"Kazahana Doto, are you really being fooled by your subordinates with false information?" Kanko Hyouketsu couldn't help but curse.
He simply couldn't contain himself; he had thought he was just going to fight a relatively outstanding Jonin, but Mutsuki's performance was completely that of a powerful figure capable of gaining fame in the ninja world.
Of course, Kanko Hyouketsu would not doubt that Kazahana Doto deliberately used false information to deceive him, as they were already in the same boat. If he couldn't defeat Kazahana Doto, it would be impossible for him to usurp the position.
Kanko Hyouketsu only felt that Kazahana Doto was foolish for obtaining false information.
"It's impossible; didn't you say you were sure you could win?" Kazahana Doto retorted.
Kanko Hyouketsu suspected that there was a problem with the information, while Kazahana Doto thought Kanko Hyouketsu was weak, with a village leader actually fearing a young man from a major ninja village.
Clearly, before the battle, he had been full of confidence, saying that dealing with Mutsuki, that little brat, would be no problem.
Kanko Hyouketsu wished he could punch Kazahana Doto into the ground. His boastful words were all because the information from Kazahana Doto was so off. If he had known Mutsuki was that strong, he wouldn't have cooperated with Kazahana Doto and would have switched sides immediately.
However, after exchanging a few sharp words, both of them quickly calmed down. As the leader of a ninja village and the second-in-command of the Land of Snow, they knew that discussing who was right or wrong was pointless. The most important thing was to win the battle and complete the usurpation.
Kazahana Doto left the center of the battlefield with a few Snow Ninjas, moving toward the edge to try to bypass Mutsuki and directly capture Kazahana Sosetsu.
He was the core of the Snow Ninjas, while Kazahana Sosetsu was the core on Mutsuki's side. Capturing Kazahana Sosetsu would greatly aid their side in the battle.
Kazahana Doto's little actions naturally couldn't escape Mutsuki's notice, after all, Kazahana Doto was considered a strong figure among the Snow Ninjas.
However, Mutsuki didn't pay any attention to Kazahana Doto, allowing him to sneak toward Kazahana Sosetsu.
He had brought Kakashi and the others to complete the mission, not just for Mutsuki to do the task himself. If Kakashi and the others didn't get a chance to fight and the mission ended quickly, the final reward wouldn't be high.
After all, this was a sensei system, not a "strongest Ninja" system; it emphasized whether the disciples and students had experienced growth.
Of course, Mutsuki wouldn't let anyone through recklessly. He definitely wouldn't allow someone of Kanko Hyouketsu's level to pass because even if Obito and the others went all out, they couldn't defeat him unless Rin was killed, prompting Obito to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan.
Mutsuki concentrated a large amount of Chakra in his mouth and completed a Nature Transformation at lightning speed, converting all of his Chakra into fire attribute Chakra.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Destruction!"
Mutsuki clasped his hands together and leaped vigorously, releasing even more flames than before. It was as if he had expelled a meteor made entirely of pure, high-temperature fire.
The enormous flaming meteor, upon touching the ground, instantly transformed into an incredibly fierce sea of flames that turned everything around it to black ash. The intensity of the fire far exceeded Mutsuki's earlier Great Fire Annihilation.
At this moment, Kanko Hyouketsu was already sweating profusely due to the sudden increase in temperature, with his shirt soaked through with sweat. He had never seen such exaggerated power from a Fire Release Ninjutsu.
At this point, Kanko Hyouketsu didn't need to issue any commands; all the Snow Ninjas were doing their best to use Ninjutsu to counter the seemingly all-consuming sea of fire.
Those who could use defensive Ninjutsu created ice walls and snow walls, while those who couldn't gathered their Chakra, preparing to use attacking Ninjutsu to counter the sea of fire once the ice walls shattered.
They understood that if they couldn't withstand this high-temperature sea of flames, death was the only thing waiting for them.
Watching the Snow Ninjas encouraging each other and uniting to confront the sea of fire, Mutsuki suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu, as if he had become the BOSS, while the Snow Ninjas were the ones fighting against him.
In terms of strength, there was little difference between the Snow Ninjas fighting him and battling a BOSS—it was more like they were fighting an over-leveled BOSS.
