Chapter 128: Live Stream and Commentator
"An interesting technique!" Stelle murmured, her eyes reflecting the golden glow. If nothing else, it's certainly flashy.
Just as she was admiring the sacred, towering Guanyin statue manifesting behind the monk, Hōtō thrust his palm forward. Following his motion, the countless golden hands fanning out from the avatar's back rapidly elongated, tearing through the air to smash down upon her.
Stelle neither dodged nor flinched. Her silhouette blurred, instantly transforming into a roaring burst of ethereal purple flames. She wove effortlessly through the barrage of high-speed, heavy-handed strikes.
Although the core of Hōtō's technique relied on manifesting pure chakra, the resulting high-speed bombardment was entirely physical. And against her current elemental state, physical force was utterly meaningless. Essentially, she had perfectly countered his ultimate move.
Watching her phase through his relentless assault as nothing but living fire, Hōtō's expression grew solemn.
"Hokage-sama is indeed a genius rarely seen in centuries. This Flame Transformation Technique alone ensures you remain undefeated on the battlefield."
The moment those words left his mouth, the way Stelle looked at the monk shifted entirely.
Look at that—truly a high monk of the Fire Temple. Everyone else crudely referred to her jutsu as the 'Fire Cremation Technique,' which always gave her the unpleasant illusion that she was tossing herself into an incinerator. But Hōtō? He respectfully called it the Flame Transformation Technique. Such elegance! Such class!
For that compliment alone, she decided to grant him a truly magnificent curtain call.
Her fingers blurred through a series of hand seals, moving even faster than before.
"Flame Release: Flame Bullet Barrage!"
"Flame Release: Falling Flames!"
Since Hōtō was rooted to the spot while sustaining his massive avatar, he was the perfect stationary target. She would drown him in a high-density wave of ninjutsu to violently drain his chakra reserves.
Outside the shimmering barrier, the Anbu operatives stood by helplessly. Spending their days immersed in assassination and direct combat, they were hardly proficient in complex barrier ninjutsu. For now, they could only watch the fierce battle unfolding inside.
As Stelle unleashed her torrential wave of fire, one of the masked Anbu suddenly piped up, his voice ringing with dramatic flair.
"It's here! Hokage-sama's original Flame Release! A massive area-of-effect strike—she must be aiming to exhaust that monk's chakra reserves! After all, Hokage-sama's own chakra capacity is said to rival even the legendary First Hokage!"
The Anbu didn't stop there, his tone escalating like a seasoned arena announcer. "The monk is completely immobilized while sustaining his jutsu—a sitting duck! Wait, he's shifting his stance! The open-palm strikes have formed into fists! This is no longer purely physical; the strikes now carry intense chakra vibrations! Hokage-sama's Fire Cremation Technique has been bypassed! But look—she used the Body Flicker Technique the exact microsecond she was targeted! Incredible! Her Body Flicker is so fast she's leaving solid afterimages! Hokage-sama is renowned for her godlike speed, and now the entire barrier is flooded with her phantoms! She's maneuvering at terminal velocity to evade the monk's full-throttle assault while simultaneously counterattacking with large-scale Flame Release! And there it is! Hokage-sama has unleashed her ultimate move—Flame Release: Flame Bomb! A direct hit! Mottled cracks are spider-webbing across the monk's Guanyin avatar! It's on the verge of shattering! As expected of our Hokage-sama!"
Mid-dodge, Stelle's eyebrow twitched violently. The more she listened, the more annoyed she became.
Is this guy the grandfather of that obnoxious Anbu commentator from the Chunin Exams in the original timeline? Do these black-ops assassins seriously have nothing better to do?
Here she was, the dignified Fourth Hokage, locked in a high-stakes barrier deathmatch, while her own subordinate was standing outside giving a play-by-play 'live stream' commentary. The worst part was that his tactical analysis was entirely accurate! If you're this good at narrating, why didn't you just become a sports broadcaster instead of joining the Anbu?!
Pausing for a fraction of a second, Stelle snapped her head toward the barrier. She flashed a terrifying, sinister smile. "Shut up!"
The enthusiastic Anbu flinched, completely oblivious as to why his Hokage was so furious, and instantly clamped his mouth shut.
In the distance, Kagami and Sakumo arrived in rapid succession. Having swiftly dispatched their respective opponents, the two elite shinobi immediately spotted Stelle sealed within the glowing barrier.
Without a word of hesitation, they launched a coordinated assault. A roaring torrent of Fire Release and a blinding arc of white chakra from a shortsword slammed into the barrier's surface simultaneously.
The previously stable energy dome shuddered violently under the sheer force of their combined strike. The enemy ninja anchored to the ground inside, actively maintaining the formation, let out a muffled scream as blood began to seep from his eyes, ears, and nose.
Yet, his trembling hands remained glued to the earth. Gritting his teeth, he funneled a massive surge of chakra into the array, forcing the violently shaking barrier to stabilize once more.
