Ch.143 Seventh Gate!

In an instant, Haku understood the meaning behind the leader's command, "quick battle."

A sudden surge of massive chakra flooded into his body, filling his limbs and making his entire body feel as if it would burst if he didn't quickly expend some of it.

Swish!

Without hesitation, Haku raised his left hand and quickly performed four or five hand seals, "Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"

Whoosh!

In an instant, a gigantic water dragon appeared out of nowhere in the forest, roaring menacingly as it coiled and charged toward the approaching members of the Stone Decapitation Squad.

"What the…?!"

The Stone Decapitation Squad members were all shocked.

Earlier, they had estimated that this Akatsuki member's chakra should have been nearly depleted, which was why they had surrounded him from all sides, not wanting to give him any time to recover.

But to their surprise, this had been a trap all along.

Not only was his chakra still abundant, but he could also perform the "Water Dragon Bullet Technique," an advanced water-style ninjutsu, with just a few single-handed seals, which was far beyond their expectations.

"Retreat quickly!"

The onlookers, including Kakashi and his group, were also taken aback, immediately backing away.

The "Water Dragon Bullet Technique" was notoriously difficult to perform, requiring dozens of hand seals even for a skilled jōnin.

So when they saw this Akatsuki member execute the technique with just a few single-handed seals, their shock was indescribable.

At that moment.

Haku, who had just completed the "Water Dragon Bullet Technique," didn't stop. His left hand continued to form seals, "Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"

Simultaneously, his right hand began forming seals as well, "Ice Release: Ice Shards!"

Snap!

After completing both sets of seals, he clapped his hands together!

"It's a combination ninjutsu, everyone be cautious!" shouted the captain of the Stone Decapitation Squad.

Immediately, several members of the squad near the front, seizing the brief moment before the water techniques reached them, formed hand seals in unison, "Earth Release: Earth-Style Rampart!"

Rumble!

The forest ground shook violently.

As Kakashi and the others retreated, they watched as the water dragon, the waterfall, and the rapidly rising earth walls collided, all encased in a layer of ice.

Even during the Third Shinobi World War, such powerful clashes of jutsu were rare.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The Ice Release techniques clashed with the Earth Release, shaking the forest with immense explosions.

Amidst the deafening roar, shockwaves spread outward, causing dust to rise and ice fragments to scatter in all directions!

In just a few short breaths, the battlefield was engulfed in chaos.

Even Kakashi, with his Sharingan, lost sight of the battle's progression in the cloud of dust and ice.

"What incredibly powerful ninjutsu!"

Kurenai swallowed hard, trying to hide her shock.

Asuma, equally serious, said, "Did you see that? That guy can perform single-handed seals and unleash such devastating techniques. He's no ordinary shinobi!"

Kakashi murmured, "We should avoid engaging with the Akatsuki. Our priority is to find Sasuke!"

Asuma and Kurenai both nodded in agreement.

At that moment, due to the interplay of warm and cold air, a breeze swept through the forest.

As the wind blew, the dust and mist on the battlefield gradually cleared, revealing the aftermath.

The battlefield was now entirely transformed.

Due to the water generated by the "Water Dragon Bullet Technique" and the "Great Waterfall Technique," and the addition of Ice Release, the entire battlefield had become a frozen world.

Even the combined Earth Release techniques of the Stone Decapitation Squad were now encased in a layer of frost, turning their earth walls into towering ice walls.

The flowing water that hadn't fully frozen had circled around the walls, forming icy spikes before the Stone Decapitation Squad's elite shinobi, skewering them and turning them into frozen statues.

Hiss!

The Hidden Leaf shinobi, seeing this scene, gasped in unison.

Many of them had guessed that the Stone Decapitation Squad might lose, but none had expected them to be defeated so tragically.

Asuma remarked, "No wonder Bloodline Limits are so feared. Ordinary ninjutsu can't stand against them! The Stone shinobi didn't lose unfairly."

