Rationally, Kakashi and Rin believed Yuu should be fine.
After all, they had personally witnessed his strength. Logically, he should not be defeated so easily. Moreover, Yuu always gave the impression that no matter what situation he encountered, he could pull out another hidden card. They had almost never seen him truly run out of options.
But…
there was always the possibility of something going wrong.
The Lightning-Water Heavenly Prison created by Fuguki Suikazan and Raiga Kurosuki looked extremely powerful, already resembling an S-rank combination ninjutsu.
If Kakashi and the others had faced an attack like this, they would not merely have been trapped. They would probably already be dead.
Therefore, it was reasonable for Yuu to be temporarily imprisoned.
At once, Kakashi and Asuma exchanged a glance. Both tensed their bodies and prepared to rush over, intending to help Yuu break free from the outside.
However,
several Kiri ninja nearby noticed their intentions and immediately charged forward, desperately blocking their path.
"Don't even think about going over there!"
"Lord Fuguki and Lord Raiga have successfully suppressed the White Reaper! This is our only opportunity to kill him… Brothers, fight Konoha with everything you have!"
Similar thoughts arose in the minds of the Kiri ninja.
They understood that once Yuu escaped, today's battle would inevitably end in a crushing defeat.
Therefore, they roared and charged recklessly toward Kakashi's group, Uchiha Fugaku, Gekkō Shigure, and the others, using tactics that traded injury for injury.
Their only objective was to hold the Konoha forces back and buy time for the two Ninja Swordsmen.
The Konoha ninja also gathered what little strength they had left and met them head-on.
The chaotic melee that had been interrupted by Yuu's arrival resumed after only a brief pause.
This time, however, fewer people used ninjutsu. Most had nearly exhausted their chakra and could only fight using taijutsu and swordsmanship.
Kakashi and the others fought desperately to cut down the Kiri ninja obstructing them, only for more enemies to block their way.
They stared anxiously toward the Lightning-Water Heavenly Prison, their eyes almost burning with frustration, yet they could not advance.
The three tomoe in Uchiha Fugaku's eyes also spun madly. The indistinct new pattern was only one step away from fully forming.
Fugaku knew very well that witnessing a comrade's death could awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan. After all, this method of awakening was explicitly recorded in the clan's archives.
He could also roughly tell that the sudden, stabbing pain in his eyes was probably connected to it.
However, he still hesitated over whether he should use "that power" in full view of everyone.
He could only continue fighting the enemies before him while watching the scene inside the water prison, caught in indecision.
At this moment,
at the very center of the battlefield,
fierce light surged in the eyes of Fuguki Suikazan and Raiga Kurosuki as they stared at Yuu, who was firmly suppressed within the Lightning-Water Heavenly Prison—or more precisely, at the flame domain surrounding him, which was being compressed smaller and smaller.
An inexplicable excitement arose within them.
Could it be…
that they could truly kill this white-haired Konoha brat this time?
Would it really be…
this easy?
Although something about the situation felt slightly strange…
as long as there was even the slightest possibility of killing him, they had to give it everything they had!
The outcome would be decided here!
"Lightning Release… Lightning Dragon Tornado!!!"
Blinding lightning erupted once again.
Raiga Kurosuki suddenly pressed his twin swords together. The lightning surrounding the blades became brighter than ever, as though it were about to ignite his entire body!
As chakra surged,
a deep dragon's roar exploded.
A vicious, winding purple dragon formed entirely from pure lightning took shape between Raiga's twin blades.
It opened its enormous jaws and swam through the water with terrifying force capable of annihilating everything, lunging toward Yuu's position!
This was a true S-rank ninjutsu and Raiga Kurosuki's ultimate killing move. He had once used it to kill several elite jōnin.
And now,
although it was being released inside a vortex and some of its impact was dispersed by the water, the main body of the lightning tornado remained solid and radiated terrifying energy.
Just as everyone believed Yuu might be swallowed by the horrifying lightning dragon—
"Heh…"
A faint chuckle appeared.
Then,
a clear and resonant dragon's roar passed through the layers of water, creating visible ripples throughout the vortex!
Time returned to several minutes earlier.
For Yuu, escaping before the Lightning-Water Heavenly Prison fully formed would not have been difficult.
He needed only 0.2 seconds and a Substitution Technique that exchanged positions with empty space.
