Chapter 87: If There's One Thing I'm Not Lacking, It's Chakra
Almost everyone believed that if things kept going the way they were, Uchiha Dali would most likely win this fight.
However, Sarutobi Hiruzen, who had been listening to their discussions, had a different opinion.
As soon as he spoke, everyone instinctively turned to look at the so-called "Ninja Professor," the Third Hokage.
But before Hiruzen could say anything, Koharu Utatane stepped in to explain: "Uchiha Dali's jutsu are undeniably powerful and have an incredibly wide area of effect."
"But as you all should know, the kind of chakra required to perform such high-level jutsu increases exponentially."
"How much longer do you think he can keep this up?"
With that, all the jōnin present immediately realized what was really going on.
At this moment, Homura Mitokado chimed in as well: "So far, Minato has just been evading. He hasn't taken any actual damage."
"In my opinion, he's waiting for the right moment to strike. Once Uchiha Dali runs out of chakra, he'll be the one in danger."
Both advisors laid out what they believed to be the truth.
And when Sarutobi Hiruzen heard this, he simply smiled and stayed silent—because he agreed with them.
They were all seasoned veterans of the Hidden Leaf Village—elites among elites.
In their younger days, they'd all fought in the Great Ninja Wars, gaining invaluable battlefield experience.
So, their judgment wasn't exactly wrong.
From a normal perspective, no matter how strong a ninja is, their chakra reserves are ultimately limited.
This meant that during missions or in battle, they had to be careful, make calculated moves, and manage their chakra as efficiently as possible.
Only then could they carry out their missions successfully and defeat their enemies.
To them, Uchiha Dali's reckless style of fighting seemed highly unwise.
"We haven't seen any signs of his chakra running out yet," Shimura Danzo thought, his mind stirring.
He sensed that his own people might have another opportunity to make a move.
Still, he feigned calm and tried to lead the conversation with a calculated prompt.
Sure enough, Hyuga Hiashi couldn't hold back and immediately activated his Byakugan to observe the chakra flow inside Uchiha Dali's body.
"No, his chakra is decreasing. It just seems like it isn't because he has so much to begin with."
"In contrast, Minato has been dodging the entire time, so he's barely used any chakra."
That was exactly the answer Danzo had been hoping for.
Hearing this, he sneered inwardly and subtly signaled Aburame Ryoma.
Ryoma, in turn, commanded his insects to notify the Root operatives lying in wait, telling them to stand by for the right moment.
"At this rate, you're going to run out of chakra fast," Minato warned, dodging Dali's attacks with a frown.
Though he looked like he was struggling—forced to constantly evade and unable to directly confront Dali's onslaught—he still had enough breathing room to calmly point out the flaw in Dali's tactics.
It showed just how composed he really was.
"Worry about yourself!" Uchiha Dali replied with a light chuckle, picking up speed as he launched another attack—this time using an even more advanced technique than Wind Release: Giant Rasengan.
"Wind Release: Ultra Giant Rasengan!"
In an instant, a massive Rasengan over ten meters in diameter, infused with fierce Wind Release chakra, came crashing down toward Minato.
The sheer size of the technique made Minato break into a cold sweat.
"This is insane!"
With a flicker, he vanished using Flying Thunder God.
Even the watching ninja outside the battlefield were stunned by Dali's recklessness.
"When did he even develop a technique like that?!"
"The chakra required for that move could've powered at least dozens of his earlier attacks!"
"This is way overboard—he's going to burn through his chakra in no time at this rate!"
Of course, Uchiha Dali knew that attacking so recklessly would quickly deplete his chakra—especially if he couldn't even hit his opponent.
But that was exactly what he wanted.
BOOM—
When he hurled the Ultra Giant Rasengan and blew out a hundred-meter crater in the forest and ground ahead of him, sure enough, the system prompt rang out in his head again.
[ Ding! Due to excessive chakra consumption, your refining speed can no longer keep up. You have comprehended: Ultra High-Speed Chakra Refining Technique! ]
[ Ultra High-Speed Chakra Refining Technique: Allows the user to refine chakra at extremely high efficiency anytime, anywhere—even during battle. Greatly accelerates chakra recovery. ]
[ Any excess chakra will be automatically stored for future use. ]
This wasn't the first time Dali had comprehended a chakra refining method like this.
In fact, during this very battle against Minato, he had already unlocked two previous versions of the technique.
And this was the real reason why he could afford to be so reckless, using such massive, wide-area jutsu against Minato without hesitation.
He could recover chakra at ultra-high speed while still fighting.
And any leftover chakra would automatically be stored for later.
Across the entire ninja world, Uchiha Dali dared to say that if he was second when it came to chakra recovery, no one else could claim to be first.
Right now, he wanted nothing more than to roar to the heavens—
"If there's one thing I've got in excess—it's chakra!"
"Let's see how you handle a barrage of Ultra Giant Rasengans, Minato!"
Dali stopped chasing and locked onto Minato, raising both palms to face the sky.
Immediately, two massive orbs of white Wind Release chakra began spinning rapidly, forming twin Ultra Giant Rasengans in each of his hands.
The entire process took less than a second.
Such flawless mastery of the Rasengan left even Minato in awe.
"I can't believe he not only copied my Rasengan using his Sharingan, but even built on it to create techniques like this..."
"Though the power has increased exponentially, the drawbacks are obvious. This kind of jutsu is absolutely unforgiving to ninja with limited chakra."
Minato's expression turned serious as he stared at the massive Rasengans in Dali's hands.
He marveled internally, but at the same time instinctively began analyzing the pros and cons of the technique—ready to dodge at any moment.
And sure enough, that was when Uchiha Dali made his move.
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