At that moment, Kiyoshi's hands moved through hand seals so quickly that afterimages almost appeared behind them. The chakra surging through his throat suddenly erupted.
Tiny sparks of flame leaked from the corner of his mouth from time to time, clearly showing he was gathering chakra.
Kakashi frowned deeply at the sight. In the current situation, releasing more fire would only make the flames spread further because of the wind.
Even with Kiyoshi joining in, it should have been difficult to deal with unless his Fire Release could somehow offset the other three shinobi's techniques.
Earlier, Asuma failing to anticipate the enemy using Wind Release was understandable. But Kiyoshi already knew about it, yet still chose to use fire anyway.
Then, under everyone's astonished gazes, crimson flames finally burst from Kiyoshi's mouth.
At first, the fireball was only the size of a wagon wheel, but the instant it left his mouth, it rapidly expanded.
The blazing torrent of flames carried a strange bluish-white hue on its surface. The air twisted violently from the intense heat, and even the scattered wood chips around them turned to ash before the flames could touch them.
Kakashi's pupils suddenly shrank.
What kind of fireball expands a second time after being launched?
"This is… a combination ninjutsu."
Minato Namikaze's perception was extremely sharp. He could sense traces of Wind Release chakra mixed within the Fire Release.
But normally, wouldn't you spit out fire first and then add wind afterward?
How could someone inject Wind Release into the technique after the fire had already been launched?
"SHHHHH—!"
The moment the gigantic swollen fireball collided with the raging tornado, the explosion shook everyone's eardrums painfully.
The rule of "wind fuels fire" was completely overturned at this instant.
The fireball wrapped in Wind Release chakra forcefully shredded the roaring tornado apart.
And it continued surging forward without stopping.
The originally solid rock wall was burned open into an enormous crater.
Light from outside streamed through the massive opening.
[Chakra Nature Master (Blue)] could increase the power of combination ninjutsu by 40%!
Kiyoshi had acquired the Wind Release Seed trait a long time ago. He had already used it back when he defeated Mei Terumi.
Although Kiyoshi still hadn't learned an actual Wind Release ninjutsu, his control over gathering and refining Wind Release chakra inside his body had improved tremendously compared to before.
And with the trait's enhancement, the effect became even more terrifying.
The Great Fireball was now two to three times larger than a normal one!
"Damn it, retreat first!"
Huang Quan's skin was scorched open by the terrifying heat of the flames, revealing several tiny purple-black parasitic worms beneath.
He immediately turned around and fled.
Lord Moryo had already escaped. Staying here any longer would accomplish nothing.
Under Huang Quan's orders, most of the shinobi from the Land of Demons quickly retreated.
The few who failed to escape in time—or chose to stay behind and cover the retreat—were swiftly dealt with by Minato one by one.
"That guy's Fire Release is actually this strong?"
Maki was inwardly shocked.
The blast of heat nearly blew her forehead protector away, while the smell of burnt hair filled the hall.
The Uchiha Clan was already famous for its Fire Release techniques, and the jutsu Kiyoshi used was clearly the Uchiha signature technique: Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu.
But at most, that technique should only be C-rank.
How could it possibly possess such monstrous power?
Had the technique itself been improved somehow?
Beside her, Geke also frowned heavily.
Konoha might be Sunagakure's ally, but everyone understood they were only allies on the surface.
The Land of Wind lacked natural resources, and the amount of resources available to their shinobi was extremely limited. In terms of population and overall development, they simply couldn't compare to Konoha.
If Konoha continued growing stronger, it would inevitably suppress Sunagakure further.
"Kakashi, what do we do now?"
Rin Nohara looked toward the fleeing shinobi from the Land of Demons and the escaping Moryo.
Judging by Moryo's actions, he clearly intended to return later. Since they were responsible for protecting the Shrine Maiden, another battle was unavoidable.
"Of course we continue the mission."
Kakashi answered as if it were obvious.
"We absolutely have to stop Moryo and seal that monster away again."
Shrine Maiden Shion stared in the direction Moryo had flown off toward.
