Whoosh!
Gari concentrated his Chakra on his feet, bursting forth at high speed towards Mokgetsu. Now, he ignored all other ninjas, focusing solely on Mokgetsu.
Even with the same Kekkei Genkai, there are different developmental directions for each person.
For example, both the Third and Fourth Kazekages preferred to control iron sand and gold sand, respectively, focusing on offense. However, Troy from the Hidden Cloud turned Magnet Release into a control ability.
Gari didn't appear burly; he wasn't tall or strong-looking, but his strength and speed were greater than ordinary people. Though not possessing innate divine power, he did have natural great strength.
So finally, Gari integrated Explosion Release into his most skilled Taijutsu, enabling him to create powerful explosions whether punching or kicking.
Originally, this combination of Explosion Release and Taijutsu was extremely dangerous, as Ninjutsu doesn't become harmless to the user just because they cast it; the explosion's power also affects Gari himself.
But Gari had an excellent aptitude for Earth Release. He practiced Hardening Jutsu to a level where even using Explosion Release, he could still use Earth Release's hardening to protect himself from harm.
Whizz whizz whizz!!!
Mokgetsu took out a large number of shuriken from his Ninja Pouch and threw them at Gari.
Faced with the sharp shuriken glinting coldly, Gari only dodged slightly and let the shuriken hit him.
Clang clang!!
The shuriken hit Gari, not feeling like they struck a human but rather a rock or steel, bouncing off one after another.
Mokgetsu wasn't surprised. His evaluation had already seen through all of Gari's skills; Mokgetsu knew all the abilities Gari mastered. After all, not everyone has a skill list as extensive as Sarutobi Hiruzen's, making it hard to remember everything at once.
The reason for such a futile action was to make it appear like the battle between him and Gari was evenly matched, with each having their strengths.
"Remember, the one who kills you is Gari, the Explosion Release user of Hidden Rock!" Gari gathered his Chakra in his fist, leaping towards Mokgetsu with a powerful punch.
Whoosh!
Rumble!!
A massive explosion erupted, tearing the ground apart, with dirt and stones scattering around rapidly. The earth's rupture sent a cloud of yellow dust soaring into the sky, obscuring the view.
"That person should be okay, right?" A Konoha Ninja couldn't help but look anxiously.
Such a significant commotion in their battlefield was only due to the clash between Mokgetsu and Gari.
The yellow dust quickly dispersed with the wind, revealing Gari covered in dust and Mokgetsu standing undamaged not far away.
"Your speed is decent, I hope you can dodge my attacks every time." Gari shook his fist, looking at Mokgetsu with a more serious gaze.
Mokgetsu merely smiled in silence; this was nothing special to him. It wasn't fast in his view since even the fastest Breath of Thunder wasn't employed. He had only used Breath of Rock and Soru.
In reality, Mokgetsu could resolve Gari in close combat. Although Gari's Explosion Release was powerful, Mokgetsu's Rock Breath combined with Eight Gates could overpower Gari with numerical dominance.
However, Mokgetsu didn't want to expose overly strong Taijutsu abilities in this fight because he hadn't laid the groundwork for Taijutsu beforehand, and demonstrating overly powerful Taijutsu would appear abrupt.
Mokgetsu intended to craft the image of a Ninjutsu genius for himself and would use more Ninjutsu in war to prove his strength.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
Mokgetsu quickly formed seals and exhaled a massive fireball about five meters high towards Gari.
Mokgetsu could create an even larger Great Fireball, but this Ninjutsu usually doesn't hit the target, so it's unnecessary.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!"
Gari chose not to dodge but also formed seals, suddenly striking the ground. Using Earth Release Chakra, he raised a thick wall of earth to block the Great Fireball, temporarily obscuring Mokgetsu's view of Gari.
In the next moment, Gari's figure appeared on top of the Earth Flow Wall. Using the wall's height, he lunged swiftly towards Mokgetsu.
"Water Release: Water Array Wall!"
Mokgetsu quickly formed seals, spitting out a large stream of water to form a wall, blocking Gari.
At this moment, a hand silently reached out from where Mokgetsu stood, rapidly grabbing at Mokgetsu's calf.
As if sensing something, Mokgetsu immediately moved away, letting the attacking hand grasp air.
"Such keen perception." The empty-grabbing Gari swiftly emerged from underground, frowning, feeling a bit stumped.
Fast burst speed and keen perception, Mokgetsu seemed to perfectly counter him.
"One can't underestimate these ninjas, they might seem reckless on the surface, but each is craftier than the last," Mokgetsu thought as he dodged Gari's attack.
After using Earth Flow Wall, Gari immediately used Rock Clone. The clone jumped on the wall to distract and draw attention while the real Gari launched a sudden attack using Earth Release.
This tactic might work on others, but Mokgetsu's x-ray vision under his black-framed glasses revealed everything about Gari.
"If it's just this, then the victor of this battle will be me."
While dodging, Mokgetsu swiftly created a Shadow Clone, forming seals with the original to use Fire Release and the clone forming seals to use Wind Release.
"Fire Release: Mighty Dragon Fire Jutsu!" Mokgetsu gathered a large amount of Chakra in his throat, then rapidly performed Nature Transformation, creating a torrent of flames.
The intense flames roared, forming three enormous and ferocious fire dragons.
The three massive fire dragons appeared, their dazzling firelight illuminating the surroundings, the orange-red flames seemed to incinerate everything they touched.
