"Retreat!" Ebizō shouted reluctantly.
He knew very well that if they didn't retreat now, the only outcome for the Sand Shinobi would be total annihilation. With over a thousand Sand Shinobi, if they were wiped out here, Ebizō couldn't bear that responsibility.
He glared at Kai, as if trying to imprint his image in his mind.
Ebizō was very aware that if it weren't for this kid, he wouldn't have lost this battle.
With Monzaemon's death, the morale of the entire Sand Shinobi force had plummeted. Hearing Ebizō's order, they fled as if pardoned, with no desire to fight.
"Captain Shinnosuke, should we pursue?" Kai asked.
Sarutobi Shinnosuke shook his head. "No, pursuing further would take us into the Land of Wind, where fighting the Sand Shinobi would be disadvantageous for us. Even if we win, we would lose many ninjas, and Konoha can't afford such losses now."
"Understood." Kai nodded.
"But I didn't expect you to be so formidable, Kai. To even kill a veteran Kage-level like Monzaemon," Sarutobi Shinnosuke couldn't help but marvel.
Kai shook his head. "Even though he's a veteran Kage-level, his strength is probably at the bottom among Kage-levels. There's nothing to be proud of, especially with the help of the Ino-Shika-Cho seniors."
Seeing Kai's calm demeanor, Sarutobi Shinnosuke felt a bit odd. Even he couldn't claim a complete victory against Monzaemon, and he couldn't help but think of Kai as a prodigy.
...
"What did you say? This kid not only destroyed the Monzaemon Five but also killed Monzaemon?" Tsunade pointed at Kai, looking at Sarutobi Shinnosuke with disbelief.
Tsunade was very familiar with Monzaemon. During the Second Shinobi World War, she had suffered at his hands more than once, and the Monzaemon Five were tough even for her monstrous strength.
Sarutobi Shinnosuke also had a wry smile. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn't have believed it either.
"Tsunade-senpai, that's exactly what happened. Kai used a type of release technique I've never seen before to destroy the Monzaemon Five and then killed Monzaemon."
At this point, Sarutobi Shinnosuke paused because he realized that he didn't recognize any of the jutsu Kai used in the entire battle.
For the first time, Sarutobi Shinnosuke felt that even as a Kage-level, he was so short-sighted, which made him extremely frustrated.
"Kid, what new jutsu have you developed?"
Tsunade looked at Kai with curiosity. She knew how monstrous Kai was, having developed an A-rank no-seal jutsu and a set of powerful taijutsu at the age of five.
"Nothing much, just combining earth and fire chakra to create a new release technique. I named it Lava Release."
Kai's words floated into the ears of Tsunade and Sarutobi Shinnosuke.
But these words were like a thunderbolt to them. Combining two chakra natures sounded simple, but who in the ninja world could do it?
Who was the last person to combine two chakra natures?
Hashirama Senju!
The man who single-handedly suppressed an entire era!
The man hailed as the "God of Shinobi."
Moreover, combining two chakra natures means the body adapts at a genetic level, essentially creating a Kekkei Genkai by oneself. What a terrifying talent, truly monstrous!
Tsunade and Sarutobi Shinnosuke exchanged glances, seeing the shock in each other's eyes.
Kai no longer intended to hide the existence of Lava Release. Previously, he had concealed it because Danzo had been eyeing him in the village.
If he revealed the existence of Lava Release or Wood Release, Kai was sure that Danzo's greed would overshadow his fear of Mitarashi Shishio and the Third Hokage, leading him to take action against Kai.
However, after mastering the Flying Thunder God Technique, Kai's concerns had lessened considerably. Moreover, being away from the village, even if Danzo wanted to act against him, he wouldn't have the capability.
"Then what about the jutsu you used to kill Monzaemon? What was it? It wasn't Lava Release, was it?"
The only thing Sarutobi Shinnosuke could confirm was that the jutsu Kai used to finish Monzaemon was unrelated to earth or fire chakra; it seemed to involve wind chakra.
"Do you know the Rasengan?"
Kai asked, seeing Sarutobi Shinnosuke nod, and continued, "I added wind chakra nature transformation to the Rasengan to form this jutsu. I named it Wind Release: Rasenshuriken."
Hearing this, Sarutobi Shinnosuke's expression didn't change much because he was already numb.
Now, even if Kai told him that the mother of the Sage of Six Paths was still alive and sealed on the moon, Sarutobi Shinnosuke would nod and believe it.
"Not bad, kid. You'll stay with me for now. After the war with the Sand Shinobi here is over, we'll return to the village," Tsunade said, wrapping an arm around Kai's neck.
Suffering from hemophobia, Tsunade was mostly useless in battle, relying on the reputation she had built during the Second Shinobi World War to intimidate the Sand Shinobi.
Having a Kage-level Kai around was a rare opportunity she couldn't pass up.
Meanwhile, the Sand Shinobi camp was full of wounded.
Ebizō sat in the main tent of the Sand Shinobi camp, his face dark. Neither in the First nor the Second Shinobi World War had his forces suffered such a defeat.
"No, Konoha has produced such a genius. We can't let him grow any further. He already has the strength to kill Kage-level opponents. What will happen in the future? I must return to the village and discuss a plan with my sister."
Ebizō thought for a moment and decided to return to the village immediately.
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