"Earth Release Barrier: Earth Dungeon Hall of Nothingness!" (Doton Kekkai: Dorō Dōmu)
Earth walls rose from the ground, quickly enclosing to form a seamless dungeon.
A B-Rank control ninjutsu. Anyone trapped inside this jutsu couldn't escape, and these earth walls would absorb the trapped person's chakra.
Three figures slowly emerged from the ground at this moment.
The gaunt young man leading them had his hand pressed on the earth dungeon. His brow furrowed slightly, and he removed his hand from the dungeon.
Without the chakra supply, the earth dungeon collapsed into soft mud.
There wasn't a single person inside.
"Such fast reaction speed. They must be Konoha's seed Genin."
They had launched the ninjutsu the moment they were discovered, but the three still escaped in that instant.
This kind of speed wasn't something ordinary Genin could possess. The opponents' ages didn't look like Chunin or Jonin.
This was also the basis for their ambush.
"Teacher Chūdō, they split up."
A girl with a black scorpion-like tattoo on her face pointed into the distance.
The girl possessed reconnaissance abilities worthy of Chūdō's trust.
In the girl's sensing, the three had split into three routes and were fleeing rapidly.
That speed surprised her. It even reached the escape velocity of a Jonin.
"Watch me tear them all to pieces!"
The flat-headed boy next to her had a bloodthirsty look on his face, completely uncaring about the enemy's strength.
"Split up and chase!"
Chūdō pondered and immediately issued the order. Destroying Konoha's seed Genin would only bring benefits and no harm to the future Iwagakure.
As for the possibility of failure...
The two people Chūdō led were also ninjas known as geniuses.
Plus the age difference, he didn't think failure was possible.
The three quickly turned into black shadows and chased after them.
Minato Namikaze was moving rapidly through the forest.
His brows were tightly furrowed.
In that instant just now, when the ninjas underground launched their attack, a strong sense of crisis had alerted them.
The attacking team had a Jonin.
The three made a prompt decision to split up immediately. As long as one escaped to pass the message back, the others would have hope of survival.
Those caught by the Jonin midway could only pray for their own luck.
Their strength was still some distance away from a Jonin.
This cold decision was naturally signaled by Jin immediately with hand signs.
In that extremely short time just now, Minato didn't have time to refuse. The enemy's ninjutsu had already been launched.
They could only act according to Jin's instructions.
Because this was the only action plan.
He also understood Jin's meaning.
If the three moved together, the opposing Jonin had the ability to keep all three of them.
It was better for one to encounter danger so another could escape.
Splitting up was the best choice at the time.
"Kushina, Jin, survive!"
Minato's face was heavy as he flew through the forest.
His ears twitched. The sound of pursuit came from behind.
Footsteps rubbing against branches carried sound, gradually approaching from behind.
Judging by the frequency of the sound, there was only one pursuer.
The super-strong perception brought by Internal Cultivation was extremely sensitive to sound. It was hard for the opponent to cover it up, although the opponent didn't seem to have any intention of covering it up either.
Minato stopped on a branch immediately, waiting for the pursuer behind him.
No matter who was chasing, he needed to stall them.
If it was the Jonin, he could only stall with his life.
He tightened the strap of his forehead protector behind his head.
He was already prepared to die in battle.
Soon, the figure of a boy gradually became clear, stopping on a branch opposite him.
It wasn't that Jonin.
Minato's heart sank to the bottom.
He had hoped the one chasing him was that Jonin. After all, among the three, he was the most expendable.
"Seeing me, are you very unhappy?"
The boy held a kunai, lightly licking the blade, cutting a bloody line on his tongue. He wore an exaggerated smile on his face.
Like a madman.
"A little."
Minato took out his kunai, rapidly analyzing the opponent's strength.
The opponent was about fifteen or sixteen years old, much older than him, but ninja strength was never ranked by age.
Minato never underestimated anyone.
"You really make me angry."
The boy grinned, revealing sharp teeth.
"My name is Sanshū (Mountain Beast). Tell me your name, Konoha genius."
Someone who could be called a seed player by Teacher Chūdō must be a Konoha genius.
"Konoha geniuses are my favorite prey to hunt."
Sanshū became more and more excited, his brown hair faintly glowing red.
"Minato Namikaze."
Minato turned and jumped, half-crouching on the tree trunk, aiming at Sanshū in a launching posture.
"I'm not some genius."
At least compared to Jin, he was far behind.
"Whether you are or not, you will die here."
Sanshū's body began to change. His hair turned blood red, and soil and sand began to fall from his face.
"Secret Jutsu! Earth Beast Technique!"
Just as Sanshū transformed, Minato had already completed his hand seals.
He took a deep breath.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
A powerful whirlwind blew towards the Sanshū in front of him.
Facing the violent gale, Sanshū jumped from the tree in time. The sand on his body turned into tentacles, grabbing the surrounding trees to stabilize his body.
