After a few moments, the Senju tribesman could no longer control his body in midair. Caught by gravity, he plummeted heavily to the ground.
A sudden gust of hot wind swept past, like a pair of invisible hands gently brushing against his motionless form. The flames consuming his body flickered and died out one by one, leaving behind a charred husk that lay still, emitting wisps of green smoke.
"Someone's coming for you, so I'll take my leave," Xu Ming said indifferently, his gaze fixed on the scorched Senju warrior. "Don't worry. At their speed, they'll arrive in half a minute. You and your comrades will receive treatment—your lives won't be in danger."
With that, Xu Ming turned and disappeared in a chosen direction.
The battlefield remained scorching hot. The acrid scent of burning flesh filled the air, mingling with the lingering green smoke, polluting the atmosphere within a hundred-meter radius, making it difficult to breathe.
Yet, two squads forced their way into the suffocating environment.
They arrived neither too early nor too late—precisely thirty seconds after Xu Ming's departure.
"There and there—two survivors!"
The leader of one team, Uzumaki Mito, stepped forward, her sharp gaze scanning the scene with a look of distaste. She pointed at the two wounded warriors lying amidst the devastation.
Upon hearing her command, the team members swiftly moved forward.
The second squad was led by Shimura Danzō. His eyes, dark and calculating, swept across the wreckage with an unreadable expression.
"Fire Style… Such formidable Fire Style."
Kneeling down, he pressed his fingers into the scorched earth, his frown deepening.
"This level of heat—it's enough to char the soil black. This was at least a B-rank Fire Style technique. Yet, despite the limited range of destruction, every tree and rock within a hundred meters has been reduced to rubble. The level of control here is extraordinary."
He lifted his gaze toward Uzumaki Mito. "Mito-sama, is there anyone in the Senju clan with this level of Fire Style proficiency?"
"No," Uzumaki Mito replied, her expression equally grim. "At least, no one this skilled. And the chakra signature I sensed isn't among the seven Jōnin who fled."
Danzo fell silent, his mind working rapidly.
When Uzumaki Mito first detected the disturbance, they had rushed here at full speed. Yet, even with their haste, they had arrived too late. The battle had already ended.
Judging by the scene alone, they couldn't determine who had fought, nor did they know Xu Ming's condition.
"Mito-sama, Danzo-sama, we have confirmed the identities of the wounded," reported a Senju clansman. "They are among the seven Senju who fled. One is named Ryūto, and the other is Terago."
Uzumaki Mito and Danzo exchanged surprised glances.
"Then was it a false alarm?"
"Xu Ming isn't here, is he?"
The two voiced their doubts simultaneously.
"Correct. We searched the area thoroughly and found no trace of Xu Ming. However, we did discover footprints leading away from the site. The size matches that of a twelve-year-old child." The Senju warrior's relief was evident.
No sign of Xu Ming meant that disaster had been averted. If Xu Ming had been killed or gravely injured here, the fury of the Third Hokage and Uzumaki Mito would have shaken the entire Senju clan.
"Footprints?" Uzumaki Mito's expression stiffened, her eyes narrowing in disbelief.
"Mito-sama, is it possible…?" Danzo trailed off, his voice laced with astonishment as he met her gaze.
A single, startling thought struck them both.
Xu Ming had defeated two elite Jōnin and walked away unscathed.
But how was that possible?
These two warriors were battle-hardened veterans, survivors of the last Great War. How could a mere twelve-year-old child defeat them so effortlessly?
Danzo's skepticism was evident. "Impossible."
"Not necessarily." Uzumaki Mito's tone was firm. "The child's progress is terrifying. He possesses a power that, as of now, only Hiruzen and I know about. A power that aligns with what we see here."
She glanced around, deep in thought.
She had once sensed Xu Ming's transformation into Sage Mode.
That was when she had visited the rear mountain to look for Orochimaru. Though they had never met directly, her "Kagura Heart Eye" had detected the violent surge of flame chakra emanating from Xu Ming's position.
However, at that time, the energy had been unstable and untamed.
The aura lingering at today's battlefield, though still blazing and explosive, was controlled. It lacked the wild, unrestrained fury she had sensed before.
"A new power?" Danzo was stunned.
Was it truly possible…?
Could this twelve-year-old boy have grown so powerful that he could easily overwhelm two elite Jōnin?
"We'll find out soon enough by following the footprints," Uzumaki Mito stated calmly.
Danzo nodded. "Agreed."
Meanwhile, Xu Ming had retracted the golden glow in his eyes. His ability—his Golden Fire Eyes—had consumed only a fraction of his energy.
His Sage Body granted him unparalleled regenerative capabilities, while his mastery of Sage Techniques allowed him to harness nature's energy with incredible efficiency.
If ordinary ninjutsu required 100 units of chakra to achieve a certain effect, using Sage Mode required only 10.
"And just now… I only used my eyes' power briefly—like flexing a muscle," Xu Ming murmured to himself.
His first awakened ability was 'Ignition.'
Wherever his gaze landed, flames manifested out of thin air, incinerating whatever he looked at.
It was reminiscent of the legendary Mangekyō Sharingan's 'Amaterasu.' But unlike Amaterasu's black flames, his Golden Fire Eyes possessed additional abilities.
He could generate immense heat, increasing the temperature of an entire area within sixty meters, drying out the air and setting everything ablaze.
Over the past week, after unlocking his Sage Body, his control had improved drastically.
His heat manipulation range had expanded from fifty meters to sixty. More importantly, he could now create localized bursts of extreme temperature, causing rapid air expansion that resulted in powerful explosions.
The power of these explosions was comparable to detonating tags.
"A detonating tag, when attached to a shinobi, can blow off limbs."
Xu Ming smirked as he moved forward. "My high-temperature control is equivalent to summoning an invisible detonating tag on my enemy at will."
For an ordinary ninja, this would mean instant death.
"I held back earlier, letting the explosions detonate half a meter away."
"A normal person would still die from the shockwave, suffering massive internal injuries. But the Senju clan is built differently. Their bodies are sturdy—they can survive even this… barely."