[Crystal Release Chakra Mode]!
At this moment, Sato Hideaka looked somewhat similar to the White Queen from the X-Men, though they differed in color, crystal structure, and degree of perfection. WW WCOM
The White Queen's entire body had been turned to diamond from the inside out, while Sato Hideaka had merely covered himself with a layer of red crystal. And the crystal around key areas like his eyes, knees, and ears was still imperfect, so he couldn't achieve a truly complete defense.
There was no helping it. It was impossible to perfect a technique in such a short time. Still, even though this technique was incomplete, it was more than enough to deal with Uchiha Kaoru's Shurikenjutsu.
The shuriken shot toward Sato Hideaka from every direction like a chaotic downpour. They clanged against his crystalline body, then bounced away without leaving a single mark on his crystal armor!
Molten lava poured from his right arm, billowing clouds of black smoke. Sato Hideaka charged through the hail of shuriken and roared as he thrust out his right fist. The lava transformed into a giant charging hound, which bared its fearsome, razor-sharp fangs and howled as it lunged at Uchiha Kaoru.
[Lava Release: Dog Bite Crimson Lotus]!
Faced with the onrushing, searing lava, the two tomoe in Uchiha Kaoru's eyes spun incessantly. She stamped both feet against the ground, and chakra exploded through her body. In an instant, she sprang backward.
Lava spread across the ground, its scorching heat seeming to set the air ablaze and distort it severely. The earth itself seemed to catch fire, turning black in patches, while bubbles of molten rock boiled in the craters.
If Uchiha Kaoru hadn't escaped in time, she would have melted in the lava. But with the Sharingan's superior kinetic vision, an attack this fast still couldn't hit her. She easily dodged the deadly assault.
However, in order to evade the attack, Uchiha Kaoru had leaped into the air.
A strange glint flashed through Sato Hideaka's eyes. Lightning Release Chakra surged through his body. As he performed Chakra Nature Transformation, his entire body became intensely activated. Branches of blue lightning appeared across the red crystal covering him.
This was Lightning Release Chakra Mode. Judging by their previous battles, Sato Hideaka was slower than Uchiha Kenichi, let alone the even stronger Uchiha Kaoru. Only by using Lightning Release to activate his whole body could he keep up with her speed.
Wrapped in blue lightning, Sato Hideaka appeared beside Uchiha Kaoru in midair in an instant, moving as if he had used the Body Flicker Technique. A Crystal Longsword had just formed in his right hand, and he swung it down at her!
"Fast! This guy's so fast—"
Surprise crossed Uchiha Kaoru's face. Sato Hideaka had actually outpaced her. The two tomoe in her crimson eyes turned slowly. Even though he was faster than her, she could still react.
She drew a short sword from her ninja pouch and raised it over her head. It met Sato Hideaka's sharp Crystal Longsword, sending a dazzling flash of sparks between them!
Taking advantage of the speed boost from Lightning Release Chakra Mode, Sato Hideaka repeatedly swung the Crystal Longsword in his right hand at Uchiha Kaoru in midair. Even an ordinary Chunin would have been thrown into confusion by such a fierce assault in no time, if not injured by it.
But the Uchiha were, after all, a distinguished clan descended from the Sage of Six Paths. With the Two-Tomoe Sharingan, Uchiha Kaoru could track every movement of Sato Hideaka's right hand. Working in tandem with her nimble hands, she exchanged more than twenty dazzling blows with him in midair, sparks flying everywhere...
They continued clashing until Uchiha Kaoru's feet touched the ground again and she blocked Sato Hideaka's mighty downward strike!
"Your speed's decent, but you don't have enough strength. And your moves are a complete mess. Wait, what... is that one-handed Hand Seals?"
Uchiha Kaoru had easily blocked all of Sato Hideaka's attacks, and couldn't help mocking him. Although the changes in his Lightning Release Chakra Nature had made him faster than her, attacks without strength or proper angles were useless.
But the moment she landed, Uchiha Kaoru suddenly noticed six sharp red crystal spears, shaped like tridents, hovering beside him. They circled both sides of his body in an orderly formation, catching the light in their blood-red, icy gleam.
While his right hand had been attacking nonstop, she'd ignored his left hand... It had just finished forming the last seal!
Uchiha Kaoru's pupils narrowed. She hadn't expected this guy to be able to form Hand Seals with one hand. Now she had to face not only the Crystal Longsword in Sato Hideaka's right hand, but also the six sharp Two-Thorn Spears beside him.
This left her with no choice but to take him seriously!
"[Crystal Release: Two-Thorn Spear]!"
As soon as Sato Hideaka's cold voice fell, the six sharp Two-Thorn Spears hovering around him shot toward every part of Uchiha Kaoru's body, tearing through the air!
The tomoe in her crimson eyes spun rapidly. Uchiha Kaoru stared intently at the six brilliant, crystal-like Two-Thorn Spears flying toward her. She precisely controlled the force of each step and shifted her body's direction, nimbly evading all six spears.
The Two-Thorn Spears struck the ground beneath Uchiha Kaoru with a sizzling sound like ice freezing. Only after she glanced at the ground did she realize that vivid crystal was rapidly forming around the points where the spears had struck, spreading outward...
Seeing this, Uchiha Kaoru leaned back, trying to quickly escape the patch of ground that was rapidly crystallizing. But then she realized that another Two-Thorn Spear had landed beside her foot. The Crystal Release Chakra it emitted had already trapped the sole of her shoe against the ground, and the crystal had spread all the way to her knee.
The Two-Thorn Spears could crystallize the ground on impact. Uchiha Kaoru realized she'd miscalculated again. Lightning Release Chakra Nature Transformation that activated the entire body, one-handed Hand Seals, the Lava Release Kekkei Genkai, the Crystal Release Kekkei Genkai—all these Kekkei Genkai techniques...
Where had this monster come from? How could one person possess so many abilities?
"You've lost, Uchiha Kaoru..."
Sato Hideaka placed the Crystal Longsword formed from Crystal Release Chakra against Uchiha Kaoru's pale neck. He also stopped channeling Lightning Release Chakra and came out of Lightning Release Chakra Mode. The red crystals covering his body began to slowly fall away, clattering to the ground...
Lightning Release Chakra Mode placed tremendous strain on the body, damaging its fragile cells and neurons. Crystal Release Chakra Mode, which crystallized the surface of the body, wasn't as harmful, but having the skin sealed off from the air felt worse than exhaustion or pain. And if the body stayed cut off from the air for too long, the skin could even begin to die...