REVIEWS AND POWERSTONES PLSSS!!!!!REVIEWS AND POWERSTONES PLSSS!!!!!REVIEWS AND POWERSTONES PLSSS!!!!!Chapter 137: Water Release: Spiraling Destruction Needle
Kirishima Rento's left forearm was torn open by Minato's Rasengan, flesh mangled and bloody. Both the radius and ulna bones in his forearm shattered into fragments. From the violent impact and subsequent collision when falling to the ground, he suffered bruises and scrapes across his body.
Of course, though he'd been beaten rather badly, at least he was still alive. The old man's physique wasn't poor. Despite his age, he was stronger than many young people.
However, with one arm crippled, his combat capability plummeted dramatically. Dealing with some weaklings posed no problem, but continuing to oppose Minato would be pure suicide.
This point Kirishima Rento understood clearly himself. Minato was equally aware.
Thus, Kirishima Rento lay on the ground gasping violently. Minato glanced at him once, then stopped paying attention to the fallen Kirishima Rento. This old man's strength was indeed considerable. The Mist Tengu nickname wasn't merely flattery.
But ultimately, that was all there was to it.
Previously, when fighting Rock ninja on the northwestern front, he'd encountered enemies using similar methods.
Hidden Rock Village's Five-Tails jinchuriki, Han, borrowed power from the tailed beast sealed within him—the Five-Tails—to control the bloodline limit called Boil Release. He'd focused on researching Boil Release's internal application method, earning the nickname "Steam Ninja."
Like Kirishima Rento, he could instantly burst out with extreme speed on the battlefield. When speed reached a certain degree, it equaled power. He truly charged across battlefields like a train at maximum power.
At that time, after observation, Minato had discovered a flaw in the Five-Tails jinchuriki. Indeed, when charging, he was both fast and fierce, difficult to resist. But similarly, once he began charging, it was very difficult to twist and change direction. Too rigid and inflexible, lacking nimble variation. When encountering attacks mid-charge, defending and responding became difficult.
Kirishima Rento's flaw was identical. Moreover, because he lacked the tailed beast's power shielding him, his own defense was more fragile. Minato's single Rasengan strike had sent him flying and injured.
Of course, this weakness only appeared as a flaw to Minato, who likewise possessed divine speed. Ordinary people couldn't even chase his charging figure, much less exploit this lack of nimble variation.
Precisely because of this, Kirishima Rento himself had never discovered this flaw. So today, encountering Minato, victory and defeat were easily determined—his opening had been seized. He'd lost utterly.
The Mist ninja also fell into chaos due to Kirishima Rento's defeat.
"Rento-sama!"
"Quickly, call medical ninja! Rento-sama needs treatment!"
"You several, follow me to intercept the Yellow Flash!"
This was before Hidden Mist Village's main gate—Mist ninja territory. Occupying home advantage, they didn't lack manpower. But this was simultaneously a weakness. If they wanted to rely on numerical superiority to oppose Konoha's powerhouses, the final outcome was uncertain, but casualties would definitely be severe.
This was precisely the situation Yagura Karatachi wanted desperately to avoid. To that end, he'd established the current strategy of dispatching top elites in one-on-one interceptions with other jonin assisting from the sides.
However, both Minato and Kirishima Rento's speed was too fast—so fast that the accompanying Mist ninja who wanted to assist had absolutely no way to intervene. Still, the ninja who followed Kirishima Rento were basically all from the Kirishima clan, so when Kirishima Rento fell, they chose to continue forward despite knowing they couldn't win.
However—
Minato paid them no attention. He quickly shifted his gaze, observing battlefield conditions.
He first focused on Uchiha Shisui. This talented young man from the Uchiha clan had encountered a Hozuki clan powerhouse. Both sides fought fiercely without resolution.
The Hozuki clan powerhouse was clearly defending passively. However, that Hydration Technique that granted immunity to physical attacks was truly difficult to deal with. Moreover, in this moisture-rich environment, Uchiha Shisui's Fire Release techniques' lethality was considerably limited. From appearances, breakthroughs in the short term would be difficult, but there was also no need to worry Uchiha Shisui would encounter danger.
Next was Kushina. Her opponent was Fourth Mizukage Yagura Karatachi. This fellow Fourth's strength was formidable. His Water Release and Wind Release mastery was extremely high. He also controlled various mysteriously effective secret techniques, firmly defending against Kushina's repeated fierce attacks. Both sides fought what could be called evenly matched.
