Cold mist hung over the sea.
The churning seawater had frozen, its rolling waves locked in place, rising and falling across the frozen surface as far as the eye could see.
"Ice Release: Thousand Killing Array!"
The blue figure stepped on thin, brittle ice shards forming beneath her feet in midair, using them to stand in the sky.
Glittering points of light gathered in the air. Swords, spears, blades, and halberds forged entirely from ice poured down upon the frozen sea below like an endless torrential downpour.
The girl appeared beautiful as an illusion and gentle as water, yet the Ninjutsu she used brimmed with biting murderous intent.
It was a nearly frenzied feast of slaughter.
Boom boom boom boom boom!
Boom boom boom boom boom!
The explosions continued for an entire minute before gradually fading away.
Every ice-forged weapon possessed explosive power comparable to a shell, unleashing violent detonations across the frozen sea.
Frozen mountains began to collapse, while crater after crater, each several meters deep, had been blasted into the icy surface.
Countless mangled corpses littered the area, while blood mist mingled with white fog over the frozen sea.
"Bastard!"
The black-clad ninja, covered in blood from head to toe, roared in fury.
The shattered remains of his companions surrounded him. Ice chips remained in their wounds, and the blood spraying from them froze instantly into gorgeous crimson crystals.
The one responsible for all of this was the blue-kimono girl standing in midair on ice shards—Iror i.
As Yayoi's highest-grade Puppet Lifeform, she not only possessed Chakra reserves close to those of the Tailed Beasts, but also a Chakra Circuit called Ice Mirror, which closely resembled the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai.
Though both used Ice Release, hers was fundamentally superior to that of the Yuki Clan of the Land of Water.
"Are you still alive?"
Not a single ripple stirred within Irori's violet pupils, remaining as calm as ever.
The hem of her kimono fluttered gently in the breeze, revealing a section of jade-like calf.
Her exquisitely crafted face was so breathtakingly beautiful that it inspired awe at her creator's unmatched artistry.
"Die!"
The black-clad ninja reached down and gripped the ice.
Crack, crack.
Cracks spread across the surface. A massive block of ice over ten meters in diameter was lifted above his head with both hands. Then, as powerful Chakra erupted from him, he hurled the enormous block at Irori in the sky with all his strength.
Boom!
The block's own weight, combined with its tremendous speed, made its destructive force far greater than the ice itself.
However—
Pale powdery ice fragments slowly dispersed, while chunks of shattered ice drifted down from above.
Irori stood unscathed in the air, her body utterly unmoved.
"Wha—"
The black-clad ninja's eyes widened.
Splat! Splat! Splat!
Ice spears shot violently from the surrounding ice, piercing through the black-clad ninja's body from intersecting angles and pinning him firmly to the surface.
His lips moved slightly before he spat out a mouthful of blood. The light in his eyes swiftly faded.
"What a pity, unknown ninja."
Irori sighed softly and landed soundlessly upon the ice, her graceful blue-kimono-clad form drifting down like a falling leaf.
Because her Chakra reserves were close to those of a Tailed Beast, the body capable of containing such vast Chakra naturally possessed defensive abilities beyond ordinary imagination.
Though it had not quite reached the level of a Tailed Beast, conventional attacks could not so much as scratch her, much less leave a mark.
Even without using Ice Release, she could defeat most ninjas through Taijutsu alone.
"Lady Irori!"
More than a dozen figures rushed over. There were three ninjas and eleven samurai, all of whom treated her with deep respect.
They had personally witnessed Irori face dozens of attacking ninjas. With astonishing Ice Release Ninjutsu, she released freezing air and instantly turned the sea into a frozen plain, forcibly changing the battlefield terrain.
Then, with overwhelming force, she utterly crushed the dozens of formidable ninjas.
Even the enemy leader had been effortlessly eliminated by her.
Such power had already surpassed the realm ordinary ninjas could reach.
"Let us sweep through the next location. Also, notify the other squads not to advance alone. If you encounter a powerful enemy, leave them to me."
Irori spoke in a gentle tone.
"Yes!"
Although Irori's manner was gentle, nobody who had witnessed that scene could regard her as a harmless young girl. She was a highly efficient weapon of war.
The ninjas and samurai began moving, carrying out Irori's orders.
Due to the Five Great Nations' recent series of actions, turmoil had begun to spread through many smaller countries, forcing many foreign ninjas into exile.
Most of those exiled ninjas came from ninja clans, though none were particularly powerful. Otherwise, they would not have been driven into exile.
