Chapter 241: The Terrifying Power of Combination Jutsu

Whoosh!

Gari concentrated Chakra in his feet, bursting towards Mutsuki at high speed. Now he ignored all other ninjas, his eyes fixed solely on Mutsuki.

Even with the same Kekkei Genkai, the development direction varies from person to person.

For example, with Magnet Release, the Third Kazekage liked to control Iron Sand, while the Fourth Kazekage preferred to control Gold Dust. Both leaned towards offense, whereas Toroi from Hidden Cloud developed Magnet Release into a control ability.

Gari didn't appear burly; he lacked large muscles and wasn't tall or strong. However, his strength and speed exceeded the average person's. Though not possessing natural divine strength, he could be considered naturally powerful.

As a result, Gari integrated Explosion Release into his best Taijutsu. Whether punching or kicking, he could create powerful explosions.

Combining Explosion Release with Taijutsu is inherently dangerous, as Ninjutsu does not grant immunity to its own effects; the explosive power affects Gari himself as well.

However, Gari possesses an exceptional Earth Release talent. He has honed his Earth Release: Hardening Jutsu to a high degree of proficiency. Even when using Explosion Release, he can employ Earth Release: Hardening to protect his body from its effects.

Swish, swish, swish!!!

Mutsuki took out a large number of shuriken from his ninja tool pouch and hurled them at Gari.

Faced with the cold, gleaming sharp shuriken, Gari only dodged slightly, letting the shuriken hit him.

Clang, clang!!

When the shuriken struck Gari, it didn't seem like they hit a person but rather extremely hard rock or steel, and they were all deflected.

Mutsuki was not surprised; his analysis had already revealed all of Gari's abilities. Mutsuki was thoroughly familiar with all of Gari's skills. After all, not everyone has a skill set as extensive as Sarutobi Hiruzen's, which is too numerous to remember at once.

The reason for this seemingly futile effort is to make the fight between him and Gari appear evenly matched, with each side showcasing their respective strengths.

"Remember, the one who kills you is Hidden Rock's Explosion Release Gari!" Gari concentrated Chakra in his fist and leapt towards Mutsuki with a powerful punch.

Whoosh!

Boom!!

A massive explosion erupted, blasting the ground open. Dirt and rubble flew in all directions, and the explosion's force sent yellow dust into the sky, obscuring visibility.

"That guy should be fine, right?" A Konoha ninja couldn't help but glance over with concern.

Such a commotion was only due to the battle between Mutsuki and Gari on their side of the battlefield.

The yellow dust quickly dispersed with the wind, revealing Gari covered in dust and, not far away, Mutsuki completely unharmed.

"Your speed is impressive. I hope you can dodge all my attacks like this." Gari shook his fist and looked at Mutsuki with a more serious expression.

Mutsuki smiled without speaking; this was just the beginning. To him, Gari's speed wasn't impressive, especially since he hadn't even used Thunder Breathing, only Stone Breathing and Soru.

In reality, Mutsuki could resolve the fight with Gari in close combat. Despite Gari's powerful Explosion Release, Mutsuki's combination of Rock Breathing and the Eight Inner Gates could overpower Gari with sheer force.

However, Mutsuki didn't want to reveal his strong Taijutsu abilities in this battle. He hadn't laid any groundwork for his Taijutsu skills, and showcasing them now would seem abrupt.

Mutsuki intended to build a persona as a Ninjutsu genius, using Ninjutsu extensively in battle to prove his strength.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

Mutsuki quickly formed hand signs and spat out a massive fireball, about five meters high, hurtling towards Gari.

Mutsuki could make the Great Fireball even larger, but this Ninjutsu rarely hit its target, so there was no need.

"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"

Gari didn't choose to dodge. Instead, he quickly formed hand signs and then slammed the ground, using Earth Release Chakra to raise a thick earth wall to block the Great Fireball, temporarily causing Mutsuki to lose sight of him.

In the next moment, Gari appeared on top of the Earth-Style Wall. Using the wall's height, he lunged towards Mutsuki at high speed.

"Water Release: Water Wall!"

Mutsuki swiftly formed hand signs and then spat out a large volume of water, creating a wall that blocked Gari.

At that moment, a hand silently reached out from the ground where Mutsuki was standing, rapidly grabbing at Mutsuki's calf.

Sensing something, Mutsuki immediately dodged, causing the hand to miss.

"Such keen sensing." Gari, who emerged from the ground, frowned slightly, feeling a bit troubled.

With his explosive speed and sharp sensing abilities, Mutsuki seemed to counter Gari perfectly.

"One must not underestimate these ninjas. They appear reckless on the surface, but each one is more cunning than the last," Mutsuki thought to himself after dodging Gari's attack.

After using Earth-Style Wall, Gari immediately utilized Rock Clone. The clone jumped onto the Earth-Style Wall to launch an attack and divert Mutsuki's attention, while the real Gari used Earth Release to launch a surprise attack.

This tactic might work on others, but behind Mutsuki's black-rimmed glasses were Byakugan eyes, allowing him to see through Gari's every move.

"If this is all you've got, then I will be the victor in this battle."

While dodging, Mutsuki quickly created a Shadow Clone. The main body formed hand signs to use Fire Release, while the Shadow Clone formed hand signs to use Wind Release.

"Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Jutsu!" Mutsuki gathered a large amount of Chakra in his throat and rapidly performed Nature Transformation, producing a massive amount of flames.

The intense flames roared, forming three enormous, ferocious fire dragons.

Three massive fire dragons appeared, their brilliant flames illuminating the surroundings. The orange-red blaze seemed poised to incinerate everything in its path.

