Masayo's Strength

Sizzle...

Just as the Rasengan was about to strike Nadare Rōga, his Chakra Armor formed a chakra barrier that blocked Masayo's Rasengan.

The Rasengan in Masayo's hand dispersed. Nadare Rōga turned around with a bloodthirsty grin and slammed his fist heavily toward Masayo!

Yet, nothing happened as Nadare Rōga had imagined. Masayo's body turned into a whirlwind and scattered away, stirring up a flurry of fine snow.

"Wind Clone? When did he...?"

Nadare Rōga frowned and turned around. A crack had appeared in the core of his Chakra Armor's shoulder guard. That Rasengan had just caused considerable damage to the Chakra Armor.

"Right when you turned around!"

Masayo stood before Nadare Rōga now, a kunai appearing in his hand. He knew all about Nadare Rōga's intel and had long prepared countermeasures.

"Not bad speed. Are you Kakashi's student?"

Nadare Rōga looked at Masayo approvingly, both hands gripping the joints near his elbows.

"Who are you? Why are you attacking us?!"

Masayo assumed a fighting stance. Wind Attribute chakra coated the kunai in his hand, though he already knew exactly who this man was.

A cold glint flashed through Nadare Rōga's eyes as he sneered. "Oh? Looks like you aren't that close to Kakashi. He never even mentioned me!"

There was an obvious implication in Nadare Rōga's words. Masayo pulled back slightly, ready to leap away at any moment.

"Sorry, but how could Kakashi-sensei possibly remember a minor character like you? Let's see how many more of my ninjutsu your Chakra Armor can withstand!"

That remark about being a "minor character" truly angered Nadare Rōga, but he did not lose control. As a Jonin of the Land of Snow, he was naturally not so reckless and hot-tempered.

"So you know all about it. Chakra Armor amplifies the chakra within the body, strengthens all kinds of ninjutsu, builds a chakra defense wall around the body, and can even neutralize your chakra attacks or reverse your chakra. In other words, no matter what kind of ninjutsu or genjutsu it is, it's useless against it."

"Ice Release: Wolf Fang Avalanche Technique!"

Rumble!

Amid a tremor like an avalanche, the snow on the glacier transformed into wolf after wolf. They roared and lunged at Masayo.

Masayo sprang up. After stepping on one of the snow wolves, he leaped more than twenty meters into the air. Moving as if he were dancing, he hurled the kunai in his hand at Nadare Rōga and immediately formed hand seals.

"Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

The kunai coated in Wind Attribute chakra instantly transformed into a rain of light that filled the sky. The barrage was dense and relentless, leaving Nadare Rōga nowhere to evade.

"Ice Release: One-Horned White Whale!"

A whale-like cry rang out. A whale fifty or sixty meters long burst through the ice beneath them, splitting the entire glacier in two. It instantly knocked away all the shuriken shadow clones and continued charging toward the falling Masayo without losing momentum.

"Wind Release: Wind Cutter Technique!"

Masayo formed hand seals, then aimed both palms at the oncoming One-Horned White Whale. He turned the wind into a blade, and a transparent current of wind sliced the One-Horned White Whale directly in half!

Rumble!

Masayo landed steadily on the ground. The enormous body of the One-Horned White Whale, cut into two halves, crashed down on either side of him. The deafening impact stirred up a storm of snow that swallowed Masayo from sight.

Wind Release: Wind Cutter Technique was a C-rank technique. A ninjutsu's power could not be judged by rank alone; it depended on how the user employed it. Mastering higher-ranked techniques did not automatically make someone stronger. Take Masayo now—he had used this C-rank technique to cut apart the One-Horned White Whale without suffering so much as a scratch, while the snowstorm it created briefly concealed his figure.

"Water Release: Water Shockwave!"

As Nadare Rōga watched, the snowstorm dispersed. Masayo formed hand seals, and seawater began to boil and surge around him. Using the sea, he formed a towering wave like a waterfall and sent it crashing toward Nadare Rōga.

"What? Water Release, Fire Release, Wind Release... You know quite a few techniques!"

