Chapter 302: Scorch Release at the Level of a Kekkei Tōta?
"Scorch Release – Superheated Pressure Blast!"
In an instant, centered around Pakura , a red high-temperature field burst outward.
"Hurry, Lady Pakura is over there!"
A massive red hemisphere, covering a radius of 500 meters, suddenly emerged on the ground—so large that it could be clearly seen even from several kilometers away.
The four Sand shinobi who had been searching in pursuit of Pakura saw the immense red heat dome and their expressions changed dramatically as they sprinted toward it.
If something forced Lady Pakura to unleash such a terrifying technique, the battle must have reached its most intense moment.
Worried for her safety, the four of them ran with everything they had.
Soon…
Waves of heat began to roll in. The four Sand shinobi were nearing the battlefield where Pakura and the Lightning Clone - Sakumo had clashed.
Yet strangely, there were no sounds of battle.
This caused their expressions to shift again.
"Did she win?"
"She must've won, right?"
"Surely no one could come out unscathed from that kind of attack?"
They all hoped Pakura had won—but deep down, they feared the opposite might be true.
Anxiously, they pressed on.
They quickly arrived at the edge of the pressure blast's devastation.
"This…"
The four of them gaped in shock at the scene before them.
A massive crater, still emitting scorching black smoke, looked like it had been created by the impact of a meteorite. Inside, molten red lava oozed across the ground.
The destruction resembled that of a Tailed Beast Bomb—utterly terrifying.
"Where is Lady Pakura ?"
"Search quickly!"
"There!"
They hurried to locate her. At the center of the crater, they found Pakura lying there, her body enveloped in crimson magma, with only her face and limbs visible.
"Lady Pakura !"
The four leapt down into the crater and rushed toward her.
"She's alive—Lady Pakura is still alive!"
As they reached the center, they discovered that she was still breathing faintly. A thin layer of Scorch Release chakra still surrounded her body, shielding her from the lava's full damage.
Clearly, in the final moment, she had reserved just enough chakra to protect herself—just long enough for help to arrive.
The four breathed a sigh of relief. Two of them stood guard while the other two used Earth Release to raise the ground beneath Pakura , letting the lava flow away. One supported her body while the other began healing her with medical ninjutsu, then they quickly eBakuated the area.
They feared Konoha's Sakumo might still be alive—it was best to leave quickly.
Elsewhere, atop a tall tree at the edge of the crater, the Lightning Clone - Sakumo watched the four Sand shinobi carry Pakura away, then turned to leave himself.
"As expected, anyone called a hero of their village is no ordinary person."
Reflecting on the recent battle as he made his way back, the Lightning Clone - Sakumo couldn't help but feel impressed.
It had been Li Yao's Wind Clone who suggested Pakura develop her Scorch Release in the direction of extreme heat, but that she could push it to this extent was beyond even Li Yao's expectations.
If it had been anyone else facing that final attack, survival would have been unlikely. It was on par with Deidara's final art—C0: Ultimate Art.
To be honest, the original story's explanation that Sasuke survived Deidara's C0 with Manda's help was a bit far-fetched.
If Manda had that kind of defensive power, it wouldn't have taken the combined might of the three Sannin just to fight Hanzō to a draw.
The Lightning Clone - Sakumo was confident: Manda definitely couldn't have withstood Pakura 's recent Pressure Blast.
At its peak, the temperature of her attack had reached a terrifying 5,000 degrees—approaching the temperature of the sun's surface.
Who could survive that? It was only thanks to his unique technique, Decaying Thunder, which transformed nearby Scorch Release chakra into grey powder, that he avoided harm. Otherwise, he'd have had to use the Flying Thunder God Technique to escape.
Even now, he had only barely managed to survive.
During her final, desperate strike, he sensed a fleeting change in the nature of Pakura 's Scorch Release chakra.
Once she wakes, if she can grasp that momentary shift and further develop her technique, increasing its heat, her Scorch Release may soon evolve to the level of Kekkei Tōta.
At that point, the level of high-temperature destruction she could achieve would be terrifying beyond imagination.
If she could master temperatures of tens of thousands or even over a hundred thousand degrees… the destructive power would be inconceivable.
Even Li Yao's various clones might not be able to face her without using their true abilities.
As for the rest of the ninja world—no one would be able to match her.
Even Ōnoki, with his mastery of Dust Release, might not be her equal.
In fact, even now, there were very few who could defeat Pakura in her Red Heat Mode.
It was only because she had faced a monster like Li Yao that she had seemed so powerless. Against anyone else, they'd be the ones unable to resist.
"I'm really looking forward to Pakura completing her Kekkei Tōta-level Scorch Release."
The Lightning Clone - Sakumo smiled, a glint of anticipation in his eyes.
Once Pakura succeeded, he would gain access to yet another high-level Kekkei Tōta technique—one evolved from a Kekkei Genkai.
It would be of immense value to Li Yao's original body in his development of the Kekkei Net.
If a Kekkei Genkai could be advanced into a Kekkei Tōta, then other chakra types with Kekkei Genkai could be as well.
And Li Yao had already mastered quite a few Kekkei Genkai.
Step by step, he could elevate and eventually fuse them—accelerating the development of the Kekkei Net.
…
"Huh… Jiraiya?"
When he returned to the base, the Lightning Clone - Sakumo was surprised to find Jiraiya there, chatting with Orochimaru in his tent.
"Wasn't he on the Iwagakure front?"
"What's he doing here?"
Entering the tent, he asked Jiraiya directly.
Jiraiya explained, "Iwa seems open to peace talks and has pulled everyone back into the Land of Earth, so I came here first."
Then he playfully slapped the Lightning Clone - Sakumo on the shoulder and said, "First thing I hear when I get here is that big bro Sayun's been slaughtering everyone on the battlefield. Looks like you haven't been slacking these past few years—sneakily getting stronger. Damn you."
Jiraiya's casual tone made it sound like he was teasing an old friend. The Lightning Clone - Sakumo sensed Jiraiya's chakra and smiled back, "Nothing much, really. Just had more free time after quitting the shinobi life—so I fiddled around a bit."
Hearing that, Jiraiya rolled his eyes. "I hate you geniuses the most. You're just like Orochimaru."
"Speaking of which, Orochimaru—how the hell do you know Wood Release now?"
Jiraiya turned to look at Orochimaru, clearly curious. Aside from the need to support the war effort against Sunagakure, his other reason for coming was to ask about Orochimaru's sudden mastery of Wood Release.
Jiraiya had no idea about the secret Root labs—or the dark deeds hidden by the Third Hokage.
Many from the Senju Clan had died in attempts to recreate Wood Release, and Jiraiya feared Orochimaru's body might have hidden dangers.
Orochimaru, of course, would never share such secrets. He simply gave a vague explanation: he had developed Wood Release through research into the First Hokage's cells.
Since the First Hokage's cells weren't exactly a secret among Konoha's top brass, neither he nor the Lightning Clone - Sakumo felt any need to hide it.
"Is your body alright?" Jiraiya asked, worried.
"No problems," Orochimaru said, giving him a look like he was an idiot. "If something were going to happen, it would've happened already."
He had been using Wood Release for two to three years. If issues were going to arise, they would have by now. Jiraiya's concern was unnecessary.
"Haha, good to hear you're fine," Jiraiya laughed.
(END CHAPTER)
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