Chapter 70: Borrowing the Wind's Power for Fire

The scorching heat beat against Uchiha Homura's face, but he remained calm and swiftly formed hand seals. Just as the fire dragon was less than half a meter away from him, he completed his hand seals, summoning a blazing dragon not inferior to Minato's Fire Dragon Flame Missile. As the flames ignited, it sounded like the roar of a dragon.

"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Missile!"

The two fire dragons collided, instantly spreading the bright and scorching flames. Uchiha Homura leapt back, his hands still forming seals as his own flames began expanding.

Executing ninjutsu requires some preparation time, so initially Uchiha Homura's Fire Dragon was evenly matched with Minato's. But once he had fully gathered his power, the raging flames became far more intense. 

"Trying to defeat me in fire ninjutsu is foolish," Uchiha Homura inwardly mocked. Did Minato think this would overwhelm him?

The Uchiha clan would never lose in fire-based ninjutsu!

The flames swelled, concealing Minato from Uchiha Homura's view. Though Kushina and the others had to retreat, they continued forming hand seals.

"Minato, be careful!" Kushina shouted, unable to see his expression through the raging flames.

He showed no sign of difficulty and would not be so foolish as to challenge an Uchiha's mastery of fire ninjutsu head-on. Ninjutsu can be used creatively; even the Uchiha's fire techniques are not invincible.

The surging flames rushed towards him like a tidal wave, about to engulf him.

"Perfect," Minato smiled, his cheeks puffing out.

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

A powerful gust of wind burst from Minato's mouth, crashing into the flames with an audible roar. 

Whoosh!

Minato's previously weaker fire dragon suddenly exploded in power, overwhelming Uchiha Homura's flames in an instant.

"He can simultaneously use two chakra natures?!" Even White Fang's pupils constricted in shock.

Though the techniques Minato used were only C-rank, having trained under Jiraiya, he should have been able to learn them. But that wasn't the point - the fact that he could simultaneously wield two chakra natures in actual combat was something even many chunin couldn't achieve, let alone a ninja academy student. 

Shocked but full of praise, Sakumo said, "Understanding how to use the wind to intensify fire...Minato is truly a rare genius!"

The five basic chakra natures have strengths and weaknesses that can overcome or enhance each other. Using wind to fuel fire creates an exponential increase in its power, allowing C-rank techniques combined to reach B-rank levels.

The slightly smug look froze on Uchiha Homura's face as he suddenly found himself on the defensive. He couldn't believe he was losing in fire ninjutsu to Minato, having been blinded by the flames to Minato's actions.

"Impossible!"

No matter how forcefully he used his Fire Dragon Flame Missile, he couldn't overpower Minato's intensified flames. Then he felt an unnatural gust of wind on his face beneath the raging inferno. How could there be wind indoors?

"Wind Style ninjutsu!" The Uchiha genius immediately realized. Everyone knew fire techniques were empowered by wind.

Those in the stands were nearly blinded by the explosive force of the flames, which then stopped expanding. Sarutobi Ao was the first to understand, his eyes going wide. As a member of the Sarutobi clan who also specialized in fire techniques, he could scarcely believe a ninja academy student could combine two chakra natures to augment his techniques - something even he hadn't yet mastered.

The others didn't grasp the mechanics, but Mikoto's eyes shone with new appreciation for how much Minato had grown without her realizing it. Kushina's face turned beet red, her eyes sparkling with admiration at Minato overpowering Uchiha Homura.

Whoosh! 

In their flame deadlock, Uchiha Homura grew increasingly overwhelmed despite pouring in more chakra. If this continued, he would be drained.

Minato's Wind-Intensified Fire Dragon Missile was beyond what he could counter. With gritted teeth, Uchiha Homura disengaged from the jutsu exchange as Minato's flames surged forward uncontested.

"Body Flicker Technique!"

A dark blur shot past as the blazing torrent engulfed half the field, obscuring everyone's vision. As the fire gradually died down, Minato stood calmly while Uchiha Homura emerged scorched and tattered, a portion of his clothes burned away.

Humiliated, Uchiha Homura glared at Minato. Two exchanges and the infamous Uchiha fire prowess had reduced him to this.

"My speed surprised you before, but I'm not just fast anymore," Minato seemed to sense Uchiha Homura's thoughts. The latter had mastered the Body Flicker to counter Minato's speed, but speed alone wasn't enough.

The arena fell silent as Sakumo narrowed his eyes. "The brat was still holding back."

Combining the Fire Dragon and Great Breakthrough created power far beyond what they had demonstrated. He initially thought Minato was lacking in chakra, but that didn't seem to be the case based on his current state - he had simply limited the area to allow Uchiha Homura a chance to escape with the Body Flicker.

Rather than a gap in ability, this entire battle had been under Minato's control from the start. Uchiha Homura never truly had a chance of winning.

(end of chapter)