Shiratori and Pakura locked eyes.
Three seconds later, Boom, an overwhelmingly violent cursed energy explosion suddenly erupted on the armor of Pakura's arm without any warning.
This strike, seemingly appearing out of thin air, was several times stronger than the first punch.
The armor on her arm gave a crisp cracking sound.
Clatter, clatter... like broken scrap metal, it fell to her feet.
The delayed cursed energy had violently shattered the armor on her arm. The impact made her hands go numb. A change came over her expression. Her gaze toward Shiratori now carried a sense of gravity.
This boy in front of her... was stronger than she had imagined.
"Looks like I underestimated you."
She had been careless just now. That mistake of underestimating her opponent, she wouldn't repeat it again.
Shiratori's figure appeared in front of her once more, his fist raised again.
Pakura's face remained calm, but her pupils reflected his movements.
Cursed energy gathered and compressed on his fist. It was as if the air emitted a sharp, piercing birdsong, while black lightning crackled from his fist.
Pakura could feel the overwhelming force of that punch. She didn't attempt to block it directly like before. She stared intently at the approaching Shiratori, powerful killing intent radiating from her entire body.
[Killing Intent detected: Pakura +3000 points]
[Energy transferred to Sukuna]
[Development progress: 89.9%]
She formed hand seals with both hands:
The air instantly filled with countless fiery red needles, blasting toward Shiratori. The temperature in the air surged. He felt the shadow of death suddenly loom over him. In an instant, he withdrew his fist and flashed backward. The dense fire needles rained down like a storm covering the entire sky above.
They poured down violently.
He could almost imagine how many Ame ninjas had died under this very technique. He extended his hand, and an intense blue light radiated from his palm.
A thick layer of ice quickly formed in front of him.
A nearly five-meter-tall, half-meter-thick wall of ice cut Pakura and the Suna ninjas off completely.
Including the fire needles coming from the side.
Takigawa and the others knelt on one knee, their chests heaving violently as they coughed, the air thick with the scent of blood.
Their bloodshot eyes looked ahead.
In contrast to the massive ice wall, Shiratori's figure seemed so small.
And yet, it was that small figure that had stepped forward to protect them at a critical moment.
[Gratitude detected]
[Multiple sources: +3000 points each]
[Total accumulated: 270,000 points]
[Energy transferred to Smallpox Deity]
[Development progress: 98.04%]
The fire needles embedded themselves in the ice wall, burning small holes into it.
When the last needle struck, the ice wall instantly melted into countless shards.
A dark shadow suddenly flashed before Shiratori's eyes.
"Scorch Release: Extremely Steaming Murder!"
Pakura launched her next attack without warning.
Four basketball-sized, scorching hot orbs of light floated around her. They shot toward Shiratori. Wherever they passed, the reddish-yellow sand hissed and sizzled into ash.
His pupils reflected the incoming fireballs.
The cursed energy inside his body burst forth violently. A visible storm of extreme cold, like a dragon lifting its head and exhaling its breath, roared out, charging straight toward the blazing orbs.
Sizzle!
Billowing white smoke soared into the sky.
Pakura's eyes narrowed as she increased her chakra output.
One of the fireballs reappeared through the white smoke. It suddenly accelerated, tearing through part of the freezing energy and shooting straight toward Shiratori's face with lingering heat.
[Killing Intent detected: Pakura +3000 points]
[Energy transferred to Sukuna]
[Development progress: 90.02%]
Shiratori drew his blade.
Just as the fireball neared, his long sword precisely slashed across its side. With a muffled thud, the fireball didn't explode. Instead, it was cleaved apart by what appeared to be an ordinary blade.
Pakura's pupils trembled violently.
How could it be neutralized by just a single sword?
Could it be... that sword wasn't ordinary?
What she didn't know was: the sword was just an ordinary sword. What wasn't ordinary was the Ratio Technique.
Whether it was space or matter, it could forcibly generate weak points.
However, Shiratori had no reason to share this intel with Pakura. He had no interest in chatting with enemies either before or during battle.
As he looked at the liquid mercury swirling around him, an idea formed in his mind. The mercury stretched out into a long flowing river, gliding toward Pakura.
Pakura formed hand seals. A blazing wall of light formed from intense fire appeared before her. The mercury collided with the blazing wall and instantly began to vaporize. A massive amount of toxic mercury vapor quickly engulfed her surroundings.
Immediately, she felt a sharp stinging on her skin and a tightness in her breath.
"Poison mist?"
She immediately held her breath.
As a kunoichi from Suna, she was no stranger to poisons. But the specific toxin in this vapor... she couldn't quite identify it.
Within the dense vapor, countless tiny mercury needles took shape.
They pierced the air and sealed off all of her escape routes.
Her heart tightened. If she used Scorch Release now, the heat would only worsen the toxicity in the air. But if she didn't use it, the mercury needles would pierce her body and inject the poison even deeper.
Gritting her teeth, she unleashed a scorching shockwave centered on herself. A terrifying burst of heat instantly vaporized all the mercury needles in the air.
The toxic mist enveloped her.
She furrowed her brows. She couldn't afford to drag this out any longer. Her pupils shifted, and her figure suddenly shot out from the toxic fog at high speed.
Shiratori raised his sword horizontally in front of him, ready to counter.
But Pakura's figure darted past him at lightning speed.
What?
He spun around instantly. Pakura's back was reflected in his vision. Her kunai was aimed at Takigawa's chest, stabbing toward him.
He understood.
Pakura was trying to crush him psychologically.
Then again... wasn't this a perfect chance for him to earn some points?
Takigawa saw the figure approaching at close range.
Blood was already dripping from the corner of his mouth. He knew he no longer had the strength to fight.
Dying on the battlefield... wasn't such a bad ending.