Instantly, the Reflection Formula inscribed along the dome flared to life. The raging flames and the lethal sword light were violently repelled, bouncing straight back at the attackers. Both Kagami and Sakumo triggered their Body Flicker techniques, blurring out of existence just in time to avoid their own reflected lethal force.
Nearby, members of Konoha's specialized Barrier Team were already frantically analyzing the dome's structural weak points. Seeing the two heavy hitters preparing for a second, even more devastating barrage, the specialists rushed forward in a panic.
"Wait, my lords! Please halt!" one of the squad leaders yelled, waving his arms. "This is a reactive barrier designed to reflect attacks and trigger a self-destruct mechanism! Forcing it open with brute strength might shatter it, but the resulting explosive backlash could directly impact Hokage-sama while she's fighting! Please give the Barrier Team a moment to analyze the formula and dismantle it safely!"
Kagami and Sakumo aborted their hand seals, lowering their weapons. However, they kept their cold, unblinking eyes fixed squarely on the Barrier Team. Their sharp, oppressive gazes felt like physical blades pressing against the specialists' throats.
Sweating profusely under the scrutiny of two men who radiated the aura of literal slaughter gods, the barrier ninjas found their fingers growing stiff and clumsy.
The enemy is inside the barrier! they screamed internally. Look at the enemy! Why are you glaring at us?!
Fortunately, they were consummate professionals when it came to sealing arts. After a few agonizing minutes of frantic calculations—and anxiously tearing out small handfuls of their own hair—they successfully unraveled the core formula. The shimmering dome shattered into harmless motes of light.
Inside, the battle was already drawing to its inevitable conclusion.
Hōtō was heavily wounded. His monk robes were scorched, and his chakra signature flickered as weakly as a candle in a storm. In stark contrast, Stelle showed absolutely no signs of injury, save for the slight, rhythmic heave of her chest as she caught her breath.
She stood amidst the scorched earth, her golden eyes locked onto the kneeling monk. "You knew you were nothing but a sacrificial pawn, yet you still chose to stand before me. Aren't you afraid your actions will implicate the rest of the Fire Temple?"
Hōtō slowly pressed his trembling palms together in a gesture of prayer.
"The monks of the Fire Temple are completely unaware of my actions," he rasped, his voice serene despite his impending death. "The Fourth Hokage loves the people of this village like her own children. I firmly believe you will spare the innocent."
Quite the smooth talker, aren't you? Stelle mused inwardly.
With a flick of her wrists, four specialized kunai materialized between her fingers. "Then allow me to send you on your way with my strongest technique, Master Hōtō."
The monk bowed his head. "Thank you, Hokage-sama, for granting me such a deep honor."
The air warped as the Hell Realm Domain rapidly expanded outward, completely enveloping Hōtō within its borders. Terrifying, scorching heat radiated in all directions, distorting the very atmosphere.
A moment later, the domain collapsed back into nothingness. Hōtō lay motionless on the cracked stone, his life extinguished.
Just then, a violent tremor shook the ceiling above them. The structural integrity of the roof had already been pulverized during their intense clash; the only thing that had been keeping the massive stone slabs from caving in was the ambient pressure of the barrier technique.
Stelle's final, overwhelming domain expansion had been the last straw. Without the barrier's support, the ceiling completely gave way, massive fissures spider-webbing across the stone.
The very floor beneath Stelle's feet crumbled into loose sand. Plunging into the sudden darkness, she fell straight down into the collapsing bowels of the building.
High above, the emergency floodlights on the central tower flickered to life for a single, erratic second before dying out again. But that brief, blinding flash of illumination was more than enough to cast a spotlight directly onto Stelle's falling figure.
Her face was deathly pale, drained of all color. She swayed unsteadily amidst the falling debris, her vitality seemingly hollowed out. Most shockingly, her vibrant hair had turned a withered, ash-white.
The tower lights flickered rapidly a few more times, blinking on and off in the dust-choked air, before finally stabilizing into a steady hum. Konoha's primary power grid had officially been restored.
By the time the dust settled, Stelle had completely reverted to her normal, healthy appearance. She slowly walked out from the mountain of collapsed rubble, her posture perfectly straight.
Ahhh... so Ida Mutzuki truly does suffer from the catastrophic backlash of her Forbidden Techniques.
Hiding deep within the shadows of the ruins, Black Zetsu had seen everything with absolute clarity. She had been genuinely weakened just moments ago. In that split second of vulnerability, she looked so frail that a single finger could have knocked her over.
Although she appeared to have fully recovered now, she was undoubtedly using some high-level disguise or medical jutsu to forcefully mask her internal injuries. Otherwise, why would she be walking out of the rubble step by step? Given her monstrous speed, she could have easily used the Body Flicker Technique to clear the debris instantly.
A twisted grin formed in the darkness. There was hope. A genuine, tangible hope for him to finally seize her Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.
Pure, unadulterated excitement caused Black Zetsu's viscous body to writhe and bubble. Slithering backward like a venomous black snake, he silently melted into the earth.
He needed to find Uchiha Kou immediately. He would use the boy as a pawn, having him get close to the weakened Ida Mutzuki to rip the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan right out of her skull.
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