Chapter 97: Isn't This the Serpent Summons? How Did It Fall So Hard in Just a Few Days?
Chapter 97: Isn't This the Serpent Summons? How Did It Fall So Hard in Just a Few Days?
"Tomoe, hold down Yuku!"
Orochimaru's voice shattered the rhythm of Team 404.
Tch!
Tomoe let out a light hum in his heart as he thrust his kunai through the neck of the chunin in front of him.
Looks like there's no way to slack off today.
Orochimaru had specifically called his name. If he continued to slack off... would he even be able to stay in Konoha?
He didn't want to leave Konoha just yet. There were too many fun things and resources here, so he had no choice but to act.
"Be careful!"
As Tomoe leaped toward the battlefield of Kage-level shinobi, he gave his two teammates a subtle hint.
His words meant they shouldn't reveal too much of their true strength.
Shoji Koji didn't mind. His abilities could be explained by 'forbidden techniques,' and he had already set the stage for this.
But Hanabi Hizashi couldn't do the same.
She was just a branch member of the Hyuga clan and wasn't a super genius in the past. She couldn't use 'forbidden techniques' to explain her sudden increase in strength, so showing chunin-level abilities was enough.
The two teammates naturally understood Tomoe's words and nodded slightly in acknowledgment.
Tomoe, on the other hand, was ready to go all out with his usual strength.
After all, he had already exposed some of his abilities during his fight with Roshi. He didn't believe the other side would keep it a secret, so there was no point in hiding anymore.
In mid-air, he summoned a fierce golden-orange flame on his Fist of Blazing Fire, which then enveloped his body.
Flame Cloak!
Tomoe's most powerful and efficient jutsu, which consumed the least chakra but delivered incredible power.
Why wouldn't he use it?
In the past, he had to be cautious about chakra consumption and only used it at critical moments.
But now, with his chakra reserves in the double digits, even though they were far from 'Chakra Tons,' it was enough for him to use the Flame Cloak freely.
Boom!
Flames erupted from his legs, dramatically increasing his jumping speed and height.
Rocket Jump!
Facing this sudden change, any opponent estimating his speed would be thrown off.
In the air, Tomoe gathered a large amount of flames in his right fist.
"Wild Bite!"
He launched a powerful taijutsu move, locking onto Yuku.
Boom!
The ground beneath Tomoe's fist cracked open.
It didn't look very powerful, not even as strong as a C-rank jutsu.
But Tomoe's attack was incredibly concentrated, so the impact was muted. If it had hit, it would have reduced the target to dust, leaving no chance for a 'smoke without injury' situation.
Just as Tomoe was about to follow up on his missed attack, a barrage of senbon needles stopped him from closing in on the retreating Yuku.
It was the puppets of the Karasumono Ten.
Whoosh!
Tomoe dodged the obvious attack with his Body Flicker Technique.
Bang!
But he was kicked out of the air.
One of the Karasumono Ten puppets had been hiding in his path, intercepting him mid-air.
"I see!"
Tomoe instantly understood.
Kakashi's 'White Secret Technique: Karasumono Ten' was powerful not just because the ten puppets had the strength of jonin, but because they could operate as a single entity under her control, fighting as if they were one person.
If it weren't for the speed boost from the Flame Cloak, he might have been hit by a poisoned kunai instead of just a kick.
"Taichi!"
Tomoe called for backup.
Otherwise, he might as well be Yip Man, capable of taking on ten opponents at once!
Whoosh!
A massive fireball descended from the sky, like a meteor aimed at Tomoe.
The Karasumono Ten were indeed strong, but against such a non-discriminatory area-of-effect attack, their coordination was useless.
Boom!
A volcanic eruption-like pillar of fire shot up, engulfing everything around Tomoe.
The Karasumono Ten, being puppets, had strong defenses and resistances.
But when it came to withstanding flames and high temperatures, they were no match for Tomoe in his Flame Cloak state.
