"A teacher…?"
At this moment, Pakura finally began to seriously regard the two youths before her. She stood up, covering her wound as she spoke.
"Hey, you two, state your names!"
Ryufeng returned to Ren's side, and the two of them watched Pakura, speaking one after another.
"Uchiha Ryufeng."
"Hoshimi Ren."
"I've noted it down!"
Pakura's eyes sharpened, and she raised both hands above her head. The surging Chakra caused a gust of wind that gently rustled her clothes.
A fireball hovered above Pakura's head, her hands held out to the sides. She continuously transmitted Scorch Release Chakra from her palms to the fireball. The fireball began to expand rapidly, going from the size of a soccer ball to a basketball in the blink of an eye, and it continued to grow steadily. The temperature also rose sharply.
Ren looked at Pakura, who was furiously charging a powerful Jutsu, and then turned to Ryufeng with a grave expression.
"Ryufeng, let's go all out, or we might be stuck here today."
"Alright."
Ryufeng didn't waste words. After nodding in response to Ren, he began to form hand signs. Ren, on the other hand, closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, orange eyeshadow appeared at the corners of his eyes. His pupils turned into peculiar yellow horizontal slits.
Sage Mode Facial Markings!
"Next, let's go all out!"
Pakura, having finished charging, let out a low cry. The fireball above her head had stopped growing, but the surrounding temperature had reached a terrifying level. Even the two sides battling in the distance felt a hint of scorching heat. They all shifted their gaze to the battleground of the three.
Pakura pushed the fireball forward, and from a distance, it looked like a falling sun crashing towards the two. Before it even got close, the two felt an immense sense of pressure.
"Sage Art: Water Release: Water Severing Wave!"
Ren watched the giant fireball crushing towards them from not far away. Sage Art Chakra surged within his body. Ren took a deep breath, then suddenly opened his mouth, rapidly spitting out an ultra-high-pressure linear water jet. Ryufeng, beside him, didn't use any high-level Ninjutsu. After completing his hand signs, lightning flashed from Ryufeng's hands. Under the control of Chakra, the lightning quickly intertwined with the high-pressure water stream spewed by Ren. Lightning flashed on the water stream, raising the attack power and lethality of this Jutsu to another level.
In an instant, the not-so-thick high-pressure water jet collided with the fireball. At first, there was no explosion. It wasn't until the water stream, with unstoppable force, split the explosive fireball in two that the fireball finally exploded. The splashing flames combined with the massive shockwave successfully drew everyone's attention to this spot.
The Ninja from both sides fighting nearby retreated again and again. Both factions were only concerned with dodging the aftermath and retreating. For a time, the battlefield in this vicinity appeared somewhat chaotic and disordered.
The imagined scene of the three being engulfed by the explosive flames did not occur. Ryufeng, because he was assisting Ren, did not consume too much Chakra. He had already completed his hand signs before the aftershock arrived, and a Water Formation Wall rose from the ground, protecting the two of them with 360-degree coverage.
Although Ren was temporarily unable to continue using Ninjutsu, he still circulated the Chakra within his body. He placed his left hand on Ryufeng's back, helping him share some of the pressure.
After the roar, the terrain here was completely altered, and a massive crater appeared. Hot rocks inside emitted wisps of steam. Ryufeng dispelled his Chakra, and both his hands were trembling slightly. Even with Ren helping to share some of the pressure, most of the burden was still on him.
To withstand the aftershock of this massive explosion, Ryufeng consumed a full 20% of his Chakra! Now, his Chakra reserves were less than 30% of their peak.
Ren was not much better off. His Sage Mode Facial Markings had disappeared, and his Chakra consumption was far more severe than Ryufeng's. Although an S-rank Ninjutsu activated with Sage Art Chakra had astonishing power, its consumption was also terrifying. Now, Ren had only a thin layer of Chakra left in his body.
As for Pakura, she had already begun to retreat before the two attacks collided. By the time the explosion's aftershock rolled in, she had already retreated to the outer perimeter and easily withstood the explosion's aftermath.
The Kage-level experts engaged in fierce battles at several other locations stopped when they saw the situation here. Seeing their higher-ups cease fighting, the Ninja from both sides gradually stopped their skirmishes and retreated to their positions before the battle began. They then started to confront each other.
"How are you, Ren? Are you alright?"
The first to arrive beside the two was Sakumo Hatake. He held a short sword in his right hand, his expression unchanged after a high-intensity battle. At this moment, a hint of worry appeared in his gaze as he looked at Ren. He asked with concern.
"Hehe, I'm fine, Uncle Sakumo, just a little exhausted."
Ren leaned against Ryufeng, grinning at Sakumo Hatake.
"Ren, Ryufeng, are you two alright?!"
Several whooshing sounds came, and in the blink of an eye, Tsunade, Ino–Shika–Chō, Shinnosuke, and others arrived nearby. Shinnosuke looked at the pale-faced duo and asked somewhat anxiously.
"We're fine, Captain."
The two nodded to Shinnosuke, indicating they were fine. Immediately after speaking, Ren received a punch to the head.
"Ah!"
"Idiot, don't you know what it means to be overly exhausted in terms of stamina and Chakra on the battlefield?! Do I still have to teach you these things?!"
A vein throbbed on Tsunade's forehead as she looked at Ren, who was wincing in pain. Her angry tone also carried a hint of worry.
"Teacher, I was wrong, I know the consequences, but because…"
Ren said, protecting his head, his voice a little timid.
"Hmm? Because of what?"
Tsunade looked puzzled, and even the group of high-ranking officials nearby looked at Ren with some curiosity, waiting for him to finish his sentence.
"Because… the atmosphere was already built up to that point, and it felt wrong not to unleash a big Jutsu together."
...
Ryufeng, who was supporting Ren, had a twitching face and turned away, no longer looking at Ren's punchable face. As for Sakumo Hatake and the others nearby, they had long been stunned by Ren's single sentence.
Tsunade's beautiful eyes widened, and the fist she had just lowered was raised high again. A furious roar echoed deafeningly across the quiet battlefield.
"Ren!!"
Meanwhile, on Sunagakure's side, Rasa looked at Pakura with dissatisfaction and reprimanded her. Clearly, in his opinion, Pakura being tied up by two brats led to the stalemate. Pakura was primarily responsible for Sunagakure's failure in this group battle.
Pakura did not argue with Rasa. She simply watched the Konoha direction silently, lost in thought.
"Alright, say less. Those two kids are quite strong. This is not Pakura's fault, Sister. What do you think about this…?"
Fortunately, Ebizo stepped forward to speak up for Pakura and pressed Rasa down. Then, Ebizo turned to his sister, waiting for her instructions.
Chiyo, however, fell silent.