Nadare Rōga's Chakra Armor formed a chakra defense wall around him. Like the earlier shuriken shadow clones, the attack left him with no way to dodge.

Meanwhile, although Might Guy's strength had declined somewhat due to seasickness, he still easily killed Fubuki Kakuyoku. Rock Lee and Neji Hyuga had regrouped with Might Guy, leaving only Masayo and Nadare Rōga still fighting.

Suddenly, they felt a violent tremor. Seawater gathered toward Masayo, and a wave several hundred meters high crashed down upon the glacier as though it would swallow it whole.

"Th-this is Masayo-senpai's power?"

Cold sweat gathered on Neji Hyuga's forehead. Even with the nearby seawater to aid him, the sheer visual impact of a wave hundreds of meters high was simply astounding.

Might Guy's seasickness had eased a little. Excitedly raising a thumb, he shouted to Rock Lee, "Lee, look! This is Masayo's blazing youth!"

Tears streamed down Rock Lee's face as he raised his palm and shouted, "Guy-sensei, I will definitely be like Masayo-senpai—spraying high and shooting far! Masayo-senpai's youthful wave is the target I must pursue, Guy-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Guy-sensei!"

Might Guy and Rock Lee embraced beneath the setting sun, tears streaming down their faces. Neji Hyuga could not help rubbing his forehead. Right now, he really wanted to jump into the sea.

"Wow, film it! Film it now! This is too spectacular! Hahaha..."

Director Kitano shouted excitedly. Compared to movie special effects, a spectacular scene of ninjutsu like this was far more thrilling.

Tenten was directing everyone to prepare for the incoming wave. Hearing Director Kitano, she loudly complained, "Hey, at a time like this, you're still thinking about filming? The wave's coming!"

Rumble! The wave instantly swept up the sailboat. The enormous spray made everyone aboard scream. Yukie Fujikaze clung desperately to a railing without a shred of dignity, crying out as the seawater spray kept everyone from even opening their eyes.

The sea became calm once more. Chunks of ice floated across the surface as Masayo stood quietly on the water, his expression calm as he watched the entire sea.

Splash...

Nadare Rōga emerged behind Masayo with a savage expression. Standing on the sea's surface, he formed a blade from his Chakra Armor and thrust it through Masayo's back.

Bang!

Masayo's body turned into a puff of smoke and vanished. The Masayo before him had been a Shadow Clone.

"A Shadow Clone... It was then!"

Nadare Rōga panted heavily. He recalled when the One-Horned White Whale had fallen, kicking up snow and dust that concealed Masayo's figure.

"Big Ball Rasengan!"

Though Nadare Rōga realized it, it was already too late! Masayo emerged from beneath the sea, seized the opening, and slammed the condensed Big Ball Rasengan heavily into Nadare Rōga's body.

Crack!

Nadare Rōga gritted his teeth, his composure beginning to crumble as he shouted, "It's useless! Didn't I tell you? Ninjutsu is useless against me!"

Crack, crack... Bang!

The Chakra Armor had reached its limit. Masayo's Rasengan had already cracked it earlier, and under the heavy impact of his Big Ball Rasengan, the Chakra Armor finally shattered completely.

"Waaah..."

Nadare Rōga's body flew uncontrollably into the air. He was at death's door. If the Chakra Armor had not blocked most of the damage, the Big Ball Rasengan might have killed him outright.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

Masayo formed hand seals. A fireball roughly ten meters in diameter instantly swallowed Nadare Rōga's body. In a single instant, the scorching heat of the Great Fireball Technique burned the critically wounded Nadare Rōga into charcoal, scattering him across the sea.

The techniques Masayo had used did not consume much chakra, and even Water Release: Water Shockwave had only achieved such power by drawing upon the seawater. Even so, it had consumed a great deal of chakra. His body had not fully developed yet; while he was not short on chakra, he did not have nearly as much as Naruto Uzumaki.

"Who says the Great Fireball Technique can't kill anyone?"

Masayo wiped the sweat from his forehead, stood atop the sea, and spoke softly.