"Huh? Really? Because from where I'm standing, if this keeps going, the temperature inside should hit several hundred degrees before long…" Killer B said skeptically.
No matter how strong a shinobi was, they were still flesh and blood.
At that kind of heat… how could anyone survive?
"Jiraiya, not going to make a move?" Rōshi asked, a trace of schadenfreude in his voice.
He had lost to Jiraiya in a previous clash with Konoha, but if Shunshin Shimizu were to die here…
That wouldn't be so bad.
At the very least, it would be some small vindication for Iwagakure.
Yet Jiraiya showed no intention of intervening. Instead, he stood there with an easy, confident smile, as if everything were already under control.
That calm expression only made the Iwagakure shinobi more uneasy.
"Don't get careless, Kuroishi," Han warned.
At last, Kuroishi began to sense that something was off.
Under the continuous heating of his Fire Release, the interior of the earthen prison had already reached a scorching temperature—well over a hundred degrees.
And yet…
There wasn't a single sound from within.
Could it be…
The "Shunshin Shimizu" he had painstakingly trapped with a perfectly timed combination of techniques—
Was just a clone?
No.
Impossible!
There was no way the opponent could have escaped that technique!
Then—
Crack.
A faint fracture appeared on the surface of the earthen wall.
A warning sign.
The prison was about to break.
Kuroishi immediately poured more chakra into the technique, trying to reinforce it.
But even as he did, he felt a powerful force pressing outward from within.
Strangely, it wasn't a direct attack—there was no sign of any jutsu striking the walls.
What is this…?!
Could it be… his own Fire Release?
In mere moments, the situation spiraled out of control.
Even as his chakra drained rapidly, like water slipping through his fingers, the cracks continued to spread at an accelerating pace.
What's happening?!
This was completely beyond anything Kuroishi had experienced in battle before.
For a brief instant, hesitation crept into his mind.
Should he focus everything on maintaining the prison?
"Shunshin Shimizu" should have been trapped inside—
And yet, there had been no attempt to break the walls.
Still…
The prison was on the verge of collapse.
And in that single moment of hesitation—
BOOM!!
A violent explosion tore the entire earthen prison apart.
At the same time, a massive surge of superheated steam burst outward with a terrifying hiss, engulfing the battlefield in an instant.
"Watch out!"
Everyone immediately retreated from the area.
"Whoa—hot, hot, hot!" Killer B yelped, blowing frantically on a reddened patch on his arm. "Even just watching the fight gets me caught up in it…"
"Didn't expect that…" Even A looked slightly surprised.
"But where did all that steam come from?" Killer B asked, staring intently at the thick white cloud.
"I've heard that Shunshin Shimizu possesses Water Release on par with the Second Hokage," A replied. "This must be his doing."
"Tch… with that kind of explosion and scalding steam, that Iwagakure guy probably got hit hard, huh?" Killer B guessed.
"Most likely. Even at this distance, we barely avoided it," A said.
For a moment, the battlefield fell into silence.
As the steam gradually dissipated, Ōnoki finally spoke.
"I will concede on Kuroishi's behalf."
At the center of the battlefield, a massive crater had been blasted open—its sheer scale made it hard to imagine anyone escaping unscathed.
"…Damn it…"
Sure enough, Kuroishi slowly emerged from beneath the ground, his body covered in gruesome wounds, his skin marked by angry red burns from the scalding steam.
Kuroishi stared unwillingly at the figure encased within that blue sphere of water, his eyes filled with frustration and disbelief.
The opponent had actually used extreme heat to vaporize water, generating an immense volume of steam—and then, through sheer, terrifying pressure, forcibly blown apart the entire earthen prison.
Damn it…
If he had just steeled himself and poured everything into reinforcing the barrier—if he had pushed his chakra to its absolute limit—he might have been able to crush that pressure and win.
After all, it wasn't only him who had to endure the force of the steam. Shimizu, the one who had created it with his Water Release, would have had to withstand it as well.
