—Earth Release: Earth Rumble!
An earthquake-like roar rose from the island's earth.
Mu immediately grew wary. "This unusual disturbance isn't simply Earth Release shifting the ground. Could he actually have triggered an earthquake with Earth Release?"
Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle...!
As he pondered that, vast stretches of ground softened into mud!
So it wasn't an earthquake?
Mu took it for granted. "You intend to drag me into the mud and bury me? That idea is far too naive..."
Whoosh! He flew straight into the air.
Following his habitual line of thinking, he reasonably assumed that earthen arms would surge from the mud in the next instant and forcibly drag him down. He had already prepared to counter them!
But... what emerged from the mud were neither hands nor anything else suited to grabbing!
Instead... they were pale golden flower buds!
The flowers bloomed, lush and lovely, without a speck of mud on them!
Mu said, "Lotuses...!? Is this a variation of Wood Release's Flower-Tree World? What exactly is he trying to do?"
On Blue Moon Island, everyone wore the same puzzled expression.
Orochimaru smiled and revealed the answer.
"The earth is one of the vessels of natural energy. Sasuke-kun used Kirin to harness the natural energy in the atmosphere long ago. This Earth Rumble is a method of extracting the earth's natural energy!"
Suigetsu showed his true colors as a contrarian. "But... those lotuses were created through Wood Release, weren't they?"
Orochimaru clarified, "Kirin needs Fire Release to assist it, but that doesn't change its nature as Lightning Release."
"Likewise, using Wood Release to create the flowers doesn't change this technique's nature as Earth Release!"
"The purpose of those lotuses... is to turn purified natural energy into offensive power by firing it as concentrated beams!"
"That's right. Obito, the former Ten-Tails