A dragon made of transparent crystal took shape, its surface refracting the sunlight into dazzling rays.
"Look! Even if I don't become a ninja, with this skill, I'll never go hungry!"
"Soar, Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"
"Hahahaha!"
Kazuyama pressed his hand against the dragon, imprinting a technique onto it, then swung his arm forward, launching it into the air.
Chōmei covered his bug-like eyes with his hands, unable to watch. He hadn't realized it before, but this kid was really full of himself.
The dragon crashed into the enemy ranks, shattering into countless razor-sharp fragments, dealing devastating damage to the surrounding Kumo ninja.
"Damn it! Everyone, retreat quickly!"
"Maroi, take the sensor ninja and the Medical-nin first! The rest, cover them!"
The Jōnin leading the squad barked out orders, but against the relentless barrage of Jade Crystal Clones and Crystal Release attacks, their countermeasures were growing increasingly desperate.
"Still resisting? Fine, I'll add more fuel to the fire!"
"Eight Waves of Needles Grenade Launcher!"
Kazuyama clapped his hands together—not forming any seals, just channeling raw chakra—condensing jagged, spike-covered crystals in the air. The next moment, they turned into grenade-like projectiles and rained down upon the Kumo forces.
The crystalline structures of his attacks were incredibly dense, each shard a deadly weapon. For an average Chūnin caught in the blast, there would be no chance of survival.
"Don't be so arrogant!"
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"
The Jōnin quickly formed seals, summoning a massive water dragon with a gaping, blood-red maw, surging toward one of the clones.
But while the strategy seemed sound, reality was far more cruel.
As the water dragon slammed into a clone, shattering it into countless shards, Kazuyama smirked. He clasped his hands together in mock prayer, his chakra surging. In an instant, the crystalline dust from the destroyed clone began to spread.
Crystal Release was a Kekkei Genkai that could turn any object into crystal.
The water dragon—still mid-flight—became engulfed in the spreading dust, its liquid form slowly solidifying.
The Jōnin's eyes widened in shock.
"Damn it! Kekkei Genkai?!"
Before he could react, the entire water dragon had completely crystallized. Then, with a flick of Kazuyama's wrist, the transformed beast lunged toward him.
The Kumo Jōnin was momentarily distracted—just long enough for the dragon's jaws to close around him.
Then—boom!
The dragon exploded into countless shards, sending lethal fragments into the surrounding ninja, cutting them down where they stood.
At this point, the battle had turned into nothing more than Kazuyama's personal training ground.
One after another, various crystal constructs took form, seamlessly combining with the relentless onslaught of the Jade Crystal Clones. Under the overwhelming assault, the Kumo resistance crumbled.
With most of the enemy either dead or having fled, Kazuyama finally halted his attacks, though there was a lingering sense of dissatisfaction in his eyes.
"Tsk, Lightning Bro's already getting anxious—not just defending, but attacking now."
"Looks like the rear forces were hit. It's got him rattled."
Kazuyama soared into the air again, scanning the battlefield below. Surrounded by enemies, the Third Raikage had gone berserk, unleashing a relentless assault. Even when blocked, his mastery of the Hell Stab: Piercing Four-Fingered technique turned him into a whirlwind of destruction.
"I wonder how things are going in the Land of Hot Water."
"By now, Black Mamba should have delivered my intel to Tsunade."
Little did he know, the Land of Hot Water had already become a battlefield.
—
"Damn it! Have these Konoha ninja lost their minds?! How dare they fight back when they're outnumbered?!"
"Dodai! Tell everyone to split into smaller squads and counterattack!"
"Kill every Konoha ninja you see!"
A, the son of the Raikage, had just received a report—Kumo's garrison outside the Land of Hot Water had come under full-scale attack.
Konoha had mobilized its entire army, striking with unexpected ferocity.
Led by Tsunade and her forces, the attack was already pushing deep into the region.
A, who had been eating, nearly flipped the table in rage, almost launching an accidental rice ball assault.
Thankfully, the quick-witted Bee beside him caught all the rice balls before they hit the floor.
"Bee, stop stuffing your face! Follow me to the front lines!"
"This time, I'm going to finish off Tsunade and that yellow-haired brat!"
Dragging Killer Bee up with him, A stormed toward the exit.
Dodai, however, frowned. Something felt off.
"Wait a minute… this doesn't add up."
"Huh? What are you talking about, Dodai?"
Dodai took a deep breath, his mind racing.
"I'm saying this doesn't feel right."
"For so long, aside from small skirmishes when Tsunade first arrived, Konoha has been on the defensive."
"And now, suddenly, they launch a full-scale counterattack? That's suspicious."
A narrowed his eyes, his rage cooling slightly.
"You think this is some kind of setup?"
"But the Land of Hot Water has always been under our control. Even if they were planning something, why would they charge straight at us?"
Dodai hesitated—A had a point.
Kumo had held the Land of Hot Water for a long time. If Konoha were plotting something, they would've tried luring them out of the region, not straight into battle.
Unless… the entire war had shifted.
The Land of Grass? The Land of Rivers? Had Konoha gained the upper hand somewhere?
Or—
Dodai's face suddenly went pale.
"How long has it been since we last received intel from the Land of Rice Fields?"
A and Killer Bee exchanged confused looks.
"The Land of Rice Fields? That's one of our bases, isn't it?"
But the moment Dodai mentioned it, they realized they hadn't heard any updates from the region in quite some time.
A's expression darkened.
"Are you saying something happened to Father?"
"But Konoha's forces are right here. How could they have sent troops to the Land of Rice Fields?"
"That doesn't make sense…"
Before he could finish, Dodai cut him off, his voice grave.
"What if it wasn't Konoha?"
"Think about it—at the start of the war, Iwa fought us hard in the Land of Rice Fields."
A's face turned as dark as coal. The scenario Dodai described wasn't impossible.
Konoha's sudden shift from defense to offense, their aggressive push—if Iwa had already made a move elsewhere, it all started to make sense.
"Damn it! I'll take the troops to the Land of Rice Fields myself! If those Iwa bastards are behind this, I'll make them pay!"
Fueled by worry for his father, A erupted in fury. His chest burned with frustration, and if Killer Bee hadn't grabbed him, he would've already charged off.
"No, you can't leave. You're the commander-in-chief. If you abandon the Land of Hot Water, the consequences will be catastrophic."
"You have to stay here and repel Konoha's forces."
"As for the Land of Rice Fields…"
Dodai's expression was grim. If war had already erupted there, and if Iwa was leading the attack, the region would be a death trap.
Without overwhelming strength, going there would be suicide.
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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