Chapter 95: Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion
Land of Wind, a Gobi Desert.
Sasori glanced at the paper slip in his hand, his raspy voice carrying through Hiruko. "Hiruko, our luck is quite good. The prey has left its cage."
"You mean Pakura?" Hiruko became excited, then suspicious. "You have informants in Sunagakure... Right, you were originally from Suna."
Sasori chuckled. "That woman is too fast. Capturing her alive will require some preparation."
A fawning smile appeared on Hiruko's face. "I'm counting on you, Sasori-bro."
Meanwhile, Neji-kun soon encountered the Suna pursuit team. It was a four-man squad led by a Chūnin.
Neji-kun didn't attack immediately. He appeared before them, pretended to have stumbled upon them by accident, and immediately used a Body Flicker Technique to flee. He was clad in a long black robe, his face hidden by a mask. Such an attire was uncommon even in the shinobi world and naturally aroused their suspicion.
The squad leader reacted quickly, firing a signal flare into the sky before leading his team in pursuit.
Neji-kun led the Suna squad away, heading in the opposite direction from the Rōran caravan. He held back, intending to draw in more Suna squads before eliminating them all at once.
Before long, six four-man squads were surrounding him. Signal flares bloomed in the sky intermittently as more and more pursuit teams converged on his location. The Suna squads realized Neji-kun's intention, but since he was the only suspicious individual in the vast desert, they couldn't let him go easily and willingly followed his lead.
After a while longer, seventy to eighty shinobi had gathered behind him.
Seeing this, Neji-kun's killing intent flared. He manipulated the repulsive force, launching himself high into the air, vanishing from the Suna ninjas' sight in an instant.
"He flew away?"
"Careful, this one's tough."
"Should we wait for Pakura-sama?"
"Damn it! That would make us look incompetent!"
Unable to locate Neji-kun, the pursuit teams fell into disarray. Just then, a gust of wind kicked up sand, obscuring the sky.
"Look!" a Jōnin shouted, pointing at a black dot high above. "He's there!"
"On guard!"
Only a handful of shinobi could fly, and without exception, they were all powerful individuals. Realizing Neji-kun was formidable, the Suna pursuers became vigilant.
High in the sky, Neji-kun let out a soft cry and entered Tenseigan Chakra Mode, his body enveloped in a cyan chakra shroud. Besides a surge in power, he emanated a divine aura, like a god looking down upon mortals.
His expression was cold. As he formed the Chakra Receiver Rosary, he silently calculated the chakra consumption rate while in this mode during combat.
One, two, seven... nine. Upon forming the ninth orb, Neji-kun felt that although his chakra was still abundant, he couldn't create any more.
"Nine is the limit?" A thoughtful look crossed his face.
The Chakra Receiver Rosary, similar to the Truth-Seeking Orbs, was formed by fusing all seven chakra natures: wind, lightning, fire, earth, water, yin, and yang. Theoretically, anyone who could fuse all seven natures could use them, even without the Tenseigan or Rinnegan. But achieving that would put one close to the level of Kekkei Mōra.
"I can only form the Rosary with the Tenseigan's help. In other words, like Obito, Madara, Naruto, and Toneri Ōtsutsuki, I need an external aid."
"By studying the Rosary, perhaps I can comprehend the mystery of fusing the seven natures."
"It might be a great help in reaching Kekkei Mōra."
Understanding dawned on Neji-kun.
Below, the Suna shinobi watched him with apprehension. They didn't understand Tenseigan Chakra Mode or the Chakra Receiver Rosary, but they could feel the threat emanating from him.
One of the Suna Jōnin called out, "Who are you?"
Beside him, another Jōnin seized the opportunity while his comrade spoke, signaling for an attack.
"Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Jutsu!"
"Wind Style: Pressure Damage!"
Two B-rank jutsu intertwined, creating a terrifying spectacle. Four massive dragons of wind and fire roared towards Neji-kun.
