Chapter 116: BIG, BIG, BIG!
"Burn, my youth! Eight Gates: Seventh Gate of Shock! OPEN!"
With a massive roar, Might Duy, his body wreathed in a blue chakra vapor, his face flushed, charged forward like a shooting star.
"Morning Peacock!"
His fists flew with lightning speed, the friction with the air creating a barrage of fiery projectiles.
The Four Violet Flames Formation was down. Dana had no desire to continue the fight. He turned to leave, to rendezvous with Blue Bee and the others.
But Might Duy, with the Seventh Gate open, was not about to let him go. He could now keep up with Dana's speed, but his opponent was too fast to be hit by a ranged attack like the Morning Peacock. He chose to engage in close combat.
The countless Konoha ninja who did not know him watched in astonishment as this unknown powerhouse appeared from nowhere.
Duy threw a punch, the compressed air creating a slight drag on Dana.
But it was not enough.
He met the charging Duy with a straight punch of his own.
The two fists met with a massive thud that made the hearts of the pursuing ninja skip a beat. A powerful gust of wind blew back.
Neither of them retreated.
Duy's fist, wreathed in blue vapor, was bleeding, the blood quickly evaporating. The knuckle part of Dana's Sage Lightning Armor had cracked.
"Again!"
Dana responded with a side kick. Duy met it head-on.
Another massive boom. The earth cracked, and a house collapsed. Duy, his face grim, took half a step back, one of his legs trembling slightly.
A cracked bone? It seems my youth is not yet enough.
But Dana's expression was unchanged.
"Again!"
A straight punch. Duy barely blocked it. The earth cracked. He took another half-step back.
"Come!"
A front kick. Duy blocked it. A roar echoed through Konoha. He took two steps back.
"COME!"
He no longer threw a punch, but crossed his arms to block. He took three steps back, his arms trembling.
"COME!"
With three great shouts, Duy could no longer withstand the immense force. He was sent flying, a cannonball crashing through several buildings and disappearing in a cloud of dust.
Dana panted slightly, his fist still extended.
A cold glint of light.
The Sage Lightning Armor on his arm shattered into a shower of sparks.
Sakumo Hatake had joined the battle.
He looked at the devastated village, his hair and beard bristling, his eyes filled with a murderous rage.
Dana looked at the blood on his hand. It was the first time he had bled in this fight. The blood dripped, and new liquid chakra flowed out, repairing the armor.
The White Fang of Konoha was sharp indeed.
He glanced at the enraged Sakumo and the tide of Konoha ninja in the distance, then turned to leave.
"You're not getting away!"
The White Fang's speed was incredible. He was on his heels, and though Dana was faster in a straight line, he couldn't shake him. Sakumo knew the village better than he did. The deadly white blade had come dangerously close several times.
Then I'll just go from above.
"Sage Art: Thunder Dragon Technique."
A massive thunder dragon carried him into the sky. He headed for the coast, to rendezvous with Blue Bee. Though Blue Bee's chakra was almost limitless, he had expended a great deal of energy in the previous battle. The others were all seriously injured and were relying on Healing Talismans to stay alive. And with the Ino-Shika-Cho trio in pursuit, they were not out of danger. He had to get there.
But he was now moving at the speed of the thunder dragon, not his own.
The advantage of flight was absolute. Sakumo, who had been such a threat, could only watch as he was about to escape.
In the ruins, Might Duy struggled to push aside the massive rock that was pinning him.
"Hah! Hah! Hah! I can still fight! Hah!"
His breathing was like a bellows, and his legs were trembling. Others might have given up and waited for rescue, but not him.
"It seems I have no choice but to use that technique. Guy! Forgive me!"
Just as he was about to make the ultimate sacrifice, a hand clapped him on the shoulder.
"Lord Hokage... no, Elder Sarutobi!"
Hiruzen, in his black combat gear, stood in the ruins of his village, his face surprisingly calm.
"Might Duy, is it?" he said. "I remember you. The Eight Gates is a remarkable technique. And you are a remarkable ninja."
Though it was not the time, to be praised by the former Hokage was a great honor.
"Lord Hiruzen," he said, his voice firm, "I still have one more technique. If I use it, I may be able to stop him. But..."
"I know," Hiruzen said, waving his hand. "I know about the Eight Gates. That's why I'm asking you not to be reckless. Konoha still needs you."
"My lord?"
"Only you and Sakumo have the speed to catch him. I need your help."
Duy was stunned by what Hiruzen said next.
Dana was sitting cross-legged on the thunder dragon's head. He was approaching the village walls. The ninja below were helpless against him. He was getting a taste of what it was like to be Onoki. Flight was a huge advantage. He had been able to ride a thunder dragon before, but he had not had the control to keep it in the air for long.
The Konoha ninja were not about to let him go. They were in hot pursuit. If he escaped, how could Konoha hold its head up in the ninja world? Sakumo was among them, but he couldn't fly, and he was just doggedly keeping up.
Just as he was approaching the walls, he sensed a brilliant figure approaching at high speed.
It was Might Duy again. The blue chakra vapor around him was now dim and faded. The previous exchange had clearly taken its toll.
Dana was wary. If he were to open all eight gates, he would have to be very careful.
But things did not go as he had expected.
Duy leaped into the air, holding a black iron staff with golden ends. It was the signature weapon of the Third Hokage, the Adamantine Staff, the transformed Monkey King Enma.
"What?!"
This combination was completely unexpected.
Duy was still a good distance away, but he locked his eyes on him and roared, "BIG! BIG! BIG!"
The Adamantine Staff grew in size, and Duy, with all his strength, swung it like a falling pillar at the airborne Dana.
"Dammit!"
The thunder dragon was shattered, and the staff continued on, smashing through the high walls of Konoha.
In mid-air, Dana clapped his hands together. "Sage Art: Multiple Thunder Dragon Technique!"
Eight smaller thunder dragons appeared, and he used them as stepping stones to move through the air.
But it wasn't over. Duy retracted the staff and, taking advantage of Dana's momentary pause, slammed it into the ground.
"EXTEND! EXTEND! EXTEND!" he roared, holding onto the other end. "SEND ME UP, ADAMANTINE STAFF!"
The staff, like a ladder to the heavens, instantly carried him to a height he could not have reached before. He then used the momentum to retract the staff and launch himself even higher, above Dana.
"Adamantine Morning Peacock!"
Countless fireballs shot out from behind him, like a fiery peacock spreading its tail. He spun the staff, creating a high-pressure airflow that sent the fireballs hurtling towards Dana.
The fireballs might not have been able to harm him, but they could destroy the thunder dragons beneath him. He leaped between the dragons, batting away the fireballs one by one.
He was unharmed, but he was now down to three dragons.
Duy, feeling himself begin to fall, hesitated for a moment.
The staff in his hand trembled slightly, as if urging him on.
Finally, when he was at the same height as Dana, he gritted his teeth and roared, "GO!"
He threw the Adamantine Staff at the airborne Dana and then fell to the ground.
Dana, who had been busy dealing with the fireballs, was taken aback. What does he mean, "go"? He saw the staff flying towards him. He sidestepped, thinking it would miss. But just as it passed in front of him, it disappeared in a puff of smoke, and Hiruzen Sarutobi, in his combat gear, appeared in its place.
They were face to face.
Just as Dana was reeling from the shock, Hiruzen quickly completed the last hand seal. "Reaper Death Seal."