Ch.96 Has He Gone Mad?

As the towering 20-meter ice crystal statue rose from the ground, it seemed as though the earth itself trembled in response.

Ahhhhh!

Suddenly, the streets of the night market erupted with screams of terror.

The crowd scattered in all directions.

In that moment, cries of panic, wails, and shouts for help intermingled, creating a chaotic symphony of fear.

Around the ice crystal statue, lotuses made of ice began to bloom.

Each lotus unfolded, and within just a few seconds, the entire street was shrouded in a chilling mist rising from the lotus flowers.

The townspeople closest to the ice mist were instantly frozen into statues of ice, only to shatter into pieces moments later, scattering into icy shards across the ground.

Those who were farther away inhaled the freezing mist, struggled to breathe, clutched their chests, and collapsed to the ground, gasping for air.

"Ice Release!?"

Whether it was Itachi and Zabuza or Kakashi, Kurenai, and Aoba on the other side of the street, they were all stunned by the sight before them.

After the Yuki Clan of the Hidden Mist was annihilated, shinobi with the Ice Release Bloodline Limit had become exceedingly rare in the shinobi world.

The sudden appearance of a shinobi with Ice Release was already shocking enough.

But what truly stunned everyone was that this white-haired youth had unleashed such a terrifying Ice Release jutsu without any hand signs.

A 20-meter-tall ice crystal statue, towering as high as a six- or seven-story building! Even when the Yuki Clan was still around, no one had ever heard of an Ice Release this powerful!

As the freezing mist spread, Itachi and Zabuza immediately leaped back to avoid it.

The strength of the enemy in front of them far exceeded their expectations.

Similarly, Kakashi, Kurenai, and Aoba all retreated quickly.

Kakashi wasn't too surprised since he had received intelligence from the Third Hokage about how strong the Akatsuki was, understanding that they were far from being just another group of rogue shinobi.

But Kurenai and Aoba were deeply shaken.

The Ice Release jutsu they had just witnessed was not something an ordinary shinobi could perform, and the fact that such a formidable shinobi was hiding within the Akatsuki shocked them both.

As everyone kept their eyes on the white-haired youth using Ice Release while retreating, something caught their attention.

On the rooftop…

The leader of the masked trio merely lifted his hand slightly.

One of the Akatsuki members standing behind him, clad in the red-clouded cloak and wearing a mask, leaped from the rooftop, charging straight at the 20-meter-tall ice crystal statue!

"Has he gone mad!?"

In that moment, whether it was Itachi, Zabuza, or Kakashi and his team, they all had the same thought.

Facing an Ice Release technique of this magnitude, charging head-on was suicidal.

Even the strongest shinobi from the Hidden Villages' Kage would first look for a way to probe the enemy and identify a weakness.

"This guy is dead for sure!"

Zabuza concluded with certainty.

As a former shinobi of the Hidden Mist, he understood Ice Release very well. Ice Release wasn't just an upgraded version of Water Release—it was far more dangerous.

To be able to perform Ice Release of this caliber, without water nearby and without forming hand signs, the opponent had to be at least an elite jonin.

Itachi, too, was puzzled at this point.

Logically speaking, a shinobi of this level shouldn't be unknown in the shinobi world, yet he had never heard of this white-haired youth named Doma.

Still, he agreed with Zabuza's judgment.

Even if Itachi himself were in that situation, he would probably have to use his Mangekyō Sharingan to gain control of the battle.

Meanwhile, as they continued their retreat, Kakashi instructed Kurenai and Aoba, "Quick, send out a distress signal!"

Without hesitation, Kurenai pulled out a signal flare and shot it into the night sky. After all, they were still in the Land of Fire, and there might be other Hidden Leaf shinobi nearby on missions.

Aoba immediately summoned a ninja crow to send a message back to the village.

In their minds, the three of them believed that the trio of Akatsuki members on the rooftop wouldn't stand a chance against the white-haired youth, Doma.

They were preparing themselves for the battle with Doma and the chaos that would follow.

But suddenly, their expressions froze, and shock washed over their faces.

The Akatsuki member who had leaped into the air, rushing toward the ice crystal statue, projected a red phantom from within his body.

In just one or two breaths, the red phantom transformed into a massive skeletal giant!

The red skeletal giant, soaring through the air, drew its fist back before releasing it with immense power, striking the 20-meter-tall ice crystal statue with a devastating punch.

As the red skeletal giant threw its punch, ethereal muscles formed over its bones, followed by skin, and finally, it donned a layer of imposing armor!

Boom!

The deafening sound echoed throughout Green Pine Town.

Under the force of the red giant's punch, the 20-meter ice crystal statue staggered, its entire body leaning to one side.

Cracks spread across the face of the statue where the punch landed, with shards of ice scattering everywhere!

"What...!?"

Zabuza was dumbstruck, forgetting to even continue retreating.

Even the usually calm and composed Itachi couldn't maintain his expression, his face now filled with shock and confusion as he muttered, "Susanoo!? How is this possible?"

Susanoo was a dojutsu that resided within the Mangekyō Sharingan of the Uchiha Clan.

In Itachi's mind, only he and the man who claimed to be Uchiha Madara should be capable of using this jutsu in the current shinobi world.

So he could hardly believe his eyes when the impostor wearing the Akatsuki cloak activated Susanoo! And moreover...

Itachi's gaze sharpened, his expression growing even more puzzled!

He knew very well that Susanoo had several stages, each corresponding to different levels of power, with varying chakra consumption.

The fact that the impostor had immediately unleashed the strongest form of Susanoo—a half-armored, fully developed version—meant that the person's dojutsu power was incredibly strong!

After a brief moment of shock...

Both Itachi and Kakashi shifted their gaze from the battlefield, turning their attention to the figure standing silently on the rooftop.

"Who is he?"

The same question flashed through both of their minds simultaneously.

An individual possessing the Mangekyō Sharingan, capable of summoning Susanoo, was willingly standing behind that mysterious figure.

Itachi and Kakashi were both filled with immense curiosity about the person who stood atop the rooftop, watching the battle unfold in silence.

Zabuza finally snapped out of his daze and asked, "Itachi, are you sure those three masked guys aren't part of our Akatsuki? They seem to be fighting the guy with the marked eyes too!"

"It's possible... they could be hidden members of the organization."

For once, even Itachi was uncertain.

The strength they displayed didn't seem like that of impostors.