Munashi Jinpachi stopped in front of the Earth Release barrier blocking his way and stared at Uzumaki Muto.
"There are only two of you left. Looks like your teammates chose to run rather than face us, abandoning you. The three of us will make short work of you. Aren't you scared at all?"
Chakra gathered around Munashi Jinpachi as he raced up the wall, clinging to it.
Seeing him charge, Uzumaki Muto roared:
"The three of you aren't enough to defeat us!"
He formed hand seals.
"Earth Style: Earth Mausoleum Dumpling!"
He used Earth Release chakra to tear a chunk of earth from the barrier, reinforced it with more Earth Release chakra, then hurled it at Munashi Jinpachi.
Munashi Jinpachi watched the rock hurtle toward him, then flung Exploding Blade Shibuki forward. The rock struck the blade.
The blade exploded.
The rock was blasted to pieces, and the blade bounced back after the explosion.
Munashi Jinpachi seized the blade at just the right moment and continued rushing toward Uzumaki Muto.
Uzumaki Muto realized he couldn't stop Munashi Jinpachi's advance. The blade's power was incredible.
There was no way to withstand the damage from its explosions.
He had to stop Munashi Jinpachi from reaching the others.
The explosive power of his opponent's weapon was too great. But even great power had its drawbacks.
He had an idea. If he rushed up close to Munashi Jinpachi, the man wouldn't be able to use explosions right beside him.
He formed hand seals. "Earth Style Barrier: Earth Prison Dome"—an enhanced version used by the Uzumaki Clan.
Earth Release chakra surged through the ground. Walls rose up to form a prison around the two of them.
The Uzumaki Clan's Sealing Jutsu reinforced the walls, making them even harder.
Munashi Jinpachi realized he was trapped in the prison, and that his chakra was still slowly draining away. He immediately backed up against the wall.
He swung Exploding Blade Shibuki into it. The explosion cracked the wall, but inside the prison, the resulting sonic boom made the air tremble.
Dizziness overwhelmed him, and his legs gave way. He dropped to one knee.
Uzumaki Muto was also rattled by the explosion. Dazed, he leaned against the wall.
The situation was exactly as he had expected.
The only way his opponent could escape was by defeating him. The longer they fought, the more chakra his opponent would lose.
Munashi Jinpachi hadn't expected that an explosion could be so powerful in such an enclosed space.
But as he looked at the crack in the wall, he saw it slowly repairing itself. It seemed the chakra draining from his body was being used to mend the wall.
He slowly stood and looked at Uzumaki Muto. The only way out was to kill him.
To the east, Jiraiya, Senju Tsunade, Orochimaru, and Uzumaki Ashina made up a four-person squad heading to the Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals to rescue Elder Keimei.
Blocking their way were Hozuki Gensei, Kaguya Majen, and Suikazan Fuguki. This was the squad with the best chance of breaking through and reaching Elder Keimei.
"Old man, we meet again. Uzumaki Ashina, let me introduce him to everyone. He's the Uzukage of the Land of Whirlpools."
"But after I attacked, he became the former Uzukage. Today, I'll show you my specialty. Just lie down and behave."
Hozuki Gensei taunted Uzumaki Ashina, whom he had fought before.
"Summoning Technique: Twin Blades Hiramekarei!"
He picked up Twin Blades Hiramekarei and pointed it at his opponent.
Suikazan Fuguki had a serious grudge against Hozuki Gensei. When he saw Hozuki Gensei summon Twin Blades Hiramekarei, he breathed a sigh of relief. Without Samehada, his strength would be cut by at least half. He formed hand seals.
"Summoning Technique: Great Blade Samehada!"
He gripped it and examined Samehada. One day, Samehada would belong to him completely. He glanced at Hozuki Gensei, who managed the Seven Ninja Swords.
Hozuki Gensei had discovered that he'd tried to take him out in secret. Quietly killing him on the battlefield was a good way out.
Before Hozuki Gensei could attack, Kaguya Majen charged first, aiming for Tsunade. A bone sword extended from his hand.
"Dance of the Camellia!"
Chakra boosted his attack speed several times over. He stabbed at Tsunade, but she didn't try to block the bone blade. Instead, she formed hand seals.
"Chakra Scalpel!"
She wielded the Chakra Scalpel, slashing toward his incoming arm. Kaguya Majen's arm bulged as an exoskeleton formed over it.
He tried to block the Chakra Scalpel. Just as it was about to cut him, his keen senses warned him with a sharp sting.
Getting hit would injure him. He quickly pulled his arm back as a bone blade extended from his other hand.
"Dance of the Willow!"
He changed techniques without hesitation. His body swayed like willow branches dancing in the wind, dodging the Chakra Scalpel's threat.
Tsunade couldn't land a hit and grew increasingly frustrated. Chakra gathered in her foot. "Heavenly Foot of Pain!" She slammed it down toward Kaguya Majen.
As the attack came, bones erupted from Kaguya Majen's body, forming a hedgehog-like shell to block Tsunade's kick.
"Dance of the Larch!"
Kaguya Majen met Tsunade's attack with one of his own.
He spun, using the bones protruding from his body to attack at high speed. Faced with the bone spikes jutting from Kaguya Majen, Tsunade didn't retreat. She chose to meet him head-on.
She poured more chakra into her Heavenly Foot of Pain and roared as she attacked the bristling
Kaguya Majen. The two collided.
The spinning Kaguya Majen was knocked back by the Heavenly Foot of Pain. He lost his balance and staggered backward, while Tsunade leaped back several times. Blood ran from her leg as she formed hand seals.
"Medical Ninjutsu: Mystical Palm Technique!"
Healing chakra surged forth, quickly treating her leg. She kept her eyes on the enemy in front of her.
Uzumaki Ashina saw the weapon in Hozuki Gensei's hand. He had switched weapons, while the chakra-absorbing Samehada was in Suikazan Fuguki's hands.
His opponent had no weapon that could absorb chakra this time. He'd show him what he could do. He formed hand seals.
"Sealing Jutsu: Adamantine Sealing Chains!"
He charged forward, chakra chains shooting from his back. Chakra flooded his body, increasing his speed as he rushed at Hozuki Gensei.
Hozuki Gensei watched Uzumaki Ashina charge and smiled faintly as he raised Twin Blades Hiramekarei.
"Hiramekarei Release!"
Blue light shone from the two holes in Hiramekarei as chakra gathered.
It released a terrifying wave of energy.
A massive mass of chakra formed.
It shot toward Uzumaki Ashina at astonishing speed.
Uzumaki Ashina stared in alarm at the terrifying chakra mass. It was moving too fast for him to escape. He formed hand seals.
"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Hiding Technique!"
Using chakra, he turned the ground into flowing sand and burrowed beneath the earth like an earth dragon, concealing himself from his enemy's senses.
He withdrew his Adamantine Chains.
He reinforced the chakra around the chains to shield himself, then used the Earth Release: Hiding Like a Mole Technique to burrow quickly underground from where he stood, descending to a safe depth.
The chakra mass reached its destination.
A terrifying explosion erupted, releasing a dazzling light.
The shock wave swept outward, forcing Orochimaru, Jiraiya, and Tsunade back.
Jiraiya stared at the scene before him in shock and said:
"Can old man Uzumaki Ashina withstand that terrifying attack?"
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