[Boom—!!!]
A terrifying whistling sound, like that of a falling meteor, tore apart the faint mist in the night sky!
A gigantic fist formed entirely of molten lava, carrying the ultimate heat that could burn all things and the destructive force to annihilate everything, fiercely smashed down from the sky toward the head of the Fourth Mizukage, Karatachi Yagura!
Even though the fist was still dozens of meters away from Yagura's head, the terrifying heat pressing down had already turned the air into an invisible furnace, instantly heating it to the point of distortion!
Yagura's deep-blue hair curled and yellowed at a speed visible to the naked eye, even giving off faint sizzling sounds.
As if it would burst into flames in the next instant.
The ground beneath his feet rapidly cracked and charred. The surrounding puddles instantly evaporated into thick, white steam.
"In the sky… what is that?!"
One after another, the Kirigakure Anbu ninja couldn't help but raise their heads in shock.
Reflected in the pupils beneath their masks was that ever-enlarging crimson giant fist!
"This is… wait! That's magma! It's Lava Release!"
A more well-informed Kirigakure Anbu ninja seemed to recall some intel and couldn't help but let out a horrified cry, his voice changing pitch from shock: "It's Konohagakure's Lava Release monster, Uchiha Keizumi!"
"Scatter! Quickly, scatter!!"
The threat of death made the instinct to survive override all orders!
Almost all the Kirigakure Anbu ninja made the same choice at the same time—retreat with all their strength!
[Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!]
One dark figure after another, like startled birds, frantically darted away in all directions!
They paid no attention to their severely wounded companions who had fallen and could no longer move.
Of course…
In the eyes of most cold-blooded Kirigakure Anbu, those companions who had lost the ability to act were already useless trash.
In the blood mist where the strong devoured the weak, trash had no right to survive.
Their deaths merely saved Kirigakure air and resources.
If their deaths could earn even 0.1 seconds of escape time for others, that would be their final value.
"Water Release: Wild Water Wave!"
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"
"Water Release…"
As they retreated, the well-trained Kirigakure Anbu rapidly formed hand seals, almost instinctively unleashing the Water Release techniques they trusted most, attempting to block the falling lava fist from the sky!
However…
[Sizzle!!!]
When the cold water streams struck that descending lava fist, an ear-piercing sound erupted like red-hot iron plunging into ice water. Massive amounts of scalding white steam exploded outward in an instant, as though a gigantic steam bomb had been detonated!
Yet the surging water currents, powerful enough to sweep away an army, could not even slow the lava fist's fall in the slightest!
They couldn't even extinguish the molten rock flowing across its surface, glowing with a dark-red light!
The extreme heat instantly vaporized the water it touched in vast quantities!
The Water Dragon Bullet collapsed in an instant, and the Water Formation Wall was smashed apart like fragile glass!
The massive surge of scalding steam that rose instead formed a deadly high-temperature isolation zone, and thick white fog rapidly spread.
The Kirigakure ninja, accustomed to the Hiding in Mist Technique, actually felt fear toward this familiar mist.
Because every droplet of water here was filled with terrifying heat sufficient to scald flesh in an instant!
They had no choice but to retreat madly once more.
The next second…
[Rumble—!!!!!!!!!!]
The lava giant fist finally slammed solidly into the ground!
An indescribable thunderous boom erupted in an instant, as if the entire land were letting out a painful groan.
The Kirigakure Anbu who were closer felt stabbing pain in their eardrums as though pierced by needles and were instantly deafened.
The whole world was left with only a buzzing ring!
What followed immediately was a visible annular shockwave, mixed with magma, rubble, steam, and terrifying chakra, which spread madly in all directions like a tsunami!
Even the Kirigakure Anbu who had already run far away were still violently flung up like leaves in a gale.
Many people felt a sweetness in their throats while still midair, and fresh blood spurted through their masks, dyeing the insides scarlet.
The scorching air wave licked their skin, instantly leaving large blisters of burns.
A burning, stinging pain swept over their bodies.
The invisible blast of compressed air was like a gigantic plow, scraping up and flattening the ground beneath their feet layer by layer, leaving terrifying marks like ripples.
