power of this Konoha team is immense. If we don't eliminate them, they'll pose a significant threat."
Chiyo responded, "I'm well aware of that."
"But you've seen it too—how many ninjas would we need to surround and eliminate them?"
"We can't afford a full-scale battle."
"So, cancel the previous plan and organize Jōnin squads to pursue them. Even if we can't take them out, we must at least force them out of our territory."
Rasa nodded in agreement, as he had been considering the same approach.
Chiyo then added, "I'll leave this pursuit mission to you. The White Fang of Konoha has appeared in the Land of Rivers, so I need to head there."
Rasa acknowledged the order and immediately turned to leave.
...
Nightfall descended.
Shūichi Hoshita's shadow clone, disguised as a stray cat, reappeared in Ōtsu Town. Under the moonlight and street lamps, it wandered through the crowd, leaping between buildings.
What puzzled Shūichi, however, was the absence of any Sand Shinobi in the town. They had disappeared during the day, but so many Sand Shinobi had been pursuing them—had they really given up so quickly?
"Huh?"
Just as he was about to rendezvous with Shisui, Shūichi suddenly stopped, his gaze fixed on a figure in the street. "Is that... Pakura?"
Her figure and aura were simply too striking!
At that moment, as if noticing Shūichi's gaze, the curvaceous figure on the street turned to look at him.
Shūichi nonchalantly meowed, then strutted into a dark alley.
Back on the street, Pakura withdrew her gaze and continued following the trail left by the Konoha ninjas that the Sand Shinobi had been tracking earlier in the day. She eventually arrived at an abandoned house.
The Konoha ninjas' trail had ended in this dilapidated building.
Frowning, Pakura carefully examined the area under the dim light but found nothing.
The trail had been wiped clean!
Exiting the house, Pakura scanned the surroundings again and eventually climbed onto the roof, surveying the area.
Suddenly, her gaze locked onto a dirty stray cat.
Stray cats were common, but at that moment, Pakura recalled the stray cat she had briefly made eye contact with earlier on the street.
Swish!
Pakura's figure disappeared from the rooftop and reappeared beside a few paw prints.
These were the same paw prints she had noticed earlier—seemingly ordinary.
But now, her instincts told her something was off.
She immediately formed hand signs, creating six clones, each heading in a different direction to follow the various paw print trails.
Before long, Pakura returned to the room where Minato Namikaze and his team had last been.
She carefully examined the area again. There were no cat paw prints, but she did find traces of something being deliberately erased.
"As I thought, there's something suspicious here. The paw prints started from this spot, but someone tried to cover them up."
A smile spread across Pakura's face as she mused, "Why are there only two sets of cat prints?"
"That Minato Namikaze's Instant Movement Technique... could it possibly be more than just short-range teleportation?"
Pakura's eyes widened in surprise, and she quickly darted away.
Moments later, Pakura returned, accompanied by Rasa and five other Jōnin. Among them, Rasa and Pakura were the youngest.
After hearing Pakura's analysis, Rasa and the others surveyed the area once more.
When they regrouped, a middle-aged Jōnin said, "Pakura's theory is highly plausible."
"A teleportation technique that works over long distances—this could be a space-time ninjutsu!"
Rasa's gaze shifted northward. The darkness obscured his view, but he knew there was a mountain in that direction.
Judging by the traces, it was highly likely that the Konoha team was hiding there.
But there was also a chance they had already left.
"Then let's move out!"
"We can't keep lingering here. The current situation in the Land of Rivers is becoming increasingly unfavorable for us."
Rasa declared.
The others nodded in agreement, and in unison, they vanished using the Body Flicker Technique.
...
Inside the cave, Shūichi Hoshita and Shisui Uchiha dispelled their shadow clones. After receiving the memories, Shisui reported, "Minato-sensei, the Sand Shinobi who were tracking us have all withdrawn, but new ones have arrived. The exact number is unclear, but given the situation, it's highly likely they're an elite Jōnin squad."
He had gathered this information by hypnotizing people in the town. By piecing together details from multiple sources, he couldn't determine how many Sand Shinobi had come, but the shift in their forces provided some clues.
Minato Namikaze nodded and then looked at Shūichi.
Shūichi, however, furrowed his brows slightly and after a moment of contemplation said, "Minato-sensei, I think we might have been exposed."
An amazed Sanyō asked, "Shūichi, was your Transformation Technique discovered?"
Shūichi shook his head. "I'm not sure, it's just a gut feeling."
Minato smiled and said, "A ninja's intuition is often very accurate."
"At this point, it's likely the Sand Shinobi have changed their strategy, opting to use a small, elite force against us."
"And it seems this elite unit has already figured out that we're likely hiding here."
Shisui added, "If that's the case, Minato-sensei, there's also a chance they've discovered the secret of your Instant Movement Technique."
Minato, unconcerned, replied, "Once a jutsu is used, it's inevitable that someone will gather intelligence on it. It's just a matter of time—nothing to worry about."
Kurama Sanyō muttered, "An elite squad, sounds like we're in big trouble, huh?"
Shūichi grinned, "We've caused the Sand Shinobi so much trouble, it's only fair they come looking to return the favor!"
His words immediately lightened the mood.
