"What was that?" Ai asked, looking at the ground where Rai lay.
"That was Monim. He touched a mask, and that's when the mutation started," Rai gritted his teeth and answered, bearing the pain.
Ai's expression grew colder. He saw the Cloud Ninja delegation's subordinates approaching, and handed Rai over to them, ordering them to leave the village immediately. He then turned into a streak of lightning and rushed toward the direction where the light beam had shot off.
If he hadn't known, it wouldn't have mattered, but now that he knew the monster was Monim, he had to investigate. He sped through the area like lightning, smashing through any obstacles in his path, sending dust flying as he quickly reached the battlefield.
Before he even had time to catch his breath, he was stunned by what he saw! The huge monster on the battlefield was able to match Minato's speed and reflexes!
It's worth noting that no one in the entire Cloud Ninja delegation, not even his brother Killer B, could understand how terrifying Minato was better than he could.
His ability to flash in and out of space, unpredictable and deadly, meant that anyone who couldn't keep up would die.
Even Ai, who had the Lightning Release Chakra Mode and could enhance his speed and reflexes, found it difficult to deal with Minato.
But now, what was he seeing?
The creature that had been transformed by Monim was actually able to keep up with Minato's speed and reactions, trading blows back and forth without falling behind!
Was it Swift Release? No, the speed and reflexes of the creature didn't come from Monim's Swift Release.
Ai's mind immediately considered a new possibility. But before he could think further, he quickly pushed the thought away. Monim's Swift Release might be fast, but it wasn't faster than his own Lightning Release Chakra Mode.
Had the creature been enhanced?
Ai didn't dwell on it. He took advantage of a gap in their battle and dove right into the fight.
"Be careful of his movements! He's moving fast! And getting faster!" Seeing Ai's arrival, Minato quickly warned him.
Before, the monster seemed to be adjusting to its power and body, but now it was starting to master both.
While Minato could handle the monster's speed and reaction time, its tough, steel-like body and incredible healing ability made it much more difficult to deal with. Thɪs chapter is updatᴇd by novelꞁire.net
With strong defense and recovery, that meant if they couldn't land a killing blow, they could easily get stuck in a long, drawn-out battle. What Minato lacked now was a way to deal with such a tough monster, one with high defense and strong vitality.
Sealing techniques could work, but the ones Minato knew took time to activate.
Ai vanished in front of the monster, his fist surrounded by lightning, striking toward the monster's mask like a fast-moving spear.
But in the next moment, the monster's body suddenly disappeared from Ai's sight, and a powerful force, along with a black explosive ball, hit Ai hard from behind.
Lightning spread from Ai's body, arcing outward.
"Are you okay, Ai?" Minato appeared nearby, taking a defensive stance as he quietly asked.
"Cough! I'm fine." Ai braced himself on the ground, getting back up. His well-trained body, combined with his Lightning Release Chakra Mode, absorbed much of the damage. He stood up, rolled his shoulders, and replied with a heavy expression.
That explosive ball from before almost broke through his Lightning Release Chakra Mode. What really made him uneasy was the strange, chakra-infused energy that surrounded it.
"Watch out for his speed and chakra," Minato warned.
"What exactly is he?" Ai caught the hidden meaning in Minato's words. As he prepared his chakra in case of another attack, he asked in a low voice.
"I'm not sure, or maybe I'm too scared to confirm it. But he feels like… like someone in Sage Mode!"
At that moment, both Minato and Ai quickly dodged the monster's attack.
"Sage Mode?" Ai's eyes widened in shock.
This reminded him of the toad sage Jiraiya.
As one of the five great ninja villages, known for their love of raiding and collecting forbidden techniques and Kekkei Genkai, they were well aware of the Three Sage Regions and their signature Sage Modes.
"It only looks a little similar. I can sense natural energy within it. But strictly speaking, aside from the natural energy, this is completely different from the Sage Mode I know," Minato responded while attacking and dodging.
Lightning-fast level!
Ai struck the monster with a heavy knife hand, but it got stuck on the thick steel-like outer shell. A black explosive bolt shot out from the monster's mask, turning into a black electric lightning beam that wrapped around like a pillar of light.
In a split second, Ai, who had been hit by the blast, vanished with Minato using the Flying Thunder God technique.
"Thanks," Ai said, his expression a bit grim, though he still thanked Minato for the rescue. If he could, he wouldn't want Minato leaving the Flying Thunder God seal on him.
"This isn't working. His power is increasing, and the natural energy is making him more berserk and violent. Buy me some time, and I'll try using a sealing jutsu to deal with him," Minato said to Ai.
"Leave it to me," Ai nodded. His body crackled with lightning as his hair and fur stood on end in the full activation of his Lightning Release chakra mode. The electric energy condensed further, and the currents around him sizzled with a sharp crackling sound.
Ai suddenly vanished from his spot, appearing high in the sky. He raised one leg, taking a decisive, all-or-nothing stance, and shot downward toward the monster below.
Ai's leg collided with the monster's outstretched arm. After a brief moment of stillness, the ground beneath the monster exploded and sank deep into the earth.
The monster's arm cracked under the pressure, unable to handle the force.
Ai's leg pressed down on the monster's shoulder, forcing it to its knees in the cratered ground.
A painful, ear-piercing scream erupted from the monster's mouth, as though it had been heavily wounded.
Although Ai knew about the monster's defensive and recovery abilities, he didn't stop. His body spun mid-air, and once again, the Thunder Axe of Wrath struck.
This time, the steel skin on the monster's back shattered, and its body, now over three meters tall, collapsed into the center of a newly created deep pit.
Dense black symbols quickly gathered from the edge of the pit, flowing like a stream towards the bottom, covering the monster's body.
As Minato Namikaze finished his movements, the sealing jutsu fully took effect on the monster.
Under Ai's cautious watch, the monster's screeches gradually weakened, and its expanding body was tightly wrapped by layers of dirt, leaving only its head exposed.
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