Then came Uchiha Fugaku. This Uchiha Clan Head had deep foundations without any obvious weaknesses. Ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu—all practiced to extremely sophisticated levels. A typical Uchiha clan elite, he now stood steady as a rock in rapids amidst multiple Mist ninja's encirclement.
Finally was Ritsu.
The battlefield atop the Wood Human's head was difficult to observe. He could only rely on his sensory abilities—superior to ordinary sensory ninja—to confirm Ritsu's condition was excellent. He was fighting fiercely with the Six-Tails jinchuriki.
After surveying the battlefield in an instant, Minato found the Mist ninja's defense quite solid. Fortunately, his side's luck wasn't bad—they'd opened a breach. Then he'd use this breach to further expand their gains!
After confirming everyone didn't need his support, Minato withdrew his attention. Looking at the kunai, shuriken, and other shinobi tools thrown at him by numerous Mist ninja, he smiled faintly.
In an instant, all kunai and shuriken struck empty air. After flying another stretch, they clattered onto the ground.
But before the tools landed, borrowing the coordinates on previously thrown kunai, Minato disappeared from his original position. The next instant, he appeared at a Mist ninja's side, decisively swinging his kunai to slice open the opponent's throat before they could react.
Then Minato's figure disappeared again—so fast that even the blood spraying from the Mist ninja's throat couldn't stain his clothing.
In just a few breaths, over ten ninja from the Kirishima clan lay on the ground—basically all jonin.
At this point, a Kirishima clan expert discerned the pattern and hurriedly shouted loudly, "Scatter! Scatter! Stay away from the kunai on the ground! The Yellow Flash uses those kunai as markers for transfer!"
The remaining dozen-plus ninja immediately scattered, avoiding the ground littered with corpses and the distinctive three-pronged kunai beside those bodies.
At this moment, undisguised, uncontrollable fear had already surfaced on everyone's faces.
Too fast!
In just these few breaths, so many skilled jonin had been killed by the Yellow Flash. They hadn't even had time to deploy any techniques—falling like cannon fodder used for filling lines.
Continuing like this, would Hidden Mist Village have enough ninja for this Yellow Flash to kill?
All who'd witnessed Minato's instant slaughter of over ten jonin had similar thoughts emerge uncontrollably. Panicked emotions were spreading rapidly beyond control.
At this moment—
The battle atop the Wood Human's head also changed.
When Minato displayed divine might, killing until the Mist ninja grew anxious and uneasy, Ritsu had also roughly figured out the Six-Tails jinchuriki's tailed beast cloak's various characteristics and structural existence.
Clan documents recorded that a certain Hyuga ancestor had envied the Uchiha clan's Susanoo, so he'd pondered developing a Susanoo belonging to the Hyuga clan. Of course, this ancestor's research ended in failure without any surprises, leaving only a pile of experimental records.
In Ritsu's view, this ancestor had been somewhat overly ambitious. He hadn't considered the massive differences between Byakugan and Sharingan. Was Susanoo something so easily copied?
Rather than researching Susanoo, studying the "tailed beast cloak" would be better—seeing whether a "chakra cloak" belonging to the Hyuga clan could be created.
When jinchuriki used the tailed beast power within them, the tailed beast's chakra would envelop their bodies, forming a chakra cloak. This cloak could weaken ninjutsu, taijutsu, and many other attacks, allowing fearlessness of ninja attacks and rampaging freely across battlefields.
If the Hyuga clan could also have such a "chakra cloak," it would greatly enhance the caster's battlefield survival capability.
Precisely because of this, Ritsu hadn't rushed to end the battle. He'd chosen to exchange Gentle Fist blows with the Six-Tails jinchuriki. Not only observing with Byakugan, but experiencing the tailed beast cloak's characteristics through fist and foot collisions.
Now, having roughly figured out the tailed beast cloak's characteristics, Ritsu prepared to end this battle.
Eight Trigrams Palm: Rotation!
Ritsu deployed this strongest defensive technique—though it could also be used offensively.
The Six-Tails jinchuriki charging forward also couldn't break through Rotation's defense. The corrosive liquid he spat was blocked outside. Moreover, because he charged too close, he was even scraped by Rotation at point-blank range. If not for the tailed beast cloak's astonishing defensive power, his flesh and bones would have been ground away entirely, not merely knocked flying.
