Hearing Chen Haoran's words, tears welled up in Steve's eyes. He knew that if they could just hold out for five minutes, reinforcements would arrive. But could they not even manage to survive five minutes!
"Ah!"
Chen Haoran let out a furious roar, and flames engulfed his body, burning so intensely that the air around him seemed to warp from the heat.
In the next second, the flames around Chen Haoran suddenly contracted sharply, then rapidly expanded outward, sweeping across the surroundings.
The moment Chen Haoran ignited himself, Steve knew what was about to happen. He immediately raised his shield and ran back.
Initially, Kidōmaru paid no attention, not believing that anyone on this planet, except for a few individuals, could harm him, not even someone who wielded fire.
However, reality hit him hard, and quickly he shouted, "Damn it!"
Kidōmaru roared in anger, protecting his face with his six arms and using the Substitution Jutsu.
"Boom!"
A violent explosion echoed through the SHIELD headquarters' hall. The blast shattered any remaining unbroken glass, causing the entire Triskelion building to shake.
The first floor of the building began to collapse, turning the third floor into the first, while the first and second floors were reduced to ashes.
From the outside, a fierce blaze could be seen erupting from the first-floor hall, then slowly dissipating.
Although the first and second floors of the Triskelion had turned to dust, but thanks to the high quality of the SHIELD headquarters' construction, the building didn't collapse entirely.
Back at the moment of the explosion, Steve had seen Chen Haoran ignite himself and immediately curled up behind his shield.
The flames blasted him out of the SHIELD Triskelion building, sending him flying to the island outside, where he crashed into the crystal barrier, finally coming to a stop.
Even though Steve had shielded himself with his vibranium shield, he wasn't unharmed. Despite curling up, he couldn't protect his entire body. His limbs were severely burned, and his hair was also instantly burned, leaving him bald, but he managed to survive.
Kidōmaru wasn't as fortunate. Everything happened so quickly that he didn't have time to use reverse summoning jutsu to escape.
Even though he used the Substitution Jutsu, he was still caught in the explosion due to its wide range.
With no vibranium or sound-absorbing steel to protect him, Kidōmaru had to shield himself with his six arms.
When the flames subsided, Kidōmaru was buried under the rubble. His second state had dissipated, four of his six arms had turned to charcoal, and he was barely clinging to life, unconscious.
…
In the command room-
Hill watched as Chen Haoran sacrificed himself, a tear rolling down her cheek.
Chen, SHIELD's combat asset, with so much potential and a heroic spirit, had died here. He had a promising future ahead of him...
Hill had once tried to dissuade Nick Fury from confronting the Sound Ninja, but in the end, she couldn't stop the director's orders.
Wiping the tear from her face, Hill looked up at the countdown on the screen. There were ten seconds left.
"Everyone, hold on! Reinforcements are on the way!"
…
On the other side-
The other three members of the Sound Ninja Four all felt the tremors from the explosion. They frowned slightly, unsure of what had happened, but simultaneously increased the speed of their slaughter.
…
Meanwhile-
In the outside of the barrier, four Tomahawk missiles had been launched, targeting the barrier around the central island.
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!" These missiles were fired by Nick Fury, who, using his authority, had activated a submarine lurking in the nearby waters to issue the attack command.
The four Tomahawk missiles violently struck the crystal barrier, causing it to shake. However, with Guren's chakra continuously supplying energy, the barrier quickly stabilized.
As the smoke cleared, the barrier remained bright and intact.
Watching this scene unfold via satellite, Nick Fury frowned slightly. Even if the Mist Ninjas arrived, could they truly break this barrier?
…
Terumi Mei, accompanied by three others, had just arrived outside the central island. Looking at the barrier before her, she exclaimed in surprise, "Crystal Release?"
This was an extremely rare Kekkei Genkai, something she had only seen in the village's archives. She never expected that someone with such an ability would be brought here by Lord Charles.
Mei then glanced at Kimimaro beside her, thinking to herself, could this Crystal Release user also be one of Orochimaru's subordinates?
Noticing Mei's gaze, Kimimaro calmly stated, "Guren is also a member of the Sound Ninja Village."
Mei murmured, "Guren?"
It seemed that yet another female ninja with a Kekkei Genkai had been brought under Orochimaru's wing.
Where exactly did he find all these talented individuals?
"Five minutes are up; it looks like we arrived just in time."
"Ao, can you see what's happening inside?"
Standing nearby, Ao removed his eyepatch and performed a hand seal, "Byakugan, activate!"
He gazed at the barrier before him but found that his Byakugan couldn't penetrate it.
He then reported, "Mizukage-sama, my Byakugan can't see through this barrier. It seems that the Crystal Release has some properties that counter the Byakugan."
Unable to see through the Crystal Release barrier, Mei pondered for a moment. Then, crossing her arms, she asked, "Can any of you break this barrier?"
Ao shook his head uncertainly and replied, "The environment here is perfect for using Water Release. I could try a Water Dragon Jutsu, but I'm not very confident."
Haku simply said, "My abilities can't break this barrier."
Kimimaro remained silent, neither confirming nor denying his ability to break the barrier. After all, back in the ninja world, Guren wasn't as powerful as she was now, and back then, she wasn't his match.
Mei smiled and said, "If that's the case, let me handle this."
"Boil Release: Skilled Mist Technique!"
Mei combined the fire and water nature chakras within her, slowly extending her palm toward the barrier and gently exhaling a highly heated Boil Release.
This was the same Boil Release capable of melting even the Susanoo's bones. Yet, Mei didn't stop after enveloping the barrier wall with her Boil Release; she continued her attack with another technique.
"Lava Release: Melting Technique!"
"Crack! Shatter!"
With the combined attack of the Boil Release and Lava Release, the previously indestructible Crystal Release barrier was quickly covered in cracks.
In the next moment, the entire barrier shattered, turning into sparkling red crystal fragments that floated through the air, making the sky above the central island look beautifully romantic.