Once the three giant fire dragons materialized, they charged rapidly toward Gari. At this moment, the Shadow Clone completed its Wind Release.

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

The Shadow Clone exhaled a powerful gust of wind, which fanned the flames, transforming the already terrifying fire dragons into an expansive sea of orange-red flames, pressing towards Gari.

In truth, Mutsuki's Wind Release was mediocre, even subpar among Jonin, with Pressure Damage being his only notable technique. However, his Fire Release was exceedingly strong, and he also had a Proficient-level Combination Jutsu, giving him considerable experience with it.

Faced with such a powerful Fire Release attack, Gari was momentarily stunned. The last time he saw such an overwhelming Fire Release was from one of the Three Sannin, Jiraiya. The difference was that Jiraiya wasn't his opponent, whereas the current Mutsuki was.

Gari wanted to retreat and dodge; enduring such a high-level Fire Release head-on would be unwise.

However, when Gari felt a sudden dampness, his expression changed drastically—behind him was the still-intact Water Wall!

Gari quickly looked around and noticed that there were not many Hidden Rock ninjas nearby, but plenty of Konoha ninjas.

"Damn, I've pursued too far," Gari thought, realizing he had fallen for Mutsuki's trap.

Mutsuki had been dodging and not attacking, not because he lacked opportunities, but to lure Gari deep into enemy lines. Now, with the Water Wall behind him and many Konoha ninjas on either side, and a sea of flames rushing towards him from the front, Gari had no choice but to block the flames.

"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"

Without hesitation, Gari quickly formed the necessary hand signs and used Earth-Style Wall. The jutsu required only three signs to activate, making it fast to use, and he had no other options left.

Boom!

Thick earth walls rose in front and on the sides of Gari, protecting him within.

Boom!!!

The next moment, the sea of flames descended. A massive explosion erupted, and fierce flames shot skyward. Thousands of ninjas on the battlefield could clearly see the immense power of the firestorm.

Nearby Hidden Rock and Konoha ninjas quickly distanced themselves to avoid being caught in the terrifying blaze.

"I didn't expect that Jonin Mutsuki to possess such tremendous power. The strength of this Combination Jutsu is incredible," remarked a Konoha Jonin who recognized Mutsuki, unable to contain his amazement.

Although Mutsuki had a relatively low profile in Konoha, he had attended several Jonin meetings and had connections through Minato. While not very familiar with Mutsuki, the Jonin still had some impression of him.

Since Mutsuki was a Special Jonin at the Academy, the initial impression was that his strength would be average. This wasn't out of disdain but rather an assumption based on Mutsuki's role as an Academy sensei and his Special Jonin status.

These two identities together were quite awkward; claiming to be strong would be met with disbelief. If you were strong, why would you still be a Special Jonin and teaching at the Academy?

"Damn, could it be that Gari-sama…" a Hidden Rock ninja anxiously gazed at the area engulfed by the sea of flames.

On the battlefield, the forces of Konoha and Hidden Rock were overall evenly matched. However, to prevent Gari from being finished off, the Hidden Rock ninjas risked their lives to push the Konoha ninjas back.

Mutsuki didn't mind this. His Chakra might be limited in top-tier battles, but using that kind of Combination Jutsu three more times wouldn't be an issue for him.

When the flames finally dissipated, what was revealed was a charred and blackened ground. The thick Earth-Style Wall had melted under the intense heat of the firestorm. The Water Wall Mutsuki had used earlier had evaporated from the powerful flames, and Gari himself lay on the ground, severely injured, unable to get up. Even his Rock Clone had dissipated automatically.

Gari struggled to climb up, trying to prove that he still had some fight left in him. However, his injuries were severe; he couldn't even support himself with his arms on the ground.

At this moment, Gari felt fortunate that he had chosen the path of Taijutsu and Explosion Release, which allowed him to master powerful Hardening Jutsu. His body was exceptionally tough, or else he would have surely died directly under the terrifying power of the Fire Release.

After this battle, he probably wouldn't dare to face Fire Release head-on again. Although the power of ordinary ninjas' Fire Release was not as great as his explosive impact, it was still formidable.

Although he still had plenty of Chakra left in his body, Mutsuki also appeared visibly exhausted, sweating profusely and breathing heavily, showing signs of exertion.

After all, Ninjutsu of this magnitude was too powerful for even a Jonin. If he treated it lightly, there would be problems.

Mutsuki wanted to give everyone the impression that he was stronger than Gari, but his strength was limited. He relied on strategy and tactics to achieve victory, rather than overpowering Gari with brute force.

Seeing that Mutsuki seemed to be in poor condition, many Konoha ninjas spontaneously moved closer to him to prevent any Hidden Rock attacks that might harm him.

Some Konoha ninjas aimed Ninjutsu at Gari, who was lying on the ground, hoping to finish him off.

Although Gari appeared severely injured and on the brink of death, ninjas were resilient, especially powerful ones. It would be meaningful to completely kill an elite ninja from an opposing village.

The Hidden Rock ninjas naturally wouldn't allow their village's strong ninja to be finished off. Many of them swiftly performed hand seals and used Earth-Style Wall to shield Gari, who couldn't move.

Just as both sides were about to engage in a new round of battles involving Gari's attacks and defenses, suddenly, a violent explosion erupted, followed by a tremor.

Boom!!!

Everyone heard this tremendously loud explosion. The explosion's brilliance, more dazzling than Mutsuki's recent Fire Release by over a hundred times, burst forth in the distance.

"Tailed Beast Bomb," Mutsuki's eyes flickered as he attempted to sense the situation in the top-tier battlefield.

The distance was too great; the Byakugan couldn't see Jiraiya and their battle anymore. Sensory Ninjutsu has a range farther than the Byakugan.

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