The sand blades struck the chakra barrier and Chakra Cloak with a clattering ring. Though they failed to break through the defenses, the tremendous impact still forced the two back again and again, their blood and qi churning.
"This can't go on. We can't outlast him."
Aoba steadied himself, wiped away the trace of blood at the corner of his mouth, and spoke to Asuma.
The desert terrain consumed very little chakra for Sunagakure ninja, while the two of them had to continuously expend chakra to attack and defend. If this dragged on, defeat would be inevitable.
Asuma nodded, took a deep breath, and said, "Find a way to keep him occupied. I'll look for his weakness.
"Sunagakure ninja may be formidable at controlling sand, but most of them rely on hand seals or precise chakra control. As long as we disrupt his control, we'll have a chance."
"Alright!"
Aoba answered, forming hand seals once more. This time, his sequence of seals was even more complex.
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!" A massive fire dragon surged from his mouth. Opening its jaws, it pounced toward the Sunagakure Jonin amid scorching flames.
This move was even more powerful than the previous Great Fireball. Everywhere the flames passed, the sand on the ground melted into glass-like grains.
The Sunagakure Jonin's expression turned grave. Not daring to lower his guard in the slightest, he rapidly formed hand seals. "Sand Release: Sand Waterfall Funeral!"
An enormous amount of sand converged from every direction, forming a massive sand torrent that collided with Aoba's fire dragon.
Boom—
A violent explosion rang out as flames and sand scattered in all directions. The powerful shockwave sent everything nearby flying.
Aoba and Asuma were blasted backward by the shockwave, crashing heavily onto the ground and kicking up clouds