"BOOM!"
A huge area of forest erupted in flames.
Three Iwagakure ninjas were directly hit by the Fire Style jutsu and burned to ashes, while several others suffered injuries.
The remaining Rock Shinobi tried hard to ignore the pain shooting through their bodies, sweat dripping from their foreheads.
Now that battle had broken out, there was no need to hide anymore.
The Rock Shinobi leader immediately shouted:
"Form around me! C formation!"
The Fire Style jutsu had been too powerful, covering an enormous area that completely disrupted the Rock Shinobi's original formation. The leader now called for everyone to regroup according to their planned strategy.
"Fire Style: Flame Rope!"
With a powerful whoosh, crimson flames rose high into the air and spread widely, forming a massive wall of fire that separated the Iwagakure ninjas from each other.
Many Rock Shinobi watched in horror as Naraku stepped through the wall of fire, and one of his arms transformed into a blazing flame.
The fire spread beneath Naraku's feet, tearing the ground into dirt and gravel that flew everywhere alongside the flames. In a flash, his figure disappeared.
Before the Rock Shinobi's sensor ninja could react, Naraku appeared directly in front of him and swung his flaming arm.
"Fire Style: Shiranui!"
The flames on Naraku's arm shot forward, instantly forming a flaming spear that pierced through the vital points of the Iwagakure sensor ninja. The flames then poured into the ninja's body and began to burn violently from within.
"Thunk! Thunk!"
A barrage of hidden weapons pierced Naraku's body in multiple places. Two Rock Shinobi rushed forward, swinging their swords and slashing at him.
"Swish!"
The swords in the Rock Shinobi's hands cut through the air like gusts of wind through a forest, slicing through all obstacles and passing directly through Naraku's body.
Did they win?
The two Rock Shinobi froze in shock, not realizing that Naraku's movements hadn't stopped. Chakra surged quickly to his palms, forming two extremely sharp scalpels.
Chakra Scalpel!
It sounded like moonlight leaking through clouds, like a knife cutting through ocean waves, and then the forest returned to silence.
The Chakra Scalpels in Naraku's hands pierced the hearts of both Rock Shinobi. Severe pain swept through their bodies—the last sensation they would ever feel as the meridians and muscles in their bodies were cut and severed by the Chakra Scalpels.
Flames ignited across Naraku's body. The two Rock Shinobi stared at him with wide eyes, still unable to understand why their attacks had passed through him without effect.
The flames burning on his body disappeared, and Naraku returned to his original state without any injuries.
This was the elemental ability granted to Naraku by the Mera-Mera Fruit!
His body could elementalize and become intangible, making physical attacks completely ineffective.
Shihouin Naraku understood the confusion in the hearts of the two dead Rock Shinobi, but he had no intention of explaining his abilities to his enemies.
"Only two left!"
Although the battle seemed to last forever, in reality, it had taken only moments.
In that short time, only two people from the eight-member Iwagakure squad remained alive.
"Earth Style: Hidden Mole Technique!"
The last two surviving Rock Shinobi popped their heads out from underground. They looked around in shock, unable to comprehend how their companions had died so quickly.
"You bastard!"
"Damn you!"
Looking at the two angry Rock Shinobi emerging from the ground, Naraku wasn't surprised by their method of approach.
This was an Earth-style ninjutsu called Hiding Like a Mole Technique, which allowed ninjas to move underground and change their position.
That's how they had managed to avoid Naraku's wall of fire and appear before him now.
"Earth Style: Landslide!"
The Rock Shinobi leader quickly formed hand seals and then slammed his fist into the ground. Terrible spider-web cracks instantly spread across the earth. In the blink of an eye, the ground shattered into countless fine grains of sand, rushing toward Naraku like a tidal wave.
"Earth Style: Earth and Stone Dragon!"
The second Rock Shinobi formed hand seals and roared as a large amount of chakra poured out of him. Countless rocks and earth made the ground shake and crack violently, then quickly gathered together to form a ferocious dragon that roared as it charged toward Naraku.
"First trap the enemy, then kill him!"
As his feet became covered by the eroding fine sand, Naraku could feel its restraining power. The giant dragon formed of earth and stone was already within striking distance!
"It seems the remaining two are the strongest among this group of pursuers!"
Even with the horrific attack about to hit him, Naraku remained calm.
With a whoosh, flames began to burn across Shihouin Naraku's entire body, dancing flames covering him completely.
The Rock Shinobi opposite him frowned at this sight.
No hand seals?
What were those flames around him?
Wouldn't he be burned by his own flames?
"Fire Style: Flame Commandment: Pillar of Fire!"
A massive surge of orange-red flames erupted violently, spinning and expanding rapidly with Naraku at its centre. Waves of intense heat gushed outward.
The dry air instantly baked the ground like a desert, and the flames rising into the sky seemed to turn the heavens red.
Carrying terrifying momentum, the flames formed a pillar of fire connecting sky and earth!
The burning fire directly cracked the earth and evaporated the air around it.
The earth and stone dragon, despite its great power, crashed into the pillar of fire and shattered into flying pieces of earth and stone that fell harmlessly to the ground.
But Naraku's attack wasn't over. The expansion of the giant pillar of fire finally reached its limit, and then all its energy was released in an instant.
"BOOM!!!"
The last thing the two Rock Shinobi saw was the reflection of red flames in their eyes, filling the entire world around them.
This attack completely razed the forest within a radius of several hundred meters!
"It's over."
Naraku looked at the devastated scene around him and couldn't help but be amazed by the power of fire.
His original Fire Style jutsu could never have reached such a terrifying level, but the Mera-Mera Fruit had greatly amplified his fire abilities, resulting in this destructive power.
The Mera-Mera Fruit and Fire Style combined were definitely not as simple as one plus one equals two!
It took a long time before the surroundings calmed down.
Naraku did not linger but turned and headed toward the Land of Fire.
Iwagakure's pursuing ninjas had been dealt with, and Sunagakure would not be able to catch up anytime soon. This mission could be called a perfect success.
...
Sunagakure, inside a building.
"BANG!"
Documents scattered across the floor!
"Tell me, what have you all been doing?"
"I only just found out that the ninjas I sent were completely wiped out by the enemy!"
"What exactly have you been doing?!"
Baki, wearing Jōnin armour with a white cloth wrapped around his head covering the left side of his face, roared loudly with a dark expression.
"..."
The several Sunagakure ninjas standing before him remained silent.
"Do you know where that gold dust came from?"
"It was extracted from the ground by Lord Kazekage after spending considerable effort during what little free time he has!"
"For the development of our village!"
"And now, tell me..."
"The gold dust was taken by the enemy?!"
Baki glared at his subordinates, the anger in his heart overwhelming his reason as he berated them for an hour without any sign of stopping.
"None of you will escape punishment this time!"
"Wait for Lord Kazekage's orders!"
"..."
In the uncomfortable silence, there was a sudden knock on the door.
"What is it?!"
Baki turned toward the Sunagakure ninja who appeared, his face fierce and his brows furrowed with anger.
"Sir, Lord Kazekage requests your presence..."
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