After ending Rotation and standing steady, Ritsu clapped both hands. Moving chakra to his right shoulder, he deployed Wood Clone Technique. Three Wood Humans identical in scale grew from his shoulder. The instant they completely separated, they transformed to resemble Ritsu.
Immediately after, the skin at Ritsu's spine suddenly split open. His snow-white spine emerged like a serpent. He reached out and grabbed his own spine, extracting it inch by inch. Moreover, the extracted spine rapidly grew. When he completely pulled it from his back, he held an eight-meter-long spinal column.
Simultaneously, the Six-Tails jinchuriki leaped over again. Two waiting Wood Clones immediately flew out, using Gentle Step Twin Lion Fists to bat down the Six-Tails jinchuriki's claws, then tightly embracing the Six-Tails jinchuriki. In an instant, both Wood Clones simultaneously released "hissing" sounds and emitted white smoke. The Six-Tails jinchuriki's body secreted highly corrosive liquid that reverted the two Wood Clones to wooden prototypes and rapidly dissolved them into nonexistence.
But for Ritsu, even this instant was sufficient.
Shikotsumyaku: Dance of the Clematis: Vine!
He seized this momentary opportunity, flinging out the spinal column in his hand. It coiled around the Six-Tails jinchuriki's body in loops. His arms suddenly burst out with tremendous strength, rapidly dragging the Six-Tails jinchuriki toward himself.
The spinal column whose calcium concentration Ritsu had enhanced using the Shikotsumyaku bloodline limit possessed extremely high hardness. Even the corrosive liquid secreted by the Six-Tails jinchuriki's body couldn't dissolve it instantly.
In just this brief instant, the Six-Tails jinchuriki was dragged before Ritsu.
At this moment, Ritsu's left palm controlled a sphere constructed from high-density, high-speed rotating chakra—unmistakably the Rasengan Minato had just deployed.
However, unlike Minato's Rasengan, the sphere in Ritsu's hand was slightly larger. If Minato's Rasengan was apple-sized, the one in Ritsu's hand was cantaloupe-sized. Additionally, their colors differed. Minato's Rasengan released pale blue radiance, while the one in Ritsu's hand released brilliant blue radiance.
This was a technique Ritsu had developed based on the Rasengan, adding the water-nature transformation of his most proficient water-attribute chakra.
Its name was—Water Release: Spiraling Destruction Needle!
He heavily pressed the sphere in his hand against the Six-Tails jinchuriki's chest. Sensing danger, the Six-Tails jinchuriki opened his mouth and spat highly corrosive liquid at Ritsu. But Ritsu's third Wood Clone remaining nearby lunged forward, using its own body to block the liquid the Six-Tails jinchuriki spat.
The next moment—"Bang!!!"—a dull impact sound. Ritsu released his right hand gripping the spinal column. The Six-Tails jinchuriki's body was once again sent flying, heavily crashing onto the Wood Human's broad shoulder. The crimson tailed beast chakra cloak covering his body surface rapidly dispersed, revealing the burn-like exterior corroded by tailed beast chakra.
He lay motionless on the Wood Human's shoulder, cloudy, vacant eyes gazing at the dark sky.
He was dead.
Six-Tails Jinchuriki Hayama had drawn his last breath.
A pair of feet appeared beside the corpse. Without lowering his head, Ritsu could clearly see the Six-Tails jinchuriki's corpse condition with his Byakugan. Cause of death: heart pierced through, leaving a penetrating wound.
This was precisely the masterpiece of his Water Release: Spiraling Destruction Needle.
Based on the Rasengan, he'd added water-attribute chakra nature transformation, referencing the Second Hokage's advanced Water Release technique called "Water Severing Wave." In the Rasengan's center, he generated a thin water stream. Borrowing the extremely fast rotating Rasengan to provide power, he'd created a needle of extremely fast rotating water with extreme penetrating power.
When testing, he'd used this move to pierce through twenty centimeters of steel plate.
Just now, he'd used this move to break through the Six-Tails jinchuriki's tailed beast cloak, pierce the Six-Tails jinchuriki's heart, and directly kill him—along with simultaneously slaying the Six-Tails from this world.
Of course, tailed beasts were immortal and indestructible. After some time passed and chakra coalesced, the Six-Tails would revive again. But that was obviously a matter for future Mist ninja. Right now, Ritsu had slain the obstructive Six-Tails jinchuriki. The previously motionless Wood Human began moving again, continuing toward Hidden Mist Village, now close at hand.
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