"What an astonishing bloodline limit."
"Ice Release..."
Hiruko's expression darkened. Up to this point in the battle, not only had he failed to win, but his body was covered in bluish-purple frostbite, with a dusting of snow clinging to his eyebrows.
He had clearly suffered greatly at the hands of Ice Release.
The little fellow before him, who looked remarkably like a girl, wielded Ice Release with far greater power than he had expected.
Not only was it immensely powerful, but he seemingly did not need hand seals at all, casually creating Ice Release techniques of incredible strength.
Even against Hiruko's Wood Release, he did not fall behind in the slightest. In fact, he even faintly suppressed Hiruko's half-baked Wood Release.
"Ice Release: Double Ice Storm!"
Two tornadoes wrapped in razor-sharp ice blades rose without wind, sweeping across the open ground at tremendous speed and shredding everything in their path.
Hiruko inwardly cursed at the trouble as he formed hand seals with both hands.
"Wood Release: Wood Wall!"
Wooden arched gates rose one after another, blocking the storm-like tornadoes in their entirety.
If possible, Hiruko would have preferred to evade with Swift Release, but the fellow opposite him had an astounding degree of control over Ice Release, actually able to manipulate the direction of ice and snow mid-flight.
The frostbite covering Hiruko's body had been inflicted by Haku remotely controlling his Ice Release.
"This has dragged on too long."
"The Third Hokage seems even more troublesome than expected."
Hiruko had also noticed the enormous commotion, like the earth turning over beneath a dragon's body. It was the clash between the leaders of both sides.
Even someone as powerful as Pain seemed unable to do anything to the Third Hokage.
Hiruko's eyes began to shift.
Fighting in Konoha for an extended