"Single for life, Nawaki. Sorry, man."
He saw the reward. Qianyu's eyes lit up. After so long, he'd finally gotten another bloodline reward. Sacrificing a bro's love life really worked!
A warm current flooded his body. Catalyzed by the system, the Uzumaki bloodline merged perfectly with his other two lineages like a final puzzle piece, fundamentally remolding his physique.
It was no exaggeration. Qianyu felt reborn. Then again, in terms of bloodline alone, he was practically half an Ōtsutsuki now.
"Hell yeah. Physical toughness and chakra reserves have both doubled. I'm effectively a Tailless Tailed Beast now."
Qianyu carefully sensed the changes. He clicked his tongue in awe, thrilled by the transformation.
"With reserves this vast, once I successfully transplant Hashirama's cells, I'll be able to use large-scale Wood Release jutsu!"
That's right. Qianyu was no longer satisfied with the Tobirama Senju template of Water Release + Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags + Flying Thunder God Technique. He wanted to be Hashirama Senju!
"Looks like I need to put some pressure on Orochimaru when I get back," Qianyu thought.
A day has twenty-four hours. How could anyone work only twenty? Those damn authors… I mean, even the donkeys on the production team don't get to rest that much!
"Thank you, Karin!"
In high spirits, Qianyu scooped the girl into his arms and planted a firm kiss on her forehead.
"W-what are you thanking me for? Hurry up and heal me! Don't stop!"
Karin's head swam; she clearly wasn't fully healed yet. As an Uzumaki, her chakra needs were far beyond an ordinary person's. She required Qianyu's full, dedicated treatment.
…
Half an hour later.
Flying with Karin in tow, Qianyu finally spotted Shikaku's group fleeing the Grass Village.
Strangely, despite moving at full speed, they hadn't yet left the Land of Grass's borders.
Swish!
Qianyu threw a paper talisman ahead of Shikaku's team. Once they noticed it—and him—he canceled his Paper Dance and descended.
"Qianyu! Good to see you're safe. We were worried." The tension on everyone's faces eased. Chōza Akimichi eagerly stepped forward to check him for injuries.
"Seniors, why are you only this far? Run into trouble?" Qianyu asked.
"Yeah. We encountered several Iwa squads. Took some effort to deal with them," Chōza nodded.
"Probably the Iwa-nin who were liaising with the Grass Village arrived, noticed the commotion, and pursued," Shikaku said, his gaze briefly landing on Karin before turning serious. "I suspect the enemy numbers are larger. We should keep moving."
"Agreed."
Qianyu had no objections. Carrying the exhausted Karin on his back, he followed Shikaku's group.
If I didn't have to hold back a bit, I could just teleport a few of us back to the Falling Leaves Slope using my Flying Thunder God marker there.
But it didn't matter. Unless Ōnoki or the Four-Tails Jinchūriki, Rōshi, showed up personally, Qianyu was confident he could protect Shikaku's trio.
…
They raced onward.
Just before exiting the Land of Grass, Inoichi Yamanaka's face paled. He relayed what his bird-controlled scouts saw.
"Twenty, maybe thirty Iwa-nin are blocking the path ahead! They're led by Ōnoki's son, the 'Earth-Shaking Iron Fist'—Kitsuchi! Half his team are from the Iwa Explosion Corps!"
"What?!"
Shikaku Nara's expression darkened. He hadn't expected the enemy to get ahead of them. Or perhaps Iwa had called in their elite units currently wreaking havoc within the Land of Fire.
Regardless, the situation was grim. Most of their team bore significant injuries. Combat-ready members, at best, numbered under ten. Against Iwa elites…
"Earth Style: Mountain Sandwich!"
Before Shikaku could formulate a plan, the ground beneath them trembled violently.
To their horror, two hemispherical boulders, each a hundred meters tall, erupted from the earth with a deafening roar, slamming together to crush them.
Clearly, the Iwa side also had sensors. They'd detected Qianyu's group and struck first.
"Lord Shikaku! What do we do?!" a kunoichi panicked. The boulders closed fast. They'd be pulverized before they could escape.
"Qianyu, can you—"
"On it! Sand Waterfall Funeral!"
Qianyu didn't let Shikaku finish. He clapped his hands together. A violent surge of sand spurted from the ground like a volcanic eruption, coalescing into thick pillars of yellow sand that braced against the closing titans.
