At this moment, Shibuki's breathing had already weakened considerably.
The effects of the Hero Water were undeniable, but so too was the burden it placed upon the body.
"Kill him!"
Unlike the composed demeanor he had maintained earlier, Shibuki now wore an utterly savage expression as he glared at Shibuki and roared furiously.
At this stage, he no longer cared about defeating Shibuki in some grand or dignified fashion.
That was no longer possible.
After consuming the Hero Water and sacrificing his own lifespan in exchange for power, Shibuki's chakra had already reached the level of an elite jōnin perhaps even beyond that threshold.
Someone like Shibuki simply could not face him head-on anymore.
All pretenses had completely fallen away.
"Attack!"
"Boom!"
The dozens of Taki shinobi behind him immediately erupted with fierce expressions.
"Bang!"
A burst of chakra exploded outward.
Although most of them were not particularly powerful individually, their numbers were overwhelming. The three or four shinobi charging at the front alone all possessed chakra fluctuations at the elite chūnin level or above.
"Damn it!"
"Stop them! Protect the leader!"
"Buy Lord Shibuki time to deal with the traitor Shibuki!"
"Move!"
The loyal shinobi standing behind Shibuki reacted instantly as well.
Despite being outnumbered more than four to one, not a single trace of fear appeared on their faces.
Because they believed in one thing absolutely
Their leader was invincible now.
The Hero Water was the sacred treasure passed down through generations within Takigakure.
As long as they could hold the enemy back for even a short moment, Shibuki would undoubtedly kill Shibuki personally.
Victory would belong to them.
Meanwhile, the Taki shinobi observing from farther away also began to waver visibly.
Even those who had stubbornly insisted on remaining neutral could no longer maintain that stance after witnessing Shibuki's overwhelming display of strength.
It did not matter that the power came from the Hero Water.
Reality was reality.
Some shinobi, after only a brief hesitation, finally made their decision and prepared to stand beside their village chief once more.
After all, if they waited until after Shibuki had secured complete victory before acting, then even someone as gentle as Shibuki would inevitably remember their hesitation.
At that point, it would already be too late.
Now, however, there was still room to recover.
Unfortunately for them
Their reactions were still one step too slow.
"Summoning Technique!"
At the exact moment Shibuki issued the order to attack, Menma Uzumaki had already acted from atop the building.
His figure flashed forward instantly.
Biting his thumb, Menma formed hand seals at astonishing speed before slamming his palm downward through the air.
"Bang!"
Under the shocked gazes of every Taki shinobi present, a massive cloud of smoke exploded into existence in the center of the battlefield.
The smoke dispersed rapidly.
And then
"BOOM!"
A gigantic dark-green lizard covered in beautiful yet chilling scales appeared upon the open ground.
The enormous creature radiated an oppressive aura that caused everyone present to instinctively tense.
"What is that!?"
"A summon beast!?"
"What terrifying chakra…!"
Panic spread immediately among the crowd.
Standing atop the head of his summoned beast while still maintaining his disguised appearance, Menma smiled faintly.
"Lord Shibuki," he said calmly, "leave these people to me. You can focus entirely on dealing with the traitor."
"Then I'll leave it to you, Fang-san!"
Shibuki himself was equally shocked that Menma could summon such a terrifying creature.
However, at this moment, the stronger Menma appeared, the greater their chances of victory became.
As for everything else
That could wait until later.
At the very least, Shibuki trusted Elder Satoru's judgment absolutely.
The loyal Taki shinobi beside him were stunned at first, but immediately afterward, overwhelming joy surged across their faces.
So their leader had possessed such a powerful ally all along!
On the opposite side, however, Shibuki felt nothing but terror.
Especially after seeing Menma's familiar face.
"You bastard… WHY!?"
Shibuki's expression twisted violently.
"Why betray me!?"
He simply could not understand it.
Hadn't they negotiated perfectly before this?
Hadn't he already promised enough benefits?
Why would Menma suddenly stab him in the back now!?
"You betrayed your own village and still dare question others?" Shibuki replied coldly.
"I already told you before, Shibuki."
His body blurred instantly.
"This place will become your grave."
"Whoosh!"
Enhanced by the Hero Water, Shibuki's speed had reached an astonishing level.
In the blink of an eye, he appeared directly before Shibuki.
The terrifying chakra surging around him continued to rise.
"Damn it! DAMN IT!"
The looming threat of death completely shattered Shibuki's composure.
"I can't die here!"
"I will become the leader of Takigakure!"
His furious roar echoed throughout the battlefield.
Pushing out every last ounce of chakra remaining in his body, Shibuki desperately launched a counterattack.
"Bang!"
Violent shockwaves exploded outward once more.
The two clashed fiercely again.
Yet the difference between them was already obvious to everyone watching.
Shibuki was only enduring through sheer desperation.
At this rate, he would be defeated within moments.
Menma, however, paid no further attention to Shibuki's hysterical outbursts.
After summoning his exclusive summon beast, he simply left the battlefield to its own instincts.
"BOOM!"
"Bang!"
"AAAHHH!"
The gigantic lizard moved like a natural disaster.
Against these Taki shinobi most of whom were only at the chūnin level at best the summon beast represented an overwhelming difference in dimensions.
Its strength was monstrous.
Its speed was terrifying.
Not a single Taki shinobi could withstand even one direct hit.
Fortunately for them, Menma had specifically instructed the creature to avoid killing anyone unless absolutely necessary.
Otherwise, under the absolute power of the giant lizard, these shinobi would have been annihilated instantly.
Even so, the battle ended in an unbelievably short time.
Almost simultaneously with Shibuki driving another punch into Shibuki's abdomen and forcing him to cough up blood before collapsing helplessly to the ground
The summon beast completely crushed the remaining enemy shinobi.
Some were sent flying by sweeping tail strikes.
Others were smashed into the ground or knocked unconscious outright.
Within moments, every single rebel shinobi had lost the ability to continue fighting.
After all, these were still shinobi of Takigakure.
And before so many witnesses, it was naturally better to avoid unnecessary slaughter whenever possible.
Menma's ambitions toward Takigakure were enormous.
He intended to one day take control of the village completely and transform it into his own power base.
But that day had not yet arrived.
Therefore, allowing Shibuki and the village itself to determine the punishment of these traitors was the most appropriate course of action.
And it was precisely after witnessing Menma's terrifying strength before even lifting a finger personally, merely relying upon a summon beast to crush dozens of shinobi that the remaining Taki ninja present began looking at him with unmistakable awe.
WE ARE CURRENTLY ON CHAPTER 270 ON PATREON.
JOIN MY PATREON TO READ ADVANCED CHAPTERS BEFORE PUBLIC RELEASE OR PURCHASE THE BOOK FOR LIFETIME ACCESS!
Patreon.com/HACKDWORLD