Watching the giant snakes summoned by the summoning technique and the stone dragons transformed by Chao Yanqian's
Inorganic Reincarnation rampage through Kumogakure, the buildings and houses of the village collapsed one after another, and screams echoed everywhere. Aiming the looming sea of clouds, it was unclear how many had already died.
Fortunately, Chao Yanqian was not a bloodthirsty person. After making such a grand display, he refrained from further destruction. Instead, he waited in place for Kumogakure's ninja to gather, also giving the ordinary villagers time to escape.
Although Kumogakure had initiated this war, the villagers were innocent. If they could be spared, they should be given a chance to escape.
One stone dragon dove toward the ground with its mouth wide open, its body trembling as if roaring. Its massive head slammed into two Kumo-nin, smashing them into the earth. Their bones shattered and their bodies were crushed into pulp.
Seeing the miraculous technique used by Chao Yanqian, the Kumogakure ninjas, after a moment of stunned silence, quickly coordinated their efforts. They began releasing Lightning Release attacks in unison, and thunderbolts rained down upon the stone dragons and summoned snakes. In no time, one stone dragon was shattered into rubble, and one giant snake was forced back to the summoning realm.
"Hmph!" Chao Yanqian sneered at the desperate resistance of the Kumo-nin and continued channeling Sage Chakra. Several spires shot up into the sky, morphing into new stone dragons midair before plummeting and slamming into the enemy forces, flattening many Kumo-nin into mangled corpses.
"Ahhh!!!"
The Kumo-nin on the ground screamed together, desperately pouring their chakra into Lightning Release attacks. Thunder roared across the sky. Though the stone dragons collapsed under the assault, they instantly regenerated.
However, when hundreds of Kumo-nin used their techniques in unison, even Chao Yanqian's stone dragons unlike ordinary earth techniques were eventually overwhelmed. The thunder-laced barrage succeeded in shattering the constructs of Inorganic Reincarnation.
But in the process, hundreds of Kumo-nin had fallen, and the number of wounded was countless.
Among the enemy forces, Chao Yanqian took particular notice of one ninja who could spit out rubber. His jutsu appeared to be a form of Kekkei Genkai, and the rubber he produced was extremely durable. It was this man who had blocked most of the stone dragons and thwarted Chao Yanqian's initial attack.
Chao Yanqian vaguely remembered him. He seemed to recall Naruto referring to him as "Uncle Rubber," though the exact name escaped him. Despite rarely appearing in battles, this ninja possessed unique abilities and was a troublesome opponent.
"Not bad! You did quite well." Chao Yanqian stood atop a high structure and looked down at the crowd of Kumo-nin, speaking with contempt. "Everyone in Kumogakure, it's time I got serious!"
"Konoha shinobi?" Tutai frowned and stared up at Chao Yanqian. "State your name! Why are you attacking Kumogakure?!"
"He's Konoha's Chao Yanqian!!"
Before Chao Yanqian could respond, a Kumogakure ninja cried out. Judging by his terrified expression, he had seen Chao Yanqian before. Now, however, his legs were shaking, and he nearly collapsed from fear.
"Chao Yanqian! Why have you attacked Kumogakure without provocation? We will demand an explanation from Konoha!" Tutai shouted again.
"Hahaha! Attack?" Chao Yanqian laughed coldly. "Wasn't this your intention for Konoha? Your village provoked this war! In that case, anything I do to you is justified. You sought to destroy Konoha, and now that your own village is under attack, you cry foul? How laughable!"
Staring down at Tutai, Chao Yanqian declared: "When your village chose to provoke Konoha, you should have been prepared for its destruction. I am not the Third Hokage, I'm not as naive as he was. I have no intention of peacefully coexisting with other shinobi villages. If I can, I will use this war to obliterate Kumogakure! One Hidden Leaf is enough for the entire shinobi world!"
"Remember this well! You brought this war upon yourselves. You're simply reaping what you sowed!" Chao Yanqian roared with laughter as he leapt down from his perch.
As soon as his feet touched the ground, he vanished in a blur. His fists struck two unfortunate Kumo-nin, launching them skyward. They crashed into several others before finally slamming into the ground, lifeless.
"Damn it! Just a cocky runt, and he dares to act so arrogantly!" a Kumo-nin growled. He charged at Chao Yanqian, drawing his ninja sword. "Let me show you what this uncle can do!"
In a flash, Chao Yanqian dodged the strike, seized the attacker's arm, and hurled him into the air. Leaping up after him, he landed a powerful kick to the Kumo-nin's abdomen. With a thunderous crash, the ninja was embedded in the ground dead on impact.
Even the unfortunate ninja struck by the falling body was left with a bloodied face and a noticeably dented chest clearly badly injured.
[Lava Release — Melting Spit]
Tutai quickly formed hand signs and spat a stream of yellow liquid at Chao Yanqian.
Of all the Kumo-nin, Tutai was the most troublesome. His Lava Release technique was highly restrictive; once ensnared, it was difficult to escape.
Chao Yanqian threw a few marked kunai and teleported away to avoid the attack, immediately beginning a new set of hand seals.
[Sage Art — White Rage Technique]
A dragon's roar echoed as blinding light and thunderous sound surged forth, distorting the senses of everyone nearby. While vision and hearing were disrupted, Chao Yanqian took advantage of the chaos to prepare his next technique.
[Earth Release — Yellow Spring Bath]
The hardened ground instantly turned into a chakra-infused bog. Numerous Kumo-nin were dragged into the bath. Breaking free was no easy task, and the longer they remained, the more likely they were to suffocate.
As Chao Yanqian rapidly approached, kunai in hand, he aimed directly for Tutai's throat.
Tutai retreated, quickly forming another set of hand seals and unleashing more yellow liquid toward Chao Yanqian.
A serpent-shaped chakra construct extended toward Chao Yanqian, holding a marked kunai in its mouth. The snake lunged at Tutai.
Just before the Lava Release hit him, Chao Yanqian teleported to the marked kunai's location. [Strength of a Hundred Fists] exploded forward and struck Tutai.
BOOM!
Although Tutai raised his arms in time to block, the sheer force of the punch crushed him into the earth. Whether dead or permanently disabled, he was no longer a threat.
With the most troublesome opponent eliminated, the remaining Kumo-nin posed little threat.
Scanning the area coldly, Chao Yanqian declared with chilling finality: "Go to hell."
[Sage Art — Inorganic Reincarnation]
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