Those exiled ninjas willing to join the Land of Night were allowed to remain. Those unwilling were expelled. If repeated warnings proved ineffective, they were suppressed.
However, there were simply too many ninjas to suppress, and quite a few had arrived by sea through the ports. This left Yayoi with no choice but to dispatch a major weapon like Irori.
As an artificial lifeform, Irori's Ice Release was particularly well suited for combat in watery environments.
There could be no one more suitable for suppressing ninjas arriving from the sea.
"Lady Irori, we have found the invaders' base. It is right there."
The speaker was a female ninja from the Aburame Clan—Shion Aburame.
She was around twenty years old and wore the Aburame Clan's distinctive long black coat. Her eyes were covered by a black visor with openings for her eyes.
Though most of her face was hidden behind the raised collar of her coat, it was still possible to tell that she was a striking beauty.
As a genius ninja of the Aburame Clan, Shion controlled a vast number of insects flying through the air, handling the intelligence-gathering work for this operation.
Shion, once an elite member of the Aburame Clan, had been extremely proud.
But after following Irori on this mission, she had been completely won over by Irori's elegant yet violent, beautiful yet cold-blooded combat style.
Standing upon the turbulent sea, she pointed toward a small island more than three kilometers across.
It was covered in dense forest, with a mountain at its center.
It was an excellent hiding place.
The thick fog around it made rashly approaching the island dangerous. It would be easy to lose one's bearings and step into traps laid by the enemy.
Only through her insect secret technique had Shion managed to find the enemy's base after expending considerable effort.
Besides Irori, many ninjas and samurai from the Land of Night stood nearby, eager for battle.
It seemed that with a single command from Irori, they would rush forward and take the island by storm.
"Should we attack directly, Lady Irori?"
A samurai clad in heavy armor stepped forward to ask.
He gripped his katana tightly as Chakra flowed over its blade. Clearly, he had mastered the technique of Chakra infusion.
"No. There are many enemy traps outside, and several enemies whose strength is unknown. Forcing our way in without detailed intelligence would cause unnecessary casualties. Fall back. I happen to have a technique I wish to test."
As she spoke, Irori stepped through the air and leaped into the sky.
Ice shards continued to form beneath her feet, but she moved so quickly that it seemed as if she were stepping upon empty air to ascend into the heavens.
The people below exchanged confused looks, unable to understand what Irori intended.
Then, all at once, everyone shuddered.
"Hey, has the air around us... gotten colder?"
A ninja trembled, hoping it was merely his own imagination.
"Yes. Even in warm armor, I can feel a bone-piercing chill."
The fully armored samurai also voiced his feeling, proving it was no illusion.
It felt as though the heat of the surrounding space had suddenly been sucked away.
"This should be enough... There are more than five hundred enemies, aren't there?"
Hovering above the island, Irori gazed down at the several-kilometer-wide island with her violet eyes, her rosy lips breathing lightly.
But upon closer inspection, the temperature around her lips had dropped to a terrifying level.
Great quantities of icy air flowed from there into Irori's respiratory passages and entered her body.
As she breathed, the temperature of the surrounding air began to plummet.
An immensely powerful surge of Chakra erupted from her body, freezing the air itself.
She clapped her hands together.
Boom!
Azure Chakra went completely berserk from within her body, sweeping madly outward and stirring up a frigid pale storm.
"Let all things freeze!"
"Ice Release: Frost Sky Demonic Realm!"
That voice, as gentle as water, was a note heralding death.
Frigid energy condensed in the sky.
At first, crystalline snowflakes drifted down from the heavens. Then they fell faster and faster, transforming into a raging blizzard within mere seconds.
The cold wind howled as snow blanketed everything.
The blizzard formed from freezing air poured madly over the land like a world-ending flood.
The sky turned the pale white of ice and snow. Gray freezing mist completely obscured the sunlight, and darkness descended, plunging the area into eternal night.
The isolated island below first saw the surrounding seawater freeze, then the sand, trees, mountains, and even the stone fortress built by the island's ninjas were stained in a hopeless white.
In less than half a minute, the island and the surrounding sea had become a colossal ice sculpture in the middle of the ocean.
It was magnificent and spectacular.
As though shaped by nature's divine craftsmanship.
The Land of Night's ninjas and samurai standing at the perimeter stared in horror.
In the brief moment they had been stunned, the island—which they might not have been able to take even at considerable cost—had been completely frozen, transformed into an unparalleled work of ice sculpture.
Not only the island, but even the surrounding sea had been frozen by the cold.
The seawater beneath their feet had likewise frozen solid, no longer surging or rolling.
