C16 Single Kill Jonin

Upon witnessing Russell's actions, Minato, Kushina, and Yagura all paused and turned their attention to him.

Russell was well aware of their focus on him, but he couldn't be bothered to care.

Wasn't all his effort expended for the sake of collecting those cards? There was no way he'd stop just because they were watching.

Purple! Blue! White! …

He managed to gather a total of 18 cards in one go. Yet, he hadn't had the chance to fuse them or even take a closer look.

Yagura's apparent hesitation irked Russell. He couldn't tolerate it.

"How can I collect cards if you won't fight? Besides, Minato and Kushina are sure to win. I must take him down!"

With that thought, Russell decisively launched his attack.

"Chidori!!!"

"Sssss…!"

A low growl accompanied the emergence of a deep blue glow on Russell's right hand, reminiscent of the cries of myriad birds.

In an instant, Russell surged forward with terrifying speed, arriving before a Jonin and thrusting the Chidori into him with brutal force.

The Jonin, caught off guard by the strength of a mere six-year-old, was too slow to react and had to take the blow on his shoulder.

But a Jonin is still a Jonin, and Russell's lack of combat experience showed. After taking the hit, the Jonin used the Body Replacement Technique to escape, leaving only a scorched log behind.

Yagura, of Shadow Level status, had his eyes on Russell the moment he charged.

Startled by Russell's formidable power, he was intent on taking him out.

But before he could act, Minato was already eyeing him predatorily from a short distance away.

Meanwhile, Kushina kept a vigilant watch over the other two Jonins, ready to prevent any harm to Russell.

"Water Release – Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"

"Shuriken – Shadow Clone Technique!"

"..."

Instantly, Minato engaged Yagura in combat, while Kushina attacked the two Jonins.

Her arsenal wasn't vast; aside from her substantial chakra reserves, she primarily wielded sealing techniques.

Kushina wasted no time in harnessing the power of the Nine-Tails. Behind her, two crimson tails burst forth, and a glowing orb materialized before her.

"Bijyudama!"

With a triumphant cry, the Bijyudama in front of Kushina hurtled toward the two Jonin.

"Boom!"

The Bijyudama detonated upon approach, the surrounding trees uprooted and reduced to dust.

The earth, spanning four to five hundred meters, was transformed into a vast crater over ten meters deep. The once clear sky now seemed veiled in a gossamer haze.

The two Jonin had vanished without a trace, not even a scrap of their clothing remained.

"Holy smokes! Is this power even real?"

Russell, caught in the blast, was flung over ten meters back, staring agape at the devastation before him.

He had witnessed the might of the Bijyudama in anime, but seeing it in person was another level of awe-inspiring.

Had it not been for the four or five cards lying silently in the crater, Russell might have believed the two had fled.

His surprise quickly turned to ecstasy. A golden card at his feet shimmered like magic, captivating his gaze.

While Russell was still reeling from the shock, Kushina, Minato, and Yagura were even more astonished.

They couldn't be sure of Russell's exact age, but he appeared to be no more than five or six years old and had just single-handedly taken down a Jonin!

Kushina and Minato knew all too well; they lived with Russell and were aware of his immense Chakra reserves, but they hadn't anticipated such formidable strength.

Moreover, the ninjutsu Russell had just employed was unmistakably one of Kakashi's creations. How did Russell come to use it?

In their minds, Russell was akin to Uzumaki from the original story—possessing immense Chakra but only average strength.

Yet, to their astonishment, his strength was directly proportional to his Chakra, reaching Jonin level.

Minato pondered whether he should award Russell with a Jonin certification upon their return.

Meanwhile, Russell was completely unaware of their amazement. After wounding the Jonin, the enemy had unwittingly positioned himself right atop Russell's Explosive Talisman.

The next instant, a thunderous explosion erupted, and the Jonin was no more.

"Hahaha! We've hit the jackpot!"

While Yagura paid no mind to the combined assault from Kushina and Minato, Russell was on a different mission. Grinning ear to ear, he darted across the battlefield, scooping up card after card. It wasn't until he secured Kushina's dropped golden card that he paused his spree.

All that remained was to wait for Minato and the others to wrap up their fight, then collect all the cards they'd dropped.

Ideally, taking out Yagura would yield a massive haul, but that was wishful thinking. Russell knew Minato wasn't the type to go that far.

Had Russell not intervened, Minato would have likely let Yagura go long ago.

"Now comes the most exhilarating part—the fusion stage!"

Russell cast a quick glance at the dire straits Minato and Kushina were in, then turned his attention to the cards.

A white card for Strength +1. Fuse it?

A blue card for Chakra +10. Fuse it?

A purple card for Water Release - Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave. Fuse it?

Another purple card for Water Release - Water Formation Wall. Fuse it?

...

A golden card for Bijyudama. Fuse it?

After inspecting over twenty cards, Russell's smile was so wide he could barely close his mouth.

"Fuse them, fuse them all!"

At his command, Russell's head throbbed as if struck by a hammer, a mix of pain and a tingling sensation overwhelming him. He had only ever fused one ninjutsu at a time before, which hadn't caused such a reaction. But the sheer volume of knowledge now flooding his mind from fusing so many techniques at once was the culprit for his discomfort.

Three minutes later, Russell snapped back to reality, emerging from the unpleasant state.

Feeling a surge of newfound strength, he was brimming with confidence that he could rescue Minato and Kushina from the Nine-Tails chaos.

Plus, with Rin still alive, the Nine-Tails disturbance might not even come to pass.

Unbeknownst to Russell, Kakashi and Nohara Rin had returned and were secretly observing the entire battle from a short distance away. Their gazes were fixed on Russell, eyes filled with bewilderment, amazement, and horror.

In Kakashi's eyes, a rare spark of combativeness flared up. It was a brief flash, but Nohara Rin, standing nearby, picked up on it.