"Run! I can't hold this for long!"
Qianyu gritted his teeth. Against twenty or thirty Iwa elites, even he couldn't overpower their combined jutsu with one of his own.
CRUNCH!
The sand pillars splintered under the immense pressure, dissolving back into granular streams.
With nothing to stop them, the two boulders slammed together, smashing one lagging Konoha ninja into pulp.
"Meigen, Kawahara, Kirito—you three stay with me to cover the retreat! Everyone else, detour west back to Konoha! Reinforcements should arrive soon!"
Shikaku pointed to seven or eight ninja to stay, ordering the rest to flee. Running was impossible. Their only chance was to stand and fight.
With Qianyu here, we might just have a fighting chance.
Shikaku Nara took a deep breath, steeling himself.
"Karin, go with them. Don't worry about me. I'll catch up soon."
Qianyu gave Karin's rear a light pat. A shadow clone materialized, scooped up the reluctant girl, and sprinted after the retreating Konoha forces.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Soon, under Qianyu and the others' watchful eyes, six Iwa squads emerged from ahead, advancing slowly.
Their leader was a mountain of a man over two meters tall, with biceps thicker than most men's thighs. His gaze was fixed squarely on Qianyu's group.
Kitsuchi.
"…It's you!"
He saw Qianyu. Kitsuchi's veins bulged. The murderer of his cousin, Kūgo. He would recognize that face even in ashes!
Kitsuchi had grown up with Kūgo, trained together. Hearing of his cousin's death had filled him with a rage surpassing even his father Ōnoki's. His duties had trapped him, preventing immediate vengeance.
Now, the killer stood before him, bold as brass. He wouldn't let him escape again.
"Qianyu. To think I'd find you here. Do you remember my dead cousin?"
Kitsuchi pounded a fist into his palm, his voice icy. "Just wait. Before I send you to meet him, I'll let you taste what it's like to watch your comrades die."
"Ha! Big talk."
Qianyu glanced back. Shikaku and the others were ready. He turned to Kitsuchi.
"If you miss him that much, I'll just reunite you. I'll collect the interest Ōnoki owes me… starting with his son."
"Super Wind Release: Rasenshuriken!"
The Iwa forces had the numbers, inching closer, restless. Qianyu responded with a parting gift.
Swish!
He spun a Rasenshuriken in his palm and hurled it at the Iwa ranks. The terrifying energy within made every Iwa-nin's heart skip a beat.
"Earth Style: Multiple Earth Wall!"
They faced the monstrous attack. Two Iwa squads slapped the ground in unison. Layer after layer of massive, four-to-five-meter-thick earthen walls erupted, shielding the Iwa forces.
BOOM!
The Rasenshuriken detonated on impact, erupting into a devastating storm of wind blades. It shredded the first two or three walls instantly, but new ones rose just as fast, blocking the storm's path.
In that brief moment of obstruction, the Iwa-nin behind the walls retreated to safety.
It couldn't be helped. The Super Rasenshuriken's destructive power was immense, but its area of effect was a critical weakness. Not as satisfying as a Super Planetary Devastation.
But the instant he released the jutsu, Qianyu vanished.
They were outnumbered. The best defense was a brutal offense.
"Paper Dance: Shower!"
Wings of paper unfurled. Qianyu appeared directly above the Iwa-nin, a downpour of razor-sharp talismans raining upon them.
"Heavenly Clay Fall!"
Kitsuchi and three nearby ninja reacted instantly—as if they'd studied Qianyu's style. The moment the paper rain began, they performed identical hand seals without hesitation.
Whoosh!
A massive void opened above Qianyu, engulfing him.
A torrent of thick, viscous clay fell from the sky, faster than his paper, blanketing both him and his aerial weapons.
The talismans, gummed up by the clay, instantly lost their edge, becoming mere paper.
As Qianyu tried to dart clear of the clay's range, the sticky muck clung to his paper wings. His flight faltered. He plummeted.
"All of you, with me! Take this bastard out, and the rest are nothing!"
Kitsuchi roared. Several Explosion Corps members surged forward with him, charging the falling Qianyu.
The Konoha ninja were still blocked by the lingering wind storm. They wouldn't make it in time.
Qianyu had tripped himself up. He was isolated. Cornered.
The perfect target.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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