"Let us return. The sweep is over. The ice here will not thaw for the next three months."
Irori descended from the sky, her complexion slightly pale. Releasing such a powerful technique had not drained all her strength and Chakra at once, but it was clearly not an ultimate-level escape technique she could use casually.
"Oh, right."
The ninjas and samurai came back to their senses in a daze. Their minds were still reeling from what they had seen, and in the end, they did not even know when they had returned to camp.
"Irori is such a capable girl. The northern border should remain stable for some time now."
Information regarding Irori's feat of freezing the island quickly reached Yayoi in Nightview City.
Inside the Tenshu Tower, he looked over the report and smiled with satisfaction.
In only half a month, Irori had suppressed every exiled ninja clan invading from the northern sea of the Land of Night, leaving none behind. Her efficiency was incredibly high.
Her final feat of freezing the island was even more inspiring. For the present Land of Night, it was undoubtedly a much-needed boost.
At the same time, it had established the Land of Night's reputation and attracted more people to migrate there.
Whether it was population or foreign ninja clans, only genuine strength could produce a siphoning effect.
The Five Great Nations were racing against time to carry out reforms. They would take the largest share, but Yayoi felt that he could still follow behind and get a little of the leftovers.
Catching up with the Five Great Nations was not something that could be accomplished in the short term. He had to face reality, respect objective laws, and fight a prolonged battle.
Moreover, Yayoi knew that the establishment of ninja villages would inevitably bring internal losses.
No matter what, the hatred between ninja clans would not disappear in a short time. There would certainly be opposition factions within them waiting for an opportunity to cause chaos. It was merely a matter of when they erupted and how much would ultimately be lost.
However, considering that each of the Five Great Nations possessed powerhouses capable of settling matters decisively, even if there were losses, they would not damage their foundations.
"Come to think of it, husband, who is stronger—you or Irori?"
Since Irori had gone out to carry out a mission, Kicho was the only one beside Yayoi handling official documents with him.
After reading the contents of the report, she suddenly became curious about whether Yayoi or Irori was stronger.
"Well..." Yayoi considered it briefly, then smiled candidly. "Although I did create Irori, if we truly fought, then unless I can completely perfect Chakra Armament Mode, lasting thirty exchanges would be my limit. Irori's strength is not limited to her Ice Release."
Yayoi had undoubtedly poured a great deal of time and energy into creating Irori.
She could be said to be his first and most flawless masterpiece.
Before Irori consumed a vast quantity of the Seven-Tails' Chakra, she had already been an exceptionally capable Puppet Lifeform.
After consuming the Seven-Tails' enormous Chakra reserves, both her Ice Release and physical strength reached an even higher realm.
If her current body had been capable of absorbing more Tailed-Beast Chakra, her performance could have continued improving.
Therefore, apart from Ice Release, Irori's Taijutsu was equally outstanding.
Anyone who believed they could bypass her Ice Release attacks and subdue Irori in close combat would face unprecedented despair.
However, Yayoi had already raised Irori's abilities to their limit. If he wanted to further improve her performance, he had to further activate Irori's body.
But to accomplish that, he first had to bring about a greater qualitative transformation in his own Chakra activity.
Ultimately, everything he possessed was built upon the Active Chakra he refined himself.
Using something similar as an analogy, his Active Chakra produced effects that shared the same underlying principle as Yin-Yang Release.
At present, Yin-Yang Release was more powerful than his Active Chakra.
Only through further qualitative transformation could his Active Chakra rival Yin-Yang Release—or even... surpass it!
"That is true. Still, it is hard to believe Irori is a puppet creation. But is it really all right to expose Irori's strength like this?"
Kicho smiled with admiration, inwardly envying Irori's immense strength.
Especially since, as a "daughter," Irori's actual physical age exceeded that of Kicho, her "mother."
This often left Kicho with very complicated feelings whenever she faced Irori, her "daughter."
"It is fine. Compared with truly powerful people, the commotion Irori caused... can only be considered children fighting. Somewhat interesting, but not much."
Yayoi smiled indifferently.
After unleashing her ultimate secret art, she had only frozen an island a few kilometers across and the surrounding sea... Madara Uchiha's Susanoo, on the other hand, had cleaved several mountain peaks apart with a single slash, severely wounded the Seven-Tails, and nearly killed a Tailed Beast in one blow.
And that had only been an ordinary attack while using Susanoo. He did not believe that Madara's Susanoo had no techniques to complement it.
The reality was just that trashy.
Irori was very strong, yet not strong enough at the same time. But for protecting the Land of Night as it was now, her strength was just right.
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