"Boom!"
The ground trembled. Even though it was buried beneath golden sand, the shaking of the earth was still clear.
At this moment, even Orochimaru's eyes showed a trace of shock.
All along, he had only had a rough idea of Gekko Chizan's strength—Flying Thunder God, Transparent Release, Crystal Release. He thought at most Chizan was at the level of an elite jōnin.
But today, that impression was completely shattered.
Fivefold Rashōmon surged up from the ground, exactly as Gekko Chizan had said.
The five gates directly stunned Shukaku.
Even though Shukaku's body was made of sand, one of the gates had actually burst up from right beneath his feet.
It carved a deep divide through Shukaku.
Even the Crystal Release dragon that had been binding him was smashed apart into fragments, scattering across Shukaku's body.
"This... what is this..."
Up in the air, Rasa's eyes bulged wide, as if they would pop out of his head.
No one at the scene had a clearer view than him of how shocking those five gates truly were.
"Rashōmon..."
"And it's fivefold..."
Orochimaru felt his brain was about to short-circuit. He knew of Rashōmon—he could even use it himself.
It was a summoning technique, usually for defense. He had never thought it could be used for offense.
Looking at Shukaku trapped by the Rashōmon, Orochimaru was utterly dumbfounded.
But that wasn't the most shocking part. What stunned him most was that the caster of this technique... was his own disciple.
And on top of that, there had been that earlier Fire Release... Orochimaru suddenly realized he could no longer see through his disciple.
"It's not over yet!"
"Crystal Release! I'll make you a coffin!"
With a roar, the fragments from the shattered crystal dragon began to shine, swelling rapidly in size.
Crystal Release was a kekkei genkai that could turn anything into crystalline material. As long as chakra was sufficient, even the One-Tail could be sealed.
"Chizan, if you keep burning through chakra like this, your supply won't keep up! Once you overdraw, the Tailed Beast Cloak will come out!"
"Take it easy!"
Chōmei's voice suddenly rang out. But Gekko Chizan's eyes were already blood-red. He didn't care.
"Don't worry about it! Keep supplying! I'm going to turn this damn raccoon into a statue!"
"Increase the chakra output! If it drains faster, then so be it—I'll match it with more!"
As Chizan lunged forward again, a storm of a thousand crystal shuriken rained down, mercilessly. Chōmei let out a faint sigh.
In all this time, he had never seen Gekko Chizan so enraged.
Chizan was usually laughing, joking, and mischievous, but he had a temper—he could get furious too.
Thinking of this, Chōmei grinned.
"Chizan, if you want to go crazy, then I'll go crazy with you. What's there to fear!"
"Come on!"
Chōmei opened the chakra flow again, and Gekko Chizan instantly felt an overwhelming surge inside him.
To keep the tailed beast chakra from leaking out, he pushed harder.
"Rasa! And you! Enjoying the show?"
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
"Poof!"
This time only three clones appeared.
But in the next instant, Chizan showed everyone why three were enough.
"Fire Release! Majestic Destroyer Flame!"
"Wind Release! Great Breakthrough!"
"Crystal Release! Torrential Pear Blossom Needles!"
Combination ninjutsu had always been the pinnacle of technique, and now Chizan showed what one plus one plus one really meant—it equaled ten!
Wind fueled fire. The Wind Release boosted the Fire Release's power to a higher level, while the piercing force of the Crystal Release added deadly sharpness.
The eruption of the three techniques together left Rasa completely stunned.
No matter how strong his gold dust was, it had limits—and this combined attack was far beyond them.
In that moment, Rasa understood. Gekko Chizan was no mere jōnin. Just from this outburst alone, the bastard definitely had Kage-level strength—maybe even greater than his own.
After all, with so many ninjutsu unleashed, Chizan still had chakra to spare?
The battlefield was now completely dominated by him.
The three clones chased Rasa relentlessly, while Chizan's real body had Shukaku locked down with Fivefold Rashōmon and Crystal Release.
Both the Suna shinobi and Konoha shinobi stared wide-eyed at the unfolding scene.
"Hahahahaha! That little brat! So he's been this strong all along!"
"Konoha has successors! We have successors!"
Shirakumo, already coughing up blood, suddenly erupted into wild laughter, full of boldness and joy.
Hearing that laughter, Urokohane fell silent. She could sense the life force within him had nearly withered away.
And sure enough, after shouting his final words, Shirakumo quietly lay down against her. His gaze turned to the sky as the light slowly faded from his eyes.
By the time the medical ninja arrived, he was gone.
In an instant, everyone bowed their heads.
Orochimaru also heard his cry, and for a moment, even he was silent.
Then his gaze returned to the battlefield.
Shukaku was almost completely covered in crystal, even the Rashōmon gates piercing his body had been crystallized.
Rasa was barely holding on.
"Boom!"
But it didn't last. The crystals sealing Shukaku began to shatter as sand surged violently.
A furious roar echoed across the heavens.
"Brat! I'll bury you in sand!"
"Shut up, you damn raccoon!"
"Fire Release! Majestic Destroyer Flame!"
As the Crystal Release collapsed, Chizan gave Shukaku no chance to rampage. Another sea of fire engulfed the beast.
"Get out of my sight!"
"You little bastard!"
But Shukaku's body was thick and durable—how could fire alone scare him? With a sweep of his massive arm, sand billowed across the battlefield.
Chizan's anger flared hotter.
In the next instant, he vanished. Flying Thunder God brought him back to Urokohane's side, where one of his marked kunai lay—left there earlier.
But as soon as he landed, he saw a sight he never wanted to.
Shirakumo lay smiling in death, surrounded by red-eyed comrades.
"Jōnin Shirakumo..."
Gekko Chizan hadn't known him well, only that he had a son named Asa.
They'd crossed paths on the battlefield a few times, and Chizan had respected this strong, battle-loving senior.
But now...
"Dammit!"
"Urokohane."
Chizan forced down the rage in his chest, calling her name.
"Hm? What is it? Do you need me to join the fight?"
Urokohane twisted her body to glance at Shukaku still thrashing in the distance, a flash of fighting spirit in her eyes.
"No..."
"Your speed is the fastest. Take my marked kunai... deep into the desert."
"Please..."
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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