The Ice Release Swarm Surge!
Kakuzu's body, which had already been severed in two, sprouted countless black tentacles from the broken surface.
Entangled, intertwined, and then merged into one.
The girl stared in utter disbelief as Kakuzu returned to his original state with the undulating movements of the black tentacles.
It seems that the human form his body reveals is merely a disguise; and the true Kakuzu is actually this group of long black lines.
"Immortality?" Sakura murmured to herself, "Even though it was cut in half!"
This is a headache. How do I deal with an opponent like this?
Is this what all opponents are like after reaching the "Kage" level?
On the opposite side of Sakura, Chakra, Kakuzu had returned to normal, was experiencing a surge of chakra, and a new change was taking place!
The girl frowned, watching as the tentacle monster opposite her finally revealed its true form:
Countless black tentacles emerged from behind Kakuzu, fluttering and dancing in the air. Most of them coalesced into four humanoid tentacle monsters wearing eerie masks.
No, there should be three... The fourth mask was cut in half, and just as it began to coalesce, it collapsed to the ground.
So, did the Wind Blade Torrent still work? Sakura wondered to herself.
"Your Ninjutsu is quite powerful! I spent a long time collecting that Water Release heart before finally finding it! But it doesn't matter, your heart is even more perfect... I can't wait to open your chest and take out your heart!" Kakuzu said, uttering chilling words. "Now, it's my turn to attack!"
An astonishing Chakra condensed in the black tentacles, and the two eerie masks on Kakuzu's shoulders suddenly opened their mouths, simultaneously unleashing a terrifyingly powerful Ninjutsu!
Fire Style: Searing Migraine!
"Wind Release: Pressure Damage!"
The fire, fueled by the wind, spread rapidly and quickly became a raging inferno.
In Ninjutsu, there is a technique called Combination Ninjutsu. It's not like Kekkei Genkai that combine two attributes, but rather two Ninjutsu of different attributes are released simultaneously, one supporting the other, thus unleashing power several times stronger than the original Ninjutsu!
The combination of Wind Release and Fire Style that Naruto and Sasuke once trained in is this kind of Combination Ninjutsu.
The raging sea of fire rushing towards Sakura right now is Combination Ninjutsu born from the combination of Wind Release Fire Style, with the power of the Searing Migraine technique increasing several times over!
The highly concentrated Chakra fireball, upon hitting the ground, transformed into a raging inferno, hurtling towards the cat-masked ninja like a tsunami.
In the blazing Kakkō, everything in its path was reduced to ashes. Fueled by the wind, the attack's Searing Migraine expanded rapidly, explosively engulfing the land within a radius of several hundred meters. Flowers, trees, birds, beasts, and insects were all obliterated in this single blow!
Faced with such a powerful Combination Ninjutsu, Sakura did not release any defensive Ninjutsu, as that would only waste Chakra.
Her approach was to avoid direct confrontation.
"Try this move..." She instantly extracted a significant portion of the massive amount of Chakra released by the Yin Seal.
Manipulating such an astonishing amount of Chakra, Sakura Haruno felt the veins on her forehead faintly bulging!
"Ice Release: Leviathan's Wrath!"
What should have been One-Horned White Whale Ice Release Ninjutsu was modified in Sakura's hands, giving Ninjutsu a new Shape Transformation and causing a complete transformation!
Perhaps the largest creature the person who developed this Ninjutsu could imagine was a whale from the sea;
However, in the magnificent and colorful fantasy works of humankind in the past, there were countless even larger and more terrifying creatures!
The behemoth that left the deepest impression on Sakura was the Leviathan from "Heart of the Swarm G," a game from a company that supposedly "spends ten years making games and nine years making G" in her previous life...
Therefore, after mastering the Shape Transformation of Ice Release, the One-Horned White Whale Ninjutsu was completely elevated in Sakura's hands.
The already enormous white whale, under the influence of highly concentrated Ice Release Chakra, expanded several times in size, transforming into a giant creature two to three hundred meters long; hard plates and ferocious bone spikes grew on its smooth back and belly; its skull elongated and extended forward, with sharp fangs protruding from its mouth... Countless changes rapidly occurred on the white whale, transforming this crystalline creature beyond recognition.
