Minato Namikaze displayed remarkable agility. Using one hand to push off from the tip of a rising stone spear, he twisted his waist mid-air, using the momentum to spin backward and leap away.
The tip of one stone spear barely grazed his pant leg, tearing it as he ascended.
"Minato! Are you alright?"
As the smoke began to dissipate, a figure emerged from the massive crater in the ground.
"I'm fine, Jiraiya-sensei. Please don't worry!" Minato replied with a faint smile as he landed, though his body staggered slightly.
The two Great Toad Sages on Jiraiya's shoulders had disappeared, and the toad-like features on his body had also faded.
Jiraiya glanced at Minato's tired expression, noting the fatigue etched on his otherwise youthful face. It was evident that Minato, too, had reached his limit.
After all, moving such a massive golden pyramid, even for Minato, was no small feat.
Wiping the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, Minato remarked with a mix of admiration and exhaustion, "I never expected Sunagakure to have cultivated such an outstanding ninja without us even realizing it..."
Jiraiya turned his gaze toward the tunnel from which Sōmi and the others had fled. A pool of crimson blood stained the otherwise monotonous brown ground.
"If my Sage Mode could have lasted a bit longer, perhaps I could've kept that Kazekage here!" Jiraiya said regretfully, stroking his chin.
"That young Sunagakure ninja has immense potential. If it weren't for your timely intervention, Jiraiya-sensei, his Gold Sand Seal might have really trapped me in there!" Minato admitted, a trace of respect flashing across his face.
In Minato's view, given Sunagakure's limited expertise in sealing techniques, Sōmi had managed to push the boundaries of what was possible.
The only reason Minato had been able to break Sōmi's seal so easily was because he stood on the shoulders of giants—the Uzumaki Clan. The difference in their mastery of sealing techniques was like night and day.
"Is he dead?" Jiraiya asked, glancing at the blood-stained kunai in Minato's hand.
"If I managed to pierce his heart, then he's definitely dead. If not, we'll surely see him again in the future," Minato replied after a moment of thought. Due to the puppet's interference, he couldn't confirm Sōmi's condition at that critical moment.
"That red-haired guy is no slouch either. His puppets can release ninjutsu without hand seals! When did Sunagakure start developing puppets like that?" Jiraiya frowned, his thoughts turning serious.
If such puppets were mass-produced and employed by Sunagakure's ninja, it would spell trouble for Konohagakure.
"Indeed, they're quite formidable! But creating such puppets must be incredibly challenging. I even sensed Chakra flowing through them, almost as if they were alive..."
"And, unless I'm mistaken, the short blade wielded by that puppet looked strikingly similar to the Thunder Swords of Raiga Kurosuki from Kirigakure's Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist."
When Kirigakure had requested the return of their stolen ninja swords, Minato had carefully reviewed the files on the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
It wasn't surprising that Minato's thoughts went in this direction. After all, throughout the ninja world, the most well-known lightning-based weapons were the Seven Ninja Swords, particularly the Thunder Swords.
"No wonder we only found four of the swords..." Jiraiya said thoughtfully.
"If Sunagakure ninja have been secretly operating within our borders, we should be able to uncover some traces," Jiraiya added, recalling the distinct features of the ninja swords.
"We'll investigate further when we return!"
"The life force of that puppeteer is also extraordinary. In some ways, it reminds me of Kushina..." Minato's lips curled into an involuntary smile at the mention of Kushina.
Jiraiya noticed his student's smile and chose not to continue the conversation. Instead, he looked up at the transparent barrier above them and casually dispelled it.
Unbeknownst to them, the sun had already begun to set. The crimson sunset hung low on the western horizon, its blood-red hue painting the sky.
The evening glow dyed the drifting clouds in the sky, outlining them with a shimmering golden edge. The scattered clouds transformed into a breathtaking, radiant sunset.
The mountain wind swept through, kicking up layers of dust on the ground. Tiny grains of sand playfully danced with the wind, carried far into the distance.
"Let's go. Time to head back to the village," Jiraiya finally said after sensing the arrival of the support units.
"Sorry, Jiraiya-sensei. I've almost completely run out of Chakra, so I can't teleport us directly back to the village," Minato apologized, his voice echoing across the barren, desolate battlefield. The two figures, silhouetted against the setting sun, cast long shadows on the ground.
...
The Battle of Kikyo Mountain once again cemented the reputations of Minato Namikaze and Jiraiya as legends in the ninja world.
Meanwhile, the Third Kazekage, hailed as "Sunagakure's Strongest Kazekage," became little more than a backdrop to their glory, having suffered a crushing defeat at Jiraiya's hands.
Initially, Sunagakure's rapid conquest of the Land of Rivers and the Land of Birds had led many to believe the village had undergone a dramatic resurgence. However, the end result turned them into a laughingstock among the other great nations.
Fortunately for Sunagakure, the higher-ups in Konohagakure chose not to seize the Land of Rivers, opting instead to fortify their defenses. This decision was influenced by the continued provocations from Iwagakure and Kumogakure.
Even so, this battle heightened the other villages' fear of Konohagakure. None dared to launch large-scale attacks against them, knowing that even a single "Yellow Flash" was enough to leave countless ninja dead in his wake.
It was a sobering reminder of Konohagakure's unparalleled strength, a village that seemed to produce Kage-level powerhouses in endless supply.
As for the other protagonist of the battle, Jiraiya, the title of "Toad Sage" began to overshadow his reputation as one of the "Legendary Sannin."
For a time, the war-torn ninja world experienced an unexpected calm, with a faint glimmer of peace on the horizon.
Within Sunagakure, however, the aftermath of their defeat under the iron-fisted rule of the Third Kazekage stirred unrest among the village's higher-ups.
...
A few days later, inside a newly renovated hospital in Sunagakure, Sōmi sat by the window, staring blankly at the scenery outside.
The view was still dominated by monotonous yellow hues, but since the conquest of Asuka District and Ryukawa District, the pride and excitement once visible on the villagers' faces had vanished.
The wind today was gentle, but the streets were sparsely populated, with only a few pedestrians here and there. Sōmi, hoping to "refresh his eyes," found himself disappointed.
But in the next moment, a graceful figure appeared across the street. Her voluptuous form and the expanse of pale, exposed skin on her back immediately caught Sōmi's attention.
He recognized her at once—it was Pakura, with whom he had shared a close encounter before. However, her expression now seemed anxious.
Sōmi quickly deduced the reason, his expression shifting to one of understanding. She was likely on her way to report to the Kazekage.
The Kazekage was currently recovering in the top floor of this very hospital. The security around him was incredibly tight, given the severity of his injuries. When he was first brought in, the Kazekage had been on the brink of death, throwing the entire medical department into chaos.
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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