Chapter 418: Nuclear Release – Super Nuclear Bomb Jutsu
"Their Rasengan have reached a stalemate. What matters now is their chakra reserves…"
Shunhi looked up at Boruto and Skynet and analyzed the situation.
On one side was Boruto, who possessed the Nine-Tails' chakra; on the other, Skynet, whose body housed a chakra core. The chakra levels between the two were almost evenly matched.
"Can't we do anything to help them?"
After smashing away yet another incoming scientific ninja tool puppet, Kurotsuchi turned to Shunhi and asked.
"Any interference might break the delicate balance between the two Rasengan… or worse, trigger a massive explosion prematurely. If that happens, the entire Hidden Stone Village could be wiped off the map,"
Shunhi replied. Despite having a dog's head, his expression was grim and serious.
"Then what should we do?"
Kakashi asked with a furrowed brow.
Shunhi shook his head—he had no answer.
Time ticked by, second by second. Maintaining a Rasengan of such immense scale consumed chakra at an alarming rate. In the end, Boruto pulled slightly ahead. Skynet's purple Rasengan began to flicker and blur, on the verge of fading. Boruto's golden Rasengan pushed forward once more, pressing down toward Skynet's head.
"That's great!"
Cheers erupted from the crowd.
At that moment, hundreds of scientific ninja tool puppets wheeled dozens of large-scale scientific ninja devices into their vicinity.
"What are those things?"
Kurotsuchi didn't know what they were, but a bad feeling rose instinctively.
"That's… a chakra absorption device!"
Minato suddenly realized what it was and shouted. Everyone turned to look at him.
"Ahem…" Shunhi coughed lightly, redirecting their attention back to himself. "It's one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s products. Simply put, it absorbs chakra."
As Shunhi finished speaking, the chakra absorption devices activated with a deep mechanical hum.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!" Kakashi quickly formed hand seals to test it out, but only a tiny flame sputtered from his mouth and vanished in the wind. "As I thought, we can't use jutsu anymore."
"The only good news is that the restriction applies to everyone—including the puppets."
Shunhi added.
"How wonderful…"
Kurotsuchi muttered sarcastically.
"Boruto!"
Kakashi suddenly remembered and shouted. Everyone turned their gaze back to Boruto.
Sure enough, deprived of chakra, Boruto's golden Rasengan vanished as well.
"Damn it!"
Kurotsuchi couldn't help but curse at their lost chance.
Meanwhile, the scientific ninja tool puppets surrounded them once more.
Eventually, stamina runs dry. Facing the endless waves of puppets, taijutsu alone wasn't going to cut it.
Their counterattack had essentially already failed.
Everyone present understood that reality.
The real question now was: what would happen to Boruto?
Stripped of chakra, Boruto lay motionless not far from Skynet. With no ninjutsu, rescuing him was practically impossible.
Were they just supposed to give up on him…?
Kakashi struggled internally. There was no doubt that based on Boruto's performance today, he would be a key figure in the future resistance against Skynet. But trying to save him now would be an extremely risky gamble—one that could end with not only Boruto still captured, but the rescuer lost as well.
At this point, every fighter was crucial.
"I'll go rescue Boruto. You all retreat first."
Minato spoke up.
After all, Boruto was his grandson. Of course he'd choose to save him. And if he went back alone without trying, Kushina would never forgive him.
No matter how he looked at it, saving Boruto was a must.
With Naruto missing, Boruto had become Kushina's last emotional anchor.
"But…"
Kakashi looked at Minato.
"Don't worry, Kakashi. Skynet can't attack members of S.H.I.E.L.D. And once I'm out of range of the chakra absorption field, I can use Flying Thunder God Jutsu to teleport away. So all things considered, I'm the most suitable person for this."
"I'll stay and help too."
Shunhi said.
"Deputy Director?"
Minato looked at Shunhi in surprise.
"Skynet may not be able to attack you, but it can still overwhelm you with sheer numbers. Those puppets could easily encircle you and Boruto. Besides, I still have one technique I can use."
Shunhi explained.
"…Alright then. I'll leave it to you both."
Kakashi looked solemnly at the two of them, entrusting them with the task.
As he watched the other three retreat into the distance, Shunhi turned to Minato.
"Let's go, Minato."
"Yeah…" Minato nodded. "Thanks, Shunhi."
Shunhi didn't have to help with the rescue, but chose to anyway, which touched Minato deeply.
Shunhi just smiled awkwardly.
After all, he was partly responsible for the current crisis.
"So it's S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Lord SpongeBob and the Deputy Director."
The approaching Shunhi and Minato were not stopped by the puppets. Skynet looked at the two with apparent respect and spoke.
Minato walked up to the unconscious Boruto, collapsed from chakra exhaustion, and carefully hoisted him onto his back.
"I'm ready."
He nodded at Shunhi.
"You're trying to escape with Boruto?" Skynet asked, amused. At the same time, it ordered the puppets to tighten their encirclement. "You do know I won't let you go that easily, right?"
"That's exactly why I came!"
Shunhi replied, clapping his hands together.
"Hmm?"
Skynet's AI flagged Shunhi's action as strange, but within the chakra absorption field, it was confident no ninjutsu could be used.
"Nuclear Release – Super Nuclear Bomb Jutsu!"
This was the perfect fusion of technology and ninjutsu.
A summoning seal appeared high above the Hidden Stone Village.
"Impossible! Ninjutsu shouldn't work under these conditions!"
The illogical turn of events nearly caused a fault in Skynet's data processor.
But then again, the system itself was an illogical existence.
Although most of its functions were temporarily disabled due to an upgrade, items and skills obtained through the system could still be used.
"Skynet, you underestimated S.H.I.E.L.D.!"
From the seal above, a nuclear warhead slowly emerged and began descending toward the village.
"Minato, now's your chance—GO!"
Shunhi shouted.
"What about you?!"
"Don't worry. I'll be fine."
Minato knew this wasn't the time to hesitate. Seeing Shunhi's confident expression, he quickly turned and fled with Boruto on his back.
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