Minato looked at the storage scroll that had appeared in Yuki Seisui's hand. He didn't quite understand what it was, but since it was clearly meant to be used against him, he couldn't allow it to be released.
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
"Too late!" Yuki Seisui smiled once again.
He then hurled the storage scroll straight toward Minato.
Once a storage scroll like this is damaged, whatever is sealed inside will spill out all at once.
Just like a boss dropping gold coins.
Minato's Wind Style: Great Breakthrough struck the scroll directly, and under his stunned gaze, a small mountain of pitch-black soil appeared on the ground.
But aside from that, nothing else happened.
"That's explosive clay!" At that moment, Yuki Seisui's voice rang out. Minato turned toward the sound and saw that he was holding an identical lump of dark clay in his hand.
Before Minato could fully process what was happening, Yuki Seisui flashed him a grin, injected chakra into the clay, and watched as it heated up and flickered red. He tossed it onto the mound of clay and immediately turned and ran.
This wasn't as much clay as the explosion Panda Wu had caused last time, but it was still nothing to scoff at. If it went off, it would definitely kill someone.
After all, to increase its lethality, bamboo tubes had also been mixed in.
Once the explosion occurred, the shockwave would shatter the bamboo tubes and send the fragments flying outward in all directions.
Seeing Yuki Seisui fleeing, Minato didn't fully understand what was going on, but he instinctively turned and ran as well.
At the same time, Uchiha Haru was fighting Uzumaki Kushina. She wasn't using a blade or any ninjutsu—just bare hands, exchanging blows head-on.
Just as Haru was about to finish Kushina, Yuki Seisui rushed over at incredible speed, grabbed her, and dragged her away.
Uchiha Haru hadn't even figured out what was happening before she'd already been pulled a considerable distance.
Kushina was completely dumbfounded. They were fighting just fine—why did she suddenly get taken away?
With that thought, Kushina looked in the direction Yuki Seisui had come from, only to see a massive pile of black clay glowing with an eerie red light.
"Kushina, run!"
Minato's voice carried from far away. Although he had already mastered the Flying Raijin Technique, he could only teleport to marked locations. In terms of raw movement speed, his Body Flicker Technique couldn't compare to Yuki Seisui's.
Kushina froze for a moment upon hearing him. Then she recalled how frantically Yuki Seisui had fled and immediately turned to run.
But when she saw Minato rushing toward her instead, her steps halted—and she turned back.
Seeing Kushina running toward him, Minato grew anxious. "Run!"
"No," Kushina replied firmly. "I won't leave you behind!"
The two regrouped, staring at the clay mound pulsing with sinister red light. Gritting her teeth, Kushina rapidly formed hand seals.
"Protective Barrier!"
This was a sealing technique that could protect the caster and even repair itself when under attack.
Seeing Kushina forming seals, Minato felt a sense of relief. He himself hadn't mastered this technique. Though he studied sealing arts, his primary focus had always been the Flying Raijin.
But at that very moment, a deafening explosion sounded from nearby.
Minato and Kushina turned toward the noise. Before either of them could clearly see what was happening, blazing light swallowed everything.
BOOM—!
Their bodies were instantly annihilated by the shockwave, reduced to dust.
Yuki Seisui glanced back, then pulled Uchiha Haru along even faster.
Back in the duel arena, he could only summon Panda Wu—he couldn't go there himself.
Otherwise, he could have simply taken Haru and hidden among the panda clan.
When they finally exited the duel arena, Kushina still looked shaken.
"Th-That just now… what was that?" Kushina swallowed hard as she stared at Yuki Seisui.
"Explosive clay," Seisui replied. "A new invention by Panda Wu."
After thinking for a moment, he added, "It's pretty powerful."
The moment those words left his mouth, Minato's expression twisted as if he were severely constipated.
"So you used that against me?"
"Of course!" Yuki Seisui crossed his arms, looking completely justified.
"The Flying Raijin is way too cheating. I can hit you, but it takes way too much effort. Blowing you up is much simpler."
If I really wanted to fight Minato, I could, Seisui thought. But only outside the duel arena.
Inside it, he's like a slippery loach—nothing can really threaten him.
Even if Seisui went all out and dragged the fight on, he could eventually exhaust Minato to death—but explosive clay was far more efficient.
As long as every marked location was covered…
Where could Minato escape to?
He can't.
There's nowhere to run.
"Hmph!"
"Seisui, I'll never spar with you again!" Minato declared angrily.
He felt deeply wounded. Every time he made progress and thought he could finally crush Yuki Seisui, it always ended with him getting crushed instead.
Especially this time. He had thought the Flying Raijin's speed would guarantee victory—only to run into such a wide-area explosive weapon.
"We're leaving!" Minato huffed, grabbing Kushina and storming off.
Yuki Seisui and Uchiha Haru exchanged glances, then both broke into smiles.
But before long, Minato came back again.
"Don't forget—you're reporting to the Hokage tomorrow!"
"Got it." Seisui nodded.
"Hmph!" Minato snorted again and slammed the door shut.
Watching the door rattle in its frame, Seisui rubbed his chin.
"Should I replace that with an iron door?"
"Huh?" Uchiha Haru blinked. "Why replace the door?"
"I'm worried Minato's going to break my doorframe," Seisui said, glancing at the still-intact frame. After a moment, he added, "Just like Elder Danzo."
"Based on my observations, the Hokage office doorframe has already been replaced over ten times. The main door itself has been replaced four or five times."
Uchiha Haru couldn't help but laugh.
"Minato won't be like that. Relax."
"You don't understand," Seisui shook his head. "Minato will definitely become someone like Elder Danzo."
"Slamming doors all the time. Once I become Hokage, Minato will probably be exactly like him."
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