Konoha's Tag-System Ninja

Chapter 96: Chapter 96: Move Aside, I’m Going All Out! [Bonus Chapter]

Boom!

On the ground, a torrent of water surged up, crashing into the pursuing Rōshi, causing steam to rise.

At that moment, Chihiro completed her hand seals as well.

Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!

Taking advantage of the water terrain created by Sarutobi Shinnosuke, a massive water dragon quickly formed, its enormous body twisting skyward before diving down to strike Rōshi.

Rōshi clasped his hands together and spewed out a massive lava ball, colliding with the dragon's head. With a deafening explosion, the dragon's head disintegrated into mist and steam.

"Hm?"

Rōshi frowned as he looked down and saw that the ground beneath him had turned into a swirling swamp, dragging him downwards.

Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!

"Nicely done!"

In the air, Shūichi silently praised them as he raised his hand. Amid a harsh, screeching sound, a Wind Release: Rasenshuriken rapidly formed in his palm.

On the ground, Chihiro heard the sound and looked up in awe. "Such powerful Wind Release chakra... Is this the S-rank Wind Release Shūichi mentioned before?"

"So terrifying!"

"But..."

She turned her gaze to Rōshi, knowing that, just like the previous encounter with A, the Swamp of the Underworld wouldn't be enough to hold him.

Back then, A had used the intense heat from his Lightning Release to dry up the swamp quickly, and now Rōshi was using his Lava Release's heat in a similar manner.

However, just as Rōshi was about to leap out of the swamp, Sarutobi Shinnosuke's jutsu was completed.

Lightning Release: Four Pillar Bind!

Four pillars rose from the ground, and arcs of electricity appeared, trapping Rōshi in mid-air and causing him to fall back down.

In the air, Shūichi seized the opportunity and hurled his Rasenshuriken.

But in the next moment, his eyes widened.

He saw the crimson Tailed Beast chakra rapidly covering Rōshi's body. Originally, Rōshi only had one tail, but now he quickly grew four.

"This guy's going into partial Tailed Beast Mode..."

The four tails shot up, colliding with the rapidly descending Rasenshuriken.

In an instant, a blinding white light expanded, enveloping Rōshi and his four tails.

"Retreat!"

Shūichi appeared beside Shinnosuke and Chihiro, grabbing them both and using his Fiery Lotus Steps technique to dash away at full speed.

As they fled, both Shinnosuke and Chihiro couldn't help but look back. The glowing sphere expanded dramatically, illuminating the night sky before rapidly shrinking, followed by a devastating shockwave.

"So...so strong!"

Chihiro was stunned. It was her first time witnessing such a powerful ninjutsu.

Shinnosuke was equally astonished, but then he smiled and shouted, "Excellent work, Flame!"

After gaining enough distance, Shūichi stopped and braced against the incoming gusts from the explosion. He warned, "Captain, now's not the time to celebrate. That guy's in partial Tailed Beast Mode. As strong as the Rasenshuriken is, it might not be enough to take him down."

Shinnosuke nodded, "To deal with him, we'll need to use Water Release to exploit the elemental advantage and wear him down."

As the storm subsided, a crimson figure emerged in their line of sight.

Just as expected!

Shūichi wasn't surprised. In his Lava Release Chakra Mode, Rōshi's molten armor was absurdly tough—it had even withstood his Blue Flame Waterfall Blade. The Tailed Beast cloak was even stronger, with incredible regenerative abilities.

Moreover, the Rasenshuriken hadn't fully hit Rōshi; his Tailed Beast cloak's tails had absorbed much of the impact, keeping him at a distance.

"He's coming!"

Shinnosuke's voice was tense as Rōshi, now cloaked in the Tailed Beast's chakra, charged at them at high speed.

The three of them simultaneously formed hand seals.

Water Release: Water Colliding Wave!

Shinnosuke was the first to unleash his technique, spewing a torrent of water that rose into a massive wave, crashing towards Rōshi.

But in the next moment, the wave was torn apart as Rōshi's tails slashed through it, and he continued charging across the water's surface.

However, Chihiro and Shūichi's Water Release jutsu were also ready, and they launched their attacks.

Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!

Shūichi used two hand seals, while Chihiro used eight. Despite the difference, they synchronized their timing perfectly.

Two water dragons intertwined, then dove down together.

