Earth Release Defense Shows Might, Ice Release Fine Control Limits Movement Speed

That seal was archaic and simple, yet it contained a weight and stability that felt rooted in the earth itself. It did not belong to any of the conventional twelve zodiac hand-seal systems in Mizuki Han's memory; it was more like a bloodline inheritance or a personal combat symbol unique to this Chunin.

The moment this strange hand seal was completed, the flow of energy throughout the entire space underwent a fundamental reversal.

It was not an explosion of chakra, but an inward, centripetal condensation of extreme intensity.

"Hum—"

A muffled sound resonated, not from the Chunin's body, but from the solid rock floor beneath his feet.

Mizuki Han's main body, which was circling toward the side and rear, felt his pupils constrict. He saw that within a one-meter radius of the Chunin, the color of the ground was deepening at a visible rate, rapidly shifting from its original gray-white to a profound hue resembling obsidian. Countless fine, earthy-yellow chakra veins, like the roots of a plant, surged from the man's feet and instantly anchored deep into the earth.

"Earth Release: Rock Body Armor!"

The Chunin's gravelly voice sounded like a pronouncement.

At almost the same moment, the Water Clone that had lunged from the front brought its Black Steel Short Blade to within three inches of the Chunin's throat! The sharp blade sliced through the air, creating a shrill whistle.

Yet, the Chunin did not even lift an eyelid.

"BOOM!!"

The short blade did not pierce flesh; it collided with an invisible wall. No, it wasn't a wall, but a thick layer of rock armor that had surged up from the Chunin's body! This armor did not appear out of thin air; it "grew" from the earth beneath his feet, spreading up his legs and instantly covering his entire body to form a heavy, full-body suit of armor that radiated raw, brutal power.

The Water Clone's blade was as fragile as rotten wood before this rock armor. The moment the tip made contact, it emitted a harsh cracking sound and shattered into pieces. Immediately following, the entire Water Clone was blown apart by the irresistible counter-shock force transmitted from the armor.

"Splash!"

The water that composed the clone exploded like ice cubes thrown into boiling oil, instantly transforming into a mist that scattered in every direction.

A single probe, one encounter, a basic clone—it hadn't even forced the opponent to move an inch before being utterly crushed in the most brutal, unreasonable manner.

This was a Chunin.

This was the gap of absolute power.

Mizuki Han, who was maneuvering at high speed toward the flank, brought his main body to a sudden halt. His toes scraped against the ground with a harsh sound, and he twisted his body at an extreme angle to force himself to stop his forward momentum.

His mind was ice-cold; he had captured and analyzed every detail of the scene that had just unfolded.

It wasn't the standard Earth Release: Hardening Technique. Hardening only enhanced defense, whereas the opponent's ninjutsu directly manipulated the earth's matter to construct an entirely new defensive form. This meant that as long as his feet remained on the ground, the defense and recovery of this armor were virtually infinite.

Conventional physical attacks were useless.

Penetrating ninjutsu? With his Chunin-level chakra, he probably couldn't even leave a white mark on this rock armor.

The intelligence had been obtained. The price was the chakra spent on the probe and another cruel realization of his own weakness.

"Are you finished, brat?" The Chunin, clad in heavy rock armor, slowly turned his head—also encased in stone—and spoke with a voice as dull as a bell. His gaze locked precisely onto Mizuki Han's main body. "Your little tricks are meaningless to me."

Mizuki Han did not answer. He held his short blade in a reverse grip, the tip dipping slightly as he lowered his center of gravity. He was adjusting, thinking, and searching for a new way to break the deadlock.

If I cannot break your "shield," then I will destroy the "road" beneath your feet.

A brand-new, bolder, and more precise tactical concept formed in his mind in an instant.

His gaze no longer fixated on the oppressive rock armor; instead, it began to wander, scanning every detail of the space—the water droplets condensed on the rock walls from the dampness, the puddles scattered by the bursting Water Clone, and even the invisible water vapor permeating the air.

These would all become his weapons.

"Still not giving up?" The Chunin seemed to have lost his patience. He lifted his rock-encased right foot and slammed it down heavily!

"THUD!"

