Chapter 144: Fire, Wind, and ... Lava?!!

Chapter 144: Chapter 144: Fire, Wind, and ... Lava?!!

"Huh?"

"Is Konoha planning to launch an attack?"

Hozuki Shingetsu was puzzled as he watched Shūichi split into clones.

At that moment, a commotion broke out within the Mist Ninja army.

"Watch out! Poisonous snakes are crawling out!"

"Quick, kill them all!"

...

At six different locations, poisonous snakes emerged, slithering around. The Mist Ninja were initially startled, but they quickly acted, easily taking down the snakes.

"Why are there poisonous snakes here?"

Shingetsu frowned and turned his head to look, then suddenly recalled a certain person from Konoha.

"Orochimaru's handiwork... this is bad!"

He remembered the Sand Ninja's mention of a space-time jutsu, and cold sweat drenched his back.

Shingetsu turned toward the Konoha forces just in time to see Shūichi disappear.

"Lit—"

Before Shingetsu could finish his sentence, three Shūichi Hoshitas appeared in the midst of the Mist Ninja army.

One was at the left flank, another at the middle rear, and the third on the right flank.

The appearance of Shūichi stunned the surrounding Mist Ninja for a moment, followed by a series of frantic screams.

"Watch out!"

"It's Shūichi Hoshita!"

"Kill him, now!"

...

Despite the army being assembled together, the Mist Ninja's formation was still relatively sparse.

Shouting in fury, the Mist Ninja attacked, drawing the attention of others, which only caused further chaos.

But Shūichi's movements were even quicker. The moment he appeared, two blue flame dragon heads had already formed on his shoulders. As their mouths opened, a blazing white light began to gather, and then a white beam shot forth.

Dragon Flame Breath!

Pew pew pew... Like skewers, the high-temperature beams pierced through one Mist Ninja after another until a water-style jutsu blocked it.

In that instant, Shūichi's real body and his clones had already inflicted over thirty casualties on the Mist Ninja.

At the same time, as the attack unfolded, chains whipped out from behind Shūichi with a metallic clatter. They moved like dragons and snakes, deflecting the incoming shuriken, piercing through the Mist Ninja who had leapt forward, igniting them like torches. Their anguished screams filled the air before they were flung away.

Boom!

Water-style techniques erupted, and more Mist Ninja reacted, launching water dragons and massive torrents toward Shūichi's position.

Shūichi's Fire Nether Chains retracted, burrowing into the ground and transforming into a barrier.

Boom!

Various water-style jutsus collided with the three barriers, causing steam to rise and rapidly spread.

Inside the barrier, Shūichi had already brought his hands together in a seal.

At this point, Hozuki Shingetsu was drenched in sweat, shouting orders repeatedly: "Don't panic!"

"Spread out the formation!"

"Encircle him heavily!"

"Stay alert for Konoha's forces!"

If Konoha were to charge at this moment... Shingetsu continued to issue commands while keeping a watchful eye on the Konoha army.

Thankfully, the opposing side didn't seem to have any immediate intention of advancing. Was there some sort of hidden plot?

A sense of unease welled up in Shingetsu's heart.

Meanwhile, on the Konoha side, many of the ninja had their eyes wide open, unable to stop gulping in disbelief.

"He's... just charging in by himself?"

"Shūichi... is incredible!"

"But... are we just going to watch?"

...

Even the ordinary Konoha ninjas, let alone the jōnin, couldn't help but voice their concern as they saw the Mist Ninja army fall into disarray. One jōnin from the Sarutobi clan, Sarutobi Shinichi, couldn't hold back and asked, "Lord Orochimaru, are we just going to stand here? Isn't this the best opportunity to strike?"

Orochimaru, who was intently watching the Mist Ninja forces, his body tense, smiled when he heard Shinichi's question. He spoke with a calm demeanor, "No need to rush, Shinichi. We haven't reached the moment that Shūichi and I agreed upon yet."

Agreed upon? What agreement?

The Konoha ninjas were all curious.

Some of them appeared unharmed, while others were charred black from head to toe.

With a splash, the liquified form of Hozuki Shingetsu emerged, his body gradually reforming. As he surveyed the battlefield strewn with bodies, his mind went blank for a moment.

"Hmm?"

"Ahh!"

One by one, Mist Ninjas who had been knocked unconscious by the impact started waking up.

Shingetsu finally snapped back to reality, almost weeping with relief.

More and more Mist Ninjas began to rise to their feet, but when Shingetsu turned toward the Konoha forces, his expression changed.

Konoha was charging!

"Retreat! Retreat immediately!"

"Withdraw toward the river!"

Shingetsu shouted his orders.

Even though more Mist Ninjas were getting up, it was clear that continuing to fight was impossible under these circumstances.

And that Shūichi Hoshita...

With unwavering decisiveness, Shingetsu led over a hundred Mist Ninjas in retreat.

Shūichi and his group quickly caught up, and the Mist Ninjas who had just regained consciousness were struck down again by shuriken as soon as they rose.

Without pausing, Orochimaru led part of the force in pursuit, while a smaller group of Konoha ninjas remained behind to clear the battlefield.

Although the three Rasenshuriken had covered the entire Mist Ninja force, it was clear that not all had been killed.

...

Watching the fleeing Mist Ninjas ahead, Shūichi's feet bloomed with fire lotuses, propelling him high into the sky.

Under the watchful eyes of Orochimaru and the others, the lotus patterns on Shūichi's chakra cloak began to come alive.

In an instant, layers of blue lotuses bloomed behind him.

Boom!

With a sonic boom, Shūichi broke the sound barrier, trailing a long tail of flame as he shot forward like a meteor, cutting through the night sky.

"So fast!"

The Konoha ninjas exclaimed in amazement.

In mere moments, the fleeing Mist Ninjas looked up, only to see a streak of fire descending from the sky.

Boom!

Shūichi landed directly in front of them, blocking their path.

He raised his hands, and two dragon heads materialized, one on each shoulder.

Dragon Flame Breath!

High-temperature beams shot out, piercing through the bodies of the Mist Ninjas, who screamed in agony as they fell.

"Scatter and retreat!"

Shingetsu dodged nimbly, forming hand seals, but before he could complete his jutsu, the sound of something cutting through the air reached him. Shūichi appeared right in front of him, gripping his throat with his right hand.

Splash!

Shingetsu liquefied, his body collapsing into a stream of water.

At that moment, Shūichi deactivated his fire-style chakra mode. Accompanied by the chirping sound of a thousand birds, lightning surged from his body, crackling outward.

Chidori!

The electrified Shingetsu was instantly paralyzed, his liquified form solidifying like jelly.

"Captain!"

"Lord Shingetsu!"

Several Mist Ninjas cried out, some of whom had already retreated but turned back upon seeing this. However, in the next moment, their advancing bodies collapsed and rolled across the ground.

Genjutsu – Binding Illusion!

As he watched the remaining Mist Ninjas scatter in all directions, Shūichi decided not to pursue them.

With the leader captured, the rest could be left to Orochimaru and the others.

By now, the rest of the Konoha forces had caught up. Some stayed with Orochimaru, while the others spread out to chase down the remaining Mist Ninjas.

This battle was destined to end in the total annihilation of the Mist Ninja army.

(End of Chapter)

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