Twin Dragon Strike!

This time, the attack finally knocked Rōshi off his feet.

But before Shinnosuke could follow up with his Lightning Release, several tails shot out of the water like arrows, aimed directly at them.

Shūichi Hoshita and the others quickly dodged the attack.

"Captain, I'll engage him in close combat!" Shūichi shouted.

Although he only needed two seals for Water Release, he was far from mastering it. Plus, the Jinchūriki's attack speed was too fast. Without someone to engage in close combat, and without a master of Water Release like Kisame or his chakra-absorbing Samehada, it would be difficult to handle.

Shinnosuke was proficient in all five elements, but when it came to Water Release, he still couldn't match Kisame, especially in terms of chakra capacity.

"Understood!" Shinnosuke responded as he leaped to dodge.

Shūichi charged forward, moving rapidly across the water's surface.

Water Body Flicker Technique!

He had learned this technique from Shinnosuke! It was the third type of Body Flicker technique Shūichi had mastered, in addition to the basic Body Flicker and the Fire Body Flicker: Fiery Lotus Steps.

While advancing at high speed, he skillfully evaded the two crimson tails that kept attacking him.

Meanwhile, Shinnosuke and Chihiro combined their Water Release techniques, dodging the tail strikes and using Water Severing Wave to cut through the tails aiming for Shūichi.

Seizing the opportunity, Shūichi dashed forward and reached Rōshi. His Totsuka Blade glowed with a blue flame as he slashed down.

Clang!

Rōshi surprisingly caught the descending blade with both hands.

But the intense heat of the blade scorched through his Tailed Beast cloak, causing excruciating burns and making Rōshi scream in pain.

However, he gritted his teeth, refusing to let go. By this point, Rōshi was on the verge of losing control, and the tails regrown behind him shot toward Shūichi like swords.

Two water streams surged up, wrapping around two of Rōshi's tails.

At the same time, lotus-like flames bloomed from Shūichi's Totsuka Blade.

Inferno Lotus!

Boom! Boom!

Before the remaining tails could hit Shūichi, Rōshi's entire body was blasted backward.

Immediately after, a water dragon roared, opening its jaws and biting down on Rōshi. It then plunged into the water with a loud crash, sending huge waves skyward.

As the water rippled, Shūichi raised his left hand, curling his fingers into a claw. A dragon's head appeared, and as the chakra condensed into a searing white light, a thin beam shot out.

Dragon Flame Breath!

The high-temperature beam penetrated the water. Instinctively sensing danger, Rōshi twisted his body, barely avoiding a critical hit, but the beam pierced through his shoulder.

Shūichi raised his left hand, causing the scorching white beam to rise, slicing through Rōshi's body and his Tailed Beast cloak.

Crimson chakra spilled from the wound, and Rōshi let out a beastly roar.

Boom!

Violent, malevolent chakra surged, sending water flying in all directions.

"Looks like I might've overdone it..." Shūichi muttered, sensing the danger. It seemed like Rōshi was about to lose control.

He quickly retreated to Shinnosuke and Chihiro's side. "Captain, this isn't good—he's about to go berserk!"

Sure enough, in the next moment, a massive figure appeared.

"Die!" Rōshi's voice bellowed.

"He's still maintaining his sanity...?" Shūichi was surprised but quickly raised his right hand, sheathing his sword.

Wind Release: Rasenshuriken!

At the same time, the Tailed Beast Bomb in Rōshi's mouth, now in full Four-Tails form, was completed and launched.

Shūichi hurled his Rasenshuriken, and it collided with the Tailed Beast Bomb.

"Retreat!"

Shūichi and the others quickly retreated.

As the Rasenshuriken and the Tailed Beast Bomb exploded, the deafening blast was accompanied by an intense light, like a miniature sun. A terrifying force expanded outward, forming a rapidly swelling sphere of energy.

Then, just as quickly, the energy began to contract, triggering a devastating shockwave that ripped through the ground.

Shinnosuke pressed both hands to the ground.

Earth Release: Multiple Earth Flow Walls!

Three earthen walls rose from the ground in front of Shūichi and the others.

In the next moment, the shockwave hit. The first two walls were torn apart, but the third wall finally held back the destructive force.

When the storm subsided, the ground was left trembling violently.

Shūichi Hoshita and the others climbed onto the earthen wall, just in time to see the Four-Tails charging at them, its tails thrashing wildly.

