Torifu Akimichi dragged his weary body over. As he looked at Lin Ze, whose aura was slowly settling but whose dragon scales, tail, and other features had yet to fade completely, his eyes filled with amazement and a hint of mixed feelings.
"Aoda... no, perhaps we should call you 'Azure Dragon' now."
Torifu Akimichi's voice was tired, but utterly solemn:
"You deserve the greatest credit for today's battle! Had you not held off the Third Raikage head-on and created the opportunity to severely wound Killer B, the consequences would have been unthinkable. I will report your contributions to Lord Third Hokage exactly as they happened."
His words amounted to official recognition of the name "Azure Dragon" and Lin Ze's decisive role in this battle.
With a flash of golden light, Minato Namikaze appeared beside them. He looked at Lin Ze with pure admiration and goodwill in his eyes:
"Amazing strength and responses, Aoda... no, Azure Dragon. I'm glad Konoha has someone as strong as you."
His manner was as gentle and sincere as ever, carrying the charm unique to the "Yellow Flash."
Yet at that moment, Lin Ze had no time to enjoy the glory of victory or his comrades' praise.
Beneath the Azure Dragon Mask, a film of cold sweat had already formed across his forehead.
The backlash from forcibly drawing out a large amount of Ryūmyaku chakra began erupting violently!
Natural energy rampaged through his body like a beast out of control. Wherever it passed, his cells rapidly lost their vitality, and a cold stiffness spread through his limbs and body.
Beneath his skin, gray petrification patterns flickered in and out of sight, even beginning to spread toward his face.
Damn it, I overdid it this time. The petrification is spreading faster than I expected!
Lin Ze cursed