Rumbling!
A torrential flood surged into the forest like a dam breaking loose, uprooting massive trees one after another.
In a place where water was scarce, Nawaki had managed to unleash the [Waterfall Technique] to such an extent.
This required not only an extremely high mastery of Water Release ninjutsu but also an exceptionally large chakra reserves.
Nawaki knew he couldn't match Minato's speed, so he had decided to go all out with area-of-effect attacks to settle this battle once and for all!
And indeed, the effect was evident—the pressure forced Minato into continuous retreat.
Although Water Release appeared to be the weakest among the five elemental techniques in terms of offensive power, that wasn't truly the case.
A powerful, high-speed current like this waterfall could drown even seasoned ninja, leaving them suffocated and dead nine times out of ten.
Of course, Nawaki didn't intend to kill Minato—his goal was simply to nullify that astonishing speed which left people breathless.
Yet, he still underestimated just how fast Minato really was!
If it had been half a year earlier, dealing with this Waterfall Technique might have cost him considerable effort.
Whoosh!
Minato pushed his [Body Flicker Technique] to its limit. The man known as the Yellow Flash of Konoha wasn't famous solely for his [Flying Thunder God Technique], which could traverse space itself.
His body flicker technique speed alone was more than worthy of the "Flash" title.
The massive currents obscured everyone's vision; even Nawaki himself couldn't see what exactly had happened to Minato at that moment.
The Waterfall Technique only began to stabilize once Nawaki felt his chakra reserves nearly drained.
Even so, the water remained over a meter high near its source, but as it spread outward, the level gradually dropped.
By the time it reached Kushina, Shurou, and King's feet, it posed no threat whatsoever.
Kushina's expression briefly turned anxious during the fierce deluge, but she had been unable to get close back then.
As the rushing waters eased slightly, her figure darted straight toward Minato.
Nawaki's Waterfall Technique had toppled over a dozen huge trees, leaving dozens of meters of dense forest devastated.
At such a distance, in the darkness of night, with towering trees blocking the view, everyone momentarily lost sight of what was happening.
Whoosh!
But only a few seconds later, a figure burst from within the water—a brilliant head of hair that couldn't be hidden even under the cover of night.
"Kushina, I'm fine. The fight's not over yet," Minato smiled, watching Kushina approach. Remarkably, not a single drop of water stained his clothes despite having been pursued by the massive torrents moments ago.
Kushina stopped short, her face lighting up with delight.
"No way…"
Shurou and King stared wide-eyed, their long lashes trembling rapidly over widened pupils.
This could only mean one thing—Minato had outpaced the Waterfall Technique itself.
He had escaped the range of the technique before it fully covered him.
Such a feat might have been easier to accept if it had been performed by a Konoha Jonin.
But the blond boy standing before them was under ten years old...
That's terrifying. With power like that, he hasn't even graduated from the Ninja Academy yet.
It just doesn't add up...
"Nawaki Sempai, your Great Waterfall Technique really surprised me," Minato said as he slowly approached Nawaki, offering praise.
In terms of soul, having lived two lives, Minato's actual age had passed thirty. His tone carried the appreciation of an elder toward a junior.
In his previous life, during Nawaki's short lifetime, Minato hadn't interacted much with him, never knowing he possessed such amazing mastery of Water Release.
If he had survived until the time of the Third Great Ninja War, he definitely could have made a name for himself in the Ninja World.
"You... you're just too scary..."
Looking at approaching Minato, Nawaki gave a bitter smile and sat down on the ground directly, saying,
"I admit defeat."
Though it was difficult to accept, after continuously using jutsu just now, he could barely stand anymore. In a fight against Minato, who possessed terrifying speed, defeat came in the blink of an eye.
Minato smiled. It wasn't that Nawaki was too weak, but rather, having been reborn, his growth rate naturally exceeded all expectations thanks to past experiences.
Because everything Minato currently had was simply regaining what he'd once possessed.
Minato stepped forward and extended his hand to Nawaki, just as the latter had done two years ago.
Nawaki stood up immediately, and the two men touched fists again, smiling at each other.
Kushina and Shurou, along with the third person, also approached joyfully.
Just then,
Minato and Kushina turned their gazes to one direction as a Konoha ninja entered swiftly.
This was a Konoha Chunin. Upon reaching the group, he spoke without wasting words: "All members of Squad Nine, assemble immediately in front of the Hokage Tower!"
After speaking, he left immediately without staying a moment longer.
"We'll go ahead first, Minato."
Nawaki and his teammates' expressions immediately turned serious, leaving almost without hesitation.
Seeing the three of them leave so suddenly, Kushina couldn't help but feel confused.
But Minato's expression turned serious — this kind of squad-based formation wasn't used under normal circumstances by Konoha ninja.
A typical ninja squad consisted of one leader and about three members.
But a squad structure was different, usually composed of several such groups.
This specific organization style only appeared under certain special circumstances.
Especially during times of war...
That's exactly why Nawaki and the others rushed off immediately — hearing those words meant only one thing: war was coming.
"Has it finally begun?"
Minato's expression grew grim. As he prepared to leave with Kushina, over a dozen figures shot out from the Anbu.
These were the Anbu assigned to guard Kushina — they had followed all along, something Minato had known about all along.
From Kushina's expression, it was clear she wasn't particularly surprised by their appearance. Obviously, as the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, she had already mentally prepared herself for this possibility. Besides, with her sensing ability, how could she not have noticed?
"Kushina-sama, please come back with us," one of the Anbu members said.
Kushina was puzzled about why they had suddenly appeared, but since she had once promised Mito to help protect the village, she didn't resist. Instead, she looked at Minato with an apologetic expression, unsure how to explain things.
"Go ahead and do what you must." Minato gave a faint smile.
Kushina studied his face for a moment before nodding and departing under the protection of those dozen Anbu agents.
Minato didn't linger either. When he reentered the village, he sensed multiple chakra signatures quickly converging toward the Hokage Tower.
He didn't head there himself because he knew...
Tomorrow, both he and Kushina Mikoto would graduate from the Ninja Academy. Then, they'd be thrown into the war!
...
...(To be continued.)
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