"What a pain..." Shūichi muttered with frustration.

Sarutobi Shinnosuke said, "Flame, Seeker and I will distract it. You find the right moment to use the Wind Release: Rasenshuriken. If you can land a hit, even a Tailed Beast won't come out unscathed."

"No, Captain. I want to keep it simple—take it out in one move," Shūichi replied.

With that, he leaped off the earthen wall. Holding the Totsuka Blade, he drove it into the ground under the watchful eyes of Shinnosuke and Chihiro.

At that moment, the chakra he had stored in his abdomen surged forth. Not only that, but the Yin Seal on his forehead—unused even in his battle against the A-B combo—was also unleashed.

Inferno Lotus: Fire Prison!

Crack!

The ground split open as brilliant blue flames surged from within, like a terrifying dragon slithering beneath the earth.

"This is..." Shinnosuke was stunned. "An S-rank sword technique secret art!"

Chihiro was equally shocked. "Such massive chakra... Flame..."

Shinnosuke explained, "It must be some kind of sealing technique that allows him to store chakra."

Their gaze followed the crack in the earth, which split into three directions—one straight toward the charging Four-Tails, while the other two encircled it.

Seeing the approaching cracks, the Four-Tails stopped, pressing its palms to the ground and turning the terrain into a sea of lava.

Fire Release?

The Four-Tails feared nothing less than Fire Release.

Rumble!

Flames erupted from beneath the ground, clashing with the sea of lava created by the Four-Tails, sending waves of molten rock into the air.

But this did nothing to harm the Four-Tails. Even extreme heat had no effect on it.

However, around the Four-Tails, a fissure had formed a circular boundary, and from it, blue flames burst forth, transforming into blooming lotuses of fire.

Some of these fiery lotuses were massive, towering over the Four-Tails itself.

Every lotus bud faced toward the Four-Tails in the center. Then, they bloomed—exploding.

In that instant, a terrifying, enclosed explosion erupted, compressing all of its destructive force toward the center, where the Four-Tails stood.

For a brief moment, under the shocked gazes of Shinnosuke and Chihiro, their vision became completely distorted. The space around the Four-Tails seemed to be twisted, as if several invisible hands were squeezing it.

This was a true Fire Prison.

In the instant that the enormous Four-Tails wrapped its tails around itself for protection, its body was momentarily frozen, and then, massive holes burst open across its form.

It could resist or even ignore the extreme heat, but it couldn't withstand the crushing pressure.

Though it sounds long, the entire Inferno Lotus: Fire Prison technique exploded in mere moments.

Afterward, Shinnosuke and the others felt the waves of heat rushing toward them, and the warped space gradually returned to normal.

The massive Four-Tails collapsed, its form rapidly shrinking, until it reverted back into Rōshi, who lay in pain on the scorched, cracked ground.

Almost simultaneously, Shūichi's body gave way.

"Flame!"

Shinnosuke instantly appeared beside him, catching Shūichi in his arms. Chihiro quickly followed, pulling the Totsuka Blade from the ground.

"Retreat!"

Without checking Rōshi's condition, they immediately moved to evacuate with the exhausted Shūichi.

"Wait..." Shūichi weakly called out. "Captain, use a sealing scroll to collect some pieces of the Four-Tails' flesh."

Shinnosuke glanced at the small scroll on Shūichi's back, nodding as he quickly went to work.

Chihiro supported Shūichi and asked, "Flame, do you plan to study the Tailed Beast's power? That's very dangerous."

Shūichi gave a tired smile. "Don't worry. I'll hand it over to Orochimaru-sama for research."

Chihiro nodded, pulling out a soldier pill. She removed Shūichi's mask and fed it to him.

Shinnosuke soon returned, and together they swiftly retreated with Shūichi.

As Shūichi lay on Shinnosuke's back, his eyes blank, he couldn't help but silently curse, "Why are my opponents always so strong? Damn it!"

His hope of filling both Yin Seals by the end of the year was thoroughly dashed after these two intense battles!

However... the feeling of unleashing a massive attack like that was undeniably exhilarating.

That moment of release, the beautiful technique, the rush—it was a high like no other!

And it wasn't without its rewards.

The flesh of the Four-Tails...

It's got incredible research value!

(End of Chapter)

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