The elegant and simple whale was transformed in her hands into a ferocious and terrifying Leviathan behemoth soaring through the air!
"Hoo--!" On the ground, the slender girl expended an enormous amount of Chakra that was completely disproportionate to her size, completing the Ninjutsu. She slightly opened her mouth and exhaled a long breath.
"Awooo--!" In the air, the giant monster, whose body was hundreds of meters long, opened its blood-red maw and let out a deep, shocking roar that made people's chests suffocate!
As she completed the technique, Kakuzu's Searing Migraine was already burning right in front of her eyes.
Sakura Haruno calmly formed Hand Seals.
Ice Release: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals!
As long as there is a large block of ice containing Sakura's Chakra, the Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals Ninjutsu can be used.
Thus, the Ice Body Flicker Technique Instantaneous Movement was activated in the blink of a Kakuzu. Using Leviathan as the Body Flicker Technique, Sakura Haruno vanished from her spot in that instant, and the next moment, the slender figure of the girl was already standing on the single horn atop the giant beast's head. [Note]
The raging sea of fire swallowed only the girl's afterimage.
Then, drawn by gravity, the giant beast began to fall from its height, swooping down towards Kakuzu!
At the same time, other changes occurred in Leviathan's body...
From the gaps and holes in its body, countless insectoids crawled out as the giant beast's body trembled, falling onto the ground scorched by the Fire Style. They gathered into a dark sea of insects composed of tentacle-like spine-spining crawlers and hydralisks, surging towards Kakuzu from all Kakuzu like a tide!
"Take this, Kakuzu..."
The girl standing on the giant beast's horn, facing the howling wind as it swooped down, curled her lips into a cold smile.
This is a swarm of insects recreated using Ice Release!
Standing atop the giant beast's horn, watching the swarms of insects rushing towards Kakuzu like a tide, Sakura felt a surge of excitement.
However... let's think about it calmly.
Although Sakura remained calm and confident in her technique.
However, Kakuzu must have his own way of dealing with it.
In essence, the amount of Chakra consumed by Leviathan's Wrath's swarm of insects is not much different from that of Frost Ice Burial's Ice Blade Forest.
Yes, these two are Ninjutsu of the same level.
However, when Sakura constructed Ice Release: Leviathan's Wrath, the transformations of her Ice Release Shape Transformation were more complex, and the biological forms she created were more exquisite and colorful, thus demonstrating a wider range of offensive methods and stronger combat power.
However, in terms of practical use, both of these are merely Ninjutsu that Sakura Haruno uses to set up her Ice Release techniques—she is not so arrogant as to think that such Ninjutsu can defeat enemies at the "Kage" level.
It was only because Kakuzu used the Combination Ninjutsu Fire Style: Searing Migraine, turning the ground into a sea of fire, that Sakura changed her Ice Release deployment method from the ground to entering the field from the air.
It's not that Frost Ice Burial can't counter Kakuzu's Fire Style: Searing Migraine; regardless of the method, Ice Release Kekkei Genkai Ninjutsu is still stronger than Combination Ninjutsu.
However, that would inevitably consume a lot of Chakra, a futile waste.
Avoiding the enemy's sharpest attack and dodging the sea of fire on the ground, launching an attack from above is a more effective and Chakra option.
After all, Sakura's Yin Seal doesn't store much Chakra. It hasn't been a long time since the rescue of Sasuke, so her Chakra reserves aren't high, and the continuous battles have left the Yin Seal somewhat strained.
The way Leviathan's Wrath spreads its territory is certainly not as effective as Frost Ice Burial in covering every piece of land.
However, the more colossal and condensed form of the behemoth, along with the more refined Shape Transformation of its Ice Release techniques, makes it even more powerful than Frost Ice Burial. Against an opponent like Kakuzu, who has already seen through the true nature of the Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals, using Frost Ice Burial to turn the ground into ice might invite a counter -Ninjutsu from the enemy.
However, how will Kakuzu deal with a swarm of insects attacking simultaneously from the air and the ground?
[Note: The unicorn horn is a remnant of One-Horned White Whale.]
(Fourth update complete! Please recommend! Please subscribe! Please add more chapters!)
(The time between this volume and the previous one is still too short, so Sakura hasn't developed many new Ninjutsu.)
(Seeking opinions: What's a good nickname for our fans?)