However, just as Rasa breathed a sigh of relief, he suddenly felt a cold breeze on the back of his head.
His body moved faster than his brain could react, quickly dodging out of the way.
Almost simultaneously, a Rasengan passed through the spot where Rasa had been standing, slamming into the newly repaired gold dust wall.
Such speed—truly deserving of the title 'Yellow Flash.' I didn't even notice when he threw the Flying Thunder God kunai behind me, Rasa thought to himself.
In an instant, a large amount of gold dust swirled around him, transforming into needles that shot towards where Minato Namikaze stood.
Such techniques were useless against Minato Namikaze, but Rasa only aimed to force him back.
Just as the fastest gold dust needle was less than a centimeter away from Minato, Rasa felt a sudden weight on his shoulder, as if someone had patted him.
Then, Minato Namikaze disappeared.
Rasa had successfully forced Minato back, but his face grew dark with a sense of foreboding.
Turning to look at the shoulder Minato had just touched, he realized with a sinking feeling that the Flying Thunder God mark had been imprinted there.
He tore off his sleeve, eyes narrowing. His pupils constricted as he saw the mark of the Flying Thunder God technique on his flesh.
Minato had managed to penetrate his clothes and leave the mark directly on his skin.
No, this is too dangerous, Rasa thought, his mind racing.
With grim determination, he reached into his pouch, pulling out a sharp kunai. Without a second thought, he cut off the flesh where the mark had been imprinted.
Then, he manipulated the gold dust, crushing the piece of flesh into a pile of dust.
After dealing with the immediate threat, Rasa began to stop the bleeding.
Meanwhile, Minato Namikaze, now in a safe location, felt a pang of regret. Just a little more, just a little more, and he could have placed the Flying Thunder God mark on Rasa's neck. What a pity.
Sunagakure had lost—completely.
Even if Kawaki Aoba hadn't appeared on the battlefield, Sunagakure's defeat was inevitable. Kawaki Aoba's arrival had only accelerated the process, shattering the last semblance of resolve among the Sunagakure ninjas.
With most of the Sunagakure forces losing their will to fight, Konoha's ninjas would have found it far easier to deal with them.
At this point, the higher-ups of Sunagakure had already resigned themselves to the inevitable. Chiyo and Ebizo had even ordered a retreat.
Sunagakure's best course of action now was to preserve its strength as much as possible.
They also had to investigate Kawaki Aoba.
More specifically, they needed to gather information on the golden Thousand-Armed Avalokiteśvara. Its appearance was eerily similar to a certain legendary technique.
Additionally, they had to try to recover the One-Tailed Shukaku, who was currently being carried like a house cat.
Following the orders from the higher-ups, four Jonin and one Elite Jonin stepped forward, preparing to test Kawaki Aoba.
With this lineup, even if they encountered a Kage-level powerhouse, they believed they could hold their ground for a time.
Kawaki Aoba, appearing as though he had just fought Shukaku, would likely be exhausted after subduing a Tailed Beast. Even if they couldn't defeat him, the Jonin reasoned that they could likely retreat safely.
However, the reality would soon deliver a harsh lesson to the Sunagakure ninjas.
The five Jonin manipulated their respective puppets, attacking Kawaki Aoba from different directions.
That's right, their target was Kawaki Aoba, not the Thousand-Armed Avalokiteśvara behind him, which looked incredibly difficult to deal with.
Under normal circumstances, their strategy would have been sound, but unfortunately, their strength was far inferior to Kawaki Aoba's.
Facing the thirteen puppets controlled by these five Sunagakure Jonin, Kawaki Aoba remained calm. He didn't even move a step.
With the Thousand-Armed Avalokiteśvara behind him, not even the combined strength of the Five Kage could have reached him before Aoba's chakra was exhausted.
Three seconds—less than three seconds—and the thirteen puppets were torn to shreds by the golden hands.
The five Sunagakure ninjas controlling them quickly followed suit, meeting the same fate as their puppets.
Though the Thousand-Armed Avalokiteśvara was ridiculously large, its speed was terrifying. Before the five Sunagakure ninjas could react, they found themselves within the attack range of the Avalokiteśvara.
Another ten golden arms stretched out, gently holding the five Sunagakure ninjas in their palms.
And then… there was no then.
In the distance, the Sunagakure higher-ups, who had been watching the situation unfold, couldn't help but constrict their pupils.
Obviously, the power of the Thousand-Armed Avalokiteśvara exceeded their expectations.
Simultaneously killing five Jonin, including an Elite Jonin, was undeniably the work of a Kage-level ninja, and not just any Kage-level powerhouse could accomplish such a feat.
What's more, this was only one technique from that kid, and he himself hadn't even moved a step.
"It seems we won't be able to retrieve Shukaku for the time being," one of the Sunagakure leaders muttered.
No matter how unwilling the Sunagakure higher-ups were, they had no choice but to temporarily give up on Shukaku, lest they continue to sacrifice more ninja lives.
"You think you can just leave because you can't win? How could I let you leave so easily?"
As the Sunagakure ninjas began to collapse and flee, they dispersed in scattered directions, likely due to their experience. It was unrealistic to expect to keep them all here, but it was unacceptable to let them escape without resistance.
Controlling the Thousand-Armed Avalokiteśvara, Kawaki Aoba rushed toward the area with the most Sunagakure ninjas, as usual.
Then, there was a massacre.
Given the size of the Thousand-Armed Avalokiteśvara, any encounter with ordinary ninjas meant certain death upon collision and injury upon grazing.
