"He is relying on those kunai to move. Quickly, pull out those kunai!" Rasa quickly discovered the secret behind Namikaze Minato's movement and shouted immediately.
But at this time, a large part of the nearby Sand Ninja elites had already died, and the remaining few soon perished at the hands of Namikaze Minato.
A stepped forward to Rasa's side. Namikaze Minato thrust a kunai toward Rasa's throat, but it was blocked by a large mass of sand, and Minato's attack failed.
Seeing that Namikaze Minato was caught by Gold Dust, Rasa grinned sinisterly and moved his hands. A large amount of Gold Dust surged madly toward Minato, completely engulfing his body.
[Magnet Release: Shattered Glass]
Rasa was preparing to explode Namikaze Minato with his Gold Dust, but then realized that Minato's figure was no longer within it.
Minato reappeared behind Rasa and threw a kunai at him, but it was also blocked by Gold Dust. Then a large amount of sand surged at Minato again, forcing him to flee and evade the attack.
"Hmph! Can you withstand this?" Rasa said with contempt and anger as he manipulated Gold Dust to seize a distant Konoha ninja and cruelly crushed the ninja, blood raining from the sky.
Namikaze Minato's expression remained calm. After several quick flashes into Rasa's blind spots, a blue chakra sphere formed in his hand and slammed toward Rasa.
[Rasengan]
A wave of Gold Dust rose from the ground and blocked Minato. The [Rasengan] pressed into the sand and shattered the wall made of Gold Dust, but unfortunately, the chakra was also exhausted, and it failed to injure Rasa.
Minato once again flashed away from Rasa, but his heart was heavy. Rasa's Gold Dust technique was both offensive and defensive — a near-perfect ninjutsu. If its defenses couldn't be broken, Rasa couldn't be harmed.
What to do?
Watching the duel between Namikaze Minato and Rasa from afar, Chao Yanqian's heart wavered.
One was the future Fourth Hokage, the other the future Fourth Kazekage. The duel between two future Kage stirred Chao Yanqian's emotions, but also filled him with pity.
If he had been born a few years earlier, perhaps he, too, could've influenced the course of the war. But now, Chao Yanqian was too weak. In this battle, he could do nothing — he could only struggle to survive.
Rasa's ninjutsu was undoubtedly superb. Though Namikaze Minato was the fastest shinobi in the ninja world, the flaw of the [Flying Thunder God Technique] was obvious. As long as the enemy targeted his kunai, the technique could be heavily restricted.
While Minato's current [Rasengan] could break through the Gold Dust defense, it wasn't enough. If he wanted to injure Rasa, relying solely on [Rasengan] wouldn't suffice.
However, now was not the time to worry about Minato. After evading Rasa's ninjutsu, Chao Yanqian had also broken away from the protection of Konoha's forces. At this moment, many Sand ninja noticed him and the others. Survivors who had escaped from the Gold Dust's attack were now rushing toward them.
Looking around, he saw many Konoha ninjas still alive — most of them jonin level. Among them was Uchiha Chizuru of the Uchiha clan. This guy didn't seem to have suffered any injuries, except for his slightly disheveled clothes. It looked like he had preserved full combat strength.
Although Uchiha clan members were proud and arrogant, Chao Yanqian had never dared to underestimate them. Uchiha ninja were strong once they awakened their Sharingan — especially jonin with three tomoe. They were formidable.
"Captain Chizuru, now that the medical squad has been wiped out, let's join the battle!" Chao Yanqian seemed to have forgotten their earlier dispute and called out to Uchiha Chizuru.
Chao Yanqian was now playing a role, though he wanted to kill Chizuru — but on this battlefield, staying near Chizuru increased his survival odds.
"Hmph! You don't need to tell me!" Uchiha Chizuru snorted coldly, glaring at Chao Yanqian. But with Sand ninja attacking, he could only step forward to engage them.
With a smirk, Chao Yanqian approached Uchiha Chizuru and whispered so only the two of them could hear: "Our argument earlier was witnessed by many. If this gets back to the village, your situation might be very bad."
The suppression of the Uchiha by the Konoha leadership was something many had noticed. As an Uchiha, Chizuru knew the fear and control Konoha exerted over their clan.
Just as Chao Yanqian said, if this incident was reported to the village, Chizuru could be abandoned by the Uchiha and punished by the village.
"What do you mean?" Uchiha Chizuru asked coldly, with a flash of killing intent.
"You protect me on the battlefield. As deputy captain of the medical squad, and the team's captain, I can vouch for you," Chao Yanqian whispered.
"How will you vouch for me?" Uchiha Chizuru asked with focus.
He's taken the bait.
Chao Yanqian whispered, "When we found Rasa, it was too late to retreat."
"Hmph! I'll explain it myself. I don't need you to say that," Chizuru said disdainfully.
"Look at the people around you ,they hate you. If you weren't here, do you think the village would let you go?" Chao Yanqian chuckled softly. "You can't kill everyone here, right?"
"You little, are you threatening me?" Uchiha Chizuru growled.
"A threat is just a kind of cooperation. At most, it's mutual benefit," Chao Yanqian replied with a smile. "You protect me, I vouch that what happened wasn't your fault. That way, we both live. Deal?"
Taking a deep breath, Uchiha Chizuru suppressed his anger and said coldly, "Fine. I agree."
"Happy to cooperate ,but don't let me get hurt!" Chao Yanqian raised an eyebrow, then threw a kunai into a nearby Sand ninja.
The rest of the battle was simpler. On the edge of the battlefield, there weren't many Sand ninja left.
With Uchiha Chizuru leading the way, it was easy. As long as they weren't facing jonin-level enemies, he could handle them, and Chao Yanqian could follow up and take out Sand ninja weakened by Chizuru.
Boom!
At that moment, another puff of smoke rose on the battlefield. When it cleared, a giant toad holding a pipe and a blade appeared.
Chao Yanqian recognized the toad instantly — the elder toad, Gamabunta.
"Hey! Minato, why'd you call me out?" Gamabunta grumbled, looking annoyed and lazy.
"Sorry, Gamabunta. This enemy is tricky," Minato said. "I need you to help suppress Rasa's Gold Dust and give me a chance to get close."
"Troublesome... Fine, just get on!" Gamabunta snorted, then jumped to avoid Rasa's Gold Dust.