Chapter 44
The giant held a long ice spear in its left hand and an ice shield in its right.
An icy cloak draped over its shoulders. Under the moonlight, its azure eyes gleamed with an uncanny light.
The Ice Giant towered between heaven and earth. Just standing there, it radiated crushing pressure.
A diamond-shaped ice crystal was set in the giant's forehead. Liuyun and Tsunade sat inside it, smiling down at them.
"We're in trouble," Chiyo murmured.
She had never expected that brat to possess such strength—or such terrifying Chakra.
A giant this tall could probably rival the Uchiha Clan's Susanoo.
The question was no longer whether they could kill Liuyun and Tsunade. It was whether they could survive and save the Sand Ninja Camp.
"Congratulations, Chiyo! This is the first time I've used this Ice Release technique. I've named this giant Anlan!"
Liuyun's unhurried voice rang throughout the entire Sand Ninja Camp.
As his words faded, Liuyun willed the giant forward.
The motionless Ice Giant raised a foot large enough to blot out the sky and stepped toward Chiyo and the others.
Boom! Boom!
The earth shook wherever the Ice Giant passed, ice spreading beneath its feet.
The temperature plunged with its arrival, as though the camp had been plunged into the depths of winter.
"All of you, use Wind Release! Attack that giant Anlan's legs!"
"I won't let him take another step!"
Fighting against the pressure bearing down on her, Chiyo growled, her face grim.
"Wait, Sister! We have to bring Liuyun down!"
"Even if we cut off the Ice Giant's leg, he'll just repair it! We should attack its head instead!" Ebizo interrupted.
"It's too high. And the Ice Giant is moving, so we can't aim reliably!" Chiyo shook her head.
While they spoke, the Anlan Giant Liuyun was piloting had already reached them.
"Half of you, cut through its right leg with wind blades! The moment it falls, the rest of you attack the diamond-shaped ice crystal where Liuyun is!"
With the giant almost upon them, Chiyo hurriedly gave the order.
"Wind Release: Wind Cutter!"
"Wind Release: Great Sickle Weasel!"
Dense Wind Release Chakra gathered. Enormous wind blades hurtled toward the giant's leg, their edges razor-sharp.
In the next instant, the giant made a move that stunned everyone. Their faces changed.
Its spear flashed down beside its thigh.
Then it swept the weapon clockwise!
Whoosh!
The air seemed to split, ripples surging outward like raging waves.
A crescent-shaped slash stretching between heaven and earth swept out with the spear!
Every Ninjutsu attack and Kunai sent against it looked utterly feeble.
They vanished the instant they touched it!
"Run! Now!" Chiyo's fingers danced.
The Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu appeared before her, wielding weapons wreathed in Chakra to block the devastating slash!
Clang! Clang!
Metallic screeches rang out.
The Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu, Chiyo's greatest pride, held against the slash for only a moment before cracks appeared across them!
"How? How can the gap be this big?" Chiyo's eyes widened in shock.
Rumble!
Just then, the ground beneath Chiyo and the others shook.
The earth began to sink. In an instant, the ground still within the slash's path dropped away.
It was as if someone had dug a square pit straight into the flat earth.
"Oh? Earth Release? I didn't expect anyone among the Sand Ninja to know it," Liuyun said, sounding surprised.
"What did you expect? The Sand Ninja specialize in Wind Release and puppetry, but they have a few other techniques too!"
Tsunade rolled her eyes at Liuyun, though her face was still full of shock.
She had never imagined her young apprentice was this powerful.
This Ice Giant could damn near rival her grandfather's Wood Release.
Compared with him, her teacher was hopeless. Well, perhaps he could put up a little resistance, as Chiyo had.
With nothing left to stop it, the razor-sharp slash swept onward and struck the hill behind the Sand Ninja Camp!
Boom!
A deafening blast rang out as the earth shook violently.
The hill, six or seven meters high, split cleanly in two at its base.
The cut was so smooth and even that it was breathtaking.
Boom!
Another crash followed as half the hill fell, throwing dust high into the air.
