Blue flames raced across the battlefield. The Two-Tails' enormous body moved faster than before, breaking through the encirclement of twelve summoned beasts. Its massive blue-flamed paw swept toward the human before it, carrying a gale with it.
The beast's paw slammed down, kicking up dust and revealing twelve white talismans covered in black writing. They formed a circle, with Onmyo Seimei's earlier position at its center.
"Cunning humans."
The Two-Tails spoke coldly. Hiding its strength and hoping to win with a single strike had been a sound plan in principle.
But the Onmyo Clan had once been a great clan. They had fought in many wars, and their opponents had long since identified their weaknesses. They had no shortage of ways to protect themselves against such tactics.
Ninja Art: Onmyo Chain
The patterns on the talismans activated, sending out black and white chains. The white chains rapidly coiled around the Two-Tails, while the black chains pierced the bodies of the twelve summoned beasts.
The summoned beasts cried out one after another, their massive bodies swaying, but they struggled to stay in place.
The chains' restraining power reached its peak amid the beasts' cries. The talismans began to burn, and the black and white chains connected completely, forming a single whole, though their colors remained distinct.
The Two-Tails felt a weakness spread through its body. Its chakra kept flowing through the chains to the other end. Although it could slowly recover as long as its core chakra remained unharmed, being forced this far had truly angered it.
Blue and purplish-black chakra gathered in its mouth. It mixed them in a ratio of two to eight, forming a huge sphere, then launched it.
Tailed Beast Bomb
In the anime, this technique had been released in several ways: swallowed and spat out, formed into a giant sphere and hurled, or formed and spat out in a miniature version...
Regardless of how it was used, this was a Tailed Beast's ultimate weapon. Its power went without saying.
Even the Onmyo Chains could only hold back that force for a moment before snapping. Seeing things go wrong, Onmyo Seimei immediately released the summoning, but three of the summoned beasts were too slow to escape because of the chains. They were struck directly and exploded.
The Two-Tails panted heavily. It did not pursue, instead beginning to recover its chakra.
It was no Nine-Tails. Its chakra reserves were nowhere near as terrifying, and it could not go on "forever."
Besides, Onmyo Seimei's techniques had not been ineffective. The twelve chains alone had consumed a good deal of its chakra, and after the Tailed Beast Bomb, it had little chakra left inside it.
Onmyo Seimei's face turned livid. The ancient texts had mentioned this move, but offered no detailed explanation. The rigid assumptions he had carried onto the battlefield still lingered in his mind: powerful ninjutsu had to come with some kind of tell. He had never imagined that such a powerful technique could be unleashed just like that...
Talismans kept appearing around him. The Onmyo Clan's true ninjutsu was performed using special chakra talismans.
However, the trees needed to make these talismans were rare. If every Onmyo Clan ninja used them, the supply would soon be exhausted.
So only the clan head was allowed to know these techniques, and only the clan head could use them.
Ninja Art: Wind Sun Prayer
With no hand seals, he unleashed the technique. One talisman after another tore apart in midair, and a whirlwind tens of meters across appeared in an instant, trapping the Two-Tails.
Onmyo Seimei rapidly formed hand seals. The temperature around them began to plummet, and the nearby talismans froze, turning into ice shards.
The Two-Tails had just torn through the whirlwind when Onmyo Seimei pressed his right index and middle fingers together and pointed them at it. Blue-white light shot from his fingertips. The beam was not bright; on the contrary, it looked feeble. But when it hit the Two-Tails, it spread rapidly and froze it solid.
"It's over."
Onmyo Seimei let out a breath and hurried forward, intending to take away his "prize." But then the ground beneath the Two-Tails suddenly rose.
Earth Release...
Onmyo Seimei's aura surged outward, and Senju Zhenyang involuntarily released his own aura to resist it, revealing his position.
Onmyo Seimei glanced at the clan crest on his armor, then recalled a message his clansman had sent him earlier:
"You're the Senju Zhenyang I 'killed'?"
