Ch 422: Willpower

“This strong…?”

In the distance, Kakashi, who had already sealed Gaara’s Chakra, watched his Sensei and his Sensei’s Sensei battle, muttering involuntarily.

At least mastering the Flying Thunder God Technique, even with the Sharingan active, he would find it difficult to replicate.

Gaara’s sleeping Shukaku was actually easy to handle; finding Gaara’s location and waking him up was all it took.

From discovering this to waking Gaara and sealing his Chakra, Kakashi only took a few minutes, with the help of Kai and Asuma, it was relatively easy.

But back here, looking from afar, all four shared the same thought as Minato—that Mizuki was definitely not the mastermind.

So the four of them waited in the distance, watching the situation unfold.

Kakashi had heard countless stories about the name Shinzo from Minato and his father, Sakumo Hatake.

The two’s praise of Shinzo, in Kakashi’s view, was like a moon in the water, a fleeting illusion; because Kakashi had no contact with Shinzo, what he heard was nothing compared to what he saw with his own eyes.

Now, he truly felt the strength of this veteran ninja who had been lauded to the heavens.

Every expert Kakashi knew called Shinzo a master!

And Shinzo was also considered a good brother of his, Kawazakura’s adoptive father, even though neither of them had ever met.

Such a complicated relationship…

Before Kakashi could sort it out, he witnessed an even more shocking scene.

After several consecutive exchanges between Minato and Shinzo, Shinzo’s expression turned serious.

“Minato, who taught you after my death? Why are your fundamentals so shaky? The Flying Thunder God Technique is indeed powerful, but if you abandon the fundamentals and only pursue powerful Ninjutsu, it’s no different from neglecting the essentials and chasing after superficial gains!”

“Ah… it’s Sensei Jiraiya…”

“Jiraiya?”

Shinzo paused, then sneered disdainfully.

“Is that guy even qualified to be a Sensei? Besides coaxing children and writing novels, what merits does he have as a Sensei?”

After a slight change in expression, Shinzo became serious again.

“Minato, remember, fundamentals are always paramount. Even the weakest Ninjutsu, as long as the foundation is solid, day after day, will eventually reach the peak. Watch closely!”

Hum——

Shinzo pointed a single finger at his chest.

A hand seal? No! There was no hand seal; it was just a gesture to remind Minato that he was about to attack!

“Fire Release! Great Fireball Technique!”

BOOM！！！！

A giant fireball, like a world-ending flame, erupted towards the sky. The thunderous explosion dyed the entire sky the color of the setting sun. A rain of fire fell, stunning everyone; even the battle between Orochimaru and Hanzo paused for a second or two.

“W-What the heck!? This is the Great Fireball Technique???”

Kakashi was dumbfounded.

To say who had the most contact with the Great Fireball Technique, besides the Uchiha Clan, it was Kakashi himself, but he had never seen such a fireball. This was a hundred times more terrifying than a hundred Great Fireball Techniques combined!

But Kai beside Kakashi had an excited expression.

Because he strongly agreed with Shinzo’s words—”Day after day, reaching the peak!”

“Ah~ This body is indeed quite good. The Chakra should be enough for me to use some Ninjutsu above C-rank.”

Shinzo muttered to himself, words that the stunned Minato couldn’t quite understand. The Great Fireball that had just shot into the sky had startled Minato, but it wasn’t aimed at him at all.

But Minato was still stunned.

What does it mean to have enough Chakra for some Ninjutsu above C-rank?

So that Great Fireball was the result of you holding back because you were worried about not having enough Chakra?

Raising his head, Shinzo resumed his gentle demeanor.

“See, Minato, a Sensei may only know some low-level Ninjutsu, but each technique is enough to make the Sensei a formidable opponent, precisely because each technique, supported by a solid foundation, can fulfill its intended purpose.”

“Formidable opponent… intended purpose…”

Mizuki in the distance was overjoyed at this sight.

Shinzo was far beyond his expectations.

Originally, it was just to annoy Orochimaru; Mizuki’s true counter to Orochimaru was Hanzo.

But he didn’t expect Shinzo to be so powerful.

With this level of Ninjutsu power, plus the lack of Chakra limitations of the Impure World Reincarnation body, wouldn’t Shinzo be able to wipe out a village single-handedly!

Mizuki found it hard to believe that anyone below Jonin level could withstand such a Great Fireball; at least he couldn’t.

“Shin… Shinzo Sensei, should we continue…?”

Minato was somewhat dejected.

The Flying Thunder God was useless against Shinzo; it was as if he had lost half his body. With his Ninjutsu, how could he possibly contend with Shinzo Sensei at this level?

“Hmm? Why not?”

Shinzo showed a disappointed expression.

“Willpower! Willpower! Minato, I taught you this: no matter when, you must keep your willpower under your own control, not others, not even me! Although I’m testing your growth, even if we truly stand on opposite sides, you cannot abandon your will to kill me!”

Shinzo’s words enlightened Minato, restoring his confidence.

“Yes! I understand, Shinzo Sensei! Then… take this!”

Flying Thunder God Second Stage!

Minato’s Rasengan still had fighting power!

While Shinzo was sparring with Minato, Orochimaru, without any reservations, rolled up his sleeves and beat Hanzo mercilessly.

Orochimaru, having fully developed his Snake Ninjutsu and reached the peak of ninja ability, was no longer comparable to the former Demigod.

Even if Manda still couldn’t beat the Toad, Orochimaru was more than capable of defeating Hanzo.

Seeing this turn of events, Mizuki felt things were deviating from his plan.

Hanzo couldn’t even beat the Fourth Hokage, Orochimaru, so he could only pin his hopes on Shinzo.

“Shinzo! Now! Immediately! Kill everyone except me! I will destroy Konoha!”

It was clear that Mizuki was getting desperate.

The moment Mizuki gave the order, Shinzo suddenly disappeared, his speed so fast that even Kai couldn’t catch his figure.

A fist stopped in front of Minato’s face, the powerful wind pressure making it difficult for him to open his eyes.

“Shin… Shinzo Sensei…”

The fist swayed back and forth but never landed.

Shinzo’s facial muscles twitched, as if he was struggling to control himself.

“Heh~ Although I don’t know how to undo this technique, with my willpower, this thing can hardly control me.”

Shinzo retracted his fist, putting his hand back in his pocket.

“Minato, remember, fundamentals are a ninja’s best comrades, and willpower is a ninja’s strongest weapon.”

Whoosh——

The wind blew, and Shinzo’s body gradually disintegrated, a final smile on his face as he floated into the air and vanished.

“Wh…what!”

Mizuki was stunned; he didn’t know what was going on.

Why could someone undo the Impure World Reincarnation with their willpower alone!

Thud——

On the other side, Hanzo’s body fell to the ground—no, the corpse on the ground was no longer Hanzo.

Orochimaru, of course, knew how to undo the Impure World Reincarnation.

“Now, let’s talk about you, Mizuki.”

…….

…….