Alternatively, he could have transformed into a peregrine falcon and flown out.
However, that would expose his unique Transformation Technique and would not be worth it.
He could also have called the giant eagle over to retrieve him.
But in the end,
Yuu changed his mind.
He wanted to witness the methods of Fuguki and Raiga and see whether their techniques could genuinely threaten him.
After all, he had already resolved the crisis facing Fugaku and the others and had single-handedly occupied two members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
The worst possible outcome was merely that he would be temporarily trapped until Fugaku and the others reversed the battle and came to assist him.
It would also give them an opportunity to display their own abilities.
However…
that assumed he truly could not break the Lightning-Water Heavenly Prison himself.
Judging from the current situation, that was not necessarily the case.
"I need to hurry…"
Yuu took a deep breath and felt the surrounding air becoming thinner.
Flames required oxygen to burn.
Yuu himself had not transcended the limits of carbon-based life either. He also needed oxygen to breathe and survive.
If he did not break the technique quickly, the flames would consume all the oxygen in the small area around him.
At that point, things might genuinely become troublesome.
"I could use the Eight Gates to erupt with chakra and force the surrounding water away, like Guy did against Kisame. But I'd need to open at least the Sixth Gate…"
"Forget it. I'll try that technique instead…"
"I've never used it since unlocking it…"
As these thoughts shifted,
Yuu pressed his palms together and controlled the flames around him to expand violently, forming a ring like an impenetrable steel wall that isolated him from the rotating, lightning-filled vortex outside.
At the same time, the chakra inside his body began surging in an unusual manner.
"Great Fireball, Dragon Fire Technique, are you there?"
[Great Fireball Technique: Huh? Little Mikami, why are you calling us at a time like this… Could it be that you're going to use that technique?]
[Great Dragon Fire Technique (Great Fireball Technique): Yes, yes! It's finally time for me to show off! Hey, Little Fire Dragon, hurry up and come out! Let's unite our minds with Little Mikami and give those ignorant fools a surprise!]
[Fire Dragon Flame Bullet (Dragon Fire Technique): I'm here.]
[Phoenix Sage Fire Technique: Hmph. You're secretly throwing a party without inviting me…]
"…"
As the two Fire Release techniques changed into skins bearing the name "dragon,"
the already restless chakra inside Yuu boiled violently like water brought to a rolling boil.
A crimson fiery color quietly appeared across the surface of his body, resembling the blood-red steam produced when all Eight Gates were opened.
Then the color shifted from red to white, and finally to blue…
Visible ripples appeared in the air, flowing like liquid.
Then—
Boom!!!!
An unimaginably terrifying wave of heat erupted outward with Yuu at its center!
It was as though a miniature sun had been ignited in deep water!
An ancient and majestic dragon's roar sounded, piercing through the layers of water and lightning and reaching everyone outside.
"…Ninja Art: Twin Dragons Turning Destruction!!!"
Yuu shouted.
Two overwhelmingly powerful fire dragons took shape on either side of him.
One had a rough and imposing appearance, representing the Great Dragon Fire Technique.
The other was more agile and graceful, the manifestation of the Fire Dragon Flame Bullet.
The instant the two enormous fire dragons appeared, they intertwined and merged.
They transformed into an even larger and more majestic blue flame dragon, seemingly forged from flowing lava and lifelike enough to be real.
It raised its head and stared forward!
Heavenly Fire Judgment: Twin Dragons Turning Destruction!
This was the ultimate killing move of the Heavenly Fire Judgment trait!
By summoning multiple Fire Release techniques bearing the name "dragon" at once, Yuu could unleash a devastating combined attack.
Each additional "dragon" increased the destructive power by seventy percent, with a maximum of five layers!
Although Yuu could not yet perform Five Dragons Turning Destruction, the one-hundred-and-forty-percent increase provided by two dragons was already considerable.
The moment the flame dragon appeared, it released extreme heat, causing the surrounding lightning-infused water to boil and vaporize!
"Roar—!!!"
The blue flame dragon charged forward and met the descending purple lightning dragon head-on.
The two collided violently inside the Lightning-Water Heavenly Prison!
For an instant, time seemed to stop.
Immediately afterward…
a dazzling light too bright to look at expanded violently inside the water prison.