This time, Mutsuki's flames had increased in both quality and quantity, significantly enhancing his overall power. The massive ice wall that had blocked the Great Fire Annihilation was rapidly melted by the terrifying flames of Great Fire Destruction, disappearing in just a few seconds as if it had never existed.
"Ice Release: Black Dragon Blizzard!"
Facing Mutsuki, whose strength far exceeded expectations, Kanko Hyouketsu unleashed his true killing move.
Kanko Hyouketsu maximized the power of the Chakra armor he was wearing and quickly formed hand seals to unleash a large amount of Chakra. A giant dragon made of ice and snow rapidly took shape and charged toward the sea of fire.
Kanko Hyouketsu's Ninjutsu was indeed powerful, and it received a boost in the heavy snow, but it still seemed immature in the face of Mutsuki's Great Fire Destruction, which was like a natural disaster.
He couldn't even manage to hold back the sea of fire for a fraction of a second; the ice dragon was quickly engulfed by the flames.
"Ice Release: One Horned White Whale!"
"Ice Release: Tearing Dragon Fierce Tiger!"
"Ice Release: Ice Pillar!"
Once the ice wall was breached, all the Snow Ninjas capable of using Ninjutsu employed their most proficient techniques to combat the sea of fire, with numerous ice and snow beasts charging into the flames in an attempt to block its spread.
Even with the Snow Ninjas' diligent defense, the sea of fire did not extinguish; it merely shrank in size.
Kanko Hyouketsu rapidly retreated to avoid being affected by the flames, while some slower-moving Snow Ninjas were directly incinerated.
The surviving Snow Ninjas looked at Mutsuki with a hint of fear in their eyes.
The Great Fire Destruction only eliminated a small number of Snow Ninjas, but it successfully crushed their morale to rock bottom.
After all, it was hundreds of them against one, and they couldn't even block Mutsuki's Ninjutsu.
"Even the legendary Sannin can't be stronger than this," Kanko Hyouketsu sighed, having lost the confidence he had at the beginning.
Mutsuki's strength had exceeded his imagination; this was a direct clash with hundreds of Ninjas.
This battle completely shattered Kanko Hyouketsu's dreams of being part of a great ninja village. The foundations of the five major ninja villages were simply too strong. Konoha not only had Mutsuki, but also the Sannin, the Third Hokage, and the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. Even if the Snow Ninjas had their own Jinchuriki, they couldn't compete with those major ninja villages.
At this point, Kanko Hyouketsu had no idea how to win the battle. He could only try to engage in a war of attrition, after all, a Ninja's Chakra was limited; no matter how powerful the Ninjutsu, it was useless without Chakra.
"Kazahana Doto, do something useful," Kanko Hyouketsu thought, seeing Kazahana Doto as his last hope. If they could capture Kazahana Sosetsu, even if they couldn't successfully usurp the position, they could at least retreat safely.
The morale on the Snow Ninja side was low, while the opposite was true for Mutsuki's side; all the defenders were excited, shaking off their earlier despair.
Sandayu Asama looked at Mutsuki with eyes that no longer saw him as a mere person; he felt as if Mutsuki were a god of fire descending to earth, unleashing disaster-like flames from his mouth.
"To defeat so many Ninjas by himself—what level has he taken Fire Release to!" The Ninjas among the defenders found it hard to comprehend but were extremely excited.
At this moment, in their hearts, Mutsuki's Konoha had undoubtedly become the most powerful ninja village without dispute.
Some even thought of the legendary Hokage; if Konoha's Jonin had such powerful Fire Release, how terrifying must the Hokage's Fire Release be?
"I knew Yumi-sensei had even stronger Ninjutsu; this Fire Release is amazing! I wonder when I'll be able to learn it," Obito said, watching Mutsuki unleash his fire release and single-handedly beat hundreds of Ninjas, revealing a look of yearning.
Obito thought for a moment; Mutsuki was completely like the main character of a ninja novel, stepping out to turn the tide of battle when everyone believed victory was impossible.
Unfortunately, his strength wasn't enough; otherwise, Obito really wanted to use this Ninjutsu on behalf of Mutsuki. Just thinking about it was exhilarating.