That direction led to the Land of Swamps.
Clearly, after possessing the Daimyo's body, Moryo intended to retrieve his original body hidden there.
Once Moryo regained his full strength, he would become far more dangerous than he was now.
And the entire phantom army would awaken as well.
The only way to defeat the endless clay soldiers was to reseal Moryo himself—the source of everything.
Minato nodded.
If Moryo truly took control of the Land of Demons, it would undoubtedly throw the ninja world into chaos.
Once one side falls, the next is doomed sooner or later. Eventually, it would threaten Konoha too.
Meanwhile, the Sunagakure shinobi whispered among themselves. Not long after, Geke stepped forward and spoke:
"Honorable Shrine Maiden, we are willing to help you overcome this crisis. Our only condition is that afterward, the Land of Demons cooperate with Sunagakure and export resources such as rice and potatoes to our country."
If war truly broke out, money would burn away every second.
Food supply was one of the most critical issues. They needed to stockpile reserves in advance.
Other nations might not need to worry so much, but the Land of Wind was mostly barren desert. They had no choice but to prepare early.
"Agreed."
The Shrine Maiden nodded.
Now that the Daimyo had been possessed by Moryo, many decisions could temporarily be made in her name.
Within the Land of Demons, the Shrine Maiden's status was almost equal to the Daimyo's.
"Wait a moment, Shrine Maiden."
Just as the shinobi and some guards prepared to head toward the Land of Swamps, Kiyoshi suddenly spoke.
"What is it, Uchiha shinobi? The situation is extremely urgent right now."
Originally, Shion didn't want to entertain anyone. She only wanted to hurry and seal Moryo away.
But when she saw it was Kiyoshi speaking, her thoughts changed.
Kiyoshi had appeared in her prophecy.
And according to that vision, it seemed he would later do something to her.
That made Shion extremely curious.
She wanted to know what exactly Kiyoshi would do.
And why he carried the same ominous aura as Moryo.
"What I want to ask is this: your clan has inherited sealing techniques for a thousand years. You should have seen through the Daimyo's disguise long ago. So why didn't you act sooner? Because of that hesitation, the Daimyo—under Moryo's manipulation—nearly attacked Kurenai."
Kiyoshi's tone sounded sharp and aggressive.
But inwardly, he was completely calm.
At the beginning of the movie, after Huang Quan released the seal, Moryo himself didn't even dare emerge, claiming that his soul state would soon dissipate.
Which made things interesting.
Could the Shrine Maiden truly not have realized that?
Why bother sealing him repeatedly?
Since they could separate Moryo's soul from his body, shouldn't they simply destroy his soul completely?
The only possible explanation was the ancestral doctrine passed down among Shrine Maidens.
If Moryo ceased to exist entirely, then the Shrine Maiden would no longer maintain such an exalted status.
People in the ninja world were extremely realistic.
Anything that couldn't benefit them would simply be viewed as a "monster."
One only needed to look at Haku and Kimimaro's childhoods to understand that truth.
"Kiyoshi, now isn't the time to dwell on this."
Minato spoke while glancing at Yuki Mizunashi, who had regained some strength and was currently bandaging himself.
They had already lost one jonin-level combatant. Protecting the Shrine Maiden had become far more difficult.
Every second they delayed might make Moryo even stronger.
After learning that even his sealing techniques were ineffective against Moryo, Minato had become especially cautious.
After all, he spent so much time with Kushina that he understood better than anyone just how terrifying the Uzumaki Clan's sealing arts truly were.
"Minato-sama, I simply can't understand this kind of behavior. My teammate nearly died because of it."
Kiyoshi looked toward Kurenai Yuhi.
Kurenai immediately waved her hands, saying she was fine.
But inside, her heart felt warm.
Kiyoshi actually cared about her that much.
A trace of discomfort flashed across the Shrine Maiden's face as she softly sighed.
Just moments ago, Kiyoshi had bravely stood in front of her alone.
In her eyes, he was probably the kind of righteous and kind-hearted shinobi who deeply valued his comrades.