Seeing this, Neji-kun raised an eyebrow. Two Chakra Receiver Rosary orbs formed a black shield in front of him.
RUMBLE!
The four wind-fueled fire dragons slammed violently against the shield, erupting in fierce flames.
"Did we get him?" Seeing Neji-kun engulfed, the Suna-nin below looked excited. The combined power of two Jōnin's jutsu was immense. Even a Kage-level shinobi would have to evade it. That plain-looking black shield couldn't possibly withstand it.
WHOOSH!
The wind dispersed the smoke. Neji-kun hovered unharmed in the sky. The shield before him was intact.
"Damn it!" The Suna Jōnin looked horrified. Shinobi were glass cannons; offensive jutsu were the most common and effective. Even a Kage might not have come out of that combined attack so unscathed.
The other Jōnin shouted, "This guy's no joke! Bring out the big guns!"
He pulled two scrolls from his pouch.
POOF! POOF!
In clouds of smoke, two puppets appeared: one wolf-shaped, one humanoid. Sunagakure had the most complete puppetry tradition in the world. Half the village's shinobi were puppet masters. Although puppetry became less relevant in the later stages, below the Kage level, a master with two or three puppets could often take on multiple opponents.
The first Jōnin bit his thumb, formed a summoning seal, and roared, "Summoning Jutsu!"
BOOM!
The sand trembled violently, as if something massive was moving beneath. Neji-kun raised an eyebrow, his Tenseigan penetrating the sand. More than ten meters down lay a desert lizard, over six meters long, radiating astonishing chakra. A summoning beast that large was rare even among the Five Great Nations.
The Suna ninja below exchanged glances, quickly formulating a plan.
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
"Wind Style: Gale Palm!"
The Wind Release users in the group attacked simultaneously. At the same moment, the giant lizard burst from the sand, opening its maw and spewing a vast cloud of sand. The wind jutsu carried the sand, instantly turning the world into a gray haze.
A faint smile touched Neji-kun's lips. "Using sand to block vision... that might work on a Sharingan user. Too bad you're facing the Tenseigan."
"No matter who you are, you can't escape!" an enraged voice roared from within the Suna ranks.
Immediately, they launched their attack. The puppet master struck first. The wolf puppet leaped, jets of air propelling it towards Neji-kun at high speed. Simultaneously, the humanoid puppet's head split open, firing a dense barrage of senbon needles.
Neji-kun impassively raised his hand. Four Chakra Receiver Rosary orbs formed a black sphere around him.
Ting! Ting! Ting!
The senbon struck the shield, producing sharp metallic pings. The shield remained unharmed, but the needles shattered like glass.
The wolf puppet reached the shield, joints glowing. Then, the sky erupted with the roar of exploding tags. The wolf puppet contained eighty thousand explosive tags, designed as a one-use suicide attack.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The continuous explosions sent a powerful shockwave outwards, forcing the Suna-nin below to instinctively retreat.
The puppet master said coldly, "Eighty thousand explosive tags should blow him to smithereens."
"No one could survive that."
"Even Lord Kazekage with his Magnet Release defense wouldn't escape unscathed."
The Chūnin and Genin in the squad looked at the puppet master with respect.
Just then, a sensory-type Jōnin suddenly opened his eyes, alarmed. "This is bad!"
"Ryūsen, what happened?" the puppet master immediately asked.
Ryūsen, sweating profusely, reported, "His chakra signature is still there! And the amount... it's terrifying, far beyond Lord Kazekage! I've only sensed this level from Bunpuku-sama!"
Hearing this, everyone's expression changed. 'He survived eighty thousand explosive tags? Chakra comparable to Bunpuku-sama?' Bunpuku was Suna's previous One-Tail Jinchuriki.
The puppet master looked incredulous. "Ryūsen, are you sure you're not mistaken?"
Ryūsen didn't answer. All the Suna-nin stared, stunned, at the sky. The smoke from the explosions had cleared, revealing Neji-kun. Not only was he completely unharmed, but even his clothes were untouched.
