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There was only one person standing on the other side, and yet he believed, with unwavering conviction, that as long as they didn't retreat, they could kill the murderer before them.
After all, even the Third Raikage—once hailed as the strongest man in the shinobi world—was ultimately beaten to death in battle!
Gripping a kunai in one hand, he swiftly hurled several shuriken with the other, charging forward with fearless resolve to strike down the enemy before him.
But he wasn't reckless—he shouted to the others in a commanding voice, "Everyone, with me! We take him down together!"
After his cry, he didn't blink. His eyes were locked onto Ye Dou's every movement, gauging his next step and preparing to counter accordingly.
Behind him, a Root shinobi swiftly interlaced his fingers, forming hand seals in rapid succession. He was preparing a Genjutsu to disrupt the enemy's actions and provide an opening for his comrades.
But in the next instant—what did they see?
A sharp sound cut through the air—shoop!—and the figure of Ye Dou vanished in a blur.
The brave Root ninja didn't even have time to react. His hand flew to his throat, eyes wide with shock. A burning pain pulsed in his neck—he had been struck. A fatal wound.
"Flying Thunder God Slash…!?"
His voice cracked with horror. His pupils dilated, reflecting disbelief.
That was the Hiraishin no Jutsu, the legendary space-time technique of the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama—later mastered by the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato. How could someone outside the village have possibly learned it?
But there was no time for answers. Blood gushed from his neck like a fountain. The wound was too deep. He collapsed, lifeless, before the technique's name even finished leaving his lips.
"Damn… see you in Naraku…"
It had all happened so fast. The allied shinobi who was supposed to coordinate with the Genjutsu expert—known as Jizō—hadn't even finished his hand seals before Jizō was struck down.
But now that his Genjutsu was ready, he cast it without hesitation. Jizō's death could not be in vain.
Unfortunately for him, Ye Dou had already prepared for such a counterattack. A shadow clone hidden in the treetops had tossed down a smoke bomb the moment the real Ye Dou began his assault.
By the time the Genjutsu was unleashed, Ye Dou's figure had already vanished into the thick white mist.
"Damn it! Can anyone see him?" the Genjutsu-user growled, voice tense.
The Root ninja specialized in Genjutsu was visibly rattled. Ever since the battle began, far too many of Konoha's elite had been killed.
And what did they have to show for it?
They hadn't even managed to tear the hem of the enemy's cloak—hadn't even mussed his hair! The enemy remained as composed and stylish as ever. It was terrifying.
This wasn't the kind of threat an average jōnin could handle.
Like the nervous comrade before him, he now seriously considered retreat. This wasn't just a battle—it was a massacre.
"Stay alert! Watch for any space-time ninjutsu—we can't rule out Hiraishin!" warned another Root operative from the Aburame clan, his tone grim.
His words cut through the smoke like a blade.
The name "Flying Thunder God" carried weight. Every Konoha shinobi knew the legend of the Yellow Flash—Namikaze Minato—and his ability to decimate entire platoons in an instant.
To die without even knowing how... that's the true terror of Hiraishin.
"Has that terrible jutsu reappeared in the ninja world… and not in Konoha's hands?"
There was no denying its power. In the hands of a skilled user, it could turn the tide of battle—even against overwhelming odds. Killing silently, instantly.
But that was precisely why it was so rare. The technique demanded not only mastery over space-time ninjutsu, but also exceptional reflexes, intelligence, and chakra control.
To date, only Tobirama Senju and Minato Namikaze had ever successfully used it. And both were Hokage.
"…It's not the Flying Thunder God," a calm voice said.
The others turned. Another masked ninja—wearing the standard Root fox mask—stepped forward.
The Aburame operative exhaled slowly, a little more at ease. He recognized that ninja. Though not possessing a dōjutsu like the Byakugan, his kinetic vision and perception were highly refined—almost unnatural.
If he said it wasn't Hiraishin, then it likely wasn't.
But the calm didn't last.
"Then what was it?" the Aburame asked, frowning.
"…It looked like a physical technique. Just before he moved, he stepped rapidly against the ground—using explosive force to launch himself forward at blinding speed."
"Are you saying… he moved that fast with just taijutsu?"
"In theory, yes. By creating enough momentum through repeated high-speed steps, it's possible to create burst acceleration—even short-range teleportation-like movement."
The technique in question closely resembled Soru—a high-speed movement technique used by elite shinobi in other lands, though rarely seen in the Elemental Nations.
"But that's just theory!" the Aburame objected. "Can someone actually pull that off?"
"In theory, if you could step dozens of times in under half a second, creating enough reactive force from the ground… it might be possible."
"That's insane," the Aburame murmured. "What weaknesses does it have?"
"The same as any burst-speed movement. The trajectory becomes hard to control. It's powerful, but forces the user into a straight-line path. If you predict the direction, you can counter."
"So it's not invincible…"
"No," the fox-masked ninja said. "But the execution is on a level I've never seen."
The Aburame's expression darkened.
"If someone outside Konoha really mastered that level of speed… in this era, with tensions rising between the Uchiha and the village… that's a threat we can't ignore."
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