Just as Liuyun was about to finish Chiyo off, his brow furrowed slightly.
"What luck those people have."
Slaughter Through the Sand Ninja Camp! The One-Tail Jinchuriki!
Through his Chakra sensing, Liuyun detected someone approaching at tremendous speed!
More importantly, that person's Chakra reserves were enormous—even greater than his own.
The Chakra felt familiar, much like what he had sensed from Mito Uzumaki.
"What's wrong?" Tsunade asked quietly, noticing the change in him.
"The One-Tail Jinchuriki is back. We need to leave."
"Bunpuku? That old man won't be easy to deal with. Aside from Grandma, he's the only Jinchūriki I know who can perfectly control his tailed beast!"
Tsunade frowned, her lovely face turning grave.
"Then we'll go. But first..."
Liuyun swept his gaze across the other Sand Ninja in the camp. At his command, the Ice Giant stamped its enormous foot down!
The ground collapsed, sending dirt exploding upward!
Crack! Crack!
Bitterly cold ice crystals surged outward from that point in every direction, like waves rolling across the sea!
In an instant, the entire Sand Ninja Camp was blanketed in glittering ice, as though deep winter had arrived.
Several Sand Ninja were caught off guard and became ice sculptures, terror frozen on their faces.
Sensing only a handful of Chakra signatures left in the Sand Ninja Camp, Liuyun nodded with faint satisfaction.
He steered the Ice Giant away, shaking the earth with every step.
They had barely gone far when Chiyo's anguished scream rang through the camp.
"Princess Tsunade! Uchiha Liuyun! I'll never let you get away with this!"
Clearly, she had discovered what had happened to the Sand Ninja Camp.
"That old woman must be beside herself by now!"
Tsunade smiled radiantly, like a peony in full bloom.
"What's wrong?" Seeing Liuyun's grave expression, Tsunade's smile faded.
"The last person I wanted to face is here," Liuyun said grimly.
At full strength, he wouldn't have feared old monk Bunpuku. But after using so many powerful Ice Release techniques and piloting the giant...
He had only a little over half his Chakra left. Worse, he was still in the Sand Ninja's stronghold. That made things troublesome.
Looks like I'll have to reveal my Mangekyo, Liuyun thought.
"Amitabha. You two have made quite a spectacle of my Sand Ninja Camp."
Old monk Bunpuku looked toward the distant giant, his aged face expressionless.
Yet his voice reached Liuyun and Tsunade clearly.
"Are you going to stop us?"
"No. I'd merely like to invite you to visit the Sand Ninja. Allow us to be gracious hosts."
Bunpuku shook his head, a kindly smile appearing on his face.
"Why make this difficult? Can't you just let us leave?"
The enormous foot rose high, terrifying cold gathering around it!
Then it came crashing down toward Bunpuku!
"Amitabha."
Bunpuku stood where he was and murmured the word.
The instant the foot descended, brilliant white light burst from his body!
It shone like a blazing sun!
"Hahaha! I'm finally out!"
A huge, dark-brown claw marked with strange seals emerged from the light!
It stopped the Ice Giant's foot cold!
Crack!
Ice spread across the claw, freezing it in an instant!
"What the hell is this? Ice? Old monk, looks like you've met someone strong!"
Shukaku laughed hoarsely and pulled his claw back.
A towering creature as tall as the Ice Giant appeared before Liuyun.
Mysterious Runes covered its dark-brown skin.
It resembled a tanuki, with one long tail swaying behind it.
It was Shukaku, the One-Tail!
"These two brought havoc to the Sand Ninja Camp. I had no choice but to call you out!"
Bunpuku pressed his palms together, looking mournful.
"Oh? Old monk, I thought you were kind. Why are you asking me to kill now?"
"My kindness is reserved for my village," Bunpuku murmured.
"Hmph! Hypocrite! But since you let me out, I'll kill those two for you!"
Shukaku snorted, then bared a savage grin.
"Wind Release: Drilling Air Bullet!"
He clapped his hands together, and dense Wind Release Chakra gathered in his gaping maw!