Kakashi glanced at the Akatsuki member standing amidst the snow and ice, his apprehension deepening.

Just like before, the Akatsuki member cloaked in the hooded red cloud robe was panting heavily, as if exhausted from using up all his chakra.

But now, no one dared to bet whether his chakra was truly depleted.

Kakashi quickly signaled to his team.

The group immediately understood and silently retreated, distancing themselves from the battlefield.

Once they had moved far enough away, Kakashi said grimly, "The Mist and Stone have both become involved. Be prepared; we might encounter shinobi from the Cloud or the Sand soon."

"Understood!"

Following Kakashi, Asuma and the others nodded.

The sun on the horizon had left only the last remnants of twilight, and the light in the small forest had dimmed significantly.

Before long.

Following the tracks left by Shinji and his group, Kakashi's squad emerged from the forest.

But as soon as they stepped out of the woods, they were greeted by a horrifying sight.

Before them, in the open clearing, lay the corpses of Cloud shinobi scattered everywhere, their bodies twisted and mangled, with some reduced to unrecognizable remains.

"What happened here?!"

"How did so many die?"

"These all seem to be Cloud shinobi!"

As someone in the team pointed this out, the others quickly realized that the entire battlefield looked like a slaughterhouse, littered exclusively with the bodies of Cloud shinobi.

There wasn't a single body from the opposing side.

Squatting down to inspect the scene, Kakashi's face darkened.

The gruesome state of the corpses reminded him of the guards who had fallen to the demon Mōryō during their mission in the Land of Demons.

Back then, those guards had met a similarly horrific fate, with severed limbs and scattered remains, just like the scene before him.

Asuma, his face grim, asked, "Was it the demon from the Land of Demons?"

"Yes," Kakashi confirmed with a nod.

Kurenai surveyed the area, her face growing pale. "So many Cloud shinobi, all slaughtered by that demon?"

The Hidden Leaf had always been wary of the Cloud.

Because of this, the Leaf had repeatedly chosen to back down in conflicts with the Cloud.

But seeing so many Cloud shinobi butchered like livestock and left to rot in the open fields by the Akatsuki...

Rather than feeling any sense of satisfaction or revenge, the Leaf shinobi felt chills running down their spines.

Because if the Akatsuki could slaughter Cloud shinobi like this, they could just as easily do the same to Leaf shinobi.

The situation surrounding Sasuke's abduction had now escalated far beyond the incident itself.

The power the Akatsuki had demonstrated in this event, along with their blatant disregard for consequences, made the Leaf shinobi realize that their previous assessments of the Akatsuki had been far too conservative.

The Akatsuki weren't just a potential threat to the five great shinobi villages; they were already a real and present danger!

"Send word to the village and request reinforcements!"

Kakashi quickly made his decision.

If the Akatsuki members in hooded red cloud cloaks acted with some restraint, the demon from the Land of Demons showed no such hesitation, living up to its title as a "monster."

Kakashi knew that if they encountered the demon, they wouldn't escape as easily as they had from the two hooded red cloud Akatsuki members earlier.

...

Meanwhile, in Shinji's group.

Whoosh!

Shinnō ripped off his physician's robe, revealing his bulging muscles underneath!

"Little brats from the Hidden Leaf!" He gestured toward Shinji's team with a smirk, "Today, I'll show you the true power of your Leaf's taijutsu!"

Kiba sneered, "This guy's got a big mouth. You all go after Sasuke; I'll handle him!"

Akamaru barked in agreement.

Shinji shook his head. "Don't underestimate him. We'll take him on together."

Neji added, "Yeah, this guy's chakra is enormous, even stronger than many jōnin in the village. We should all attack together for safety."

At that moment, Haku and Karin exchanged uneasy glances.

They were both shadow clones, and if they fought, their true identities could be exposed.

Just then, Shinji gave his orders: "Haku, Karin, you two hold back and support us. The rest of us will attack together!"

