The lush, verdant valley has now turned a deep red, with lava fountains erupting several meters or even tens of meters high, their powerful flames even turning half of the white clouds into fiery sunsets...
The valley, ablaze with flames, resembled a fiery mountain, or perhaps a Western hell.
After [ Lava Release: Lava Burial] was released, the eighty-meter-tall Lava Giant seemed to have completely lost control, transforming into a raging river of lava that surged along the valley, sweeping away a large number of Sunagakure who were unable to escape in time and completely annihilating them.
Pakura raced swiftly through the trees, her wind-style Chakra Nature Transformation granting her incredible speed. The wind rushed past her ears, leaving a trail of afterimages as she quickly overtook the dozens of Sunagakure ahead. Although raging lava lay beneath her feet, her speed surpassed the level of that attack.
However, most of the Sunagakure behind her were not as relaxed as she was. The trees and the ground sank rapidly under the corrosive influence of the magma, and many Sunagakure fell from the trees. Apart from screams, there was only a burst of magma before they completely disappeared from this world.
Seeing his subordinates being chased by the giant river of lava and engulfed in it, the serious mistake in the battle made Rasa seem to mature a lot in an instant. His heart began to calm down, and his control over the Gold Sand became more subtle. This was the amplification of the subtle control of Chakra by the peace of mind.
" Karura, you will form an island from the yellow sand, and then use the sand's speed to transform it into an arm to lift the Sunagakure onto the sky island. I will use the Gold Sand to stop the magma's progress... Save as many as you can."
Above the long river of scorching magma in the valley, Rasa Karura each stood on a floating island formed by Gold Sand and yellow sand, drifting downstream along the magma river. The surging waves of magma that had just rolled down had almost completely wiped out the Sunagakure in the low-lying valley.
Now, the couple can only search endlessly in the sky for the Sunagakure, whose lives are still threatened by the ever-spreading and expanding river of lava...
The Gold Sand of Rasa forms a hard golden wall to block the ever-flowing, scorching river of magma. In the process of repeatedly resisting the magma head-on, the amount of Gold Sand is constantly decreasing, slowly melting into the river of magma. However, the effect of this is obvious.
The barrier of the Gold Sand wall bought time for the yellow sand controlled by his wife Karura. Under Karura's control, the gathering and dispersing sand transformed into tangible arms, rescuing the Sunagakure one by one from falling into the lava.
"Thank you so much, Fourth Kazekage! Thank you so much, Karura!"
The rescued Sunagakure were still in shock, their faces pale and their eyes filled with lingering fear. After subconsciously thanking Karura and Rasa, some of them sat down heavily on the yellow sand, while others stared blankly at the surging, scorching river of lava, their eyes unfocused and devoid of life.
Can humans truly possess such immense power? And would such a powerful being be a match for them?
This left these Sunagakure ninjas incredibly frustrated and even demoralized!
Karura the Sunagakure's pathetic state, Karura's sensitive heart instinctively turned to worry for her husband Rasa. This Fourth Kazekage, with his ambition to make Sunagakure stronger and wealthier, and bearing the weight of the entire impoverished village, would face such setbacks...?
Rasa's eyes flickered, his pupils contracted slightly, and he spoke to the Sunagakure on the Sand Island: "We haven't lost. This Konoha Ninja's Ninjutsu isn't invincible. The power of Lava Release comes from fire-style Chakra, but most of us in Sunagakure use wind-style Chakra. This defeat was inevitable, but that doesn't mean we in Sunagakure will always be defeated..."
"But... but Lord Kazekage, our Sunagakure doesn't have any powerful Water Release ninjas, so we can't possibly form a strong Water Release team. How can we resist an attack like this Lava Release, which is comparable to Tailed Beast? We're countered by them; there's no way we can win...!"
On the suspended Sand Island, the morale of the rescued Sunagakure was still low, and they all looked dejected. However, in the crowd, a Sunagakure whose body was almost half-blackened by the flames of the burning forest shook his head and said painfully.
These words seemed to resonate in the hearts of the Sunagakure, causing them to lower their heads, their expressions of frustration and disappointment becoming even more pronounced. The pride they had shown during their oath-taking ceremony before the battle had vanished!
" The Kirigakure and the Amegakure possess a large number of Water Release ninjas. I will cooperate with them and request some of their Water Release ninjas to counter this Konoha Ninja who is using Lava Release Ninjutsu." Rasa's gaze hardened, and he clenched his fist and placed it in front of his chest, speaking with a firm and resolute voice:
"This battle has only just begun, and our Sunagakure has not lost... We have faced storms, droughts, poverty, and the pressure of survival. Even in the face of numerous crises, when have the ninjas of our Sunagakure ever shown fear?"
"Could it be that one defeat has caused our prestigious ninja village, one of the Five Great Nations of the Land of Wind, to completely lose its fighting spirit, its honor, and its dignity?"
The Sunagakure, who had been hanging their heads, gradually raised them. Above their faces, blackened by the smoke from the burning flames, their bewildered and lifeless eyes slowly regained their luster. This was a sign that their resolve had been reaffirmed, and the flames of fighting spirit burned once more in their eyes.