His only regret was not being able to help the boy escape.
Squelch.
The kunai pierced through flesh and muscle, and a familiar figure appeared before his eyes.
His pupils shook, bloodshot veins spreading across his eyes.
Shiratori had stepped in front of him. The kunai had stabbed through his shoulder.
Takigawa could even see the kunai's tip protruding.
Blood dripped to the ground.
"No!!"
[Affection detected: Takigawa +10,000 points]
[Energy transferred to Rika]
[Development progress: 97.91%]
"Why?"
The trembling spread through his entire body. His voice was hoarse.
Shiratori's pale lips curled into a faint smile. He turned his head slightly to look at him: "Because... I said I'd protect everyone!"
[Affection detected]
[Multiple sources: +10,000 points each]
[Total accumulated: 300,000 points]
[Energy transferred to Rika]
[Development progress: 100%]
[Orimoto Rika: Maximum level achieved]
[Domain Expansion: True Mutual Love - UNLOCKED]
[Base Ability]
[Curse: UNLOCKED]
[Copy Technique Template]
[Kamo Noritoshi - Blood Manipulation: UNLOCKED]
[Copy Technique Template]
[Fushiguro Megumi - Ten Shadows Technique: UNLOCKED]
[Copy Technique Template]
[Zenin Naobito - Projection Sorcery: UNLOCKED]
His mind was ringing non-stop with the system notifications. The wound on his shoulder throbbed faintly. The midnight wind blew across the battlefield, thick with the scent of blood.
The Ame ninjas and Suna ninjas all paused their fighting in unison.
To the Suna ninjas, victory in this battle was inevitable.
Even if it were delayed a little, it didn't matter.
The Ame ninjas all looked at Shiratori, who stood in front of Takigawa. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried across the entire battlefield.
Their faces showed smiles, but their eyes grew redder and redder. They didn't deserve for him to do this for them!
Pakura looked at Shiratori with a complicated expression. If they weren't enemies, she would've truly admired him.
What a shame...
Suddenly, a hand gripped her wrist tightly.
She froze and looked toward the hand stretching out from behind him.
Takigawa's eyes were blood-red, like a demon crawling from hell.
"Even if I die..."
I'll tear open a path for him to live!
He rose to his feet under Pakura's stunned gaze.
This Ame ninja had clearly reached his limit!
Her other hand, faster than lightning, pulled a kunai from her ninja tool pouch and slashed toward Shiratori's neck.
Takigawa's pupils shrank. He lunged toward Pakura's hand.
Shiratori's hand blocked Takigawa. He stared straight at Pakura.
"You're not allowed to hurt Yuta!"
"Anyone who hurts Yuta deserves to die!"
A sharp, indescribable scream tore through the battlefield's sky.
It pierced through bodies and struck directly at the soul.
Time seemed to freeze at that moment. A wave of malice cold enough to freeze souls descended like a black tide.
The Suna ninjas froze instantly, as if an invisible giant hand had gripped their throats, breathing became excruciating.
The battlefield was suffused with violent killing intent, something no human could possibly release.
Pakura's movement was halted as if the pause button had been pressed.
She looked up at the sky, her eyes filled with shock and disbelief.
Black mist spread, enveloping Shiratori.
A massive figure emerged from the black mist, standing protectively in front of him.
The mist was torn apart, Rika revealed her full form.
Her nearly ten-meter-tall body loomed over Pakura. A massive abyss-like crack split her enormous head, and her sharp fangs gleamed coldly. Rika's roar nearly shattered the ninjas' eardrums.
It was as if someone had pressed the pause button on the entire battlefield. All the chaos and fighting were instantly suppressed by her overwhelming presence.
[Fear detected]
[Multiple sources: +2000 points each]
[Total accumulated: 120,000 points]
[Energy transferred to Hanami]
[Development progress: 70.2%]
"What... is that?"
"A monster!"
"It's a monster!"
Boundless fear spread through the Suna ninjas. Their hands, still clutching weapons, were shaking uncontrollably.
Compared to Rika's colossal form, each Suna ninja looked like an ant nailed to the ground, all they could do was look up at this towering, sky-darkening beast.
Takigawa stared at the massive figure in front of him. Mixed with the fear in his heart was a surge of relief, relief at having survived.
He wasn't dead.
His pale lips twitched faintly. The boy was safe. With that curse protecting him, he would definitely make it out alive.
A faint smile, laced with blood, surfaced on his face.
Suddenly, he felt a sliver of strength return to his body. The pain was becoming clearer. That numbness of near-death was fading.
He looked down and saw Shiratori diligently tending to his wounds.
In that moment, Takigawa wished he could die. If he died, the boy wouldn't waste his chakra trying to save him. He couldn't do anything except hold him back.
How could he ever repay him?
With his life?
Even his life wouldn't be enough to repay him!
[Gratitude detected: Takigawa +10,000 points]
[Energy transferred to Smallpox Deity]
[Development progress: 98.14%]
"I leave it to you!"
"Rika!"
While healing Takigawa, Shiratori called out to Rika.
"Be careful!"
He looked at Rika with deep tenderness.
"Yuta!"
Rika let out a piercing scream.
"Yuta! I will protect you! I won't let anyone hurt you! Anyone who hurts you must die!"
She scanned the battlefield and let out a deafening roar.
With terrifying force, her enormous claw, at least four meters long, swept toward the Suna ninjas.
"Aaaahhh!!"
The Suna ninjas didn't even have time to dodge, they were torn to shreds by the razor-sharp claws.
Their screams echoed across the battlefield.
[Fear detected]
[Multiple sources: +5000 points each]
[Total accumulated: 25,000 points]
[Energy transferred to Hanami]
[Development progress: 72.7%]