Chapter 160: Fire Style: Dragon Fire Surge and Wind Style: Beast Wave Gale Palm
Uchiha Kagami had been a Semi-Kage level ninja for many years, and at the age of thirty, he was at the peak of his physical and ninja capabilities; his strength was incredibly refined.
Facing the Kage level powerhouse, Uchiha Kagami went all-out. In the span of a single breath, he closed the distance to Nagai Hōsai, his right fist whistling with fierce wind as he struck hard at the Kazekage's head.
Nagai Hōsai was quick to react. He opened his right hand into a palm, accurately intercepting Uchiha Kagami's fist.
With a sharp slap, Uchiha Kagami's right fist was firmly caught in Nagai Hōsai's palm.
Having seized the fist, Nagai Hōsai's eyes immediately flashed cold. His free left hand launched a devastating uppercut from below, aimed at Uchiha Kagami's jaw.
The ferocious uppercut was moments away from connecting with Uchiha Kagami's chin.
Suddenly, Nagai Hōsai heard the dull roar of a strong gale behind his head.
It was Orochimaru, who had employed the Chakra Enhanced Strength (Mystical Palm Technique). His whip kick, like a heavenly blade slicing down, brought a muffled hurricane with it, sweeping heavily toward the Kazekage's head.
Nagai Hōsai's brow twitched slightly. In an instant, he sensed the savage power contained within Orochimaru's whip kick. With no other choice, he twisted his body and retreated to the side, narrowly evading the heavy, powerful kick.
Boom! Orochimaru's kick missed and slammed hard into a massive tree below. The towering tree, so thick it would take several people to embrace, was instantly split in two from the middle by the ferocious leg strength and crashed to the ground.
Orochimaru pressed his advantage. His entire body coiled around Nagai Hōsai like a giant python, employing slick, unpredictable Taijutsu techniques to their fullest.
His surging fists and leg strikes seemed gentle, winding, tricky, and vicious—all clinging movements—but every blow, amplified by the Chakra Enhanced Strength technique, was incredibly heavy and powerful, enough to shatter stone and break trees.
Orochimaru continuously engaged Nagai Hōsai in close-quarters combat. The powerful physical strength of the two fighters sparked dull, muffled thumps and bursts of air as they collided.
Nagai Hōsai grew increasingly alarmed. Orochimaru's physical strength was nearly equal to that of a Kage level fighter. After such a prolonged, head-on physical clash, neither could gain an advantage. Furthermore, Uchiha Kagami was constantly flanking, creating diversions to relieve pressure or seizing opportunities to land a heavy strike on the Kazekage.
For the time being, the two sides were fighting to a stalemate, and subtly, Nagai Hōsai was being pushed onto the defensive.
The Kazekage's eyes sharpened. He found an opening and swept out a full-power snap kick, forcing Orochimaru back. At the same time, his tactics changed, and he quickly wove a few hand signs.
Wind Style: Wind Blade!
A crescent moon-shaped, deep-blue wind blade, rapidly spinning and cutting, suddenly materialized above Nagai Hōsai's right hand. With a flick of his wrist, the sharp, deep-blue wind blade shot toward Uchiha Kagami, who was trying to sneak-attack from behind.
Uchiha Kagami was preparing to strike when Nagai Hōsai suddenly changed tactics. The distance was too short to completely dodge, so the battle-hardened ninja immediately drew a Kunai, gripping it in a reverse hold to block the incoming attack.
Clang! A sharp collision sound rang out. The deep-blue wind blade, created by the Kazekage's mastery of Wind Style, forcefully sliced the Kunai in Uchiha Kagami's hand into two halves with its cutting power and destructive force.
However, having gained that momentary buffer, Uchiha Kagami was able to retreat and rejoin Orochimaru.
After a flurry of quick, lightning-fast physical combat, which seemed like a stalemate, the reality was that both sides were in extreme danger; a moment's carelessness could lead to a severe defeat.
The two fighters paused for only an instant before shooting out again, launching sharp and rapid attacks.
Orochimaru knew Uchiha Kagami's strongest element was Fire Style Jutsu. He quickly wove hand signs for the set-up.
Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!
The Wind Style Jutsu unleashed by Orochimaru, a Semi-Kage level fighter, was infused with a faint blue-green tint of mastered Wind Style, making its power even greater.
A surging, fierce current of wind, laced with tiny wind blades, rushed toward Nagai Hōsai.
Uchiha Kagami's eyes flared with a burst of light. He instantly understood Orochimaru's intent. Fire Style: Dragon Fire Surge Technique!
Uchiha Kagami took a deep breath, concentrated Chakra in his mouth, and unleashed a torrent of golden-red flames.
The golden-red flame stream expanded upon meeting the wind, forming a massive wave of fire in the air.
Aoooooh! With a grand, majestic roar, a golden-red fire dragon, fully one hundred meters long, emerged from the flame stream.
Orochimaru watched intently, secretly surprised. The fire dragon, completely golden-red, was incredibly lifelike and powerful. Clearly, Uchiha Kagami had reached the pinnacle of the Semi-Kage level. He was just one step away from achieving the Kage level threshold, which would be marked by the fire dragon turning completely gold and radiating a golden, ultimate flame.
The fire dragon, soaring through the air, plunged into Orochimaru's fierce wind current under Uchiha Kagami's control. With the wind feeding the flames, the golden-red flame dragon's might intensified. Streams of fire rose sharply from its hundred-meter body, making it look as though it were stepping on a massive cloud of fire as it flew toward Nagai Hōsai.
Nagai Hōsai's insight was naturally high. He recognized the level of Uchiha Kagami's skill and dared not treat the charging golden-red flame dragon lightly.
Wind Style: Beast Wave Gale Palm!
The empty space in front of Nagai Hōsai violently churned. Air currents were displaced, and a room-sized, deep-blue vacuum hand suddenly shot out, grabbing forward with overwhelming force.
The deep-blue vacuum hand arrived above the golden-red flame dragon. The enormous palm flipped over and slammed down.
Boom! In a single strike, the golden-red flame dragon was violently crushed out of the air by an irresistible, massive force, plummeting into the forest.
Nagai Hōsai controlled the vacuum hand to strike again, fiercely pounding the golden-red fire dragon that had fallen into the forest five consecutive times with boom, boom, boom explosions. The thick earth sank terrifyingly deep, over ten meters.
The fire dragon, which had been so majestic and imposing just a moment before, was forcibly shattered into scattering golden-red streams of flame flying everywhere.
The look in Orochimaru's dark-golden snake eyes was incredibly grave. He knew this was the difference in skill level—the disparity between Kage level and Semi-Kage level was only one word, but truly world-apart.
After shattering the flame dragon, Nagai Hōsai kept the deep-blue vacuum hand shielded in front of him. From behind this defense, he began weaving a complex and peculiar sequence of hand signs.
Orochimaru involuntarily focused his gaze on Nagai Hōsai's hands.
Upon seeing the signs, his mind couldn't help but be violently shaken.
That sequence of complex hand signs, both strange yet familiar—that violent and surging Chakra fluctuation—there was no mistake. It was definitely...
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