Chapter 163: Flying Thunder God's Weakness?!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

As Namikaze Minato's team hurried through the forest at noon, their respite from danger ended abruptly. Strange sounds echoed from the sky, and five massive lava fireballs, each over ten meters in diameter, appeared above them, blotting out the sunlight as they plummeted toward the group.

"Ahhhh! What's that?!"

Obito Uchiha's panicked scream broke the tense silence as he stared at the incoming threat. The sheer size and power of the fireballs sent chills down his spine.

Kakashi Hatake froze momentarily, cold sweat dripping down his face as his body involuntarily trembled. Behind them, Nohara Rin was even worse off, collapsing onto the ground, her voice barely a whisper:

"Are we going to die?"

Minato, however, remained calm. With a steely expression, he swiftly drew his signature three-pronged kunai and hurled it toward the fireballs.

"Flying Thunder God Technique!"

As the kunai flew through the air, the fireballs vanished, one after another, just before impact. A second later, a thunderous explosion erupted over a kilometer away, and a towering column of fire illuminated the distant forest.

The heatwave from the blast swept through the area, making their clothes billow in the scorching wind. Minato stood firm, his stance prepared for battle.

"We're saved!" Obito gasped in relief, collapsing to the ground in exhaustion.

Kakashi let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding, his trembling subsiding.

Minato turned to his students, his tone grave. "Kakashi, Obito—take Rin and leave this area immediately. I'll handle the battle alone."

"What?!" Obito exclaimed, his voice filled with disbelief. "We can't just abandon you, Sensei!"

"You don't have a choice," Minato said firmly. "Staying here will only make it harder for me to fight. I need you to move to a safe location. Now."

Before the argument could continue, a low, menacing laugh echoed from the forest.

"Well, isn't this a touching display of loyalty?"

Emerging from the shadows, Roshi stepped forward, clapping mockingly. His presence exuded power and danger.

"But there's no need to argue. None of you are leaving alive."

Behind Roshi, nearly fifty Iwa ninjas stepped out of the forest, surrounding Minato and his team.

"Kakashi… Obito…" Minato's voice was low and urgent. "Find a way to escape while I deal with this."

Obito, however, clenched his fists, his voice shaking with emotion. "We're not running away and leaving you behind, Sensei! We're a team!"

"Don't be an idiot, Obito!" Kakashi snapped. "The best way we can help Sensei is by getting out of his way. We'll just slow him down!"

Before the argument could continue, Roshi's mocking voice cut through the tension.

"Look at you—so calm and collected, even in the face of death. I suppose that's what makes you 'Konoha's Yellow Flash.'"

Roshi stopped a dozen meters away, his sharp eyes locked onto Minato. Despite his arrogant tone, there was a hint of caution in his demeanor. Minato's reputation clearly preceded him.

Minato wasted no time. He hurled a kunai toward Roshi, his hands already forming seals.

"Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!"

The single kunai multiplied into hundreds mid-air, raining down on the Iwa ninjas like a deadly storm.

"Pathetic!" Roshi scoffed, forming seals at lightning speed. The other Iwa ninjas followed suit, raising an enormous earth wall to shield themselves.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The kunai struck the wall with explosive force, echoing like cannon fire. The Iwa ninjas flinched at the sound, but their confidence was short-lived.

Cracks spread across the wall as Minato's kunai pierced through it with ease, leaving a gaping hole several meters wide. The scattered kunai flew toward the Iwa ninjas on the other side.

"Scatter!" Roshi barked, his voice commanding.

The Iwa ninjas leapt away, narrowly avoiding the deadly projectiles. Roshi himself spat a molten fireball, melting several kunai into molten metal mid-air.

As the battlefield erupted into chaos, Minato vanished in a blur, his Flying Thunder God Technique activating.

"Be alert! He's using the Flying Thunder God!" one of the Iwa ninjas shouted, his voice trembling.

Before he could react further, Minato appeared beside him, kunai in hand. The Iwa ninja raised his weapon to block, but it was a feint—Minato's real attack came from his left hand.

"Rasengan!"

The spinning orb of chakra struck the Iwa ninja's abdomen with devastating force, shattering his spine and sending him flying. The ninja landed over ten meters away, motionless.

Minato disappeared again, reappearing among the scattered Iwa ninjas. Screams echoed across the battlefield as one by one, they fell to his relentless assault.

Roshi's face twisted in frustration.

"Enough!" he roared.

"Lava Style: Lava River Technique!"

A searing torrent of molten lava erupted from Roshi's mouth, flooding the battlefield. But instead of targeting Minato, the attack surged toward Kakashi, Obito, and Rin.

"The more things he has to protect, the weaker a ninja becomes," Roshi sneered. "Today, Minato Namikaze, you die!"

Minato's eyes widened as he realized Roshi's intent. Without hesitation, he threw a kunai toward his team, vanishing in an instant.

To Be Continued...

(End of Chapter)