Shisui formed a seal with one hand at an incredibly fast speed. In the blink of an eye, he completed the ninjutsu sequence.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
Raging flames suddenly swept outward, the scorching air waves causing the atmosphere to vibrate.
The huge fireball, several meters in diameter, immediately consumed the grass, trees, and rocks on the ground around it, annihilating everything in its path.
The Great Fireball Technique was only the most basic Fire Style ninjutsu in the Uchiha clan, with a difficulty level of only C-rank.
However, the essence of ninjutsu lies in the ninja using it. The same technique wielded by ninjas of different strength can produce completely different levels of power.
Clearly, Shisui's Great Fireball Technique was more powerful than that of most Uchiha clan members.
The massive fireball swallowed Minato's figure in an instant.
This scene happened too quickly for Itachi to properly react at his current level.
But he didn't panic. As his mind focused, his pupils turned scarlet, and a single tomoe formed in each eye.
Swish!
By this time, Shisui had already rushed forward alongside the fireball.
"Using the Great Fireball to block my vision first?"
Of course, Shisui's strategy wasn't hidden from Minato. When the Great Fireball was released, he had already vacated his previous position.
Shisui's fighting style typically involved using speed to find an opponent's weaknesses and then defeat them.
However, while this method worked wonders against others, against Minato, it was practically suicidal.
Trying to outpace Konoha's Yellow Flash was tantamount to challenging the wind itself.
The fireball blocked Minato's vision, but also blocked Shisui's.
Yet Shisui had an advantage. The Sharingan could directly observe the flow of chakra in the human body.
Therefore, Shisui could still use his visual prowess to track Minato's position.
Of course, Minato could also use his powerful sensory abilities to pinpoint Shisui's location.
But in that case, Shisui would have no chance to attack at all.
"If you're trying to create an opening with this..." Minato thought with a smile. "You're still too inexperienced!"
Minato flipped his palm and grasped one of his Flying Thunder God kunai.
"Shing!"
Facing the huge fireball, Minato slashed downward with the kunai in his hand. Wind-nature chakra condensed around the blade, forming a sharp edge as he cut through the flames.
"Boom!"
The massive fireball was immediately split open by the wind blade, creating a path through the flames.
Minato raised his eyes but didn't immediately spot Shisui.
He was slightly startled, but at that moment his vision was partially obscured by the recently dispersed flames, making it harder to locate his target.
However, in an instant, Minato still detected traces of Shisui—not just one, but multiple.
Behind Minato and on the tree trunks to either side of him stood identical figures.
"Taking advantage of the moment when I broke through the flames to position yourself behind me?" Minato thought with amusement. The nickname "Shisui of the Body Flicker" was well-deserved.
Although Shisui had used the flames to mask his movements, there were only a handful of ninjas in the entire world who could get behind Minato.
Of course, Minato hadn't been using his full strength from the beginning.
The three Shisui clones formed hand signs simultaneously, creating a triangular formation with Minato at the center.
"Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"
"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"
"Wind Style: Wind Blade!"
Shisui, who had already mastered one-handed seals, was even more impressive when forming seals with both hands.
He unleashed these three techniques almost instantaneously.
"So fast!"
Itachi, watching from a distance, couldn't follow such high-speed combat even with his single-tomoe Sharingan.
He only vaguely perceived that Minato was caught between three devastating ninjutsu attacks.
In Itachi's assessment, if he were caught in such a situation, he would be finished.
But of course, he wasn't worried about Minato's safety.
During the Third Ninja World War, this man had faced three elite ninja masters on his own and emerged unscathed.
These three ninjutsu presented no real challenge to him.
For Minato, master of the Flying Thunder God Technique, there was no trap from which he couldn't escape.
Yet in Itachi's eyes, as the three ninjutsu converged, Minato, caught in the center, showed no signs of movement.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The three ninjutsu collided, wind and fire mingling. The terrible flames swept outward, radiating in all directions.
Itachi knew that even at this distance, he would be affected.
So he retreated quickly, but he had underestimated the combined power of Shisui's three ninjutsu.
Not only were the flames exploding and spreading, but the powerful winds moved even faster.
The strong gusts caused Itachi to momentarily lose control of his body.
In the blink of an eye, the flames were rushing toward him, the scorching heat immediately causing sweat to pour from his skin.
But even in this situation, Itachi didn't lose his rational judgment.
He crossed his arms to protect his face and curled his body to minimize the area exposed to the attack.
Swish!
Just as the flames were about to engulf Itachi's small form, a golden flash passed by.
"Are you alright, young one?" a gentle voice asked in Itachi's ear.
He lowered his arms, looked up, and saw Minato's face.
"I'm fine. Thank you," Itachi responded quickly.
But before he could finish speaking, Minato had vanished again.
At that moment, a faint laugh came from a distance.
"I apologize, Yondaime."
Itachi turned suddenly. A few meters behind him, several Shisuis stood with their palms pressed against the backs of their swords, the blades held across their faces.
"Haha, no need," Minato laughed. Shisui had just used Itachi's safety to create an opening.
Otherwise, his speed alone wouldn't have been enough to pose a threat.
Of course, even if Minato hadn't rescued Itachi just now, Shisui, who was nearby, could have saved him.
But by forcing Minato to act, Shisui had created an opportunity.
It was a calculated gamble.
"Uchiha Style: Dancing Blade Assault!"
The next moment, the eyes of the three Shisuis intensified, and then before Itachi's eyes, they suddenly multiplied into more than a dozen figures.
"Are those all shadow clones?" Itachi wondered, startled.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
With Minato at the center, more than a dozen "Shisuis" suddenly swung their weapons, unleashing countless flaming arcs of steel. The attacks formed what appeared to be a fiery cage, sealing off all escape routes.
Under the onslaught of these flaming blades, Minato's expression remained calm. He glanced at the figures continuously delivering slashing attacks around him, and a look of appreciation crossed his face.
"No wonder this technique is impossible for ordinary ninjas to dodge."