"Boom!"
The ground trembled violently. Even beneath layers of yellow sand, the shaking was unmistakable.
At that moment, even Orochimaru couldn't hide his shock.
He had always had a rough gauge of Kazuyama's strength—Flying Thunder God, Transparent Escape Technique, Crystal Release. He had assumed he was at the level of an elite Jōnin.
But today, that impression was completely shattered.
The Quintuple Rashōmon burst from the earth just as Kazuyama had declared.
And for a brief moment, Shukaku was stunned.
Even though his body was made of sand, one of the massive gates had erupted from directly beneath him—splitting him apart.
Even the Crystal Release dragon that had just been constraining him shattered upon impact, its fragments scattering across Shukaku's form.
"What… what the hell is this…?"
Hovering in the air, Rasa's eyes went wide with disbelief.
No one had a clearer view than him—this technique was utterly overwhelming.
"Rashōmon..."
"And five of them…"
Orochimaru felt his brain short-circuit. He knew about Rashōmon. Hell, he could even use it himself.
It was a summoning technique, primarily for defense. He had never even considered that it could be used offensively.
And now, seeing One-Tail trapped between the massive gates, he was completely dumbfounded.
But what shocked him even more… was that the one who had pulled it off was his own disciple.
Combined with that monstrous Fire Release from before… Orochimaru suddenly felt like he couldn't see through Kazuyama anymore.
"It's not over yet!"
"Crystal Release! Let me build you a coffin!"
With a furious roar, the shattered remains of the crystal dragon began to glow, rapidly expanding in size.
Crystal Release was a Kekkei Genkai that could crystallize anything. As long as he had enough chakra, even the One-Tail wouldn't be an exception.
"Kazuyama, if you keep burning chakra like this, you won't be able to sustain it! If you push past your limit, the Tailed Beast's cloak will break out!"
"Don't overdo it!"
Chōmei's voice rang in his mind, but Kazuyama's vision was already red—he didn't care.
"Shut up and keep the chakra coming! I'm turning this damn raccoon into a statue!"
"Increase the supply! If I need more, I'll just burn through my jutsu faster!"
Seeing Kazuyama charge in again, unleashing a relentless storm of crystal senbon and shuriken, Chōmei let out a sigh.
He had never seen Kazuyama this enraged before.
For years, Kazuyama had always fought with a smirk, making light of every battle. But now, his fury was undeniable.
Thinking about that, Chōmei grinned.
"Alright then, Kazuyama. If you want to go crazy, I'll go crazy with you!"
"Let's do this!"
Chōmei opened the chakra floodgates once more, and Kazuyama felt a surge of raw power coursing through his body.
To keep the Tailed Beast's chakra from overflowing, he did the only thing he could—he fought even harder.
"Rasa, you too! Enjoying the show?"
"Shadow Clone Technique."
"Boom!"
This time, only three clones appeared.
But in the next moment, Kazuyama showed everyone that three were more than enough.
"Fire Release! Great Fire Annihilation!"
"Wind Release! Great Breakthrough!"
"Crystal Release! Torrential Pear Blossom Needle!"
Combination jutsu had always been the pinnacle of ninja techniques, and Kazuyama's execution of them demonstrated what it meant for one plus one plus one to equal ten.
Wind fueled fire, pushing the Fire Release to an even more devastating level, while the piercing power of the crystal senbon made it even deadlier.
The sheer force of the three jutsu left Rasa completely stunned.
Even Gold Dust had its limits, and this attack had already far exceeded them.
At that moment, Rasa realized—Kazuyama was no ordinary Jōnin. With this level of explosive power, this bastard was at Kage level… perhaps even stronger than him.
After all, how was he still throwing out so many jutsu without running out of chakra?
The battlefield was now entirely dominated by Kazuyama.
Three clones relentlessly chased Rasa, while his real body had locked down Shukaku with the Quintuple Rashōmon and Crystal Release.
Both Sunagakure and Konoha shinobi watched in stunned silence.
"Hahahaha! That brat! So he's been this strong all along!"
"Konoha has a future! We have a future!"
Shirakumo, still coughing up blood, suddenly burst into wild laughter, his voice filled with pride and joy.
Yulín, hearing his laughter, remained silent. She could already feel his life force slipping away.
And sure enough, after those final words, Shirakumo slowly lay still atop Yulín. His gaze remained fixed on the sky, but the light had already faded from his eyes.
By the time the medical-nin arrived, it was too late.
For a moment, everyone bowed their heads.
Even Orochimaru, hearing Shirakumo's last shout, fell silent.
Then, his gaze shifted back to the battlefield.
Shukaku was now almost entirely encased in crystal. Even the Rashōmon gate piercing through his body had been crystallized.
Meanwhile, Rasa was barely holding on.
"Boom!"
But it didn't last. The crystal sealing Shukaku began to crack, and the sand surged violently.
A furious roar echoed across the battlefield.
"You little brat! I'll bury you in sand!"
"Shut up, you damn raccoon!"
"Fire Release! Great Fire Annihilation!"
Kazuyama saw that his Crystal Release was failing, and before Shukaku could fully break free, he unleashed another sea of flames, engulfing the tailed beast once more.
"Get out of my way!"
"Brat!"
But Shukaku's thick hide was resistant to fire. With a single wave of his massive hand, a storm of sand swept across the battlefield.
Seeing this, Kazuyama's fury only burned hotter.
The next second, he vanished, reappearing on Yulín's back using the Flying Thunder God Technique.
A kunai with his marking lay there—left behind earlier as part of his strategy.
But as soon as he landed, he was met with a sight he didn't want to see.
Shirakumo lay still, a faint smile on his face, surrounded by shinobi whose bloodshot eyes mirrored their grief.
"Shirakumo..."
Kazuyama hadn't known him well—just that he had a son named Hayama Shirakumo.
They had met a few times on the battlefield, and Kazuyama had always respected the veteran warrior for his strength and fearless nature.
But now…
"Damn it!"
"Yulín."
Kazuyama gritted his teeth, forcing himself to suppress the rage rising inside him.
"Hmm? What? You need me in battle?"
Yulín twisted her massive body, glancing at Shukaku, who was still trying to put out the fire, a flicker of battle hunger in her eyes.
"No..."
"You're the fastest. Take my kunai—bring it deep into the desert..."
"I'm counting on you..."
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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