"Senjutsu: Vacuum Sphere!" Namikaze Minato unleashed a powerful Senjutsu technique. While he often relied on the Rasengan and Flying Thunder God techniques, as an adept Wind Release user, it was natural for him to master other Wind-style jutsu.
The fierce Vacuum Sphere neutralized the incoming Vacuum Wave heading his way. Its sheer force was enough to nearly graze Kakuzu.
As much as he hated to admit it, the old man knew he'd been outclassed.
"I'll take it from here," Deidara stepped forward.
"Minato, why not show your true strength already?" he taunted. Though, inwardly, Deidara couldn't help but feel a sense of déjà vu.
Wait… am I about to mess up like Kakuzu did?
"Although you're an Edo Tensei body and immune to death, if I can't achieve my goal with you, I'll just have to go after Naruto instead," Deidara stated with a sly grin.
"So, if you want to stop me, you'd better kill me before the Edo Tensei is undone."
His words were calculated to provoke Minato—to force him into summoning the Nine-Tails and using its Tailed Beast Ball. That was the plan.
Minato's expression hardened upon hearing Deidara's threat.
"As Naruto's father, I can't let him be harmed," Minato said firmly.
"Then prepare yourself," Deidara responded. With a flash, Minato disappeared, reappearing behind Deidara at a Flying Thunder God mark.
"Rasengan!" The spherical Wind Release chakra tore through Deidara, leaving only a twisted clump of clay.
No big deal—that was just a clone.
Deidara's real body had already taken to the skies, far from Minato's reach.
"C2: Special Type—Mandala of Ten Thousand Snakes!"
"C2: Special Type—Combat Swarm!"
"C2: Standard Type—Rock Worms!"
From land, sky, and underground, countless clay creatures emerged, aiming to overwhelm Minato from all dimensions.
"Orochimaru, Kakuzu, Hidan—step back unless you want to be caught in my art's explosion," Deidara warned.
"How delightful," Orochimaru said with a sinister smile as he retreated alongside the other two. Hidan, of course, was dragged away by Kakuzu's threads.
Minato observed the swarm with a calm yet cautious demeanor.
"Did the enemy create all these?" he muttered.
The Nine-Tails stirred within him.
"What are you afraid of? Dying? You're already dead. You might as well charge in and figure out what this guy's abilities are."
"You've got a point," Minato said, scratching his head. He launched a Rasengan into a group of clay snakes.
"Take this!"
Boom!
Half of Minato's body was blown apart. He hadn't used the Flying Thunder God to evade, just as the Nine-Tails suggested. Being an Edo Tensei body, he was unaffected by death and saw no harm in testing the enemy's abilities up close.
"So, explosions, huh?" Minato said, glancing up at Deidara.
Deidara smirked. He had no intention of dragging this out. Though Minato was handsome, Deidara only had eyes for women.
"Minato, I'm giving you one hour. If you can't defeat me by then, I'm going after Naruto."
"Then I'll have to get serious," Minato replied. Recognizing Deidara's sincerity, he ceased his probing attacks.
"Senjutsu! Great Vacuum Cannon!"
A barrage of massive Senjutsu-infused air bullets roared toward Deidara, tearing through his combat swarm with ease. The power behind Minato's attacks exceeded even Jiraiya's Senjutsu techniques.
"C2: Standard Type—Dragon!"
A massive clay dragon appeared, self-detonating mid-air to counter the devastating air bullets with a shockwave.
Simultaneously, another reinforced dragon took position, shielding Deidara from the blast's heat and force.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Wave!" Minato didn't aim for Deidara this time. Instead, he directed the attack at the ground, shredding the terrain into countless small fragments.
"Senjutsu: Great Breakthrough!" A powerful gust lifted the fragments high into the air, encircling Deidara at his altitude.
Deidara realized Minato's strategy.
"So, no Flying Thunder God kunai? You've marked the debris with your seals instead. Clever."
"Secret Technique: Dragon's Nest!"
A swarm of clay dragons and bees swarmed the airborne debris, aiming to destroy any pieces marked with Flying Thunder God seals.
Whoosh!
Minato's speed was incomparable. Before Deidara could react, Minato had already appeared on a marked fragment, closing the distance.
"Senjutsu: Wind Release: Vacuum Great Sphere!" Deidara's explosions could neutralize Wind Release, but Minato's Wind Release could equally counter the explosions.
In rapid succession, Minato teleported across the debris, unleashing Wind-style attacks that nullified much of Deidara's bombardment.
Deidara guided his clay dragon to even greater heights, escaping Minato's reach.
Whoosh!
Another Minato appeared on a fragment closer to Deidara. Was it the real one or just another shadow clone? Regardless, both were equally dangerous.
A high-density wind technique erupted, creating a storm of devastating force.
Deidara abandoned the dragon, diving through its center to free-fall and escape. The proximity of Minato's attack left no room for countermeasures.
Whoosh!
Minato teleported again, but Deidara anticipated this. A cluster of clay snakes lay in wait.
"Clay Serpent Barrage!"
Boom!
Deidara used the brief moment to deploy more clay birds and decoys, scattering them across the battlefield.
"Minato, can you figure out which one is the real me?" Deidara taunted, his voice echoing from multiple directions.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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