Innate Technique Revealed

That momentary delay was enough for Lightning and Wind to rush before Tsunade.

Wind's hurricane had already condensed, turning into countless wind blades that slashed toward Tsunade; Lightning's thunder serpent had taken shape, opening its massive jaws to bite down on her.

"Lady Tsunade!!!"

Shizune screamed and tried to rush forward, but she was too slow. There was simply no time.

Tsunade remained where she was, trembling all over, her gaze unfocused and completely unresponsive.

The wind blades and thunder serpent drew ever closer.

Then, without warning, the temperature around them plunged to freezing, and a terrifying chill spread outward.

Screech—

Centered on Tsunade, an ice lotus instantly bloomed.

Layers upon layers of crystal-clear ice walls shielded Tsunade at the center. The walls radiated bone-piercing cold, and the air instantly froze into frost.

The wind blades struck the ice walls, leaving only faint white marks; the thunder serpent crashed against them and instantly turned into a cloud of white mist.

Lightning and Wind were forced back by that terrifying cold as well, retreating three zhang in an instant as they stared at the ice lotus in shock and uncertainty.

A figure had appeared in front of Tsunade at some unknown point—short silver-white hair, a tall, lean frame, and black cloth covering his eyes...

Yamada Sōji stood before the ice lotus. He had removed his outer robe, leaving only a thin inner garment.

Cold air swirled around him, condensing into tiny ice crystals that clung to his hair and the corners of his clothes.

"Lady Tsunade, rest for now."

Cold mist spilled from the corners of his mouth. His voice was calm, yet the killing intent within it was impossible to conceal. "From here on..."

He raised his right hand, Cursed Energy gathering in his palm as icy white mist. "Leave it all to me!"

Ice Release?

The Yuki Clan?

The thought flashed through everyone's minds almost simultaneously, but the hardness of those ice walls and the intensity of their chill far surpassed ordinary Ice Release.

Even stranger, they could not sense a trace of chakra flow. The boy had not even formed a single hand seal.

He was not from the Yuki Clan, so what was that?

The Fourth Raikage was stunned as well.

He was well-traveled and experienced, and he had fought the Yuki Clan of the Hidden Mist more than once.

Their Ice Release required moisture, hand seals, and a constant output of chakra. Yet this boy's ice seemed to have appeared out of thin air.

It bloomed with a single thought.

There had been no warning.

While that ice lotus protected Tsunade, it had not harmed her in the slightest. That level of control, that mastery over power, was flawless.

He looked at the silver-haired boy, his gaze growing more solemn.

Meanwhile, the five members of the Xuan Yuan Corps took the opportunity to regroup. Their battle instincts told them that something was off about this boy.

But Sōji did not give them time to think.

Standing before the ice lotus, facing five Elite Jōnin and the Fourth Raikage, he slowly spoke.

"Ice Formation."

His voice was calm, as though he were merely commenting on the day's weather.

"Through Cursed Energy, it manifests the concept of absolute low temperature. It can freeze any matter and energy, even the flow of chakra."

At those words, everyone present's pupils contracted slightly.

Cursed Energy? What was that? Wasn't it chakra?

"This is Jujutsu."

Sōji continued in the same calm tone. "An Innate Technique, an ability one is born with, powered by Cursed Energy."

The Fourth Raikage furrowed his brow.

He was revealing information on his own? In the middle of a battle, he was openly explaining his own abilities?

In the Shinobi World, information was life. No experienced ninja would ever voluntarily reveal any information about himself during battle.

But what was this boy doing?

Lightning and En exchanged glances, both seeing the confusion in the other's eyes. Yet their battle instincts kept them from making a rash move.

Because while the boy spoke, they felt a strange pressure.

En's expression suddenly changed, because he sensed something terrifying inside Sōji rapidly expanding.

"Retreat!"

En roared, Fire Release chakra erupting instantly, but it was already too late.

The corners of Sōji's mouth curved slightly. The Cursed Energy within him exploded, surging from his lean body with the scent of death and an indescribable sense of oppression.

The Fourth Raikage's pupils shrank slightly, and every muscle in his body instinctively tensed.

"Frostwind—"

At that moment, Sōji raised his right hand.

The joints of that hand were distinct, palm facing upward, fingers slightly spread. Facing the five members of the Xuan Yuan Corps, he gently blew a breath.

His voice was soft, so soft it sounded as though he were calling someone's name.

Then... heaven and earth changed color.

There was no warning, no process. In a single instant, everything around them turned into pure white ice crystals.

The ground, broken stones, severed arms, bloodstains...

Even the fireballs still erupting, the hurricanes still rising, and the swarms of insects still pouring from the earth...

Everything was frozen into ice crystals in that instant.

En remained in the posture of forming hand seals, his fingers still paused on the final seal.

The flames in his palm had not even had time to be released before they became a spark carved from ice.

The other four were frozen within transparent ice crystals as well, like exquisite works of art.

Five people, five Elite Jōnin, all frozen in an instant.

The Fourth Raikage's body trembled slightly, shaking off the white frost covering him. Though he had been within the attack's range, Sōji had clearly avoided him deliberately.

And at that moment, the Fourth Raikage could no longer sense the presence of the five Xuan Yuan Corps members.

Those five were completely dead. Any struggle or resistance had been utterly insignificant before that unreasonable cold.

The Fourth Raikage slowly turned his head to look at the silver-haired boy.

Sōji still stood where he was, his right hand raised, palm facing the five ice statues.

His breathing was steady, as though he had merely done something trivial.

Yet the cold air lingering around him, his slightly whitened knuckles, and the chaotic fluctuations of chakra all told the Fourth Raikage that this attack had been far from easy.

But he had succeeded. In an instant, he had killed five Elite Jōnin.

Amai, standing guard before the stone house, stood with his mouth agape, unable to utter a single word.

He looked at the five ice statues, then at the boy, then back at the five ice statues. After repeating this three times, he froze in place like a stone statue.

Beside him, Shizune covered her mouth, her eyes full of disbelief.

She knew Sōji was strong. She knew his eyes were unusual, and that he had been cultivating some power different from chakra, but she had never seen Sōji fight with his full strength.

In that moment, the one standing there no longer seemed like that steady, mature boy, but a cold-faced god of slaughter.

Even the birds in the distance stopped chirping. Heaven and earth fell silent, leaving only the sound of the wind and the faint crackling of ice crystals breaking apart.

Crack, crack, crack...

The five ice statues began to shatter one after another. Beneath the sunlight and everyone's gaze, they slowly broke into a sky full of icy fragments, leaving nothing behind.

At that moment, the Fourth Raikage narrowed his eyes at the boy, and something new appeared in his gaze.

Wariness!

Such a young Kage Level powerhouse had limitless potential. Could the Shinobi World be about to produce another figure on Hashirama Senju's level?