Chapter 359: Tactics Ineffective
"[Ama-no-Subaruboshi-no-Mikoto: Light Assault]!"
Urashiki, enraged by Minato, violently thrust his palm forward! From his palm center, red chakra madly surged and exploded!
Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh—!!!
Instantly, tens of thousands of fingernail-sized yet flashing dangerously dark red radiance energy light points shot overwhelmingly toward Minato Namikaze's direction!
Facing this area-saturation strike, Minato's golden Nine-Tails chakra cloak radiance blazed brilliantly!
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh—!
His figure instantly transformed into continuously flickering golden flash! Not linear movement but leaving a series of brief yet precise zigzag trajectories in midair.
The light point rain howled past yet couldn't even graze his chakra cloak's edges.
Just as this dense offensive's momentum slightly weakened—Urashiki's old strength exhausted, new strength not yet born—golden flash suddenly extinguished, then violently blazed mere inches before Urashiki!
Minato's figure directly appeared right before Urashiki, Flying Thunder God kunai in hand, swiftly thrusting toward Urashiki's throat!
CLANG—!
Clear metal-striking-metal sound.
Urashiki reacted extremely fast. Chakra instantly solidified, transforming in his hand into a dark red energy staff, barely blocking Minato's tricky thrust!
Crack!
Breaking sound came. The Flying Thunder God kunai blade in Minato's hand—sufficient to withstand high-intensity chakra attachment—at the impact point with Urashiki's chakra staff, surprisingly broke! Half the blade spun away.
"Almighty Push!"
Having gained advantage from one strike, Urashiki's eyes flashed golden light. Seizing Minato's damaged weapon and momentarily stalled form, his other free hand violently opened, aiming at close-range Minato!
Hum—!
Invisible repulsive force instantly erupted, viciously smashing toward Minato!
However, Minato's reaction was faster! Or rather, he'd already predicted Urashiki's possible backup plan.
Whoosh!
Golden radiance flashed. Minato's figure had already vanished from thin air. Next instant, already steadily retreated to safe distance dozens of meters back. The repulsive field futilely swept across his original standing position, only stirring air turbulence.
"Tsk... truly troublesome technique..." Urashiki withdrew his hand, expression gloomy, spitting.
Flying Thunder God—this nearly distance-ignoring, unpreventable instant-movement technique—at tactical level made him feel extremely troublesome and "disgusting." But his eyes immediately flashed viciousness and anticipation.
"However, letting you jump around—so what? As long as time's on my side, once I completely take over this body... that's my absolute victory! Then let's see where you golden fly can still fly!"
The kunai with broken blade tip spun slightly in Minato's hand. Though the just-now exchange was brief, he'd completed another critical test and reached an extremely severe conclusion.
Wanting to hit the opponent with sealing technique—difficulty beyond imagination.
The opponent's combat style was extremely troublesome—utilizing high-intensity chakra weapons for offense and defense. Those golden Rinnegan's granted insight and possibly activated ocular techniques for handling ambushes and controlling field. That ability transforming body into red paper cranes was optimal escape and evasion method.
And sealing techniques—especially those powerful enough to confine Urashiki-class existences—often required relatively complex seal-forming processes and precise release timing. With opponent possessing so many countermeasures and escape methods, wanting to seize that fleeting opportunity during frontal confrontation to complete seals and successfully hit—probability infinitesimally small.
More troublesome—even if by chance temporarily restraining opponent somehow, Urashiki could immediately transform into paper cranes to break free. Sealing techniques couldn't complete in time at all.
Cannot be effectively restrained, cannot be thoroughly eliminated. Dragging on—each increment fusion process advanced, Urashiki's advantage expanded one portion, Naruto's consciousness endangered one portion!
Time stood on the enemy's side!
Minato Namikaze bit his lips tightly, applying pressure with teeth until tasting spiritual body's "pain." He used this pain forcing himself to withdraw from possibly-failing terrible imagination, forcibly cooling boiling anxiety and paternal love nearly drowning rationality, letting thinking return to absolute calm.
Must think of methods! Must!
His originally conceived first tactical plan was—through continuous, high-frequency attacks forcing Urashiki into large-scale displacement or defense, predicting possible evasion space or defensive gaps. Simultaneously using shadow clones creating chaos and illusions while main body lurked beforehand at predicted critical positions, completing sealing technique preparations, waiting for Urashiki to "crash" into it himself.
But reality was—Urashiki was cunning and cautious. He more often chose holding original position, utilizing powerful defensive and counterattack abilities responding rather than frequently performing high-risk displacements. This made predicting movement trajectories abnormally difficult. First plan declared bankruptcy before even starting.
