"Explode."
Tenten coolly yanked out two kunai fitted with explosive tags and hurled them at Retzu. Mid-flight, the kunai accurately knocked aside the shuriken Retzu had thrown. Then, without losing momentum, they kept flying straight toward Retzu. Just as Retzu was preparing to turn his head to dodge, he saw sparks suddenly burst from the kunai, and both exploded instantly.
*BOOM*
The fiery explosion engulfed the surrounding space, completely swallowing Retzu's body in flames.
"What kind of explosive tag is that? The blast power is way too strong!"
Retzu's real body emerged from underground, staring at the remains of his shattered mud clone with shock on his face. He wasn't imagining things—it was clear now that each kunai only had a single explosive tag attached seconds ago. But how could such a devastating explosion be caused by just two ordinary explosive tags? Could it be that Konoha had secretly developed some new type of explosive tag?
"Guess."
Tenten casually flung another kunai, which still had an explosive tag tied behind it.
*BOOM!*
Fire burst everywhere. This time, Retzu truly felt the immense power of the explosion.
Chapter 226: Art [SpongeBob Reference: Patrick Star] [II]
"What exactly is going on with these explosive tags? That explosion power is absolutely unscientific!"
Retzu felt the lingering high temperature from the explosion nearby, his mind filled with confusion and doubt. He wasn't unfamiliar with explosive tags—he knew their destructive capacity well enough. Yet the explosive tags Tenten was using completely overturned his understanding of what explosive tags were capable of.
"Don't lose focus!"
Tenten's voice rang in Retzu's ear. He turned his head and saw several more kunai flying straight toward him. Attached behind every kunai was an explosive tag.
"Oh my goodness!"
Retzu's scalp prickled with fear. If all these explosive tags had the same strength as the earlier ones, once they detonated, he would definitely be blown into pieces. No longer having time to think about whether this explosion power was scientifically reasonable or not, he immediately turned and ran.
*BOOM!* *BOOM!* *BOOM!*
Deafening explosions kept ringing across the arena. Fireballs blasted into the air continuously, shaking the battlefield itself as though it were trembling. Retzu, constantly running from explosive kunai chasing after him, now had completely lost his earlier attitude of lightly regarding Tenten's abilities.
"Holy mother of destruction! Bombarding me with so many explosive tags and kunai?!"
Ducking and dodging left and right trying to avoid the explosive kunai, Retzu didn't even have an opportunity to counterattack. Right now, escaping death was his only action.
"No surprise here—whenever Tenten goes all out, it's always apocalypse-level chaos."
Sakura and the others slapped their hands over their ears at the same time. The continuous chain of explosions made them feel like they were standing right in the middle of a battlefield, their eardrums hurting from the constant shaking.
After narrowly dodging yet another kunai, Retzu gritted his teeth. He couldn't keep running away like this any longer—or else he'd eventually exhaust all his stamina and chakra before getting blown to smithereens.
As soon as he thought of it, Retzu made his decision. Using the explosion's firelight as cover, he created a Mud Clone to keep dodging in his place and draw Tenten's attacks, while his real body silently vanished, preparing to ambush her.
"Relying on ninja artifacts may look cool, but there's one fatal flaw. Once you run out of them or someone gets up close, your death is already waiting."
Retzu crept up silently behind Tenten, eyes sharp with focus. Suddenly, he threw a powerful punch straight into her back. Flames erupted from his fist, instantly engulfing her in a fiery blast.
"This is… Explosion Release?"
Kakashi, who had once witnessed this technique firsthand during the conflict between Konoha and Iwagakure, immediately recognized the power Retzu wielded, though his expression remained calm.
"What a shame. Such a cute little girl."
Retzu revealed himself, his face twisted in mock pity. Explosion Release granted him devastating destructive power. A direct hit was no different from an Explosive Tag detonating on contact—in other words, that punch was just like sticking an Explosive Tag right onto her body. The result would be instant, critical injury or even death.
However, after the smoke cleared, what stood before Retzu wasn't a wounded Tenten, but rather an countless number of scattered Explosive Tags, all beginning to glow.
"What?! Was that not her real body just now?!"
Retzu's eyes widened in shock. When had she created that clone? Why hadn't he noticed at all?!
"Boom!"
Dozens of Explosive Tags detonated in unison, blasting a massive crater into the Arena. Retzu's body was thrown backward, and at the same time, his Mud Clone was also blown apart.
From the shadows of a corner, Tenten stepped out and looked at Retzu, lying on the ground with his whole body charred black. She gave a light chuckle. "Don't try faking death. I can still tell that's a clone!"
Retzu emerged from underground, curious. "How did you know that was a clone?"
The charred figure on the ground turned into a pile of mud.
"That's why," Tenten replied, pointing behind him.
Suddenly, a small pebble came flying straight toward Retzu at high speed and struck his kidney with pinpoint accuracy.
"Agh!"
Retzu let out a sharp cry, clutching his lower back in pain. He'd never known real kidney pain before—until now.
"What the hell was that?!" Retzu winced as he asked. Where had that pebble even come from?
"Can you guess?" Tenten replied with a smile, leaving Retzu speechless with frustration.
[Tenten's mastery of the Law of Causality and Kinetic Infusion keeps improving.]
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
Want to read the subsequent content in advance?
Please follow my Patreon:patreon/Tansnovel
Tans Novel - The Fastest-Updating Naruto Fanfiction Account
Read 100+ chapters in advance, with at least 3 new chapters updated every day! More free chapters! 20+ Naruto fanfictions!
Just three steps:
1. Download and open the "Patreon" app
2. Search for "Tans Novel"
3. Click on the collection and enjoy to your heart's content
<><><><><><><><>