Chapter 138: The Rampaging Monster!
Bang!
The moment he was shot between the eyes, Ōnoki's entire person exploded into a puff of smoke and vanished on the spot.
"A Shadow Clone Technique?"
Nara Keisuke immediately looked down. Beside the ruins of the "Earth Prison Dome," an unscathed Ōnoki walked out, his expression grave as he looked up at the sky.
"Extremely flexible flight ability, plus that very swift long-range attack method from just now, and a strange and special shadow clone technique... This Black Beast is truly not an opponent an ordinary ninja can deal with."
Ōnoki seemed to be talking to himself, and also seemed to be reminding the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, Rōshi, at his side. "The opponent's skill level is even trickier than I imagined."
Some things had to be witnessed firsthand to be truly understood. Before today's operation, Ōnoki had indeed paid a certain amount of attention to the existence of the "Black Beast," but he had never regarded the opponent as an enemy of the same level. However, through the brief aerial exchange just now, and his rapidly dispatched shadow clone, Ōnoki faintly realized one thing—even though he had already sufficiently overestimated the "Black Beast's" strength before he came, he had still underestimated it!
Flexible and swift flight ability, paired with a powerful and cunning pellet attack, plus a temporarily unclear explosive means. Ōnoki felt as if he were seeing the Second Mizukage of Kirigakure, Hōzuki Gengetsu, from back in the day. No—at least Hōzuki Gengetsu couldn't fly!
"His skill level doesn't need you to say anything!" Rōshi didn't know what Ōnoki was thinking. He just crossed his arms and looked at the sky very unhappily. "You stinky old man who's already died to him once!"
For Rōshi, who had mastered the Lava Release Kekkei Genkai, he was fundamentally skilled in ground combat and close-quarters combat. Faced with an extremely flexible flying soldier, the vast majority of his means were rendered ineffective. His conventional ninjutsu's attack range simply couldn't affect an enemy at such a long distance. Unless Rōshi entered his full Tailed Beast form and borrowed the power of the Four-Tails, in this battle, he was destined to be a spectator.
"Using the [Shadow Clone Technique] to bait the enemy while simultaneously gathering intelligence on them. This is indeed a standard tactical strategy for this level."
The surface of the [Shadow Creature] beneath Nara Keisuke bloomed with a series of cracks. The traces continued to expand until the entire bird was split into numerous black shadow fragments. "I should update my own tactical methods!"
[Shadow Transformation Technique]!
The shadow eagle, as if self-dividing, separated into one after another small [Shadow Creatures]. They transformed into a sky full of flying birds and charged towards Ōnoki and Rōshi below. And among these numerous, successive [Shadow Creatures], a transparent [Shadow Doppelganger] that had concealed its tracks was, with the help of the [Shadow Invisibility Technique], silently approaching the enemy's position.
"Watch out for those shadows!"
Faced with the dense mass of [Shadow Creatures], Ōnoki did not extravagantly use Dust Release, but merely released the earth jutsu he had used once before. "Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet Technique!"
"I don't need you to tell me! Nagging old man!" Rōshi retorted to Ōnoki again—the relationship between the two was indeed very bad—but at the same time, he did not forget to form hand signs. "Lava Release: Scorching Stream Rock Technique!"
Faced with the proactively charging [Shadow Creatures], Rōshi had finally found a "stage" to display his strength once again. One after another, giant lava cannonballs were spewed from his mouth, crashing head-on into the diving [Shadow Creatures]. The fast and urgent rock and mud pellets, as well as the high-temperature, scorching Lava Release chakra, directly smashed these ordinary-bird-sized [Shadow Creatures] to pieces in mid-air.
And while Ōnoki and Rōshi were immersed in defending against the attack of the [Shadow Creatures], the [Shadow Doppelganger] had already quietly approached their position and at the same time, quickly formed hand signs. An invisible, formless chakra immediately filled the entire space.
[Bringer-of-Darkness Technique]!
In an instant, darkness descended. The pure darkness, in which one could not see their own hand in front of their face, instantly enveloped the two great figures of Iwagakure, Ōnoki and Rōshi, and at the same time, completely blocked their visual perception.
"Genjutsu? When!?" Ōnoki was undeniably shocked, but he still formed the "Genjutsu Release" hand seal at top speed. A pity, there was no result. "Be careful, this is no ordinary genjutsu! It's most likely an environment-affecting type!"
Knowing that his combat experience was far inferior to Ōnoki's, Rōshi, this time, finally did not "return the favor" to the other, but just闷闷 said, "I know."
"There's someone watching from the sky. We can't confirm the direction in the darkness," Ōnoki quickly made a decision. "Let's use an earth-style jutsu to leave this dark area first!"
However, the two Iwa ninja had not yet had time to begin their action before Nara Keisuke in the sky had already started a new round of attacks.