Then what other methods remained?
Using a technique itself containing powerful sealing force requiring no complex prerequisites or long-term maintenance "moves"—directly attacking and sealing opponent!
Fusing sealing technique power into attacks themselves.
But... Minato's heart sank.
Minato Namikaze didn't master that kind of ready-made ninjutsu directly usable for attacks while carrying powerful sealing effects. His sealing technique knowledge leaned more toward barriers, spatial lockdown—lacking flexible, fast, usable-for-this-spiritual-body-combat offensive sealing methods.
"ROAR—!!!!"
Just during Minato's brief contemplation gap, Nine-Tails released furious unwilling roars! Several tails carrying tearing-everything hatred again viciously smashed toward Urashiki!
WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM—!!
Continuous heavy impact sounds! Ground smashed creating crater after crater!
Urashiki seemed to find Nine-Tails' futile resistance tiresome. One hand casually waved. Several thick dark red chakra shields instantly condensed forming around him in all directions, precisely blocking all Nine-Tails' tail strikes!
In this mental world, Nine-Tails' usable power more approached its uncontrolled wild state. Aside from Tailed Beast Bombs, lacking perfect coordination with jinchuriki's refined operations and explosive power—appearing somewhat clumsy and easily targeted.
"Quiet down first, 'Fox.'" Urashiki's voice carried impatience. "I think... once all dust settles, we'll 'get along' very 'pleasantly' afterward."
While speaking, his idle hand raised again, aiming at temporarily movement-restricted Nine-Tails! Even more massive, viscous dark red chakra madly gathered in his palm, rapidly condensing into thicker, tip-incomparably-sharp energy giant pillars, violently launching toward Nine-Tails' massive body!
Though Nine-Tails struggled twisting body attempting evasion, huge form affected agility—
Squelch! Squelch!
Two more tails unable to dodge in time were viciously pierced and pinned to ground by these red giant pillars! Pain and worry made Nine-Tails release pained groans, but beast eyes' hatred and killing intent burned even more fiercely!
"Urgh... bastard... must kill you... must...!!"
Even with body restrained, Nine-Tails still used that wanting-to-devour-alive, burn-soul-to-ashes hatred gaze, deadly locking onto him.
Just then—
"Rasengan!"
A voice accompanied by high-speed rotating chakra hum rang from extremely close distance behind Urashiki!
It was Minato Namikaze! Flying Thunder God ambush, appearing at Urashiki's visual blind spot! Rasengan aimed at Urashiki's back heart, viciously pressing down!
"Again?!" Urashiki's brow furrowed, inwardly cursing this unpreventable instant-movement technique. Facing this almost close-range, too-late-to-completely-turn-and-defend attack, he almost reflexively prepared activating that life-saving ability—transforming body to energy form, dispersing into red paper cranes!
However!
Just at the critical moment before Rasengan touched Urashiki's back—
The Rasengan condensed in Minato's hand surprisingly vanished without warning! Not only that—the brilliant golden Nine-Tails chakra cloak on Minato's body also instantly faded, exposing his original form!
"?!" Urashiki froze. Energy transformation process also therefore experienced extremely brief stagnation. What's happening? Chakra supply interrupted?
But his combat instincts remained. Though not understanding why, this was undoubtedly excellent counterattack opportunity!
"Almighty Push!"
He seized this instant opening, palm aiming at close-range Minato who seemingly showed weakness from "power disappearance"!
WHAM—!!
Invisible repulsive force solidly struck Minato! Minato's figure was viciously blown away by this tremendous force, drawing parabolic arc in air, falling onto distant "ground," stirring dust cloud.
"...So that's it." Urashiki watched distant fallen-not-rising Minato, glanced at Nine-Tails firmly pinned by himself with obviously disordered chakra fluctuations, heart understanding. "Restraining that fox caused supplied power instability, even interruption? Hmph, truly fragile connection."
In that case...
Killing intent flashed in Urashiki's eyes! This golden fly was truly too troublesome. Must seize now during its "weakened" timing, thoroughly resolve it, preventing complications from delay!
"Universal Pull!"
He raised his other hand, aiming at distant fallen-not-rising Minato, five fingers grasping void!
Powerful attractive force instantly generated, violently pulling Minato's limp body from ground, rapidly flying toward Urashiki!
Simultaneously, Urashiki's previous hand again condensed chakra. A red chakra spear with edges flashing cold light rapidly formed, spear tip directly pointing at attracted Minato's heart!
"It's over!"