Minato then said, "Shūichi, send out a shadow clone to scout the area with me. The rest of you head north."
"Understood!"
...
Leaving behind a shadow clone, Shūichi Hoshita, Shisui Uchiha, and Kurama Sanyō began their retreat together.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Minato Namikaze and Shūichi's shadow clone encountered a Sand Shinobi squad halfway up the mountain.
"Two Kekkei Genkai users!"
Minato's heart tightened when he saw Rasa and Pakura.
The Hidden Sand Village collected information on talented ninjas from other villages, and Konoha was no exception. Kekkei Genkai users were especially notable, particularly those without a family lineage.
Rasa was slightly older, already 20 years old, while the voluptuous and seemingly mature Pakura was around Minato's age, despite her appearance.
"It looks like this mission might end here..."
In an instant, Minato made a decision, quietly briefing Shūichi on Rasa and Pakura. One controlled Magnet Release, the other Scorch Release—both were young and powerful Jōnin.
Rasa, Pakura, and their team were equally on high alert, especially when they saw that there were only two opponents. The recent achievements of Minato's team had been too remarkable for them not to be cautious.
"Minato Namikaze of Konoha!" Rasa spoke first, his gaze fixed on Minato before shifting to Shūichi.
His eyes locked onto the hilt of a blade peeking out from Shūichi's side. "For someone your age to kill a Jōnin, that's truly impressive. Even though you're an enemy, you've earned our respect. I am Rasa, a Jōnin of the Hidden Sand Village."
Shūichi responded, "Shūichi Hoshita, Chūnin of Konoha!"
Rasa, staring at Shūichi's youthful face, declared, "I will use all my strength to kill you—that is my way of showing respect."
Shūichi smiled, "Right now, I'm not your match, but in ten years, you won't be mine."
"And in the future, neither your son nor your daughter will be a match for me."
This statement left both Minato and the Sand Shinobis, including Rasa, momentarily stunned.
"Shūichi's perspective... really is odd but amusing," Minato thought with a smile, his hand already grasping a Flying Thunder God kunai.
Rasa, snapping out of his surprise, darkened his expression. "You have no future!"
But Pakura had already grown impatient. Raising her hands, two fiery red spheres appeared in her palms. "Let's take them down first!"
With that, she launched one of the fireballs straight at Shūichi.
"She's fiery, alright—attacks without hesitation!" Shūichi muttered, quickly forming a few hand seals. He unleashed a stream of fire from his mouth, which rapidly gathered into a large fireball to meet Pakura's.
Boom!
The two fireballs collided and exploded, sending waves of fire outward. Pakura's Scorch Release fireball continued its trajectory toward Shūichi.
Shūichi swiftly dodged, using his agility and quick reflexes to evade the attacks.
Seeing this, Pakura launched a second Scorch Release fireball toward him.
At that moment, Minato's kunai flew toward Pakura.
Simultaneously, Minato vanished, reappearing in front of the Scorch Release fireball with a Rasengan in hand, which he slammed into the fireball.
Boom!
The Scorch Release fireball exploded.
Pakura easily dodged the kunai, while Rasa clenched his fist. "I've got you now..."
Iron Sand began to creep up from the ground beneath Minato.
Rasa had anticipated Minato's movements and seized the opportunity.
However, just as he was about to ensnare Minato with the Iron Sand, Minato vanished from his spot.
"Watch out!" A warning shout rang out from behind Pakura.
Minato reappeared behind her, grasping his Flying Thunder God kunai. As he did, he reached into his pouch and scattered a flurry of kunai around.
Rasa quickly turned, his pupils dilating. "Those kunai... they've got teleportation formulas on them!"
The previous intelligence gathered on Minato had not mentioned anything about the kunai bearing teleportation markings.
Those who had known this information were already dead.
Just as the Sand Shinobi who knew Shūichi didn't need hand seals to use Fire Release were also dead.
"Be careful! Those kunai have teleportation formulas!" Rasa shouted, and his Iron Sand shot out densely to intercept Minato's attack on Pakura.
However, both the warning and the Iron Sand were too late.
Minato once again disappeared and reappeared behind a middle-aged Sand Jōnin, a Rasengan forming in his hand.
The middle-aged Sand Jōnin was on guard, turning to block with his sword.
In the next instant, the Rasengan met the sword, and with a powerful push from Minato, the blade shattered, and the Rasengan slammed into the Sand Jōnin, sending him flying.
Rasa's Iron Sand, Pakura's Scorch Release fireballs, and the other attacks all arrived, but they hit nothing.
But Rasa had already hidden Iron Sand beneath each of the Flying Thunder God kunai, ready to strike whenever Minato reappeared.
However, they still missed!
"His speed... it's unbelievable..."
"He's like a yellow flash!"
Rasa's face grew solemn.
Minato flashed several more times, finally appearing beside Shūichi, where he used a Rasengan to shatter Pakura's Scorch Release fireball, dispersing it completely.
Rasa's attacks had consistently been a step behind, despite his early preparations.
The first round of battle ended.
Shūichi and Minato were unscathed, while one Sand Shinobi lay gravely injured and unconscious or may be dead by now.
(End of Chapter)
Next: The Yellow Flash!
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