Of course he would be angry after nearly losing a teammate.
"How dare you speak to the Shrine Maiden so disrespectfully!"
"The Shrine Maiden would never do such a thing!"
The guards beside her all became furious at Kiyoshi's questioning attitude.
This was the revered Shrine Maiden!
How could some ordinary shinobi interrogate her like this?
Even the Daimyo himself wouldn't dare claim higher status than her.
"This matter was indeed my fault. I still held onto unrealistic hopes regarding the Daimyo. As for Moryo… even if one Moryo is destroyed, another may eventually appear. Sealing him away seemed like the best solution."
The Shrine Maiden slowly shook her head.
A lonely expression appeared on her mature and beautiful face.
Sealing Moryo required the sacrifice of one's life.
But she still hadn't married or given birth to the next generation of Shrine Maidens.
Could it be that the bloodline would end with her generation?
"Is that so?"
A nearly imperceptible smile flashed through Kiyoshi's eyes.
As long as she felt guilt and hesitation, things would become much easier for his next step.
"Shrine Maiden-sama…"
Hearing her openly admit her own mistakes left the surrounding guards unable to accept it.
Especially Ashi, the most devout among them.
He practically worshipped the Shrine Maiden as a goddess.
But now…
Even the seemingly perfect Shrine Maiden possessed ordinary human emotions and desires.
As a Shrine Maiden, she had allowed Moryo to remain unchecked, leading to all the disasters happening today.
"After this is over, I will apologize to the people of the Land of Demons. But right now, we must stop Moryo first."
The Shrine Maiden tightened her grip on her ceremonial staff and walked out ahead of everyone.
After receiving a clear answer from her, Geke happily led the Sunagakure shinobi after her.
Maki glanced back at Kiyoshi, somewhat surprised that he valued his comrades this much.
"Mizunashi-jounin, you should remain here."
Minato said.
Hearing that, Yuki Mizunashi nodded.
In his current condition, staying behind truly was the better choice.
For a shinobi incapable of forming hand seals, more than half their combat power was already gone.
"Let's move."
Minato led his team, along with Kiyoshi and the others, to quickly pursue the Shrine Maiden.
Moryo's massive and conspicuous appearance couldn't possibly remain hidden from the civilians of the Land of Demons.
Many people had already witnessed the horrifying scene.
After hearing that the Shrine Maiden intended to seal Moryo away, some people hurriedly fled the country with their families, fearing the sealing would fail.
Others chose to accompany Shion toward the Land ofSwamps.
The Land of Swamps wasn't far from the Land of Demons. Both were relatively small countries, so traveling at full speed didn't take long.
As Shion looked at the citizens following them, she felt deeply moved.
Not only that, even civilians and soldiers from the Land of Swamps had arrived as well.
Moryo flying overhead had simply been too eye-catching. The Daimyo of the Land of Swamps had clearly learned about the situation too.
Both nations had suffered under Moryo before, which was why each country had constructed a "Shrine of Sealing" specifically to imprison him.
By midnight, everyone had finally arrived.
What greeted them was an enormous army.
Clay soldiers continuously crawled out from the earth mounds surrounding the Shrine of Sealing.
The soldiers held earthen spears and swords as they slowly advanced toward the Shrine Maiden's forces.
Kiyoshi estimated there were roughly a thousand of them.
The greatest advantage of these clay soldiers was their sheer numbers.
And ordinary kunai couldn't even pierce them.
Even Kakashi's Lightning Cutter could only destroy around ten of them at once.
But how many times could he continue using it?
Sooner or later, his chakra would run dry.
"No… in this situation, the Rasengan won't work."
Minato frowned.
"Rasengan" was actually the name Kushina had given the technique.
Back then, after Minato apologized to her, Kushina casually blurted out the name.
And so, Minato changed the technique's ridiculous original name—
"Jet Wheel Shuriken Twisting Whirlwind Jiraiya Inspired Twin Formula Sphere"—
into the much simpler:
"Rasengan."
(End of Chapter)