With a loud crash, the ground beneath him cracked, and a powerful shockwave mixed with debris surged toward Mizuki Han!

Mizuki Han did not try to tank the hit; he dropped low, sliding like a snake across the ground, and dodged to the left. As he evaded, he spread the fingers of his left hand and pressed them vaguely against the ground.

"Ice Release: Frost Bind."

A faint but highly concentrated chill was released from his palm.

The ground that had been soaked by the bursting Water Clone, previously just wet, was instantly covered by a thin, nearly transparent layer of white frost that spread rapidly as the cold air swept over it!

The Chunin paid no mind to this detail. Having missed his strike, he immediately took heavy strides to pursue Mizuki Han. Every step he took caused the entire floor to tremble, and the wind pressure from his rock armor made one's cheeks sting.

However, when he took his second step and landed on the frost-covered ground, a sudden change occurred!

"Screech—"

The hard rock soles of his boots grated against the slick ice, producing a teeth-gritting sound. The Chunin's powerful, forward-charging momentum slipped! His body gave a tiny, almost imperceptible stagger.

Although he stabilized himself instantly, his unstoppable, violent momentum had been interrupted for a tenth of a second.

In a battle between experts, that tenth of a second was enough to change many things.

Mizuki Han seized the opportunity. He did not counterattack, but instead used the gap to flash away again, his fingers lightly tapping another puddle.

Another deadly skating rink was formed in silence.

"Little tricks." The Chunin let out a cold snort, clearly having understood Mizuki Han's intent. He stopped chasing in a straight line and instead attempted to use greater speed and more complex changes in direction to catch Mizuki Han.

But Mizuki Han was like a slippery loach, utilizing every obstacle and every turn in this complex space of metal and rock, repeating the same action over and over.

His figure flashed across the metal supports, his fingertips trailing a streak of frost.

At times he rolled on the ground, palms pressed to the earth, turning small puddles into traps.

He even threw a few shuriken from his ninja pouch—not to attack, but to knock down water droplets from the high rock walls, creating new "freezing points."

He split his portion of chakra used for probing into dozens, or even hundreds of parts, weaving an invisible spiderweb made of "ice" across this battlefield with an inconceivable level of micro-control.

This web had no lethality.

But it was everywhere.

A few minutes later, the jonin's expression had shifted from his initial disdain to a cold, simmering irritation.

He discovered that his movements were beginning to feel restricted.

Whenever he prepared to exert force for a sprint, a patch of ice would "just happen" to appear under his feet, forcing him to divert his attention to stabilize his center of gravity.

Whenever he moved to intercept, a tiny Ice Shard would "just happen" to emerge from the ground along his predicted path, compelling him to alter his trajectory.

He felt like a tiger trapped in a swamp; despite possessing immense strength, he was restrained at every turn, unable to unleash it. His speed—the speed he took such pride in—was being nibbled away, bit by bit, by this damned brat using the very method he despised most.

"You have successfully angered me."

The jonin abruptly stopped in his tracks; he ceased his pursuit. He stood upon a patch of ice that Mizuki Han had repeatedly "attended to," his heavy Rock Armor radiating an unsettling, oppressive aura.

Mizuki Han also came to a halt. He stood on a metal beam a dozen meters away, looking down at his opponent, his chest rising and falling slightly. This high-intensity micro-control was a massive drain on both his spirit and his chakra.

He knew that when a jonin stopped toying with his prey and began uttering phrases like "you have angered me," the true killing blow was about to arrive.

The jonin slowly raised his hands and began to weave signs once more. These signs were more complex and slower than the previous "Armor of Rock Body." Every change in his hand gestures seemed to tug at some nerve deep within the earth itself.

"Hum... humming..."

The low roar from the energy hub was drowned out by a more violent, more primal vibration.

The metal beam beneath Mizuki Han's feet began to tremble violently, and loose stones from the rock walls rained down. He realized with horror that the ground of the entire space—those solid rocks—had actually begun to ripple like water!

A sense of crisis, unlike anything he had ever felt before, enveloped his entire body.

This was not an attack aimed at him personally; this was... an attempt to overturn the entire battlefield, along with him, the player on the board!

What kind of lethal move would a jonin, whose movements had been restricted, unleash in retaliation?