Chapter 40: Immortality
Bzzzz!
The buzzing of flies filled the underground cavern but was quickly drowned out by the fierce clash of weapons and the roar of exploding ninjutsu.
One by one, the Explosive Flies, guided by scent, burrowed into the vital points of the Jashinist cultists.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A series of small explosions rippled through the battlefield. What started as barely noticeable pops became a continuous, dense barrage.
After half an hour, the sounds of battle gradually subsided. Only five Jashinist Jonin remained at the very back, still fighting desperately.
A stern-faced ninja wearing a Hidden Hot Water forehead protector led three other Jonin and over twenty Chunin in a relentless assault against them. Aside from this final pocket of resistance, the cavern had fallen silent. The remaining Hidden Hot Water shinobi moved through the aftermath, finishing off any downed Jashinists.
Jade's expression was grave. The current strength of this "old acquaintance" before him was startling. As the leader of the Hidden Hot Water Village, he was arguably its strongest ninja, yet in this fight, he held no advantage.
A fist wind suddenly cut through the darkness ahead. Jade quickly sidestepped, but the attack instantly shifted—fist becoming elbow—slamming violently against the ninja blade he raised to block.
BAM!
The immense force sent him flying backward, crashing hard against the cavern wall.
When did this guy get so strong at taijutsu?! Jade thought, pushing himself up from the ground, his face grim.
But his opponent gave him no time to recover, charging forward again, bare-fisted.
Jade's eyes narrowed. Though he hated to admit it, he knew his taijutsu was no match for this man.
"Lightning Style: Earth Runner!"
He slammed his hands onto the ground. Several blue streams of electricity shot out from his fingertips, illuminating the ten-meter radius around him. At close range, low-level jutsu were often more practical than high-level ones—fewer hand seals, faster activation. More importantly for Jade, it could effectively halt an enemy's advance and limit a taijutsu specialist's effectiveness.
The brief flash of lightning dissipated, but the next moment, the black-robed figure was upon him again, launching a relentless straight punch. The raw power of the blow twisted the air, creating an invisible vortex around the fist, adding to its formidable force.
"Arrogant!" Jade's face contorted. Compared to his ninjutsu, taijutsu was indeed his weakness against this opponent. He retreated rapidly, his hands blurring through seals.
"Lightning Style: False Darkness!"
CRACKLE!
Two thick bolts of lightning, like striking dragon-snakes, slammed into the black-robed figure. The powerful whips of electricity found purchase and began to ravage his body.
BAM!
The Jashinist Jonin collapsed heavily to the ground. The acrid smell of burnt flesh filled the air, reaching Jade even from a distance.
"Hah..." Jade let out a heavy sigh of relief. Over half an hour of high-intensity combat had left him exhausted, but at least this incredibly strong and troublesome taijutsu user was finally dead.
He took a moment to catch his breath, then turned to deal with the remaining Jashinist Jonin.
Just then, a sound like a snapping branch came from behind him, freezing him in place. He turned back slowly, his eyes wide with disbelief.
Crack! Snap! Crunch!
A series of sharp, cracking sounds emanated from the "corpse" of the Jashinist ninja. Impossibly, the body began to twitch, then struggled to move, its stiff actions suggesting something was re-familiarizing itself with the limbs.
"H-how is this possible?!" Jade stammered, incredulous.
He had been hit at close range, completely unguarded, by his full-power B-rank Lightning Style: False Darkness! Forget a Jonin; Jade didn't think even one of the Kage from the Five Great Shinobi Villages could survive that! He wasn't being arrogant; shinobi were inherently high offense, low defense. Aside from the Hidden Cloud's Lightning Release Armor, the Hidden Stone's Earth Style techniques, and certain Kekkei Genkai or secret arts, there were very few jutsu in the world that enhanced physical defense. And he hadn't seen any sign of defensive ninjutsu on this Jonin!
How could anyone survive a direct hit from a B-rank Lightning jutsu at point-blank range? Jade couldn't comprehend it. Seeing a corpse, charred outside and cooked inside, stand back up shattered his understanding of the world.
"Kekeke... hah..."
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
A string of hoarse, eerie sounds escaped the resurrected Jashinist Jonin's lips, gradually coalescing into wild, unbridled laughter. He completely ignored the terrified figure standing before him, his eyes filled with manic excitement as he examined his own body, stretching his limbs as if experiencing rebirth.
"Immortality! This is immortality! HAHAHAHAHA!"
His crazed laughter echoed through the cavern, drawing the attention of the other shinobi still locked in combat.
"Immortality? Could it be real?"
"You saw the power of the Leader's Lightning Style just now. Do you really think anyone could survive that?"
"But look at the Leader's face... This guy doesn't seem to be joking..."
"Impossible! How could something like that actually exist in the Shinobi World?"
Murmurs of shock and disbelief spread among the Hidden Hot Water shinobi. But seeing Jade's stunned silence, they realized that their leader was even more horrified than they were.
"Is this why your cult went to such lengths, massacring civilians and risking becoming the public enemy of the entire Shinobi World? Jizo!" Jade gritted out, staring at the dark figure.
"Heh..." The man let out a chilling chuckle. "Isn't the purpose of those people's existence to offer themselves to the great Lord Jashin? They should feel honored," he rasped.
The Jonin, Jizo, brushed off his charred robes, which disintegrated into dust, revealing his completely unharmed body beneath. It was as if the lightning had never even touched him.
Seeing this, Jade's expression turned utterly disgusted, as if he'd just eaten shit.
"Ninjutsu... is ineffective?" he murmured.
"You guessed it. Among all the followers, only I have earned Lord Jashin's favor and been granted the gift of immortality! I... cannot die! I, Jizo, am the end of the Shinobi World! HAHAHAHAHA..." The Jashinist Jonin grew more ecstatic with each word, finally dissolving into Mániacal laughter again.
"Nothing in this world is truly immortal. Even the God of Shinobi couldn't escape the fate of death! If ninjutsu is useless against you, then what about taijutsu?" Jade's face hardened. He reached down to the bandages wrapped around his right leg and pulled out a kunai. Even knowing his taijutsu was inferior, he would still fight.