I am the new Hokage of Konoha.

He knew that although his disciple was exceptionally skilled in Explosion Release, his close-combat abilities were quite average. If Minato Namikaze were to get close to him, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Know it!"

Despite his carefree and nonchalant manner, Deidara was remarkably meticulous and composed in actual combat. He quickly directed the giant bird beneath his feet to dodge most of the kunai aimed at him.

Among them, the uniquely shaped three-pronged kunai was his top priority to guard against.

After all that trouble, it's over.

After finally managing to dodge all the Flying Thunder God kunai without any real danger, Deidara glanced back at a standard Flying Thunder God kunai that was soaring higher into the sky, unlike the trident kunai. He sneered:

"Tch! Did you think I didn't notice that there are yellow talismans on the handles of your Flying Thunder God kunai?"

Compared to the trident kunai, the standard kunai with only the Flying Thunder God technique mark was undoubtedly less noticeable among the large number of kunai attacking from above.

Minato clearly wanted to use this to his advantage against Deidara.

Surprisingly, despite his manic personality, Deidara was able to maintain a rare level of meticulousness during battle.

Knowing his own weaknesses in combat, he would be very careful of the kunai even without Onoki's reminder.

As for the yellow talisman paper that is essential for the Flying Thunder God Kunai, he had already figured it out during their previous exchange, which is why the standard Flying Thunder God Kunai hidden in the dark returned empty-handed.

"So, Minato Namikaze, where will you appear?"

At this moment, Deira glanced at the Flying Thunder God kunai that had already drifted far away.

If he were the other party, and if he didn't want to continue being a coward, then he would only have...

Deirada Meng turned his head and looked at Onoki, who had to be separated from him by some distance because he was avoiding kunai.

really!

Minato Namikaze's figure was launching a fierce attack on his teacher.

"Old man, hang in there! I'm coming right away!"

Knowing that his teacher had a chronic back pain problem, and worried that it might flare up during this intense close-quarters combat, Deidara immediately stepped in to help.

However, just as his gaze was drawn to the appearance of Minato Namikaze.

At a higher altitude, beyond one's own line of sight.

Compared to all the kunai, whose old power has been lost, it is falling downwards.

Deidara, who had been smugly boasting that he had seen through the standard Flying Thunder God kunai, used his last bit of strength to precisely strike the Flying Thunder God kunai that Minato had thrown in four directions, with the one pointing upwards.

Clang!

A faint clanging sound of metal against metal rang out in the air.

Under the influence of the force, it was also falling downwards, but due to the direction in which Minato threw it, compared to the three kunai that were falling with it, the Flying Thunder God kunai, which was falling the slowest at this moment, suddenly changed its angle and shot downwards again.

Chapter 263 Severe Injury

This moment.

Just as Deidara was focusing his attention on the fight between his teacher and Minato Namikaze.

Above him, a Flying Thunder God Kunai, which had changed direction upon being touched, was coincidentally falling in his direction.

Deidara didn't notice at first, until...

"Haha! My many years of combat experience haven't been for nothing!" Although he looked old and frail, Onoki was still fierce and tough when he actually fought. He laughed triumphantly after punching Minato Namikaze.

However, the next second, a loud "bang" brought his laughter to an abrupt halt.

Seeing Minato Namikaze's body suddenly turn into a cloud of white smoke, Onoki's expression changed drastically.

"Shadow clone?!"

"Shadow clone?"

Instantly, not only Onoki, but also Deidara, who was not far away, was astonished.

However, realizing the danger, Onoki reflexively turned sharply towards Deidara. When he saw a three-pronged kunai hurtling straight towards the unsuspecting man, he flinched and shouted, "Watch out..."

Before he could finish speaking, it was already too late.

In that instant, the true nature of Minato was revealed. He appeared above Deidara, grabbed the Flying Thunder God kunai beside him, and then...

tearing~

The sharp edge suddenly stabbed towards Deidara, who was right next to it!

In Minato's plan, compared to the cunning and powerful Onoki, the younger and more impulsive Deidara, whose Explosion Release technique could inflict greater continuous damage on ordinary Konoha ninjas, was undoubtedly the priority target to eliminate.

Therefore, the hidden Flying Thunder God style kunai among the many kunai was a first move specifically targeting the latter.

It doesn't matter if it gets discovered.

