"Haha… your filthy lizard doesn't look like it's holding up too well! Can't even fight properly, can it?"
Manda sneered, lunging forward with shocking speed, not giving Akaemi (Red Fang) a moment to react.
Seeing this, Red Fang shouted to Chen Xing perched on his head,
"Chen Xing! Use fire!"
"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Bullet!"
Chen Xing's hands blurred through hand seals. In the next instant, he exhaled a roaring dragon of flame that tore across the battlefield toward Manda.
"Wind Style: Air Pressure Cannon!"
At the same moment, Red Fang's foreclaws formed hand signs, and from his massive maw, he unleashed a whirling cannon of compressed air.
The gust engulfed Chen Xing's fire dragon, fanning its power severalfold. The two combined into a massive inferno that surged forward like a tidal wave, swallowing the charging Manda in a blaze of crimson and gold.
"He's underground, Red Fang!"
Chen Xing's eyes sharpened — he could sense a chakra signature burrowing beneath the ground — and shouted a warning.
"Haha! That slippery snake trick again? You're too predictable!"
Red Fang laughed, driving his clawed hand into the ground.
BOOM!!!
The earth exploded upward. His claws had pierced the soil like tofu, sending debris flying.
A shriek echoed from below — Manda burst from the earth, scales torn and bleeding. His serpentine eyes blazed with rage.
Blood dripped from Red Fang's claws as he withdrew them, and Chen Xing could see several deep gashes along Manda's body.
"Be careful, Manda," Orochimaru hissed from behind, his yellow eyes narrowing. "That boy can sense chakra. He must have detected your movements."
"Tch! That strike actually hurt!" Manda growled. His serpentine body coiled, muscles tightening with fury.
"You're not so tough yourself, loach! Hahaha!" Red Fang taunted, flicking the blood from his claws and baring his teeth.
"Don't get cocky, lizard! I'll devour you whole!" Manda roared, surging forward with explosive speed.
The two titanic summons clashed violently, the shockwaves leveling trees and splitting the ground.
"BANG!!!"
Their roars shook the forest as they grappled — fang against claw, scale against scale — neither willing to give an inch.
Although Manda had greater speed and raw strength, he lacked coordination with Orochimaru in this chaotic terrain. Red Fang, on the other hand, could synchronize his attacks perfectly with Chen Xing's chakra and jutsu combinations, keeping Manda at a disadvantage despite his monstrous size.
"Red Fang, don't drag this out," Chen Xing called down, his tone calm and strategic. "Orochimaru's dangerous. He hasn't even revealed half his abilities yet. The longer we fight, the more he'll adapt. We'll withdraw after this combined attack."
Red Fang grunted in understanding.
"Got it."
"When I give the signal," Chen Xing continued, "pour everything you have into your Wind Style. I'll amplify it with Fire Nature chakra!"
"Understood!"
Across from them, Manda's slit-pupiled eyes narrowed as he saw the pair exchanging words. He didn't wait — his massive tail lashed out, splitting the air with a deafening crack.
"BOOM!"
Red Fang leapt back, avoiding the strike, and his claws flashed through hand signs.
Atop his head, Chen Xing had already finished his seals — his chakra flaring with fiery heat.
"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Bullet!"
A massive dragon of fire — over twenty meters long — roared forth, illuminating the forest with searing light.
Before Orochimaru or Manda could respond, Red Fang unleashed his jutsu in perfect sync:
"Wind Style: Air Pressure Cannon!!!"
The two attacks merged midair — fire feeding on wind — erupting into a colossal inferno that blotted out the sky. The firestorm engulfed everything before it, forcing even Orochimaru to shield his face with his cloak.
"…"
When the flames finally cleared, Red Fang was gone — vanishing in a puff of smoke as the summoning contract deactivated.
Chen Xing's chakra flared violet, and in the next instant he formed his own technique. A large peacock-shaped chakra beast burst from him, spreading its radiant wings.
"Let's go!"
The chakra construct lifted him high into the sky before vanishing into the clouds, leaving the scorched battlefield and Orochimaru far behind.
A few days later — Hoshigakure (Hidden Star Village)
Chen Xing and his team finally returned to the village.
After reporting their mission to the Third Star Shadow, the council agreed to limit external operations for now. Shira, Sumire, and Bai were all reassigned — Shira to the front guard, Sumire as a squad leader, and Bai as a lower-ranked shinobi due to her inexperience.
The Star Village's overall power had increased sharply under Chen Xing's influence, but he and the Third Star Shadow knew this rise would draw attention.
"Chen Xing," the elderly Star Shadow said gravely, "your strength has surpassed even my expectations. But even so, our village is small. We lack missions, allies, and manpower. If the great nations notice us, they'll crush us before we can grow."
Chen Xing smiled faintly.
"Don't worry, old man. I plan to train in the Bear Country's deep valley — near the hidden waterfall. Once I reach Kage-level, no one will dare touch us. Even if war breaks out, the Star Village will stand as strong as the Rain Village once did."
He looked out the window toward the horizon, voice steady but determined.
"If the great villages try to suppress us, I'll push back — even against Iwagakure. The future of Star Village depends on strength, not politics."
He knew the truth: the Bear Country's location between the great nations was both a blessing and a curse. Eventually, conflict with the Rock and Cloud Villages would be inevitable.
And when that time came, it would decide whether Hoshigakure rose as a new shinobi power… or vanished forever from the map.
"Human Extremity — Part Three"
In the depths of the Bear Country forest, beneath the roaring waterfall,
Chen Xing sat cross-legged in meditation.
The cold water crashed down over his bare shoulders, but he didn't move — not even a shiver.
His body was still as stone, his chakra flowing in perfect rhythm with nature itself.