This sensation of rushing into the enemy's ranks and being invincible was exhilarating for Kawaki Aoba. This, ah, should be called: Even if both palms suppress the Tailed Beast, I, Qingyu, am still invincible in Sunagakure. Within ten feet of me, no enemy can withstand a single blow.
Kawaki Aoba had gone mad with killing. At this moment, not only were Sunagakure the enemy, but even the Konoha ninjas, without exception, kept their distance from the Thousand-Armed Avalokiteśvara.
Even though the chances of being accidentally injured were slim, what if it happened?
"Konoha… why are such geniuses always born in Konoha?" In the distance, Chiyo's eyes dimmed as she watched the Hundred-Armed Kannon controlled by Kawaki Aoba. Unpleasant memories surfaced.
Recalling Kawaki Aoba's information, she thought back to the little guy who wasn't even 15 years old but already possessed strength equal to or greater than the Kage of various villages. Wouldn't that be comparable to the God of Shinobi in the future?
This was not an exaggeration. Chiyo sincerely believed this. As a ninja of the same generation as the First Hokage, she recalled that even the First Hokage and Uchiha Madara, who founded Konoha, didn't have the same level of power at Kawaki Aoba's age.
However, neither she nor Sunagakure could do anything now.
Having been defeated, the only thing they could do was wait for Konoha's verdict.
Ironically, Chiyo almost found herself grateful for that, a thought that was bitter in its truth.
"Alright, Aoba, let's stop here. Sunagakure has already been defeated. If you continue killing, they might be removed from the Five Great Shinobi Villages, which wouldn't be beneficial for Konoha."
Just as Kawaki Aoba cleared another area of Sunagakure ninjas, Minato Namikaze suddenly appeared and stopped his ruthless killing spree.
Kawaki Aoba had no choice but to halt.
What Minato said was valid. If Konoha wiped out Sunagakure in a single battle or removed them from the ranks of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, it would upset the balance of the shinobi world.
At that point, aside from other complications, Konoha would certainly become the target of public ire.
Although Kawaki Aoba didn't care about such matters, he knew he wasn't yet strong enough to single-handedly challenge the entire shinobi world.
Minato Namikaze was relieved to see Kawaki Aoba still listening to reason.
The sight of Kawaki Aoba controlling the golden Hundred-Armed Kannon, ruthlessly killing Sunagakure ninjas, had been terrifying, especially with the eerie smile on Aoba's face that made Minato uneasy.
He had even considered what to do if he couldn't stop Kawaki Aoba's rampage.
Fortunately, that didn't happen. Aoba didn't go mad with bloodlust and remained rational.
"Oh, right, Aoba, you've already suppressed the One-Tailed Shukaku. So Pakura, the Scorch Release user, who hasn't shown up on my battlefield, must have been dealt with by you as well."
Minato Namikaze inquired.
Kawaki Aoba nodded. "That's right. I seriously injured Pakura, but she was rescued by other Sunagakure ninjas."
"As for that old monk, the One-Tailed Jinchuriki, he didn't fare as well."
Kawaki Aoba paused for a moment. "However, it's strange... those two were ambushing me on my way. I don't think it was just coincidence."
Since Minato wasn't Hokage yet, Kawaki Aoba didn't feel the need to elaborate further. Minato was clever enough to understand.
Indeed, Minato remained quiet after hearing Aoba's words, clearly piecing together the situation in his mind.
Kawaki Aoba then began to walk away, heading to find the sealing team to deal with Shukaku.
It would be impossible to keep the Hundred-Armed Kannon active to suppress the Tailed Beast for long; it would drain chakra faster than a bottomless pit.
As Kawaki Aoba made his way to handle the One-Tailed Shukaku, he passed through crowds, greeted by gazes of awe, admiration, and even fanaticism.
Everyone admired the strong, especially ninjas who had mastered such power.
Sensing the overwhelming emotions from all directions, Kawaki Aoba knew that after today, his reputation among Konoha ninjas would rival that of Minato Namikaze.
The arrival of the Hundred-Armed Kannon had already set his path to fame in motion.
From this day forward, his legacy as a legendary ninja would be well-deserved.
But as he walked, Kawaki Aoba suddenly quickened his pace, now in a hurry.
Things had escalated too suddenly. He needed to find the sealing team immediately to deal with Shukaku, but there was another pressing matter he needed to attend to.
Kawaki Aoba couldn't help but feel a rush of anxiety. Just moments ago, he had sensed an unusually violent and powerful aura coming from the southeast—an aura that felt unmistakably familiar.
Might Guy… That was definitely the aura of Might Guy, someone he hadn't seen for a long time.
It should be noted that Kawaki Aoba didn't usually have the ability to sense chakra. Yet, at this moment, he couldn't ignore the power radiating from Might Guy.
What did this mean? The answer was clear: Might Guy's aura had become so powerful that it could no longer go unnoticed.
And what could possibly make Might Guy this strong, if not the Eight Gates' Gate of Death? Kawaki Aoba couldn't think of another explanation.
Kawaki Aoba wasn't sure how long Might Guy could endure in the Gate of Death state, so he had to handle Shukaku as quickly as possible and then rush over. Otherwise, by the time he arrived, he might only be able to collect Might Guy's corpse.
Meanwhile, in a certain forest in the Land of Fire:
To allow his son Might Guy to escape, Might Guy himself blocked the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist's path, opening the Gate of Death without hesitation.
Blood-red steam erupted from his body, and the violent chakra surged uncontrollably, disturbing the airflow in the area around him.
The chakra-infused air impacted the bodies of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, causing the smiles that had been mocking Might Guy to freeze.
"Hey, hey, hey... what's going on with this guy?"
Visit patreon.com/Akeyno to get 30+ chapters