"Yeah."
Senju Zhenyang took out a kunai, not daring to let his guard down for even an instant.
By contrast, Onmyo Seimei had just fought a major battle, yet his expression remained calm as he said:
"From your aura, you've only just broken through to the level of an elite jōnin. If you come back with me, I can overlook the fact that you attacked me just now."
Senju Zhenyang said nothing. A Water Blade formed along the kunai in his hand, and he threw it.
Onmyo Seimei turned his head and dodged. Spikes of earth then burst from the ground beneath his feet.
The Two-Tails had already put him in a foul mood, and now someone weaker than him kept provoking him. The last of his patience ran out.
Onmyo Seimei's face turned murderous as he said:
"Then don't blame me. I already gave you a chance."
Before his words had even finished, he vanished.
Body Flicker Technique
Senju Zhenyang used the Body Flicker almost simultaneously with Onmyo Seimei, but the clan head was clearly faster. After Senju Zhenyang appeared, Onmyo Seimei used the technique again and appeared right in front of him, bringing down a massive ox horn formed from lightning in his hand.
Senju Zhenyang's armor shattered. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth as he was slammed to the ground.
Onmyo Seimei asked, bewildered:
"You came in too much of a hurry. The chakra inside you is still at the elite jōnin level, and you haven't converted it into strength to match. Otherwise, you wouldn't have lost in a single move."
"Did you rush all the way here just to stop me? Was a beast really worth a ninja from a great clan risking his life?"
Senju Zhenyang gritted his teeth. "It saved my life."
"What a laughable way to repay it. Don't worry... you're still useful to me. I'll only cripple you, so you can never be a ninja again."
Onmyo Seimei's gaze turned cold. He planned to cut off the other man's hands first.
Just then, red chakra began to pour out of Senju Zhenyang's body. It formed a tail behind him and lashed at Onmyo Seimei.
After being sent flying, Onmyo Seimei watched Senju Zhenyang warily. This strange phenomenon left him unable to make sense of what he was seeing. He had never encountered anything like it in the Warring States period.
The only thing he was sure of was that this chakra was definitely not human. It carried an unsettling aura.
Senju Zhenyang stood up straight, feeling his body gradually recover. Most of the injuries he had suffered earlier had already healed.
"Kid, you'd better hurry. There isn't much chakra left inside you."
The Two-Tails' voice sounded in Senju Zhenyang's ear.
Senju Zhenyang looked at the Two-Tails' frozen body on the stone pillar, leaped toward it, formed hand seals, and spat out a fireball.
Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique
It was the Uchiha Clan's signature ninjutsu, already recorded by the Senju in their histories. It was also the only Fire Release Ninjutsu Senju Zhenyang knew.
Fire Release was the best way to melt ice. No matter how skilled Senju Zhenyang was in ninjutsu, he could not handle the situation before him any other way.
Onmyo Seimei formed hand seals. The earthen pillar crumbled with a crash, and the fireball missed. He stared intently at Senju Zhenyang, his gaze gradually turning fervent.
"How interesting. I really want to study you."
The red chakra that appeared around Senju Zhenyang seemed to grant him impressive recovery and protection. Those were precisely the abilities the Onmyo Clan lacked. And from Senju Zhenyang's aura, it was clear that his strength had also been enhanced.
The Two-Tails sensed the gap between them. It could not make up for it, even with its help. It sighed. "Kid, get out of here. You can't beat this guy."
"Senior, I'll definitely save you," Senju Zhenyang said earnestly.
"Just run. My real body can escape on its own."
"Really?"
"Why would I lie to you?"
Senju Zhenyang was only half convinced, but he had no choice but to retreat first.
"He ran?"
Onmyo Seimei hesitated. He decided not to pursue him and to deal with the frozen Two-Tails first. As he turned, he noticed the resolve in those beastly eyes.
The next second, a blue flame shot straight into the sky...
Before you continue