Watching Chōza take the secret pill of another color, Egawa's expression shifted slightly.
Just moments ago, when Chōza attacked the burly jōnin beside him, Egawa had realized that this secret pill could greatly enhance all aspects of Chōza's abilities.
His speed, strength, and reaction time had all increased by roughly three to four times.
And now Chōza had consumed another secret pill; although the color was different, Egawa understood the effect would likely be similar—all for the purpose of forcibly elevating his combat power.
Egawa called out to warn the surrounding Iwa-nin, "Be careful of that fat pig over there! He ate a pill that greatly boosts his strength. Don't fight him head-on. Focus on defense. Stall until the pill's effect wears off, then we'll kill him together!"
Egawa was certain that this type of secret pill, which instantly multiplied one's strength, would come with significant side effects once the effect passed.
They just needed to hold out until Chōza's pill wore off, and victory would ultimately be theirs.
It had to be said, Egawa's judgment wasn't wrong. The side effects of the clan's secret pill that Chōza had taken were indeed severe—severe enough that Chōza would lose all ability to resist.
But that was only if they could survive until the pill's effect ended!
Feeling the medicine's power coursing through him, its effect now fully manifest, Chōza lifted his head and looked at the assembled Iwa-nin. His voice was icy as he spoke, "I told you all, I hate being called a fat pig!!!"
The moment he finished speaking, he vanished from his spot, moving so fast that even Ryoma's eyes couldn't follow.
Ryoma couldn't help but marvel inwardly. So this was the effect of the Akimichi clan's secret pill? No wonder it was a method that forcibly drew upon the body's stored energy and life force to gain such tremendous power.
In an instant, the tide of battle on the field had turned.
Chōza reappeared instantly before the one-legged jōnin. He drew back his fist and punched, the air around them once again tearing from the sheer force of his blow.
The surrounding Iwa-nin reacted quickly, rapidly forming hand seals, preparing to rescue their comrade.
Egawa, forming seals himself, shouted, "Don't try to block it! Get out of the way!"
But it was already too late. The one-legged jōnin had already completed his hand seals and roared, "Earth Release: Hardening Technique!"
Chōza's fist slammed into the head of the jōnin, now fortified by the Hardening Technique, unleashing a powerful shockwave.
The Hardening Technique only held Chōza back for a second or two, however. The one-legged jōnin's head was instantly obliterated, exploding outward along with fragments of hardened earth.
Watching the headless jōnin slowly crumple to the ground before him, Egawa cursed under his breath. He hadn't expected that, compared to when he first took the pill, Chōza's strength and speed would be so drastically increased again.
The other Iwa-nin around them finished their jutsu and unleashed them, sending a barrage of techniques toward Chōza.
But Chōza vanished once more, leaving all their attacks to strike nothing but air.
Egawa made a snap decision and ordered the remaining Iwa-nin, "Use terrain-altering jutsu! Restrict his speed! Try to trap him! He can't keep up this state for much longer!"
Hearing their captain's orders, the surrounding Iwa-nin began forming seals.
In an instant, a diverse array of Earth Release techniques were deployed. The three remaining Iwa-nin jōnin each displayed their own unique abilities.
"Earth Release: Fissure Palm Strike!"
"Earth Release: Moving Earth Core!"
"Earth Release: Earth Flow River!"
...
The forest clearing that had been the battlefield was suddenly transformed. It became covered in flowing mud, split by gaping crevasses, and dotted with massive, uneven boulders.
Chōza instantly appeared in a treetop, looking down at the group of Iwa-nin from his commanding height.
He coldly uttered a single sentence to Egawa, "Now, it's time to end this."
Then, Chōza brought his hands together to form a single seal and roared, "Super Expansion Jutsu!"
A puff of smoke cleared, revealing a sight that left everyone present stunned speechless. There, in an instant, stood a super-sized, PLUS-ULTRA version of Chōza, a full ten times larger than even the one produced by the standard Expansion Jutsu.
Ryoma stared at Chōza, who had just landed and whose sheer weight alone was already crushing several ten-meter-high hills.
He marveled inwardly once more, "He's almost as big as a Tailed Beast now! This is literally just a humanoid Tailed Beast, damn it!"
Then, the colossal Chōza looked down at the Iwa-nin, who now seemed like ants below him. He brought both his hands down with terrifying force, the sheer pressure from his palms pressing the air down before them.
"Super Slam!"
Amplified by both the secret pill and his enormous size, the overwhelming palm pressure generated by Chōza's taijutsu pinned the Iwa-nin's chūnin and genin in place, unable to move an inch.
Some of the chūnin had already collapsed to the ground, their will to fight completely shattered. They stared blankly at the descending giant palms, quietly awaiting their approaching death.
Egawa and the other two jōnin, still shouting, "Get out of the range of this technique!", were desperately trying to flee, attempting to evade the colossal hands falling upon them like mountains!
Watching this awe-inspiring scene, only a single thought surfaced in Ryoma's mind—a certain palm technique descending from the heavens!
Boom!!!~
As Chōza's giant palms struck the ground, the resulting shockwave from the impact was so powerful it nearly blew Ryoma and his two companions away. Trees and protruding rocks were sent flying through the air.
As for the fate of the Iwa-nin caught directly in the strike,
It was easy to imagine.
...
Hiru, who was en route, suddenly spotted a giant, mountain-like figure appear in the distance.
Immediately after, a massive cloud of dust rose from that area. Trees were flying everywhere, and even small hills had been destroyed.
Then, Hiru heard the tremendous booming sound of the impact.
He didn't need to think hard to know,
An incredibly fierce battle was erupting over there.
Hiru's previously relaxed expression instantly grew serious.
Just a short while ago,
After receiving the message delivered by the chūnin Egawa had sent to request reinforcements, Hiru had thought Egawa was making a big deal out of nothing. They had mobilized forty ninja to deal with a four-to-six-man squad, and now he wanted Hiru to bring more people to help?
"But those enemy ninja are probably pretty strong, otherwise they couldn't have annihilated our transport unit so easily," Hiru mused to himself.
In the end, Hiru decided to proceed ahead with his teammate Daisuke and another Iwa-nin jōnin named Nakamura Takumi,
to go and support Jōnin Egawa.
His main objective was to ensure the transported goods weren't lost and could be recovered in time.
But there was also another reason.
He wanted to make sure that the ninja who had killed Nishishibito would also die in the Land of Grass.
Nishishibito was the younger brother of his teammate, Higashishibito!
Hiru signaled for Daisuke to move out, saying to him as they went, "Some guy killed that Higashishibito's little brother. We're heading over there to make sure he dies in the Land of Grass too. Consider it avenging Higashishibito."
Hearing this, Daisuke silently nodded, got up, and followed Hiru.
"Too bad we probably won't get to do it ourselves. By the time we get there, that guy will likely just be a corpse," Hiru offered his opinion.
Daisuke, as usual, remained completely silent, simply following quietly behind Hiru.
So, Hiru, Daisuke, and Nakamura Takumi set off ahead of the main group, intending to observe the progress of Jōnin Egawa and his squad's battle.
But before the three of them could even reach the battle site,
They witnessed the incredibly shocking scene that had just unfolded.
Hiru instantly understood that the strength of this enemy squad was far, far greater than he had imagined.
The feeling he'd had just moments ago—that Egawa was making a mountain out of a molehill—vanished without a trace.
Without another word, Hiru, Daisuke, and Nakamura Takumi silently increased their speed,
Quickly rushing toward the place where the battle was taking place.
---
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