Chapter 174: The Hidden Cloud Ninja Toroi

As Toroi focused on forming the Lightning Release Shuriken, Kakashi suddenly felt his body loosen, regaining his mobility.

Swiftly, Kakashi employed the Body Flicker Jutsu to flash away from his original position, rushing towards the enemy near Guy.

The enemy near Guy had been attempting to attack the tent where the clients were located, keeping Guy on constant defense.

Kakashi's sudden assault caught the Hidden Cloud Ninja off guard, and under Kakashi's swift swordplay, several bloodstains quickly appeared on his body.

Seeing Kakashi coming to assist, Guy's eyes brightened, knowing that the moment they had been waiting for had arrived.

"Stone Breathing, Total Concentration Breathing, Konoha Strong Whirlwind!"

Guy immediately utilized his strongest power, concentrating his breath and chakra to greatly enhance his physical abilities, swiftly delivering a Whirlwind Kick imbued with tremendous force towards the Hidden Cloud Ninja.

With Kakashi launching a sudden assault and Guy unleashing explosive strength, the Hidden Cloud Ninja instantly found himself in a dire situation.

Boom!

Kakashi's uninterrupted flurry of strikes left the Hidden Cloud Ninja no opportunity to consider Guy. Moreover, with Guy demonstrating even greater speed than before, he underestimated him and was sent flying by Guy's Whirlwind Kick.

"What immense strength," the Hidden Cloud Ninja felt the intense pain surging through his body, his pupils dilating in astonishment and unwillingness.

He was unwilling to have fallen at the hands of two youngsters.

Swish!

Kakashi didn't give the Hidden Cloud Ninja a chance to reflect. In the instant that Guy kicked the Hidden Cloud Ninja away, Kakashi swiftly threw two Kunai towards his chest, ending the Hidden Cloud Ninja's life completely.

"Truly deserving of being my closest friend, perfect coordination!" Guy thumbs up to Kakashi.

Having dealt with one enemy, Kakashi breathed a slight sigh of relief. He quickly shifted his focus to the battlefield where Mutsuki was, as that was the key to determining the outcome of this encounter.

The reason he rushed to assist Guy as soon as he broke free from control was twofold. Firstly, he didn't know if Toroi could still control him, and to avoid being a burden to Mutsuki, he needed to create distance. Ninjutsu has a casting range after all.

Secondly, to alleviate the crisis facing their clients while unleashing Guy's combat prowess.

However, once Kakashi turned his attention to Mutsuki's situation, he found that Mutsuki seemed not to need their help.

Facing the incoming massive lightning Shuriken, Mutsuki didn't dodge as Toroi might have expected. Instead, he split off a Shadow Clone and began using Ninjutsu.

"Fire Release: Intelligent Hard Work!"

"Wind Release: Pressure Damage!"

Mutsuki himself switched to Flame Breathing and continuously utilized Intelligent Hard Work, while the Clone employed Pressure Damage.

This time, Mutsuki didn't deliberately suppress his power because no ANBU would come to investigate no matter how much noise he made here.

He intended to kill all the enemies present, leaving only his disciples and the clients hiding in the tent, allowing him to unleash his power to the fullest.

With Mastery-level Intelligent Hard Work, coupled with proficiency in Fire Chakra Nature Transformation above seven thousand, plus the Flame Breathing enhancement, if Mutsuki were to check his own stats now, he would see his Chakra data rapidly declining.

The consumption of a large amount of Chakra resulted in extremely terrifying Ninjutsu power.

At the moment Mutsuki unleashed Fire Release, the orange-colored flames illuminated the forest. The flames he spat out from his mouth weren't fireballs or fire dragons but an entire sea of flames!

The expanding flames engulfed everything in front of Mutsuki. The towering flames struck everyone's faces, turning the black night into a scene as bright as day.