"If we can get through this safely, I must bestow the title of Ice and Snow Hero upon Mutsuki," Kazahana Sosetsu thought to himself.
This title was the highest honor for a brave person in the Land of Snow, and throughout its history, very few had received it.
"Be careful!"
Just as everyone was astonished by Mutsuki's strength, Kakashi noticed something unusual.
Whoosh! Whoosh!!
Two Kunai shot toward Kazahana Sosetsu.
Swish!
Kakashi quickly drew the White Fang Tanto and slashed down the incoming Kunai with incredible speed.
At that moment, three Snow Ninjas appeared and launched an attack on Kakashi.
"Flame Breathing, Total Concentration! Sharingan, activate!"
With Kakashi's warning, Obito instantly maximized his power.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
Obito aimed at the front of Kakashi and unleashed a giant Fireball, forcing the three Snow Ninjas to scatter and retreat to avoid it.
"Bad guys are coming! Koyuki, quickly get behind me," *Rin urged, pulling *Koyuki behind her.
As an ordinary child, *Koyuki was in the most danger at that moment; even being hit by a bit of residual energy could cause injury.
Obediently, *Koyuki hid behind *Rin, peeking out to observe the situation.
"Strange, how did these people get over here?" Obito said, jumping down from the building with a puzzled expression.
Even if Mutsuki missed a few Ninjas, there were still many guards behind him. Were those guards all blind?
"Because Kazahana Castle is also my home; no one is more familiar with it than I am," Kazahana Doto said as he was the last to step out.
There was a reason he personally led the team to capture *Sosetsu. If he couldn't avoid those guards, capturing *Sosetsu would be impossible. While the guards couldn't defeat the Snow Ninja team, they could still block a few Ninjas.
"Uncle? There are bad guys over there; please come quickly!" *Koyuki shouted upon seeing *Doto.
*Doto remained unmoved, gathering Chakra to prepare for Ninjutsu. At this point, it was either you die or I die; there would be no other outcome.
"Doto, since you know that Kazahana Castle is also your home, why do you want to destroy it like this?" *Sosetsu asked wearily.
For *Sosetsu, these days felt like years. Suddenly, his brother had become a rebellious traitor, and now he was leading the Snow Ninja village to attack. A once stable nation had suddenly become turbulent.
"Because I want to establish a better new home!" Once he finished gathering Chakra, *Doto immediately unleashed his Ninjutsu.
"Ice Release: Black Dragon Blizzard!"
*Doto didn't want to waste any time. Although he had managed to get around, the guards would quickly come to support once there was commotion, so he needed to resolve the battle as soon as possible.
With the enhancement of his Chakra armor, *Doto's Ninjutsu grew more powerful, and soon an incredibly fierce black dragon made of frost and snow took shape.
*Doto unhesitatingly controlled the black dragon to charge toward the positions of Sosetsu and Koyuki.
"Uncle…" Koyuki stared blankly at the somewhat grimacing Doto, not understanding what was happening.
Sosetsu's bodyguards stood in front of him, gripping their swords tightly, prepared to block the attack for Sosetsu.
Watching this scene, Obito felt a fierce flame of anger burning within him, and his desire to beat up Doto grew stronger.
"Even though she's a princess who doesn't act like one and not a very likable person, she has always called you 'uncle'! You bastard!" Accompanied by his curse, Obito's already highly focused breathing shifted once again.
"Flame Breathing, Chakra Mode!"
Obito could tell that Doto was formidable, so he decisively entered his strongest state, ready to confront Doto with all his might.
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
Obito concentrated a large amount of Chakra in his throat, and with the enhancement of Flame Breathing, he quickly completed the Nature Transformation. Then, like a raging dragon, a massive torrent of high-temperature flames erupted from Obito's mouth, aiming for the black dragon.
Although Obito's Fire Release had a far smaller range than Mutsuki's, Mutsuki was fighting elsewhere, while Obito was right there. Seeing Obito's Fire Release, Sosetsu was greatly surprised; he didn't expect that this seemingly small child could wield such powerful strength.
Koyuki rubbed her eyes, unable to believe that the impolite and somewhat silly Obito had become so formidable.
