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"Watch out for the attacks in her hands!"
Fuguki Suikazan sensed the resistance from Samehada and warned.
If Samehada resisted, it meant Pakura's heat blade was still extremely hot.
Whoosh!
Kushimaru Kuriarare's long sword Nuibari shot from afar at high speed with strong piercing power-that was Nuibari's specialty.
"My Scorch Release is no longer the old Scorch Release!"
Pakura sneered, sidestepping and striking. The high-temperature compressed heat blade covering her hand precisely cut Nuibari's incoming blade.
Would Nuibari's high-speed penetration pierce Pakura's palm before the heat blade melted?
Or would the heat blade melt Nuibari before it could pierce?
The answer was clear in an instant.
At their collision, Nuibari partially melted and vaporized, from tip to hilt, instantly turning into molten metal and gas that splattered everywhere.
"Just as my brother-in-law said!"
"Extreme heat is the most powerful nature of Scorch Release!"
Watching Nuibari melt like cheese under her heat blade, Pakura's lips curled into a slight smile.
At this moment, she was grateful she had followed her brother-in-law's advice.
No longer obsessed with Scorch Release's vaporizing water vapor trait, she focused on refining its high-temperature essence and intensifying related nature changes.
Extreme heat was far more powerful than vaporizing water vapor.
After a year of development and combat, Pakura had finally, a week ago, completed a further enhancement of her Scorch Release chakra, developing a Scorch Release ninjutsu with temperatures exceeding ten thousand degrees-Piercing Flash.
What does ten thousand degrees mean?
Let's put it this way.
Molten steel is about 1300 degrees.
The sun's surface is about 5000 degrees.
Ten thousand degrees is so hot that any metal object instantly vaporizes on contact.
But such extreme heat is not easy to control.
Under her brother-in-law Kenshi's guidance, Pakura refined countless Scorch Release chakra bursts by compressing, heating, and accelerating them to form the ten-thousand-degree Piercing Flash.
But this technique consumed enormous chakra.
Pakura could only use it once now; another use would drain her chakra below combat levels.
However, her current five-thousand-degree heat blade was enough.
Near the sun's surface temperature, most materials would instantly melt or vaporize on contact.
This powerful attack was no weaker than the Third Raikage's Lightning Release chakra mode's Ichibanku.
At this point, Pakura could be considered a Kage-level shinobi.
"What!"
"Nuibari melted instantly despite its high-speed penetration!"
Fuguki Suikazan and the others tensed seeing Nuibari vaporized instantly. Suikazan retracted Samehada cautiously, avoiding Pakura's heat blade, unwilling to engage in close combat.
Nuibari's high-speed piercing couldn't cut through the heat blade.
Their swords were slower and couldn't withstand Pakura's scorching heat.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen relied heavily on their swords for strength.
Without their swords, they were just ordinary Jonin.
So, unwilling to damage their swords, Fuguki Suikazan and the others began coordinated mid-to-long-range taijutsu combat.
Clang clang… kunai and shuriken flew, blocking Pakura's movements and forcing her to stay within their encirclement.
Boom boom… explosive tags detonated, further restricting Pakura's movement.
Meanwhile, various Lightning and Water Release jutsu flew, attacking Pakura in an area.
Facing the Seven Ninja Swordsmen's coordinated assault,
even with her melting heat blade, Pakura was overwhelmed.
Pakura's heat blade attacks were indeed powerful!
But her speed and perception were lacking-or not strong enough-preventing her from truly becoming a Kage-level warrior.
She was still young, around sixteen, and needed time to grow.
Given another year or two for her Scorch Release chakra and body to fuse and adapt, her body would grow stronger, and her speed and reflexes would reach Kage-level.
Once her speed and especially reflexes improved,
Pakura, wielding ultra-high-temperature Scorch Release, would be a top-tier Kage-level warrior.
For now… she still had some way to go.
As the battle progressed, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen adapted and discovered another weakness.
"Quick, keep draining her chakra!"
"She's running low on chakra!"
After several minutes and nearly a hundred exchanges, Pakura fought with her heat blade in close combat, occasionally using other jutsu to block attacks, but no longer using the initial ultra-fast, undefendable heat beam.
Fuguki Suikazan and the others finally realized Pakura was strong but still only Jonin, with far less chakra than a Kage.
Moreover, the stronger the ninjutsu, the more chakra it consumed.
Pakura's limited chakra prevented her from using the terrifying heat beam again.
She had to rely on taijutsu to prolong the fight.
In that case, they had to accelerate draining her chakra.
"Water Release: Great Waterfall Surge!"
"Lightning Release: Falling Stars!"
Fuguki Suikazan and Kuroshiki Raiga combined large-scale Water and Lightning Release jutsu, while others frantically used wide-range ninjutsu to exhaust Pakura's chakra and stamina.
Pakura had to retract her heat blade and use a high-temperature wall to defend.
This increased her chakra consumption.
"Lady Pakura!"
The Sunagakure squad supporting Pakura was useless against such wide-range attacks, forced to watch helplessly and rely on Pakura's help to survive.
In the ninja world, strength rules.
Sometimes, a single strong warrior fights freer and better.
The worst is not recognizing one's limits, thinking one is helping but actually hindering.
Pakura had no time for other concerns.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen were experienced warriors with quick reflexes. For her to survive their coordinated attack so far was impressive.
She lacked the energy to open a path for the three remaining Sunagakure shinobi to escape.
As the fight dragged on, Pakura began to breathe heavily. Two of her three companions had died, leaving only one.
"Huff huff…"
Pakura gasped, fighting while silently praying.
"Why isn't that damn brother-in-law here yet?
If he doesn't come soon, I won't hold on!"
Before the reinforcements arrived, Pakura knew her brother-in-law, the Fourth Kazekage, was close to their base.
They had sent squads to scout Kirigakure's positions, preparing for Kenshi's Wind Release clone to arrive and eliminate them one by one.
They wanted to scare Kirigakure quickly, then divert some forces to the Land of Rivers, capturing it and drawing Konoha's attention.
Pakura knew her brother-in-law's new Wind Release slash had ultra-long-range sensing.
Once he reached the base, he could sense the situation.
As long as her brother-in-law came, she believed the so-called Seven Ninja Swordsmen were just lambs to the slaughter.
Compared to her attack speed, her brother-in-law's Wind Release slash was faster and more terrifying.
Just as others trusted her, Pakura deeply trusted Kenshi's Wind Release clone's strength.
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