Because Minato's real trump card was among the four Flying Thunder God kunai he threw first, which had already been overlooked by the enemy.

Therefore, he deliberately used shadow clones to attract the attention of Onoki and Deidara, all for the sake of this sudden attack.

Ultimately, he suffered from his youth and lack of experience.

Completely bewildered, Deidara heard his teacher's startled warning and noticed the bone-chilling cold behind him that he could no longer dodge. It was too late for him to feel horror or regret.

He gritted his teeth, and just as the sharp blade of the kunai pierced his body and blood splattered out, the giant bird beneath his feet suddenly split in two.

moment!

With both feet missing the ground, I plummeted downwards at an extremely fast speed.

It doesn't stop there.

Deirada, who was freefalling through the air, endured the pain, quickly formed a hand seal, and managed to utter a weak "Hah!"

Boom!

The giant bird overhead immediately self-destructed to stop Minato's pursuit.

"You reacted quite quickly."

Minato, who appeared in another location in an instant, looked at Deidara, who had fallen in a sorry state, and said with a hint of surprise on his face.

What he thought was a foolproof attack was cleverly neutralized by the quick thinking of the young Iwa ninja.

Everyone says that Iwagakure has no successor, but now it seems that this boy named Deidara is clearly extraordinary.

However, the more this is the case, the more we must eliminate such enemies.

A cold glint flashed in Minato's eyes.

Just as he was about to pursue Deidara again, a terrifying white barrier rapidly expanded in front of him.

It was Onoki's Dust Release that arrived.

Not only that, but a shadow clone that was quickly summoned beside him also clapped its hands and released Wind Release: Great Breakthrough.

moment!

A fierce gale swept in all directions.

Having learned his lesson, Onoki this time used a large amount of chakra to blow away all the scattered Flying Thunder God kunai around him.

"I can't give you another chance after this."

Having witnessed his disciple nearly lose his life, Onoki looked at Minato with a serious expression.

Seeing this, Minato had no choice but to stop and deal with the trouble in front of him.

On the other side, Deidara, who was getting closer to the ground, finally summoned a large bird again.

Only after he had dragged himself behind did he have time to check his injuries.

A deep, bloody wound, revealing bone, cut across almost his entire back at an angle, and a large amount of blood was flowing out continuously.

With his face pale and feeling his body growing weaker, Deidara dared not be careless and immediately pulled out a large lump of clay and stuffed it into his mouth.

After chewing vigorously and quickly, he spat out the clay, which was now covered in chakra, and stuck it onto his wounds while in intense pain.

Only then did the bleeding finally stop.

While this prevented death from excessive blood loss, it was ultimately only a temporary measure.

Knowing that he urgently needed proper medical treatment, Deidara glanced at the teacher and Minato who were engaged in a fierce battle above.

Although I was very unwilling.

However, in a moment of rationality, and not wanting to become a burden due to his severe injuries, he urged Asuka to return to the Iwa ninja camp.

From then on, only the Third Tsuchikage, Onoki, and the Fourth Hokage, Minato, from another timeline, remained in the air.

The battle continues.

Compared to Deidara, Onoki, who was undoubtedly stronger in every aspect, put more pressure on Minato.

Minato's elusive nature also made Onoki find him very troublesome.

Therefore, the aerial battles were unlikely to change much in the short term.

......

On the ground battlefield.

Although Konoha lacked Minato's support, Iwagakure lacked Deidara and Onoki's air support.

But the fighting between the two sides not only did not slow down, but intensified.

In this story, Kushina, who is the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, was immediately besieged by the Iwagakure's infamous Explosion Squad, who hoped to keep her occupied.

These people underestimated the power of the Nine-Tails.

Soon, after a massive and earth-shattering rampage of Nine-Tails chakra, the demolition team was overwhelmed by Kushina's all-out attack.

After that, with no one to stop her, she launched a relentless attack on the Iwa ninja army all by herself, quickly overwhelming them and causing heavy casualties.

As tailed beast weapons, Jinchuriki are inherently deadly weapons on the battlefield.

Moreover, the Nine-Tails is the most powerful of the nine tailed beasts.

In the previous three Shinobi World Wars, except for the one when Kumo-tei led his army to attack the Kumo-nin, Konoha's only Nine-Tails Jinchuriki never appeared on the battlefield.

Therefore, the entire ninja world has never truly understood the destructive power of the Nine-Tails.