The Suzaku firebird swept Neji into the sky while his Rotation was still active, letting out a piercing cry in midair.
Sasuke kept his Three-Tomoe Sharingan fixed on his opponent. Seeing that Neji had no intention of surrendering, he was startled. Was he really that confident he could withstand this?
He had drawn on relatively little flame this time, making Suzaku much smaller than it had been in the Forest of Death.
But as the strongest Fire Release technique Sasuke had mastered, Suzaku's power was not to be underestimated. Its internal temperature would keep rising until the final explosion—a blast that even the strongest defenses would struggle to withstand!
The flames gradually turned white, and the heat grew so fierce that even the spectators behind the barrier found it unbearable. Both proclaimed the power of this technique.
"It's so... so hot..."
"Hey, isn't the barrier supposed to keep it out? Those flames aren't going to reach us, are they?"
The spectators watched the searing fireball formed by the firebird, like a miniature sun that had appeared out of nowhere. Their throats went dry, and sweat beaded on their foreheads.
If even the spectators reacted like this, it was hard to imagine the fiery hell Neji was enduring inside the firebird.
"What are you standing around for?! Everyone, keep the barrier stable and brace for the impact!"
Genma Shiranui, the referee on the field, suddenly realized something and shouted at the Konoha ninjas stationed around the arena.
Then he and Gekko Hayate formed a hand seal, creating simple chakra shields around themselves—
With their extensive experience, they could naturally tell from the firebird's rising temperature and altitude that this technique likely ended with an explosion.
And when it exploded, even at this distance, they would be caught in the shock wave.