Chapter 42: Crisis
Whoosh! Whoosh! Buzz! Boom!
A drop of liquid pierced through the earthen wall, and Zē's defensive wall exploded apart in an instant.
Cold sweat covered Zē's face. He had nearly been hit by his opponent's attack.
The Hōzuki clan's secret technique...
The thought flashed through his mind, but he didn't stop moving.
He threw several shuriken with both hands. They tore through the air and shot straight toward Hōzuki Ōrō.
"Too weak."
Ōrō's body suddenly liquefied, collapsing into a puddle of water with a splash.
His figure vanished.
Zē frantically scanned his surroundings.
Front.
Behind.
Left.
Right.
Damn it.
He tightened his grip around his kunai, sweat dripping from his palm.
His opponent was simply too strong.
Zē felt that Ōrō's strength was hardly inferior to the captain's.
"What are you so nervous about?"
Ōrō's voice suddenly came from behind him.
Zē immediately released the kunai in his hand, spun around, and rapidly formed hand seals.
"Earth Release: Rock Staff!"
...
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions erupted one after another as the two rapidly exchanged blows.
The shockwaves shattered the trees around them. Some were snapped in half and crashed to the ground, while others were blasted into fragments that scattered throughout the forest.
Whoosh!
Gōenji retreated a considerable distance, his expression grim.
"This Munashi Jinpachi is too troublesome. I'll try one more time. Fūjin and Zē won't be able to hold out much longer."
He had underestimated the power of Shibuki.
He had originally thought it was little more than a simple weapon for storing and deploying explosive tags.
He hadn't expected Jinpachi to be capable of extracting such terrifying power from it.
For a long time, Gōenji had thought that aside from Samehada, the other Ninja Swords were not particularly useful.
Now, he realized that every one of the Seven Ninja Swords had its own terrifying qualities.
Tiger.
Gōenji formed a one-handed seal and decided to test Jinpachi's abilities once again.
A massive amount of chakra gathered in his throat and was compressed.
At the same time, Gōenji applied the principles of leverage to control and shape the compressed chakra.
"Fire Release: Great Dragon Flame Song!"
Once his Great Dragon Fire Technique had reached a sufficient level of mastery, he could release it repeatedly.
Boom! Boom, boom, boom!
Five or six enormous fire dragons erupted from Gōenji's mouth.
They roared through the air, carrying terrifying heat with them.
Under the combined effects of the impact and temperature, the air itself began to distort.
"Your Fire Release is impressive, but you're still a long way from defeating me."
Jinpachi could clearly sense the destructive power of the flames.
If he were struck directly, his body would undoubtedly be burned to ash.
The evidence was all around them. Even leaves that hadn't been directly hit had already begun to turn yellow and charred from the intense heat.
Jinpachi chuckled and wiped Shibuki before forming a seal with one hand.
Shibuki opened, releasing countless explosive tags that flew out like dragons, forming several chains that shot toward the incoming fire dragons.
"Chain Explosion."
Bang! Bang! Bang!
At Jinpachi's mocking voice, the explosive tags detonated one after another.
The resulting explosions formed a massive barrier of fire and smoke that intercepted and completely blocked the fire dragons.
"Kid, you're trying to finish me quickly so you can go save your teammates, aren't you?"
Jinpachi sneered.
"You'll have to get past me first."
He glanced toward the other battlefields.
Aside from the battle between Sei and Ryōma, which was still relatively even, the other two fights were already approaching their conclusions.
He was genuinely surprised.
Those two Konoha shinobi had actually managed to hold their own against Shirō Fubuki and Hōzuki Ōrō for this long.
Shirō Fubuki was one of Kirigakure's most outstanding Ice Release users.
And yet that Aburame shinobi had managed to endure against him for so long.
The other opponent, Hōzuki Ōrō, was also a jōnin of the Hōzuki clan.
But that didn't matter.
As long as Jinpachi could keep this troublesome Uchiha brat occupied until his comrades finished off their opponents, he would accept that outcome.
By now, Jinpachi had fully realized just how troublesome this Uchiha was.
The young man was too well-rounded.
His tactical responses were extremely polished, leaving almost no obvious weaknesses.
His combat experience was exceptionally rich, and his Fire Release was overwhelmingly powerful.
Even with Shibuki, Jinpachi could barely keep him occupied.
"Hmph. Is that so?"
Gōenji's grim expression finally relaxed.
The corners of his mouth slowly curled upward.
"Take a look around you."
Jinpachi's eyes narrowed.
He swept his gaze across the surroundings.
Then his expression changed.
Countless strands of steel wire had surrounded him.
And standing opposite him was another Gōenji, holding the same steel wires in his hands.
"Shadow Clone Technique."
"That's right."
"Fire Release: Iron Web Formation."
The Shadow Clone's lips curved upward.
Chakra condensed around his body, and flames rapidly spread along the steel wires like dragons.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The flames spread through the web, completely surrounding Jinpachi and leaving him nowhere to land.
There was no way Gōenji would overlook a technique as useful as the Shadow Clone Technique.
Of course, he had secretly learned it rather than receiving formal instruction in Konoha.
But now, it had proven extremely useful.
While fighting his opponent and using ninjutsu, he had secretly created a clone and used it to set up this trap.
He understood that jōnin were not easy opponents to deal with.
Even a powerful shinobi needed traps.
As for Fire Release: Iron Web Formation, it was simply a technique based on an ability he had already used before.
He had merely given it a name.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Gōenji pulled hard.
The Iron Web Formation immediately tightened, enclosing Jinpachi from every direction.
Damn it! When did he create that clone?
Jinpachi stared at the approaching flames.
The Fire Release was closing in from all sides, leaving him almost no room to dodge.
Buzz!
Whoosh!
Shibuki unfolded.
A series of explosive tags appeared.
Damn it! Kirigakure really is willing to go all out.
Gōenji instantly used the Body Flicker Technique and rushed toward Fūjin's battlefield.
Kirigakure had actually dispatched four shinobi comparable to the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
That was absurd.
And judging from the current situation, the other three weren't any weaker than Jinpachi.
In some aspects, they were even more troublesome.
...
Boom!
Half of Fūjin's body was already covered in ice, leaving her barely able to move.
She stared at the young man in the distance, even her breath carrying a chill.
Crack! Crack!
One small insect after another was frozen solid before falling onto the cold ground with a series of dull impacts.
He's too strong.
Her secret techniques were completely suppressed by Ice Release.
Worse, her opponent possessed extensive combat experience, while his mastery of Ice Release was exceptionally high.
He manipulated it effortlessly.
"I'm sorry, little sister."
Shirō Fubuki smiled faintly.
"Fighting you was the last thing I wanted. But I have no choice. I'll have to send you to the Pure Land to meet your ancestors."
His tone was gentle.
His smile was brilliant.
But the attack he prepared was lethal.
"Ice Release: Ice Bullet."
A tiny ice bullet, no larger than a thumb, appeared at his fingertip.
Whoosh!
Without the slightest warning, it tore through the air.
Is this really where my journey ends?
There are still so many insects I haven't raised.
So many species in this world I've never even seen.
I heard there are countless others living in distant lands...
Fūjin could only watch as the ice bullet drew closer.
She had no strength left to deal with an attack of this level.
All she could do was stand frozen in place and watch death approach.
Her thoughts raced like lightning, memories flashing through her mind as she recalled all the things she still regretted.
Then the ice bullet arrived.