He first touched the summoning talisman on his wrist, took out the few [Explosion Release Masks] he had made during this period, and then arranged for the [Shadow Creatures] to fly down with these masks. He then raised his hands and, aiming at the unmistakable dark area below, released his self-created ninjutsu at top speed and with the largest possible range.
Rapid-fire [Spiraling Shadow Binding Bullet]!
A dense mass of lacquer-black bullets descended from the sky. And at this time, Ōnoki had only just finished the first round of dialogue with Rōshi. Just as the two were about to form hand signs to burrow into the earth, the bullets had already shot into the area shrouded by the [Bringer-of-Darkness Technique].
Keisuke knew very well that the "main force" of this round of attack was the [Explosion Release Masks]. Therefore, his bullets only sought a temporary binding effect and did not require complete control of the enemy.
Within the range of the [Bringer-of-Darkness Technique], a ninja's visual perception was already completely blocked. Ōnoki, relying on his years of combat experience, was barely able to sense the threat from the sky. He immediately gave up the idea of burrowing into the earth and instead began to deploy a defensive technique, not forgetting to remind, "Rōshi! Defend!"
However, the [Spiraling Shadow Binding Bullet] was not the [Spiraling Shadow Piercing Bullet]. After entering the dark environment, these lacquer-black bullets, which were already seeking the maximum attack range, hit Ōnoki and Rōshi one after another. Although they were unable to cause any substantial damage, the lacquer-black tendrils that the bullets transformed into still firmly bound the two's movements in the first instance, at the same time restricting their hand sign gestures.
Just at this moment, the [Shadow Creatures] carrying the [Explosion Release Masks] flew into the darkness and, without mercy, detonated these masks filled with Explosion Release chakra all at once.
BOOM!!
The close-range explosion of the [Explosion Release Masks] immediately triggered a terrifyingly destructive explosion. The heaven-shaking, earth-shattering roar could be heard clearly even by Nara Keisuke in the sky.
The dark range shrouded by the [Bringer-of-Darkness Technique] gradually dissipated. At the same time, a new message popped up on the panel.
[You have defeated the A-rank Ninja Combat Mission target!]
[A-rank Ninja Combat Mission [Lava Ninja] has been completed!]
[You have obtained one A-rank [Shinobi Secret Scroll]!]
"An A-rank mission was completed just like that?" Nara Keisuke's eyes lit up slightly. "But... it was the Four-Tails Jinchuriki? Was he that easy to take down?"
Just as he was feeling hesitant, an extremely terrifying wave of heat suddenly erupted from the ground below. "Lava Release: Flower-Fruit Mountain!"
Rōshi, the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, who had at some point already entered his full Tailed Beast form, had transformed into a burly, massive red-furred giant ape. He beat the earth with both hands in anger, and scorching hot Lava Release chakra was subsequently injected into the ground. The originally flat earth instantly turned into a flowing sea of lava. This astonishingly hot, dark red lava gathered together, forming a small mountain peak that looked like an active volcano, and continuously erupted with scalding lava towards the sky.
"A full Tailed Beast transformation?"
Nara Keisuke in the sky controlled the [Shadow Creature], calmly avoiding the lava that rushed up from below. His gaze was fixed on the Four-Tails below. "Considering the mission has already been completed... has the consciousness of the Four-Tails Jinchuriki, Rōshi, been forcibly taken over by the Four-Tails within him?"
"Roar—"
The Four-Tails, transformed into a red-furred giant ape, frantically beat its chest, erupting in a "thump, thump" sound that made one's eyelids jump, clearly having entered some kind of frenzied state.
"Dust Release: Detachment from the Primitive World Technique!"
A white light bloomed in the sky above the boundless sea of lava. Ōnoki, his entire body covered in scorched black marks, even a section of his beard burned off, flew out in a sorry state.
In the attack of the [Explosion Release Masks] just now, Ōnoki had been unable to smoothly form hand signs. But Rōshi, relying on his crisis awareness at the moment of life and death, had, in the nick of time, used his Lava Release Kekkei Genkai to release a defensive technique called "Lava Release: Granite," blocking in front of him. Due to his position and physique, Ōnoki was very lucky to have been sheltered by the effect of the "Lava Release: Granite" and had luckily escaped with his life.
But the intense life-and-death crisis had still stimulated the Four-Tails within Rōshi. The Four-Tails, completely disregarding the Jinchuriki's feelings, had its consciousness directly break out from the seal and manifest in the material world.
"Damn it!" Ōnoki disregarded his own sorry state. Relying on the Super Light-Weight Rock Technique to float in mid-air, he looked at the Four-Tails with great anger. "The Four-Tails has gone berserk!"
"Instead of worrying about some Four-Tails, you should worry more about yourself, Lord Tsuchikage of Iwagakure."
Nara Keisuke controlled the [Shadow Creature] to approach. His smiling face held up his right hand, and a lacquer-black pellet appeared in his palm. "If you die in this sea of lava, will the ninja of Iwagakure mourn for you?"
[Spiraling Shadow Killing Cannon]!
(End of Chapter)
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