At this moment, Minato kicked off with both feet, launching himself like a spring. The kunai in his hand slashed towards Sanshū's chest.
The sand tentacles behind Sanshū wrapped around another tree and pulled hard, dragging his body outward to dodge this blow.
The next moment, two more tentacles grew from his body and grabbed at Minato.
Minato already had a countermeasure.
"Sweeping Blade!" (Tàqián Zhǎn)
He stepped on the tentacles, rapidly approaching Sanshū. No matter how the opponent waved the tentacles, he walked on them as if walking on flat ground.
Approaching in an instant, the kunai slashed out.
Blood sprayed.
Blood beads sprayed from Sanshū's chest. His pupils turned crimson at this moment, and he kicked out, forcing Minato back.
The tentacles on his back pulled him to another branch. He looked down at the blood beads on his chest.
He was injured.
Gritting his teeth, he questioned angrily.
"You dare hurt me."
He looked up for Minato, but there was no one there.
"Soru! Combo Slash!"
Minato appeared on the branch behind Sanshū, flicking the blood beads off his kunai.
He didn't have time to waste here.
Wounds appeared on the Earth Beast's body one after another. The sand tentacles on his back were also quickly severed, turning into mud and falling to the ground.
"Sorry, I don't have time to waste energy here."
Minato lowered his kunai. A gale was enveloping his whole body, blowing his hair tips, ready to be unleashed.
"The battle has just begun!"
Sanshū roared. More bloody sand grew from his back. This was his strongest state.
Even a Konoha genius absolutely couldn't...
"Steel Tempest!" (Zhāngāng Shǎn)
A shrill wind blade appeared in front of him in the blink of an eye. Before he could react, it slashed through his body, cutting down a large patch of trees behind him.
"How can... he be so strong!?"
Sanshū didn't understand. He hadn't even had time to fully release his family's secret jutsu. Because he liked the thrill of torture, he would increase his strength little by little to give his prey fear.
But the opponent went all out from the start.
It was like he did a basic attack, and the other guy dumped R-Q-W-E all in one breath.
A bloody line gradually appeared from his eyebrows to his stomach. With a look of unwillingness, Sanshū's body split in two and fell to both sides.
The battle had already been decided.
He hadn't expected to lose in just a few exchanges.
Leaving his life behind.
He was also a genius of Iwagakure!!
Minato didn't look at the two halves of the falling corpse again.
He quickly shuttled through the forest.
Kushina didn't run far before stopping by a small stream.
Looking at her reflection in the stream, Kushina gritted her teeth, her face full of resentment.
At this time, she should retreat quickly. If an accident happened to her and the Nine-Tails was lost, it would be a major blow to the village.
Kushina knew clearly what the best choice was.
However.
"I'm not resigned! How can I just run away like this!"
The light reflected by the stream illuminated her unwilling face.
When the Land of Whirlpools was destroyed, she ran. Now, how could she abandon her companions and run?
Picking up her kunai, she turned and walked back the way she came.
"I absolutely won't abandon my companions!!"
She was just such a willful person.
Just now, she followed Jin's order to flee. Now, she would act on her own ideas.
"Truly a touching speech."
A girl with a scorpion tattoo on her face was leaning against a tree trunk, looking at Kushina.
"Enemy?"
Kushina assumed an attacking stance. She hadn't had time to see the enemy's appearance just now. Only the information leaked in the instant of the attack made the three turn and run.
"Are Iwagakure and Konoha still allies?"
The girl patted the belt at her waist, showing the Iwagakure symbol on it.
"So skinny!"
Kushina exclaimed, then immediately shook her head. Is this the time to think about that?
"Ohoho, you really have good taste. I don't even want to kill you anymore." The girl let out a strange laugh, looking at Kushina with a face full of smiles.
After all, few of those rough men in the village could discover her perfect figure.
Kushina was still looking at the enemy seriously.
"If you want to kill me, show me your skill. Come at me."
Kushina, with little combat experience, didn't choose to attack immediately but waited for the girl's move.
A charming smile appeared on the girl's face.
"Little sweetie, I've already attacked."
Slash.
A bloody mark appeared on Kushina's cheek. Kushina's pupils contracted, and she moved quickly to the left.
But the attacks seemed ubiquitous. Wounds appeared on her body one after another.
Kushina's pupils moved rapidly, looking for the objects attacking her in the surroundings.
But there was only empty air.
No, her pupils began to dilate. Extremely fine dust swept past her body.
Bringing a patch of wounds.
"Discovered." The girl laughed coquettishly, no longer pretending. She clapped her hands together forcefully.
"Dust Release! Land of Dust!" (Jinton: Jin'ao)
Countless dust particles began to gather, covering this area.
Although it didn't block vision, Kushina covered her face with her hands, tiny wounds constantly being cut into her body.
"I'll help you ruin that cute face of yours."
The girl's face revealed a ferocious look.