Ruri's words left Hakushi and Ayane feeling astonished.
But seeing the confidence on Ruri's face, Ayane chose to believe she possessed such ability.
"I understand."
The Hidden Sand Ninja still have some distance to cover before arriving here, giving them enough time to find a place with a narrow passageway.
Although she wasn't sure what Ruri's specific method was, as the core combat strength among the three, Ruri wasn't the type to make empty boasts.
Quickly, Ayane found a place with a narrow passageway, with only two narrow paths leading forward and backward, flanked by jagged and towering rock walls blocking the way out.
"Is this place suitable?"
"It's enough. How long until they arrive?"
Ruri's face was serious, as if she had made up her mind.
"At this speed, two more minutes."
"Remind me in the last ten seconds."
Ayane nodded in agreement.
Hakushi frowned. Although he trusted Ruri's strength, he had never heard of Ruri practicing stronger Ninja Techniques, nor was there any information indicating it before.
Therefore, Hakushi remained skeptical of Ruri's plan to solve an elite Hidden Sand Ninja in one go.
For now, he could only hope Ruri's method would work.
As time ticked by, Ruri stood at the forefront.
Amidst the storm, her fierce posture was like a flower on the ridge, standing firm and unmoving, more admirable than anything else.
"They've come!"
Ayane spoke as the final ten seconds arrived.
Ruri didn't hold back and began the sealing, utilizing a very standard Fire Style Jutsu seal.
She gathered all her Chakra and Natural Energy in her mouth, forcibly fusing them without a safety test.
Then, Ruri felt an enormous, terrifying energy fill her entire being.
This powerful sensation was something Ruri had never experienced before.
Just as she thought, although the Natural Energy guidance experiment was completed by Hakushi, in terms of this energy's utilization, Ruri believed she had long surpassed Hakushi, the experiment developer.
That's why she had the confidence to merge the remaining Chakra and Natural Energy to form the power-multiplying Sage Art Chakra without safety testing.
"Fire Style: Great Fire Extinguishing!"
"Wait, Ruri—"
Hakushi realized the problem.
With Ruri's current amount of Chakra, it was insufficient to unleash such a wide-range Fire Style Jutsu attack like the Great Fire Extinguishing.
If the Chakra supply was inadequate, not only would the Jutsu's power decrease, but it could also backfire on the caster.
However, by the time the sea of fire appeared, Hakushi's voice was already drowned out.
Even if she heard him, Ruri had no intention of following Hakushi's method.
She wasn't skilled at theories and experiments, but in combat, she would submit to no one.
In the depths of the valley, a tsunami-like torrent of flames surged with the might of a devouring beast, turning the once frigid area into an illusion of hellish heat.
The group of Hidden Sand Ninjas, yet to meet the enemy, was already petrified, their minds in a blank state.
They couldn't avoid it.
They couldn't resist it.
The darkness was being consumed by flames.
The air here twisted, a terrifying scene caused by the intense heat.
Space-time fell into a dead silence, only the sound of the fire's tongue moving was audible.
The high temperature that cracked the skin continued to intensify, and the sea of fire expanded relentlessly in the narrow space, devouring all life in its path.
Standing beside Ruri, Hakushi and Ayane couldn't help but take a breath, only to feel as though boiling water was flowing down their throats, becoming oppressive and painful.
The rock walls washed by the sea of flames turned into glowing red, fiery crystal stones.
Up ahead, the eleven Hidden Sand Ninjas with no path forward had already been reduced to ashes, not even leaving bodies behind, cremated into the air, vanished.