To avoid self-destruction, they had to keep their distance from him.
This gave Tomoe a chance to escape.
Without Taichi's support, Tomoe would have had no opportunity to break free from the Karasumono Ten.
Whoosh!
He lunged at Yuki.
Compared to the incredibly troublesome puppets, Yuki was a much more appealing target.
The key was that he had a natural advantage over her!
Her famous Scorch Release, while powerful, was significantly weakened by his Flame Cloak.
That was why he was able to rescue Honda Taka from her in the past, even if she had held back.
Now, with his strength greatly enhanced, he could hold his own against her even without using Sage Mode, thanks to his natural advantage.
Golden Crow Style Ninjutsu: Lone Carnage!
Mid-air, Dohei delivered a powerful kick aimed at Yuki, who was pinning down Orochimaru.
Orochimaru knew how to play his part.
"Shadow Snake Hands!"
Several snakes slithered out from his sleeves, ready to bind Yuki and create an opening for Dohei.
"Scorch Release!"
A fireball surrounding Yuki exploded.
Boom!
The fireball could emit scorching heat and, when needed, obliterate everything in its path.
Together, these elements formed the true Scorch Release.
Faced with the explosion, Dohei had to cancel his attack.
Fortunately, with his Flame Cloak, he didn't need to fear the heat and flames. Otherwise, he would have looked quite disheveled.
"Damn seal!"
At that moment, a furious voice echoed.
Manda, covered in sealing runes, was struggling.
For a large summon like Manda, the most feared techniques were sealing and genjutsu.
So, even though Hatake Kakashi was only at the elite jonin level in direct combat, he was far more effective against large summons than Yuki, a Kage-level ninja.
Seeing Manda in such a predicament, Dohei would have liked to taunt, "Isn't this Manda? A few days without seeing you, and you're already this bad?" But he was too busy dealing with Yuki's relentless attacks to spare a moment for such remarks.
Only now, facing Yuki's full power, did he realize how much she had held back during their previous brief encounter.
"Fire Release: Flame Bullet!"
Seizing the opportunity, Dohei launched a C-rank Flame Bullet.
With his improved understanding of fire nature chakra, he could perform this jutsu with incredible speed.
Yuki didn't engage in a direct clash but dodged and threw a shuriken at him.
By doing so, she saved the chakra cost of one jutsu.
Thud!
Dohei took the shuriken on his shoulder.
He could have avoided it with his Body Flicker and the Flame Cloak's burst of flames, but he chose to take the hit to create an opening for his jutsu.
What kind of jutsu would make Dohei choose to take a hit for the opportunity?
Mi-Wei-Shen...
His hands moved like a blur, forming seals rapidly.
Yuki could sense that Dohei was preparing a high-level Fire Release.
Unfortunately, she had just dodged the Flame Bullet and was too far to interrupt him. All she could do was throw a Scorch Release fireball.
Faced with the incoming fireball, Dohei calmly finished his seals.
If hit, even with the Flame Cloak, he would be seriously injured.
Fortunately, Dohei had faced death before, and his mind was crystal clear in critical moments. His hands didn't waver, and he successfully completed the jutsu.
"Fire Release: Flame Armor Incarnation!"
With the seals complete, he unleashed this A-rank Fire Release.
A several-meter-tall flame apparition appeared, colliding with the incoming Scorch Release.
Boom!
The explosion tore up the surrounding ground.
When the flames dissipated, the area was scorched, but the ground under the flame apparition remained intact.
"Do you think a jutsu like this can block my Scorch Release?"
Yuki wasn't too concerned about the Flame Armor Incarnation.
While her attack hadn't destroyed it, she was confident she could break through with a few more hits.
However, Dohei nodded in agreement.
"True, the Flame Armor Incarnation isn't enough, but how about this?"
As he spoke, he formed seals and unleashed his strongest jutsu in his normal state.
(End of Chapter)
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