The Land of Wind is the poorest and weakest country. They constantly face the harshest natural environment, sandstorms, quicksand, scorching heat, drought, and even desert beasts. These hardships temper their will, forging a will as unyielding as a rock.
The battle has only just begun, just like with the Fourth Hokage; the outcome is far from decided...
How could the deeply rooted spirit of Sunagakure allow them to easily admit defeat and surrender?
*******************
A kilometer away from the raging lava flows, in a lush, verdant forest.
The tawny snake eyes gazed at the red clouds half-tinged with the distant valley, and at the magma giant, eighty meters tall like a mountain peak, which transformed into a magma eruption that swept across the entire valley, turning it into a sea of fire...
Standing atop a tree a kilometer away, Orochimaru watched these scenes unfold, which resembled the end of the world, and a look of utter bewilderment flashed in his eyes.
Such a powerful Lava Release attack is far superior to even the Sannin in terms of offensive power. In the Shinobi World, perhaps only the Tailed Beast can rival it, not to mention the legendary powers... However, an attack of this power is extremely rare. It's hard to imagine that someone who can unleash such an attack is just an eight-year-old child!
The source of this power cannot be explained simply by dual bloodline limits. So what secrets are contained within this young body?
Orochimaru's tongue darted out, probing the air twice. With a leaf blown down by the wind, the tree trunk undulated slightly, emitting a low, muffled sound. Orochimaru's figure had already vanished from the spot, leaving afterimages in the forest as he headed towards the valley...
Whew, whimper--
Trembling hands grasped the top of a sturdy tree.
Sato Hideaka plopped down on the ground, leaning against a large tree and panting heavily. His clothes were soaked and his whole body ached terribly. This was the result of overdrawing his cells' energy and forcibly releasing [ Lava Release: Molten Waterfall Burial].
With his eyes slightly closed, Sato Hideaka, sitting beside him, opened his blue eyes again, as if speaking to the surrounding air, "My sensory abilities are exceptionally special. No living being can escape my perception, no matter how much it conceals its Chakra fluctuations. Please come out... Lord Orochimaru."
The bushes rustled, Orochimaru slowly emerged, his cold face facing Sato Hideaka. His vertical pupils seemed to conceal an indescribable light as he spoke in a magnetic voice:
" Hideaka- kun's way of sensing is indeed very special. I didn't expect that I would be sensed by you the moment I arrived here. I've always been interested in the source of Hideaka- kun's power...!"
A blue light flashed in Sato Hideaka's blue eyes, and his body twitched as the blue light appeared, the muscle soreness that had just eased began to intensify again.
He had just forcibly extracted a small amount of Chakra from his exhausted body, which he then transformed into a micro-current under the Chakra Nature Transformation of Lightning Release chakra. This localized change in Chakra nature enhanced his dynamic vision, enabling him to cope with almost any sudden event.
"Wanting to know the source of my power, just because you're interested in it? Lord Orochimaru has orchestrated this whole scheme? It's truly a pity for those subordinates who believed in you even in their dying moments." Sato Hideaka shook his head and continued coldly:
"If Lord Orochimaru only wants to know the source of my power, I can tell you very clearly: Kekkei Genkai come from the power of bloodline inheritance, while Bloodline Ninjutsu is something you gave me two years ago from a scroll. These Bloodline Ninjutsu were all learned from that scroll. Now you can rest assured."
Seeing that Sato Hideaka was too weak to stand, Orochimaru slowly walked forward, saying as if sighing, "Localized activation of lightning attribute, Hideaka- kun, did you really think I would hurt you? But you are powerless now. Even if you can sense my movements using localized activation, you probably don't have the stamina or Chakra to dodge."
Sato Hideaka chuckled and removed the Monkey Mask from his face with his right hand, revealing a diamond-shaped purple mark on his forehead. Orochimaru constricted slightly upon seeing the mark, and he stopped taking another step forward.
Seeing Orochimaru stop his attack, Sato Hideaka laughed and said, "It seems that Lord Orochimaru recognizes this Diamond Mark. In that case, there's no need for us to fight. After all, even Lord Orochimaru isn't confident he can handle the Lava Giant I released earlier, is he?"
" Yin Seal, Tsunade's Strength of a Hundred Technique? I didn't expect Tsunade to teach this technique to you. The S-rank Yin Seal combined with your Lava Release Ninjutsu, if the two work together, even those two mountains would probably collapse under the attack of that Lava Giant just now... What enviable power, Hideaka- kun."
Orochimaru stopped in his tracks, his eyes filled with undisguised fervor, as if he were looking at a magnificent work of art. Dual bloodline limits, Flying Thunder God, Yin Seal —so many abilities concentrated in an eight-year-old child; this was beyond mere talent.
The secrets hidden within this body... are probably no less than those of the Senju Hashirama, the God of Shinobi!
This... is absolutely wonderful!
Sato Hideaka frowned slightly, bypassing Orochimaru's fanatical gaze. His blue eyes turned to a cluster of deep, dense forest in the direction of the valley, and he spoke again, " Lord Orochimaru, our matter is an internal affair of Konoha and will be put aside for now. Now, there is another person who needs to be dealt with, the pursuers from Sunagakure. I have already sensed your presence... Come out." (To be continued.)