Farther away...
Those low residential houses at the edge of the village… before this destructive shockwave, they were torn apart and leveled as easily as paper toys, turning into a stretch of building ruins filled with swirling dust!
And at the center of the lava giant fist's impact point…
A massive pit with a diameter exceeding several hundred meters, so deep the bottom could not be seen, suddenly appeared!
The rim of the pit showed a glassy luster, as though it had been instantly melted by extreme heat and then solidified again.
Dark-red, viscous lava, like the blood vessels of hell, writhed and flowed slowly along the pit walls and at the bottom.
It even let out terrifying "gudong, gudong" gurgles and gave off a pungent, choking sulfur stench along with rolling, pitch-black thick smoke.
Here, it was as if a small-scale volcanic eruption had just occurred!
…
[Thud!]
With a dull bang, Momochi Zabuza's back slammed hard against a boulder that had luckily not been completely destroyed, and the tremendous impact made him feel as if his internal organs had shifted out of place.
"Puh—"
A mouthful of scalding fresh blood even sprayed directly through the black mask on his face, and the warm blood instantly smeared the inside of the mask, making him feel a suffocating discomfort.
He had no choice but to lift his trembling hand with difficulty and roughly tear off that blood-soaked mask that was obstructing his breathing.
Revealing that ferocious face fierce enough to stop a crying child.
"Cough, cough… cough…"
He coughed violently, each cough tugging at the sharp pain in his chest as fresh blood continuously spilled from the corners of his mouth.
"My bones… at least seven or eight of them are cracked…"
Gritting his teeth, he struggled to get up from the ground with sheer willpower, every muscle in his body letting out fierce protests.
When he raised his head and saw the scene before him clearly, those eyes that were always filled with killing intent involuntarily trembled slightly.
"This…"
Within Momochi Zabuza's field of vision, there was no longer a single patch of intact land.
Everywhere he looked was devastation!
The earth looked as though it had been crazily ravaged by a giant beast, covered with scorched marks and vast flows of molten lava.
Even for a shinobi like Momochi Zabuza, who had crawled out of the blood mist, a chill rose from the depths of his heart.
"If I'd been even one second slower to dodge… not even scraps would be left—just blasted into minced flesh, maybe even vaporized!"
Momochi Zabuza muttered through gritted teeth.
…
"Hiss—"
Elsewhere, Biwa Jūzō inhaled sharply.
He lowered his head to look at the large, translucent blisters rapidly swelling across his arm.
The intermittent needle-like stinging pain made his brows furrow tightly.
The Kubikiribōchō was stabbed into the ground beside him, its blade faintly hot.
"I already warned you to get out of the way sooner."
Izumi's voice came from behind him.
With more experience—and a better understanding of Keizumi's power—she had grabbed Tachibana Jirō and fled early, faster than any of the Kirigakure ninja.
Now, she was completely unscathed, not even a corner of her clothes disheveled.
Looking at Biwa Jūzō's sorry state, she calmly continued, "When Keizumi-senpai takes action, it's never a joke. Although he'll certainly control his power on purpose to make sure we don't get caught in the attack and die, the aftermath alone is enough to make us suffer a little—and remember it well."
Biwa Jūzō's mouth twitched uncontrollably, pulling at the scars on his face and bringing a wave of pain. "I already dodged as fast as I could… Who would've thought you little brat could run faster than a rabbit."
Perched on Izumi's shoulder, Tachibana Jirō lazily licked his paw and mercilessly exposed him: "Meow~ You just thought there was no need to dodge that far, and then got smacked in the face by the shockwave, didn't you? How embarrassing, former Seven Ninja Swordsmen."
Biwa Jūzō: "…"
Being so precisely called out by a fat ninja cat, the embarrassment on his face flashed for an instant before being quickly concealed beneath a cold, tense expression.
He decisively turned his gaze toward the center of that scorched area, forcibly changing the subject as his tone grew solemn.
"However, the Fourth Mizukage… that man isn't someone who can be killed so easily."
He said in a deep voice, "He's a nearly perfect Three-Tails Jinchūriki."