Accompanied by an earth-shattering explosion like a meteor striking the world, it swept outward in every direction!
Boom—!!!!
Water exploded everywhere!
A devastating shock wave mixed with roaring sound expanded in a ring, producing layer after layer of milky-white sonic cones in midair!
The Lightning-Water Heavenly Prison that Fuguki Suikazan had desperately maintained appeared incomparably fragile before this sudden eruption of overwhelming power.
The vortex was quickly burst apart from within, torn open, and vaporized!
Scalding, high-pressure white steam swept across the entire Shakuka Town stronghold like a tsunami!
"Argh! It's burning hot!!"
"Retreat! Get farther away from there!!!"
Neither the Konoha ninja nor the Kiri ninja could continue fighting the enemies before them.
Only one thought remained in their minds—
Run!
Get as far away from the center of the explosion as possible!
Everyone, including Uchiha Fugaku, Kakashi, and Raiga Kurosuki, desperately retreated backward and into the distance before the lethal high-temperature steam could engulf them.
Several unlucky Kiri ninja who had been too close were thrown away by the shock wave halfway through their escape.
They were then severely burned all over by the scalding steam and immediately released miserable screams.
The entire process lasted only a few seconds.
That section of Shakuka Town was completely emptied.
At the center of the battlefield,
an enormous vacuum zone nearly one hundred meters in diameter appeared, covered in dense smoke and steam.
The ground had been scorched into black, glass-like marks by the earlier wave of heat.
Residual lightning and fragments of flame crackled in the air.
Dense white fog obscured everyone's vision, reducing visibility to its lowest point.
Everyone stopped more than a hundred meters away—some even farther.
Still shaken, they panted heavily while staring fixedly at the center of the explosion, attempting to see the result of the clash.
Fuguki Suikazan was in the worst condition.
After all, he had been the closest person to the explosion's center, and his enormous body made it difficult to evade.
Although Samehada had absorbed part of the impact and the overflowing chakra, the shock still made his blood churn violently and left his ears ringing.
His entire body had been burned red by the high-temperature steam, leaving him in an extremely miserable state.
At this moment, he stared in horror at the cleared area.
His heart was filled with fear and lingering dread, but also a faint trace of hope.
"Did it work?"
"Even that brat… shouldn't be able to remain unharmed after a collision of that magnitude, right?"
Fuguki did not even dare imagine the possibility that Yuu had died.
His only hope was that Yuu had been half-crippled by the explosion and temporarily lost the ability to continue fighting.
Then even if Kirigakure could not counterattack and kill him, they could at least withdraw calmly instead of being annihilated.
Just as Fuguki's heart trembled with uncertainty—
a faint voice suddenly sounded beside his ear.
"Yo."
"…?!!"
Fuguki Suikazan's pupils trembled.
A chill shot from his tailbone straight to the top of his head!
He did not even have time to think about where the voice had come from.
Acting purely on instinct, he swung Samehada toward the sound!
However…
"Too slow!"
At the same instant he swung,
Fuguki felt a cold, razor-sharp sensation sweep across his neck.
Then he saw his own body standing in place, still holding Samehada.
Above its shoulders, there was nothing.
Only a perfectly smooth, mirror-like cut remained across the neck.
Puchi—!
Lightning flashed.
A fountain of blood erupted.
Fuguki Suikazan's head flew high into the air and landed heavily on the ground six or seven meters away.
His mouth opened and closed, but only a few meaningless sounds came out.
"Uh… kh…"
His vision began darkening and blurring.
At the final moment, Fuguki saw familiar white hair emerge from the surrounding steam.
The figure held a long sword flickering with golden lightning.
Then Fuguki closed his eyes forever.
Thud!
His obese body fell backward and struck the scorched, burning ground.
Blood poured from it without restraint.
Samehada fell to the ground with a clang, the scales across its blade opening and closing violently while producing faint scraping noises.
The commander of Kirigakure's forces, Fuguki Suikazan—
was dead.
After accomplishing this, Yuu did not immediately pursue the remaining Kiri ninja.
Instead, he hooked Samehada upward with the tip of his foot and caught its hilt with his free left hand.
"Hey, you possess a will of your own, don't you?"
Yuu spoke to Samehada.
"I killed your former master.
"What do you think about that?"
~~~
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