Seeing his captain stake his life on the attack, the last Sunagakure teammate could only grit his teeth and force himself to form hand seals. He released his remaining chakra to support his captain's assault. "Wind Release: Sand Wave Impact!"
A violent wave of sand swept across the ground, joining the masses of sand falling from above in a lethal pincer attack. Its sheer force was terrifying.
Yuhi Shinku's heart tightened again at the sight, and he shouted a warning. "Aoba! That's a high-powered Sunagakure combination jutsu! The impact is tremendous-don't take it head-on! Fall back and dodge!"
Kawaki Aoba glanced up at the masses of sand raining down and the sand wave surging toward him. His expression remained composed, without the slightest hint of retreat. He said calmly, "A frontal assault that looks fierce, but actually drains your reserves.
That's all your last scraps of chakra amount to."
As his words fell, he rapidly formed hand seals. Wind and earth chakra surged simultaneously, and his aura swelled in an instant. "Wind-Earth Fusion: Gale Barrier."
Green gusts instantly fused with a thick earth wall, forming a sturdy, translucent barrier that enclosed him securely and blocked every attack.
Rumble!
Countless masses of sand slammed into the barrier as the raging sand wave battered its surface. Deafening booms rang out without pause, and dust filled the air, obscuring everyone's vision.
The Sunagakure leader stared fixedly into the dust and growled through clenched teeth, "I refuse to believe it! Even this all-out attack can't hurt you? Break!"
He kept wringing out his remaining chakra, forcing the jutsu to continue in an attempt to break through the barrier and severely wound Kawaki Aoba.
Several seconds later, the dust slowly cleared. The sturdy Gale Barrier remained completely intact, standing firm without the slightest sign of