Amid the steam, Torifu murmured under his breath, quietly enough that only he could hear, "Cloud Release: Cloud Spear Technique."
He exhaled a torrent of white clouds and made a grasping motion. The clouds gathered in his palm, forming a long, white spear of cloud qi.
He breathed out another cloud and merged it with the water vapor created by the battle. Using the clouds, Torifu easily pinpointed Lomaru's location.
He aimed the spear in his hand and hurled it! When a cry of pain rang out, Torifu smiled.
Whether it was steam or mist, as long as Torifu mixed his cloud qi into it, he could use the entire mass of steam or mist to his advantage.
Within the clouds, Torifu was in complete control!
While the others struggled to see through the steam, Torifu moved through it like a fish in water.
And even the Sharingan couldn't sense Torifu's cloud qi.
As Lomaru's older brother, Rojin recognized his younger brother's voice at once!
He immediately broke away from Hiruzen and Koharu's encirclement and ran toward his younger brother without hesitation.
"Lomaru! Hang in there! Use that technique!"
Rojin pinpointed the direction from his younger brother's cry and plunged into the clouds.
When he reached his younger brother, he found that Lomaru's whole body was as cold as ice.
Lomaru struggled to force out a few indistinct words. "Rojin, I'm going to die. After you use that technique... run."
Rojin's eyes were bloodshot. He roared almost madly, "What are you talking about? You're my younger brother! We both escaped from Sunagakure!"
Lomaru shook his head. He knew his own condition.
He could barely breathe, and his lungs felt as if they were frozen solid. He knew he wasn't going to make it. "Do it."
Seeing Lomaru's resolve, Rojin nodded, unwilling and furious. He had brought his younger brother all the way out of Sunagakure!
And now his younger brother was going to die in some ravine!
"Wind Release: Tornado Technique!"
He spewed out a raging blast of wind, scattering all the clouds! Debris from houses and other ruins left by the battle were swept up along with it!
The gale then converged, twisting and spinning into a massive storm! Its immense suction seemed ready to drag everyone into its center and tear them apart!
Fortunately, Torifu Akimichi was there. He managed to brace himself against the storm with his massive body and held everyone in his palm, saving them from disaster.
They had underestimated the two men's strength after all! This was their final act, with everything they had. Would they be able to withstand it?
"Fire Release: Great Flowing Flame!"
Lomaru forced his battered body to keep going and used the last of his Chakra to spew out a torrent of flames.
Unlike the flames from before, this torrent was far more violent and intense! The blazing fire met the storm and shot skyward in an instant!
The wind fed the flames! Lomaru's torrent of fire grew several times stronger in an instant!
The flames wound up the storm, becoming a massive tornado of fire.
"You're all going to die! You'll join the two of us in the grave!"
Rojin roared in a frenzy. Lomaru had already died in his brother's arms after releasing his technique.
It seemed Rojin had no intention of fleeing. He planned to die alongside Torifu and the others.
Torifu Akimichi ran toward the valley's entrance with everyone in his hands, but the storm's suction was immense, and it was moving toward them.
Their situation was extremely dire!
"Damn it! What do we do? Is there any way out?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked gravely. The severity of the situation had exceeded his expectations.
He couldn't understand why two ninjas this powerful had chosen to defect from their village.
Koharu shook her head helplessly. "Those two techniques combined are already S-rank, or even beyond S-rank."
"Torifu, what about you? Do you have a way?"
Hiruzen asked urgently. If they waited any longer, they would all be done for.
"I don't have much Chakra left. I can't use a Water Release technique powerful enough to stop it."
In truth, even with enough Chakra, no technique he could use would withstand the flaming tornado created by the brothers, Rojin and Lomaru.
"Oh no! Chirori!"
Kagami Uchiha suddenly remembered that his younger sister was hiding in one of the houses!
He was about to jump down and search for Chirori, but Danzo grabbed him.
"Don't panic. The tornado hasn't reached the houses yet, so your sister might not be in danger. But if you jump down, you definitely will be."
Danzo was right. They had placed Chirori in a house far from the center of the battle, and they hadn't reached her location yet.
"Kagami, don't let worry cloud your judgment," Hiruzen said as well. Chirori should be safe, but Kagami could get himself killed if he jumped down recklessly.
At that moment, Torifu spoke up. "I'll go get Chirori. We'll meet at the valley entrance."
Hiruzen furrowed his brow. He'd only just talked one person out of it, and now another was volunteering?
"I can guarantee I'll make it back safely. Trust me."
"As team leader, I have no reason to trust you. I'm responsible for your safety."
The other teammates chimed in too. Even Kagami tried to dissuade Torifu. "Danzo's right. Chirori might not be in danger. I can't let you risk your life either."
Hearing Kagami say that left everyone feeling uneasy. If only they were stronger, would things have turned out differently?
Torifu wasn't ready to give up. He still wanted to argue. He couldn't stand by and do nothing while Chirori might be hurt.
Chirori was his best friend.
"I—!"
"Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!"
With a thunderous shout, countless thick trees burst from the ground and spread through the valley like vines!
The immensely powerful flaming tornado, which had driven them to the brink of despair, shattered and vanished the instant it touched the spreading branches.
Only a few sparks remained, burning among the trees.
"It's Lord Hokage!" Hiruzen pointed toward the valley entrance.
Everyone looked in the same direction. Sure enough, Lord Hokage was there, and their anxious hearts finally settled.
"Chirori's there too. Looks like Lord Hokage rescued her on the way."
Kagami said with a cheerful grin. His earlier gloom was gone, and his smile stretched nearly from ear to ear.
Torifu looked and saw that Kagami was right. Chirori was dangling from their teacher's hand like a handbag!
Only then did Torifu smile. Fortunately, his teacher had arrived. Otherwise, he really wouldn't have known how to turn the situation around.
He'd even considered risking the system's exposure to buy an item from the Shop that would increase his strength!
With the tornado's suction gone, Torifu Akimichi needed only a few strides to reach the valley entrance.
"Lord Hokage!"
Everyone bowed to Hashirama. Wherever Hashirama was, people felt completely at ease—though not the enemy, of course.
"Hahaha! You kids must have been scared out of your wits, huh?"
Before you continue