Staring at the sudden sea of flames, Kakashi's eyes were filled with fire. His mind was shaken violently. He hadn't expected Mutsuki's Fire Release Ninjutsu to be so terrifying. He had never seen such an exaggerated Ninjutsu power before. The towering sea of flames seemed to be engulfing the entire forest.

"So, his specialty is Fire Release after all!" 

Kakashi once again refreshed his impression of Mutsuki in his mind.

"With this terrifying power, even the Sannin wouldn't stand a chance, right?" Kakashi couldn't help but sigh.

At first, he thought Mutsuki was merely an all-around Excellent Jonin, but each time Mutsuki acted, it provided Kakashi with a new understanding of his strength.

Obito and Rokubi, who were in the midst of battle, were also shocked by this terrifying scene, causing both sides to temporarily cease hostilities and create distance.

"This Fire Release is so cool. I wonder when I'll be able to use this level of Fire Release," Obito thought as he looked at Mutsuki standing before the sea of flames.

"These enemies are unexpectedly troublesome," Rokubi, who had always been confident in Toroi's victory, couldn't help but feel a bit shaken as he gazed at the incredibly terrifying sea of flames.

Before Mutsuki unleashed this terrifying Ninjutsu, he was quite confident. After all, not every Jonin who died at the hands of Toroi was weak. But facing such a formidable enemy was somewhat beyond his expectations.

"Damn it, where did this powerhouse come from? Such a powerful Fire Release ninja and yet no intel at all." Toroi's face darkened as he watched the sea of flames unleashed by Mutsuki.

Initially, he had planned to use his trump card to kill Mutsuki, but now he had no intention of killing anyone. The only thought in his mind was retreat.

It's not shameful to flee when unable to win; it's strategic.

However, Mutsuki had no intention of letting anyone escape.

After Mutsuki's main body used Intelligent Hard Work, the Shadow Clone quickly expelled a high-pressure wind ball. The wind fueled the fire, causing Mutsuki's sea of flames to rapidly expand.

Oka Nozomi, who had originally intended to engage Mutsuki, was the first to collide head-on with the sea of flames. She wanted to retreat upon seeing the flames, but it was already too late.

Oka Nozomi activated her Lightning Release, channeling all her strength, but faced with the engulfing sea of flames, it was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot. She was instantly submerged by the scorching flames.

With the assistance of Pressure Damage, the sea of flames expanded rapidly, and numerous trees were turned into ashes in an instant. Toroi's Lightning Release Shuriken also failed to break through the terrifying might of the sea of flames.

The sea of flames expanded rapidly, and Toroi no longer had any intention of fighting Mutsuki. He summoned numerous shuriken using scrolls and briefly used his Magnet Release Lightning Release to withstand the sea of flames' onslaught.

Boom!

A massive explosion resounded. Leveraging the smoke generated by the explosion, Toroi exerted all his strength to use the Body Flicker Jutsu to retreat. He intended to bring back the information about Mutsuki.

However, in the next moment, a blue lightning bolt suddenly shot out from the sea of flames. Toroi's movements instantly halted as he looked down to see a blood hole in his chest.

Mutsuki was bathed in blue lightning, smiling at him as he stood before him, his right hand still extended with one finger pointed.

"Lightning Release Chakra Mode, Hell Stab?" Toroi was deeply puzzled at this moment. The speed and power seemed to resemble their Hidden Cloud's Lightning Release Chakra Mode.

"We of Iwagakure will not let you go unpunished," Toroi didn't forget his mission before his demise.

If they could make Mutsuki believe that it was Iwagakure attacking them, then it wouldn't be too much of a failure.

"I don't recall Iwagakure having so many ninjas proficient in Lightning Release," Mutsuki raised his left hand, adjusting his glasses as he squinted and smiled.

Even if it were Iwagakure, they would need at least two ninjas proficient in Earth Release.

"You..." Toroi wanted to say something, but his vitality couldn't support him to say more. With guilt towards his village, Toroi died with his eyes open.

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