Chapter 158: The Reversal
In the arena, Minato Namikaze, with one slash of his sword, had cut the Great Fireball in two and had passed through unharmed. Hiroto had not expected that.
Minato accelerated again and appeared in front of one of the Hirotos, the short sword in his hand already showing signs of melting.
The Hiroto clone, in its surprise, dissipated into a puff of smoke.
Bad luck. It was still a Shadow Clone. But Minato didn't hesitate. He turned and charged at the last one, wanting to maximize the effect of the "Slashing Jutsu's" first appearance.
"Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere!"
Hiroto had chosen the correct counter. The Vacuum Spheres could be fired continuously, and they couldn't be cut. If they were hit by an external force, they would explode. And they were small.
But Minato nimbly dodged all of them, like a juggler, avoiding every attack in a way that seemed to defy logic. Many of the men in the stands felt a twinge in their own backs just watching him.
A few kunai were thrown, and Minato ducked, and he was in front of Hiroto.
Finally, he was within arm's reach.
A blue ball appeared in his hand, and Hiroto did the same.
"RASENGAN!"
"RASENGAN!"
The two spheres of spinning chakra slammed into each other, just as they had in the Forest of Death.
The humming sound of the stalemate filled the arena.
"You have no chance with ninjutsu," Hiroto said.
And just as before, Minato's Rasengan was no match for his. It shattered, and he was sent flying back.
But in mid-air, a smile appeared on his face, and he disappeared in a puff of smoke.
What? The feel of the Rasengan can't be faked. This Shadow Clone... with his chakra level, he can afford to use a Shadow Clone?
The next moment, the real Minato appeared behind him, the half-melted short sword swinging down.
He was confident that this was the real one. He hadn't used any other clone jutsu.
I've got him!
But just before the blade was about to connect, a flicker of doubt crossed his mind. He had used his kunai several times already for misdirection and movement. Would Hiroto really have ignored it again?
Sure enough, the next moment, a strange sensation came from the blade.
It was like hitting the surface of water with a stick. At first, there was no resistance, but the closer it got, the stronger the recoil.
It was as if there were an invisible barrier.
The short sword stopped just an inch from his body, but he could not move it any further.
And then, a burst of flames erupted from the point of contact, sending him flying.
"What?!"
The close-range explosion was completely unexpected. Even with his quick reflexes, he was seriously injured. His body was charred black, and much of his hair had been burned off. His exposed skin was covered in severe burns.
"What happened? The golden-haired boy had hit him, right? Why did he get sent flying?"
"The red-haired one didn't even seem to react!"
Not just the audience, but even the high-ranking officials of the various villages had no idea what had just happened.
"Is that some kind of secret jutsu?" many of the ninja wondered.
In the stands, Fugaku Uchiha unconsciously activated his Sharingan, the three tomoe spinning rapidly, trying to discern what was wrong. But after the brief burst, there was no trace of anything on Hiroto's body.
Minato, leaning on his short sword for support, looked at him. But no matter how hard he looked, he could see nothing unusual. It was as if the barrier had never existed.
"What was that jutsu?"
Hiroto did not answer the question. "Your chakra must be almost gone," he said. "You've been using Shadow Clones, and you're burned. Are you going to surrender?"
Minato struggled to his feet, panting heavily. "Thank you for not finishing me off," he said. "But I'm not going to surrender yet."
"You're at your limit," Hiroto said, confused.
"No," Minato said, looking at his half-melted sword. "I think I have one more slash in me."
He struggled to his feet and pointed his twisted short sword at him.
He knew he had already lost. Hiroto could have easily put a kunai to his neck before he had even gotten up. But he still wanted to fight. He wanted to make one last, desperate attempt.
And most importantly, he wanted to know what had just happened. What was that barrier?
In the stands, Dana, who knew a little of the inside story, stroked his smooth chin thoughtfully.
"Interesting," he mused. "The thing Hiroto came up with... does it have a sealing jutsu component? As expected of the Uzumaki. Their talent for sealing jutsu is truly exceptional."
He then looked at Kayo, next to him. Kayo has more or less mastered the Kagura Mind's Eye, he thought. I wonder if she has a chance of awakening the Adamantine Sealing Chains.
Seeing that the match was pretty much decided, Kayo also breathed a sigh of relief. She looked at him, confused. "What are you looking at, Onii-chan Dana? Is there something on my face?"
"Just looking at how pretty you are," he said with a playful smile.
In the arena, Hiroto saw Minato slowly get to his feet, determined to continue the fight. He sighed. "Well then," he said, "come on."
To everyone's surprise, he did not choose to use his usual five-elemental ninjutsu, but instead, walked forward with his hands empty.
The two of them walked towards each other, then began to run.
Minato was also confused. Why was he choosing to fight with taijutsu? Did he think he was so weak now that he was not worth his time?
But with his chakra depleted and his sword melted, he couldn't think too much about it. He really did only have one more slash in him.
At least I have to find out what happened.
They grew closer and closer. He squeezed out the last of his chakra and swung his sword.
But Hiroto ignored the falling blade and threw a punch.
Sure enough, it was the same feeling of being blocked by a barrier. But this time, he was prepared. He opened his eyes wide, not missing a single detail.
What is that?
Between his body and the blade, there seemed to be a thin film. It was not hard, but it was incredibly tough. The closer the blade got, the stronger the resistance.
After it had been stretched to its limit, the film under the blade changed. A small jutsu formula flashed for an instant.
At the same time, Hiroto's fist also reached his chest. Before it had even made contact, he felt a barrier hit him. A similar jutsu formula flashed in front of the fist.
The next moment, a series of wind blades erupted from the point of contact with the sword, and a flash of lightning came from the point of contact with the fist.
Minato was thrown back, seriously injured.
In mid-air, his mind was still turning.
He sealed his ninjutsu on his body? How is that possible?!