"Snake, Goat, Monkey, Boar, Horse, Tiger... Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Uchiha Kaoru completed the Hand Seals in an instant. She raised her right hand to her mouth, leaned back, and took a deep breath, gathering a large amount of chakra in her throat before exhaling it all at once. A scorching serpent of fire burst from her red lips—
The fire spread rapidly in front of her, becoming a massive ball about three meters in radius. Rolling waves of heat surged out as it swallowed Hyuga Ningbo, who was charging toward her!
"Brother Ningbo..."
Seeing Hyuga Ningbo engulfed in flames, Hyuga Ningxiang cried out and prepared to rush forward, but Sato Hideaka grabbed her, covered her mouth, and dragged her back. Rushing into the middle of a fight at such a crucial moment could easily make her a target for both sides. With Hyuga Ningxiang's slight build, she'd be killed instantly if they focused their attacks on her. WWW COM
Besides, Sato Hideaka didn't think that Hyuga Ningbo, who had already mastered Rotation, would be defeated so easily by a single Fire Release Ninjutsu!
Sure enough, just as the huge fireball completely swallowed Hyuga Ningbo, a massive tornado of flames formed at its center. It spun rapidly as it climbed upward, reaching a full twenty meters high.
It was Rotation. Hyuga Ningbo had used Rotation at the last moment!
Rotation released a large amount of Gentle Fist chakra from the body's pressure points. Spinning rapidly like a top, it created a hemispherical chakra shield to protect its user. The rapidly rotating chakra churned the flames along with it, forming a massive vortex of fire...
But...
Sato Hideaka couldn't help wondering. The Great Fireball Technique couldn't last very long—usually only around ten seconds. Such a short time clearly wouldn't be enough to exhaust Hyuga Ningbo. Surely Uchiha Kaoru knew that?
Fire Release, Great Fireball Technique—could it be that...
Sato Hideaka's heart jolted. He abruptly looked at the fiery tornado, more than twenty meters high. Could Uchiha Kaoru really be trying that? Her battle sense and tactics were terrifying!
Fueled by the wind, the Great Fireball Technique burned for a full fifteen seconds before it slowly began to fade. Centered on Hyuga Ningbo, who was on one knee, the flames formed a ring half a meter high. His entire body was red, like a cooked shrimp. Despite the heat, there wasn't a drop of sweat on him—a bizarre sight...
His pale eyes seemed unfocused and dazed. He wasn't gasping particularly hard, but his breathing was ragged, as if he might fail to catch his breath and pass out completely. Hyuga Ningbo looked as though he'd reached the absolute limit of his strength.
In his earlier, intense battle with Uchiha Kaoru, Hyuga Ningbo had used Rotation repeatedly, exhausting a great deal of energy and sweating heavily. Then came the scorching heat of the Great Fireball Technique, which had baked the moisture out of his entire body. He was now severely dehydrated and had completely lost the ability to fight. If he didn't replenish his fluids soon, his life could even be in danger!
"Ningbo—"
Another member of the Hyuga Clan stepped forward to support Hyuga Ningbo, then activated his Byakugan and glared furiously at Uchiha Kaoru, who stood in a tree.
Uchiha Kaoru ignored him as if he were air. Turning to Shimura Masao, she said, "What's your decision? As Hyuga Ningbo's teammate, what are you going to do in this situation?"
Staring at those scarlet Sharingan, Shimura Masao stepped back half a pace and gave an awkward smile. "This is a matter between the Uchiha Clan and the Hyuga Clan. It wouldn't be appropriate for outsiders like us to get involved."
"Damn you, Shimura Masao..." the Hyuga Clan member cursed inwardly. He'd suspected Shimura Masao wasn't reliable, but he hadn't expected the man to stand aside at such a critical moment.
Faced with the Hyuga member's furious glare, Shimura Masao smiled but made no move. His hide was clearly thick enough to withstand anything!
"Giichi, you... you're no match for her. Give me some water. I can keep fighting..."
Hyuga Ningbo moistened his cracked lips and braced his right hand against the Hyuga Clan member beside him. He struggled to stand, but his movements were weak and feeble. It seemed he could no longer muster any strength.
Uchiha Kaoru watched coldly. "Hyuga Ningbo, I'll ask you one last time. Release Uchiha Kenichi's pressure points, and I'll let you leave...!"
Watching from the grass, Sato Hideaka clicked his tongue in amazement. This woman really was ruthless. There was a Hyuga Clan member named Hyuga Giichi right beside Ningbo. If she genuinely wanted Uchiha Kenichi's pressure points released, she could simply threaten Ningbo. Hyuga Giichi would undoubtedly do as she said.
But she hadn't done that. Instead, she kept pressuring Hyuga Ningbo to release Uchiha Kenichi's pressure points himself. Her goal was obvious: to humiliate him and shatter his pride in being a member of the Hyuga Clan. As for Uchiha Kenichi's safety, she probably didn't care about it at all!
What a cold, heartless woman!
Hyuga Ningbo accepted the canteen Hyuga Giichi offered and took a couple of small sips. In a weak voice, he said, "Uchiha Kenichi attacked one of our team members first. If you choose to fight, you should be prepared to face retaliation. I knew that when I fought you. I was simply outmatched, so do whatever you want with me!"
"Is that so? Then you can all die!"
A few cold glints flashed through Uchiha Kaoru's scarlet eyes. Killing intent appeared on her striking, cold face as she raised her hands and began moving them again. Countless shuriken flew toward Hyuga Ningbo and Hyuga Giichi from every angle!
"Don't—!"
Hyuga Ningxiang dashed out of the bushes and spread her arms in front of Hyuga Ningbo and Hyuga Giichi. Sato Hideaka rubbed his nose. In the end, he hadn't stopped her. It was her choice, and if anything happened to her clansmen after he'd held her back, things would have become awkward.
Just as Uchiha Kaoru's shuriken were about to strike the three members of the Hyuga Clan, Sato Hideaka had already finished forming the Hand Seals for his Ninjutsu. He appeared beside Hyuga Ningxiang in an instant and lightly tapped the ground with his right hand. "Crystal Release: Crystal Flow Wall."
A wall of crystal slowly rose from the ground. Its hexagonal facets formed a neat arrangement, reflecting brilliant red light. Countless shuriken struck the Crystal Flow Wall, ringing against it and sending out sparks, but they left no marks on the crystal!
Fortunately, Uchiha Kaoru didn't use the Uchiha Clan's distinctive Shurikenjutsu to alter the shuriken's flight paths. Otherwise, the Crystal Flow Wall—which could only block attacks from the front—would have been completely useless.
Seeing the crystal wall appear out of nowhere, Uchiha Kaoru stopped throwing kunai and turned her gaze toward Sato Hideaka. Frowning, she said, "Ghost, this is a feud between the Uchiha and Hyuga Clans. You'd better not interfere!"
"Honestly, I don't want to get involved in something this complicated and troublesome either. But this girl from the Hyuga Clan is my teammate. I can't just abandon her, can I...?"
Sato Hideaka shrugged helplessly.