"Buzzzzz!"
A high-pitched, piercing sound vibrated at an extremely high frequency. Though not loud, it instantly clouded the minds of many on the battlefield.
Mikoto and those closest to Minato, along with the Suna ninjas, couldn't stand the sound anymore. Instantly, they covered their ears.
"What... kind of technique is that?"
At this moment, in their line of sight, Minato's speed had reached its peak, visible only as a shuriken-shaped ninjutsu.
"Quick! Get out of the way!"
Chiyo's loud shout abruptly rang out, warning Liufei. Yet in her eyes, the distance between that golden light and the metallic puppet had already become alarmingly short.
In an instant, all the fighting within the combat zone seemed to halt. Snowflakes filled the air, falling like rain, dazzling people's vision.
"Boom!"
A moment later, an explosion shattered the silence. The high-speed vibrating sound reached its peak all at once!
The several-meter-tall metallic puppet instantly vanished. Along with that high-frequency vibration sound, the wind blades formed from massive chakra pushed it backward violently in an instant.
Even Sakumo Hatake had never dared to face the metallic puppet head-on, yet now it was flying through the air—such incredible power!
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
Following this came a series of terrifying impact sounds, as if someone were fiercely striking metal with a sharp blade. The rhythm of these impacts nearly exceeded the limits of human hearing.
An enormous glowing sphere over twenty meters in diameter expanded before everyone's eyes, resembling an enlarged version of [Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven], continuously emitting metallic clashing noises.
Such a scene left more than two thousand ninja on the battlefield stunned.
"Feifei!"
First shocked, then Kouhi cried out loudly. In the middle of battling Hiashi Hyuga, his eyes turned red with panic.
His focus broken, the perfect coordination among the seven puppets he controlled fell into disorder. With just a few strikes of Gentle Fist techniques, Hiashi shattered one of the puppets into countless fragments.
However, Kouhi was beyond caring about those losses. Like a madman, he rushed toward Liufei. But the following gusts of wind were so strong that even he temporarily struggled to move forward.
Hiashi also abandoned the idea of pursuing his advantage further because at this moment, Kouhi was like an enraged tiger. Although he'd inflicted some damage, it was hardly significant.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, from within the storm, a figure burst out, skidding to a halt near Mikoto and the others.
It turned out to be none other than Minato himself.
He stood there, eyes filled with shock, staring at the destruction caused by his new jutsu.
This release was stronger than any time before!
Yet the price paid for it was that Minato's entire right sleeve was completely torn apart. Just in the split second when it struck the metallic puppet, the damage had been immense.
"The chakra pathways in your wrist have suffered multiple microscopic tears..." A voice came from inside him.
Minato's eyes flickered slightly, but he tightly clenched his right hand, even though it was trembling.
This new technique he named [Spiral Tempest Barrage, Zero Form] was undeniably powerful, yet it wasn't something he could easily unleash.
Without the Nine-Tails' chakra as support and after taking Tsunade's pill, Minato's chakra reserves barely reached the level required to execute this technique.
However, channeling all his chakra into this jutsu would leave him completely drained. If he failed to escape properly, he might even get caught up in the backlash himself.
And with a ninja technique of this level, just a few seconds of exposure could tear someone's body apart directly.
After an extended period of raging winds, the intensity finally began to subside slightly. At that moment, the wild-eyed Kouhi charged straight into the heart of the explosion.
As for the previously several-meters-tall metallic puppet, it had already turned into a pile of debris scattered within the range of the [Spiral Tempest Barrage, Zero Form].
Liufei lay motionless at the epicenter of this unleashed technique, his life status unknown.
"You damned Konoha brat!"
Meanwhile, Chiyo, who was entangled with Tsunade and Orochimaru on the other side, gritted her teeth hard. Her aged face showed unrestrainable fury.
She once again took out two scrolls and summoned the [Chikamatsu Collection].
The ten puppets surrounded her, and eleven pairs of eyes locked onto Minato.
[Summoning Jutsu!]
At the same time, Tsunade bit her finger. A massive slug appeared behind her, then rapidly shrank through her hand seals until it became palm-sized and hopped onto her shoulder.
Orochimaru also stood ready. Together, they completely restricted Chiyo and the [Chikamatsu Collection]'s movement range.
Chiyo's killing intent toward Minato had now reached its peak, but naturally, Tsunade and Orochimaru would go all out to protect him.
For this reason, both sides were willing to pay any cost.
Seeing this situation, even though anger surged within her, Chiyo, having lived through the ninja world for decades, clearly recognized the current circumstances.
Her reason told her that a direct confrontation wouldn't be the best solution.
Yet Liufei, whom she had personally trained, now lay unresponsive, while the brat who had cost her time and again stood right before her.
Even so, there was no telling if she could take Minato down for sure.
Because from observing his movements when escaping the center of that previous technique, his physical abilities hadn't been significantly affected.
Chiyo couldn't understand what had happened to Minato—Tsunade's Medical Ninjutsu simply shouldn't have been capable of this.
Minato also noticed Chiyo's murderous gaze filled with killing intent, but it made no difference to him.
Instead, he exchanged glances with Hatake Sakumo, who had retreated alongside him, and together they dashed toward Liufei.
"Clan Head Hiashi, you assist Tsunade and Orochimaru. Here is fine with just me and this kid."
Hatake Sakumo stopped the approaching Hiashi Hyuga and sent him to reinforce Tsunade's position instead.
After all, if Chiyo went berserk, that would be the most terrifying scenario. Even Orochimaru and Tsunade wouldn't have complete confidence in stopping her.
Kouhi dashed to Liufei's side, crouched beside her, and pulled her into his arms. Her entire body was covered in tattered clothes that left little to the imagination. Yet Kouhi clearly had no mind for such details at this moment. With bloodshot eyes, he bellowed her name like a man gone wild.
Sakumo and Minato arrived but held back at first. They watched as Liufei slowly opened her bloodshot, weary eyes—still cradled tightly in Kouhi's arms.
In truth, her whole body seemed as though pierced repeatedly by countless tiny blades. Though she hadn't lost much blood, hardly any intact skin remained on her body.
Seeing this, Minato fell silent for a moment before finally understanding completely.
This was exactly the kind of damage his [New Jutsu] (technique) could cause...
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