Hard Whirlpool Water Blade—this forbidden technique created by the Second Hokage—once again revealed its terrifying destructive power.
In the span of a single breath, it swallowed everything within the crater whole.
Moments later, an immense volume of water surged in, rapidly filling the massive pit—hundreds of meters across—before erupting outward in towering waves that crashed violently toward the surrounding terrain.
"Get into the trees—now!"
One of the surviving Konoha ninja shouted at the top of his lungs.
Fortunately, their position on slightly elevated ground slowed the advance of the raging waters just enough to grant the dozen or so survivors a fleeting chance at survival.
"Hold on tight!!"
The surging blue torrent slammed into them mercilessly, battering their already exhausted bodies.
From atop the distant slope, Shimizu watched in silence. As far as his eyes could see, only fifteen Konoha shinobi remained standing.
The only consolation was that every single Iwagakure ninja had been swept into that catastrophic flood.
At the very least… he had saved fifteen lives.
From afar, the technique's area of effect clearly extended beyond a three-kilometer diameter, and even now, the residual waves continued to surge outward, carrying their destructive force even farther.
"…This jutsu really is terrifying," the shadow clone murmured, scanning the surroundings before adding, "Still no sign of anyone else."
The entire process of casting the technique had gone uninterrupted. In a way, it had been almost too smooth.
Perhaps he had been overthinking things. Maybe Iwagakure wasn't targeting him specifically after all… or perhaps they simply hadn't discovered his position yet.
Which meant the danger hadn't passed.
At any moment, more enemies could be on their way.
He needed to conserve chakra.
"Then let's dispel it," Shimizu's true body said as he slowly emerged from the ground.
"Alright…"
With a soft pop, the shadow clone vanished.
Shimizu assessed his remaining chakra—roughly a third left.
Not ideal…
"Sensei!"
Shisui's voice came from behind the slope.
"Shisui, you made it," Shimizu said, turning to see him approaching, followed by fourteen battered Konoha ninja.
"…Senpai?" Shimizu recognized them as members of the Sixth Unit, though one face was conspicuously missing. "Where's Captain Matsuo?"
A squad leader stepped forward, his voice heavy. "Captain Matsuo… fell in battle before you and Shisui arrived."
Silence fell over the group.
Their Sixth Unit had lost its captain, more than half its members, and those who remained were all wounded. For all intents and purposes, the unit was finished.
"…It's raining," Shisui murmured.
A light drizzle had begun to fall, the result of the massive amount of water vapor gathered after the technique. He raised his hand, catching the droplets as they fell, his twin tomoe Sharingan staring absently into the gray sky.
"The enemy's attack is coming!"
"Where?" Shimizu's senses sharpened instantly, but he detected no presence nearby.
"Above us!"
Everyone instinctively looked up—and what they saw sent a chill down their spines.
Countless rocks were hurtling through the curtain of rain at terrifying speeds, their trajectories converging on a single point—
Here.
"Take cover!!"
A barrage of stones, large and small, crashed down like relentless bombs, explosions echoing one after another in deafening succession.
Shimizu cautiously leaned out, trying to locate the caster. All he could make out was a growing concentration of Iwa ninja gathering roughly five hundred meters away—but the one responsible for this overwhelming Earth Release remained hidden.
As time passed, more and more Konoha ninja were struck by the falling rocks, suffering severe injuries.
"Damn it… this rain of stones isn't stopping!" one of them shouted through gritted teeth, maintaining an Earth Release barrier with two companions at his side. "At this rate… I won't be able to hold out much longer!"
If this continued for even a few more minutes, what remained of their group would be completely crushed.
And if that happened—
Everything they had fought for would be reduced to nothing.
Shimizu clenched his teeth, the decision finally settling in his mind.
There was no other way—he would have to charge forward and break through by force.
But just as he steeled himself to act, a powerful surge of chakra suddenly entered his perception. In the span of a few breaths, it crossed a distance of over four hundred meters and appeared right before him.
A young man with striking golden hair.
"Minato-senpai!" The Konoha ninja present lit up with unmistakable relief and excitement.
Even Shimizu felt a flicker of exhilaration rise in his chest. "Minato!"
"I hope I'm not too late," Minato said, slipping the pack off his back—it looked noticeably heavy. "How many enemies are left?"
Shisui's Sharingan swept the battlefield, gathering information in an instant. "Northwest, approximately five hundred and fifty meters away… one hundred and one enemies."
No matter how overwhelming the Water Release had been, it was still only water. As long as they had withstood the initial impact without losing consciousness, surviving the Hard WhirlpoolWater Blade wasn't impossible. That much didn't surprise Shimizu.
Minato reached into his dark green pack and pulled out dozens of three-pronged kunai.
"In a moment, all of you throw these toward the Iwa ninja at the same time," he said decisively. "I'll take them out in one go."
"How is that even possible?!" one Konoha ninja blurted out in disbelief.
A middle-aged shinobi beside him spoke in a low, steady voice. "Young man, just watch closely. You're about to see the Yellow Flash in action."
"You'll only get a single moment—don't miss it."
Shisui frowned slightly. "But… Minato-senpai, there are only fifty kunai here."
"I can use the Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique to double them," Minato replied with a faint smile. "Creating another fifty isn't a problem… though it will cost quite a bit of chakra. After all, these kunai aren't ordinary."
Wait… Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique?
A thought struck Shimizu like lightning.
Could that be applied to his Lightning Release chakra-infused kunai as well?
If so… wouldn't that mean he only needed to carry a handful of kunai in the future—
—and replicate the rest on demand?
Before he could dwell on it further, the rain of falling rocks abruptly ceased.
"Kill them!" the Iwa ninja roared in unison.
"The enemy's charging!" Shisui was the first to react, his voice sharp.
Moments later, Shimizu's perception confirmed it—more and more Iwagakure ninja were rushing toward them.
Clearly, the enemy intended to wipe out their small group head-on.
A solid plan—
…but unfortunately for them—
"Three…"
"Two…"
"One…"
"Throw!"
At the command, the Konoha ninja hurled all fifty three-pronged kunai into the air in unison.
Each blade gleamed with a cold, lethal edge as it spun through the sky.
Shimizu's eyes locked onto Minato, unblinking. Even he didn't want to miss this moment—this scene that would undoubtedly be etched into the history of the shinobi world.
Minato's hands blurred as he formed seals at incredible speed—
—and in the next instant, the technique was complete.
Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!
Suddenly, the sky was filled with a chaotic swarm of one hundred kunai, spinning and scattering in every direction.
Everyone stared, eyes wide and unblinking, trying to capture every detail of the Yellow Flash's move—
But in the very next moment—
Those hundred blades…
vanished.
Right before their eyes, under the watch of all present, they simply disappeared into thin air.
...
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