"Yes!"

Haku and Karin responded, secretly relieved.

The rest of the squad immediately spread out, surrounding Shinnō.

Shinnō chuckled before raising his hands and shouting, "Eight Gates: First Gate—Gate of Opening, Open!"

Boom!

In an instant, his already muscular body swelled even further!

"Watch closely, brats!" Shinnō grinned savagely, "Second Gate—Gate of Healing, Open!"

Neji's eyes narrowed in shock.

Kiba quickly asked, "What's wrong?"

Neji struggled to respond, "His chakra just increased tremendously!"

Kimimaro frowned slightly. "How much?"

"More than I can describe!"

Neji was at a loss for words. It was his first time witnessing someone using the Eight Gates, and he was overwhelmed by its power.

"Third Gate—Gate of Life, Open!"

"Fourth Gate—Gate of Pain, Open!"

Shinnō continued to unleash his inner power.

By the time he opened the fourth gate, his chakra was so immense that it began to leak from his body, forming visible whirlwinds around him.

At this point, it was clear to everyone, even without Neji's Byakugan, that Shinnō was no ordinary foe.

Kiba was immensely grateful that he hadn't decided to face this monster alone!

"Fifth Gate—Gate of Limit, Open!"

"Sixth Gate—Gate of View, Open!"

Shinnō didn't stop, continuing to push himself to the sixth gate!

Now, he was completely enveloped in a swirling vortex of energy, with stones on the ground around him lifting into the air as if gravity itself was bending around him.

Kiba asked, "Is that chakra or sweat around him?"

Neji shook his head. "I can't tell."

When chakra becomes dense enough to form a visible layer around the body, like the cloaks of tailed beasts, it's usually a sign of immense power, far beyond the reach of ordinary shinobi.

And now, Shinnō was enveloped in a black vortex of chakra.

It looked as if he had donned a chakra cloak like a jinchūriki, making even the sight of him from a distance terrifying.

"Arrgh!" Shinnō roared, his face turning red with exertion, "Seventh Gate—Gate of Shock, Open!"

Boom!

The moment the seventh gate opened, a massive shockwave erupted outward.

Shinji's team instinctively raised their arms to shield their faces.

Swish!

At that moment, Shinnō moved!

In a blink, he crossed over a hundred meters in an instant, appearing right in front of Kiba and delivering a devastating punch!

Boom!

Without any resistance, Kiba was sent flying like a cannonball, smashing into a large tree before finally coming to a stop.

"D-damn it…"

Kiba struggled to stand, but his body felt like it had fallen apart, completely immobilized.

And before the others could react.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Shinnō sent Shino, Neji, and Kimimaro flying one after another.

Even with his Byakugan activated, Neji couldn't react in time. The overwhelming speed of Shinnō rendered his dojutsu useless.

Of the three, only Kimimaro managed to slightly defend himself when Shinnō's punch came, protecting his vital points.

But he hadn't expected Shinnō's strength to be so monstrous. Even after adjusting his body and activating his Shikotsumyaku (Dead Bone Pulse), one punch left his organs heavily damaged, sending him crashing to the ground, unable to get up.

"Brats, I love the look of fear on your faces now!" Shinnō sneered, his gaze sweeping across the battlefield.

Shinji sighed inwardly.

He hadn't expected Shinnō to be able to open the Seventh Gate, let alone be this strong after doing so!

Originally, Shinji hadn't planned on stepping in with his real body, but now, it was clear that if he didn't, they wouldn't stand a chance.

Yes, the Shinji in the group was actually a shadow clone. His real body had already left the team.

Swish.

At that moment, a figure descended from the sky, landing in the midst of the battlefield.

Shinnō, who had been reveling in his power, froze.

Because the figure before him was none other than an Akatsuki member wearing a hooded red cloud robe and a mask.

The figure glanced at Shinnō and said coldly, "Get lost."