Minato Namikaze and Jiraiya had fallen into a trap set by Roshi and Han, and now found themselves surrounded by Roshi, Han, and three Jonin-level Rock Ninja.
Because Roshi and Han, as Jinchuriki, were preparing to enter the battle, they would pose a serious threat to the Konoha ninja in Grass Country. Therefore, Minato decided to stop them here.
Minato hurled two Flying Thunder God Kunai toward both Roshi and Han.
The armor Han wore was no ordinary gear; it was a custom-built steam-powered exosuit capable of unleashing powerful bursts of steam.
Because of this feature, Han was known as the Steam Ninja.
Han channeled chakra through the suit's vents, releasing bursts of steam that blew Minato's Flying Thunder God Kunai away.
The kunai aimed at Han had been blown off course by the steam, while the one thrown at Roshi came extremely close.
However, Minato did not use the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport to the location of the kunai.
This was because Roshi's entire body emitted flames resembling molten lava, clearly an attempt to prevent Minato from using his Flying Thunder God Technique for a surprise close-range attack.
Roshi's hands formed seals rapidly.
[Lava Release: Scorching Flow Fist!]
Several magma spheres shot from Roshi's mouth, hurtling toward Minato and Jiraiya.
Both Minato and Jiraiya dodged separately.
These magma spheres possessed immense power—ordinary ninjutsu couldn't possibly withstand them.
After Minato and Jiraiya dodged, the spheres struck the ground.
The impact immediately created a massive crater, with molten rock splattering everywhere, setting nearby trees ablaze.
At that moment, Han moved.
Using his steam-powered armor to boost himself forward at incredible speed, Han dashed toward Jiraiya and launched a powerful kick.
Due to Han's overwhelming speed, Jiraiya could only cross his arms to block.
Han's foot slammed into Jiraiya's arms, sending him flying backward.
Jiraiya twisted a full 360 degrees midair and landed gracefully, then brushed off the impact on his arms with a smirk. "Not bad."
However, Jiraiya wasn't quite as relaxed as he appeared. That last kick had made both his arms shake slightly—he was definitely bruised.
Han snorted coldly. "Jiraiya, is that all you've got—just talk?"
Once again, Han activated his steam armor, rocketing toward Jiraiya at high speed.
Meanwhile, Roshi also turned his gaze toward Jiraiya.
To Roshi and Han, while Minato was their main objective, Jiraiya was the one they truly wanted to eliminate first.
After all, Jiraiya was a ninja from their own generation. To them, Minato was merely an inexperienced rookie.
Roshi planned to join forces with Han to take on Jiraiya, while allowing the other three Jonin-level Rock ninja to engage Minato Namikaze.
Just as Roshi was about to charge forward, a uniquely shaped kunai stabbed into the ground not far ahead of him.
In a flash, Minato appeared at the kunai's location, glaring fiercely at Roshi. "Your opponent," he declared, "is me!"
Minato hurled several Flying Thunder God Kunai toward Roshi, then teleported onto one of them, striking down toward Roshi's throat.
[Clang!] The Flying Thunder God Kunai failed to pierce Roshi's neck, as though it had struck unyielding stone.
Roshi swung his arm and brought it crashing down toward Minato.
Minato instantly teleported onto another Flying Thunder God Kunai, skillfully dodging Roshi's attack.
Minato frowned as he looked at the partially melted blade of the Flying Thunder God Kunai in his hand.
Roshi continuously maintained Lava Release Chakra Mode, his entire body enveloped in blazing lava. Anything that came into contact with him melted away, while his defensive capabilities were significantly enhanced—his Lava Release armor provided both offensive and defensive strength.
Although Roshi lacked mobility, he was otherwise nearly unstoppable—offering high defense, immense offensive power, and devastatingly wide-range Lava Release Ninjutsu.
If Minato couldn't break through Roshi's defenses, no matter how fast he moved, he wouldn't be able to do anything against Roshi.
However, Minato needed to keep both Roshi and the other three Rock ninja occupied, preventing Roshi from interfering with Jiraiya, while looking for an opening to coordinate with him.
Minato constantly used the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport around, harassing Roshi and preventing him from approaching Jiraiya.
Frustrated by Minato's constant interference, Roshi attempted to strike him with Ninjutsu, but Minato moved too quickly—each time Roshi unleashed an attack, Minato vanished before it could land.
Meanwhile, the other three Jonin-level Rock ninja kept altering the battlefield using Earth Release techniques, hindering both Minato and Jiraiya.
Minato himself wasn't much affected, but Jiraiya found it quite uncomfortable.
After kicking Jiraiya away earlier, Han once again released a burst of steam to increase his speed, lunging toward Jiraiya.
Jiraiya activated [Needle Jizo], chakra-infusing his silver hair to form a protective shield that covered his entire body.
If Han dared to kick him again, his foot would end up completely pierced.
Yet, Han's steam armor proved incredibly tough. Even when he kicked directly into Jiraiya's hardened, sharp hair, there was no effect whatsoever.
[Needle Hell!]
Jiraiya launched his hardened hair like senbon needles, firing a dense barrage toward Han.
Han's steam armor erupted with intense bursts of vapor, blowing away Jiraiya's hardened hair needles.
Jiraiya took advantage of the opening to create distance between himself and Han.
[Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!]
As soon as Jiraiya created some distance, he formed hand seals with both hands, filled his mouth with oil refined from chakra, and exhaled it while igniting it using [Fire Release], turning it into a blazing projectile that shot toward Han.
Steam erupted from the vent on the left side of Han's steam-releasing armor, propelling him rapidly to the right and allowing him to dodge Jiraiya's flaming attack.
During the brief lull in Jiraiya and Han's clash, Jiraiya glanced toward Minato Namikaze.
Minato was keeping Roshi occupied, but just barely. As long as Roshi maintained his Lava Release Chakra Mode, Minato would struggle to inflict any meaningful damage upon him.
However, while keeping Roshi occupied, Minato managed to kill one Jonin-level Rock ninja.
Roshi now finally understood why the mission emphasized prioritizing Minato's elimination. Although he could withstand Minato's attacks thanks to his Lava Release and the continuous supply of chakra provided by his tailed beast, which sustained his Lava Release Chakra Mode and left Minato without an opening,
for other ninja facing a Minato moving at such speed, they weren't even opponents—they'd be dead before they could even begin to release their jutsu.
Even if the other two Jonin-level Rock ninja tried to assist, they wouldn't be much help and could very likely end up eliminated by Minato.
Thus, Roshi ordered them to retreat further back and not approach recklessly, preventing Minato from taking them out unexpectedly.
Roshi fixed his gaze on Minato in the distance, murder burning in his eyes. The threat Minato posed to their Rock ninja was too great—he had to find a way to kill Minato, no matter what!
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