However, Doto had both Chakra armor and the advantage of the heavy snowfall. Even though Obito's Fire Release was pushed to its limit, it couldn't extinguish the black dragon; instead, the black dragon gradually snuffed out the flames.
The three Snow Ninja intended to assist Doto in defeating Obito and Kakashi, but the guards on the battlefield had noticed the situation here, and many rushed over to provide support. The three Snow Ninja could only desperately use Ninjutsu to block the approaching guards.
Considering the strength of those guards, Doto brought along three Jonin from the Snow Ninja Village, one of whom was even wearing Chakra armor, making them the elite forces of the Snow Ninja.
Of course, even elite forces have their limits; they might hold out for a while, but if it drags on too long, something will definitely go wrong. If they could defeat so many guards, there would be no need to circumvent them.
"Lightning Release: False Darkness!"
Seeing that Obito was unable to hold his own, Kakashi quickly formed hand seals and unleashed a sharp lightning spear toward the black dragon.
With Kakashi's lightning, the situation shifted instantly; amidst the flames and lightning, the black dragon gradually began to dissipate.
Doto furrowed his brow, surprised that not only was Mutsuki a big trouble, but the little brats he brought along were also formidable.
"Ice Release: Twin Dragon Blizzard!"
Doto squeezed his body's Chakra to create two slightly smaller frost-covered dragons using a massive amount of Chakra. Although he normally wouldn't be able to use this technique even with Chakra armor, the heavy snowfall allowed him to barely manage it.
Although the power of each individual dragon decreased due to the forced use of the technique, the overall strength increased because of their greater numbers. After using this technique, Doto's face became much paler.
Seeing Doto like this, Sosetsu let out a deep sigh and said, "Do you really want to become the Daimyo that much?"
Sosetsu felt that Doto seemed so unfamiliar at this moment. While he used to wear a serious expression, he would soften when facing Koyuki. Now, it felt as if they were mortal enemies.
"You can say that so casually because you were born to become the Daimyo, while as your younger brother, I have to work harder and risk my life just to have a chance at becoming the Daimyo," Doto replied coldly.
"What Daimyo nonsense! Stop making excuses, you jerk!" Obito's anger towards Doto burned even more fiercely as he spoke.
"Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
Obito once again unleashed a large wave of scorching flames to confront Kazahana Doto's black dragon of frost and snow. The intensity of the fire was even greater than before, completely overshadowing both him and Kakashi.
However, Obito struggled to deal with even one black dragon using the Fire Dragon Flame Bullet, let alone two at once. The flames quickly diminished, and Obito found himself at a disadvantage.
Without the large flames obscuring his view, Doto noticed something: a white-haired kid was missing.
"Thunder Flash!"
Just as Doto was searching for Kakashi, Kakashi suddenly appeared ten meters away from him.
As Doto prepared to control one of the black dragons to attack Kakashi, an unexpected event occurred.
Boom!
A loud thunderclap resonated as brilliant yellow lightning erupted from Kakashi's body. At that moment, Kakashi had pushed the Breathing Technique to its limits, converting a large amount of Chakra into lightning to enhance his physical abilities. The White Fang Tanto in his hand extended into a blade of lightning after being infused with Chakra.
After entering the Transparent World and utilizing his physical strength to the fullest, Kakashi shot out like a bolt of lightning.
Swish!
Doto only felt a flash of yellow light before he saw two familiar arms flying through the air. A moment later, a wave of intense pain hit him as he realized Kakashi had severed his arms.
"How is this possible? I actually...?" Doto looked at his fallen arms in disbelief, struggling to accept it.
He could accept being defeated by a strong opponent like Mutsuki, but losing to two kids who looked no older than ten was unacceptable.
"You probably don't fight much, do you?" Kakashi said lightly, dispersing the Chakra from the White Fang Tanto and canceling the Transparent World.
While Doto's Ninjutsu was indeed powerful, his combat awareness was severely lacking; he was even worse than the Chunin enemies they had faced before.
Without Doto's continuous supply of Chakra, the black dragon was quickly extinguished by Obito's flames.
Whoosh!
Obito immediately unleashed his Chakra, flashing to Doto and delivering a fierce punch enveloped in flames straight to his face.
With a bang, Doto's crashed hard to the ground.
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