The Suna ninja swallowed hard. They had never seen or heard of a master of this caliber.
Just then, the nine Chakra Receiver Rosary orbs gathered in Neji-kun's palm. A point of golden light bloomed, rapidly extending forward.
The puppet master stared at the hundred-meter-long beam of golden light in Neji-kun's hand, trembling. "Is... is that a sword?"
Ryūsen was also dumbfounded. "What kind of sword is a hundred meters long?"
"So strong."
Six years ago, Neji-kun had used the Nine-Tails' chakra to suppress Hiruzen Sarutobi with the Silver Wheel Reincarnation Explosion. The Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion's destructive power surpassed even the Silver Wheel's. Now, holding the hundred-meter golden sword, he felt as if he could tear the very heavens asunder with a single slash.
Neji-kun looked coldly down at the Suna ninja, raised the massive sword high, and brought it down.
Meanwhile, Pakura was leading a squad of elite ANBU across the sand. Suddenly, she stopped without warning.
The ninja behind her asked, "Captain, why did we stop?"
Pakura stared into the distance. A brilliant golden light had suddenly appeared on the horizon, momentarily outshining the sun.
A mirage? No...
Realization struck. She turned to her sensory ninja. "Ryūsen and the others are in that direction, right?"
"Yes." The sensory ninja paled, belatedly understanding. They all knew Ryūsen's team's capabilities, even their trump cards. This phenomenon was definitely not something Suna shinobi could create. Their mission was to intercept the Rōran survivors and capture the mysterious powerhouse who stole the Dragon Vein. The golden light must be from him.
A heavy feeling settled over them. This thief was not only a master of sealing jutsu but also possessed terrifying combat power.
With renewed urgency, Pakura and her squad dashed towards the light. Pakura, possessing Swift Release, was far faster than ordinary ninja. Going all out, she quickly outdistanced her squad.
After running several more kilometers...
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Flames erupted beneath her feet, followed by a series of explosions. Pakura, agile as a cheetah, burst through the explosive tag trap unharmed.
Suddenly, a figure appeared in her vision: clad in a black Akatsuki cloak with red clouds, long silver hair, face wrapped in bandages. Pakura frowned.
In the next instant, a sharp kunai spun in her hand. She twisted her waist and slashed violently behind her.
CLANG!
The kunai met a scorpion tail that had shot out from the sand, sending sparks flying. Pakura used the recoil to leap back over ten meters, warily watching the empty sand.
"Astonishing speed. That Swift Release is truly captivating. It seems my eye for talent is quite good," Hiruko's voice sounded. He eyed Pakura's body with an invasive gaze, a smile playing on his lips. It wasn't the look of a man admiring a beautiful woman, but rather an appraiser examining a fine piece of art.
Pakura assessed Hiruko coolly. His chakra level was barely Jōnin. But his crazed, perverse words made her frown.
Two attackers. One hidden in the sand, the other a raving lunatic. Were they the ones who stole the Dragon Vein? She mentally calculated the distance to where the golden light had appeared, suspicion growing.
She didn't waste time thinking. She shot towards Hiruko, shouting, "Wind Style: Air Bullet Barrage!" While running at high speed, she inhaled deeply, puffing out her chest, and spat out over a dozen wind pellets that flew like bullets.
"Coming after me? Do you underestimate me?" Hiruko sneered, quickly forming a summoning seal.
BOOM!
A grotesque chimeric beast—part dog, part bird, part two-headed snake—appeared in front of him in a puff of smoke.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
The dense barrage of wind pellets struck the chimera, splattering blood.
WHOOSH!
Just then, Pakura suddenly appeared behind Hiruko, her gleaming kunai slashing towards his neck.
An icy chill ran down Hiruko's spine, his hair standing on end. At the last possible second, Sasori's scorpion tail shot out from beneath Hiruko's feet, wrapped around his ankles like a python, and yanked him down.
Droplets of blood bloomed in the air, splattering onto Pakura's fair face.