In that kind of situation, it would have come down to willpower.
To courage.
I might not have lost to him…
Ōnoki, however, spoke calmly, cutting through his thoughts.
"Kuroishi, if you had continued maintaining both the fire and the earthen prison… I would have stepped in to stop you."
Kuroishi froze.
So… no matter what, I would have lost?
"Why, Tsuchikage-sama?" he asked unwillingly.
"Only a few minutes of high temperature produced a steam explosion of that magnitude..." Ōnoki replied, narrowing his eyes as he looked toward Shimizu—who was now walking out of the center of the blast completely unscathed. "What if it had been twice as long? Or even longer?"
"…What?!"
Kuroishi's heart sank.
And it wasn't just him.
Even the Kumogakure shinobi felt a chill run down their spines.
Anyone capable of standing here was no fool.
They immediately grasped Shimizu's true intention—he had used the earthen prison itself as a setup, a means to create an overwhelming explosion.
As long as Kuroishi continued "cooperating" by maintaining the barrier…
A catastrophic detonation large enough to engulf the entire area was inevitable.
Because the strength of the prison—and the chakra sustaining it—had limits.
Kuroishi clenched his fists tightly. After a long moment, his strength seemed to drain away.
"…I concede."
His body gave out, collapsing heavily to the ground as unconsciousness claimed him.
"He's badly injured. Take care of him," Ōnoki ordered.
"Yes!"
With two challengers defeated in succession, Ōnoki let out a quiet sigh.
Iwagakure had lost face—and momentum.
At this rate, their mission would become far more difficult.
But before he could speak again, Han stepped forward.
"Shunshin Shimizu," he said, his deep voice steady. "I admit your strength. Defeating two elite jōnin of Iwagakure is no small feat—you have every right to be proud."
He paused, his towering figure—nearly two and a half meters tall—casting an imposing shadow.
"But compared to your reputation… this is nothing."
His gaze sharpened.
"Both of your victories came through ambushes and clever tricks. I've heard that Chiyo, Rasa, and Pakura were all forced back by you alone… was that also the result of schemes like these?"
Shimizu didn't seem bothered in the slightest.
"There's no such thing as fairness in a shinobi battle," he replied calmly. "No matter how victory is achieved, the winner is still the winner."
"I wasn't there for those past battles," Han said, his tone growing heavier, "but just now, everyone saw what you did. That second fight—your intent wasn't just to win, but to endanger everyone present."
"That's just your interpretation," Shimizu said with a small shrug, dismissing it outright.
"Hahaha!"
Han suddenly burst into loud laughter, his voice booming across the battlefield.
"Spare me. I may be a rough man, but I'm not blind to these little schemes of yours."
His eyes locked onto Shimizu.
"You're trying to force Iwagakure to give up on the Seven-Tails, aren't you?"
"Fine. Let's raise the stakes."
"I'll make you a deal—if you dare face me head-on in a proper fight, and I lose…"
His voice rang out with absolute confidence.
"Iwagakure will withdraw from Takigakure!"
Ōnoki's brows furrowed deeply, about to object—but Rōshi stopped him with a hand, shaking his head slightly.
No need to refuse.
"But if you lose," Han continued, "Konoha will no longer interfere in this matter!"
For a moment, the entire battlefield was shaken.
Not just Iwagakure—even Kumogakure, Jiraiya, and Shimizu himself were taken aback by the sheer boldness of the proposal.
He's got guts…
"Well? Not saying anything?" Han pressed, his tone turning mocking. "Or are you afraid?"
"Where's that so-called Shunshin's spirit?" he taunted. "Don't tell me you're just someone who hides behind tricks like a coward!"
Out of the corner of his eye, Shimizu caught Jiraiya giving a faint nod.
If even one of the Sannin approved…
Then there was no reason to retreat in the face of such provocation.
"If you're that eager to die…" Shimizu said as he stepped forward, a faint blue glow beginning to shimmer across his body, "…then I'll grant your wish."
...
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