Anko's Combat Strength, Part One

Fudō did not hesitate to ignore the blade swiftly slashing toward his neck, gathering all the strength in his body into his right arm.

His right fist, which had originally been aimed at Suigetsu, suddenly gained another measure of force!

The reason he dared act so recklessly was that he had already secretly used the Earth Release: Hardening Technique. Once activated, it could make his body as hard as steel.

In the blink of an eye, the two sides' attacks collided!

A crisp metallic clang rang out—Clang!

Suigetsu's long blade struck as though it had hit an impregnable wall of bronze and iron, instantly bouncing away.

At the same time, Fudō's heavy fist, packed with terrifying force, struck Suigetsu squarely on the head.

In that instant, something Fudō had never expected happened.

Under that crushing blow, Suigetsu's head turned into a pool of clear water that splashed in every direction.

It was Suigetsu's specialty, the Water Transformation Technique, which could turn his body into liquid at critical moments.

However, although Suigetsu had neutralized Fudō's fatal blow, he clearly had not come away unscathed.

Elsewhere, Anko, who had been separated from the others, found herself under a joint assault from three people.

Clearly, Kazuma, Fuen, and Fūfū intended to defeat Anko quickly before going to assist Fudō.

Fuen and Fūfū, the two experts skilled in long-range attacks, stood firmly at the rear and began forming Hand Seals in perfect coordination.

"Earth Release: Flying Sand and Rolling Stones!"

With a fierce sweep of Fuen's hands, the ground all around them instantly burst upward.

Countless fragments of stone sprayed out like rain, colliding in midair and kicking up billowing clouds of dust. Like a ferocious yellow dragon, they swept toward Anko with overwhelming force.

At the same time, Kazuma did not remain