As soon as the three gigantic fire dragons emerged, they charged towards Gari with incredible speed, and at this moment, the Wind Release of the Shadow Clone was also complete.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
The Shadow Clone opened its mouth and unleashed a fearsome gale, which fueled the flames, immediately transforming the already terrifying fire dragons into an ocean of orange-red fire, pressing towards Gari.
In fact, Mokgetsu's Wind Release was quite average, considered subpar even among Jonin, aside from intimidation, there wasn't much to show for it. However, Mokgetsu's Fire Release was strong, and he also had a proficient level of Combined Ninjutsu, making him quite experienced in this regard.
Faced with such a powerful Fire Release attack, Gari was slightly spellbound. The last time he'd seen such an exaggerated Fire Release was with Jiraiya, one of the Sannin. The difference was Jiraiya wasn't his opponent, while Mokgetsu was.
Gari wanted to retreat and dodge, as enduring a Fire Release of this level head-on was not a wise decision.
But when Gari felt a sudden moisture, his expression changed drastically; behind him was the still-standing Water Release: Water Array Wall!
Gari quickly scanned his surroundings, suddenly realizing that there weren't many Hidden Rock Ninja around him, but there were a lot of Konoha Ninja.
"Damn, I over-pursued," Gari thought to himself, feeling troubled, realizing he'd fallen for Mokgetsu's baiting tactic.
Until just now, Mokgetsu had been dodging attacks without counterattacking, not because he lacked opportunities but to lure Gari deep into enemy lines. Now, with a Water Array Wall blocking behind and many Konoha Ninja on his flanks, while a sea of flames surged from the front, he had only one choice—to block the approaching inferno.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!"
Making a quick decision, Gari swiftly formed seals to use the Earth Flow Wall. Requiring only three seals, it could be deployed quickly, and he had no other choice.
Boom boom!
Thick earth walls rose up in front of and around Gari, shielding him within.
Rumble!!!
In the next moment after the earth walls ascended, the sea of fire descended, and a massive explosion ensued. Intense flames erupted towards the sky, visible even to the thousand-strong ninja forces on the battlefield, showcasing the powerful aura of the firestorm.
Both Hidden Rock and Konoha Ninja in the vicinity withdrew swiftly to avoid being caught in the terrifying blaze.
"I never expected that Jonin Mokgetsu would harbor such immense strength; the power of this Combined Ninjutsu is indeed remarkable," a Konoha Jonin who knew Mokgetsu couldn't help but remark.
Though Mokgetsu had a relatively low presence within Konoha, he had attended several Jonin meetings. With Minato's connections, even those not well-acquainted with Mokgetsu had some impression of him.
Since Mokgetsu was a Special Jonin at the Ninja Academy, the initial impression was that his strength must be average—not out of disdain, but because Mokgetsu was a teacher at the Ninja Academy and a Special Jonin.
These two identities combined made for an awkward perception, lending doubt to any claims of strength. If he were truly strong, why would he still be a Special Jonin teaching at the academy?
"Damn it, could Lord Gari..." A Hidden Rock Ninja looked worriedly at the spot engulfed by flames.
On the field, the strength between Konoha and Hidden Rock was generally evenly matched. However, fearing a coup de grâce on Gari, the Hidden Rock Ninja valiantly pushed the Konoha Ninja back to protect him.
Mokgetsu didn't mind this; his Chakra reserves were low by top-tier battle standards, but he could still use that kind of Combined Ninjutsu three more times if necessary.
When the flames dissipated, a scorched, ashen earth lay exposed. The sturdy Earth Flow Wall had melted away under the fiery heat, and Mokgetsu's earlier Water Array Wall had evaporated in the intense flames. Gari, gravely wounded, lay immobile, unable even to maintain a Rock Clone, which dissipated autonomously.
Gari struggled to rise, proving he still had some life left, but his injuries were too severe for him to even support himself on the ground.
In this moment, Gari felt fortunate for pursuing the path of Taijutsu and Explosion Release, which had endowed him with a robust Hardening Jutsu and an exceptionally tough physique. Otherwise, he surely would have perished under the extremely powerful Fire Release's might.
After this battle, he might never dare to face a Fire Release head-on again, though ordinary ninja's Fire Releases didn't compare to his Explosion Release's impact force.
Though Mokgetsu still had a good amount of Chakra left, he feigned heavy breathing, sweat pouring down his forehead, as if he had exerted great effort.
After all, such a powerful Ninjutsu was too strong for a Jonin. Acting as if it were nothing would be suspicious.
Mokgetsu intended to give everyone the impression that he was indeed stronger than Gari, but only slightly, having won through tactical cunning rather than sheer power.
Seeing Mokgetsu seemingly not in great shape, many Konoha Ninja instinctively moved closer to him, ready to fend off any Hidden Rock attacks that might injure Mokgetsu.
One Konoha ninja attempted to use ninjutsu on the crumpled Gari to ensure his defeat.
Though Gari appeared heavily injured, on the verge of death, ninjas are known for their tenacity and strong combatants even more so; completely eliminating an elite enemy from a rival Ninja Village held immense significance.
Of course, the Hidden Rock Ninja wouldn't stand by while a strong ninja from their village was dispatched, with many promptly forming seals for the Earth Flow Wall to protect the incapacitated Gari.
Just as a new round of combat was about to commence over Gari's attack and defense, a sudden violent explosion echoed, immediately followed by the ground shaking violently.
Rumble rumble!!
Everyone heard the enormous explosion, with a flare a hundred times brighter than Mokgetsu's Fire Release blooming in the distance.
"Tailed Beast Ball," Mokgetsu's eyes flickered as he tried to sense the status of the top-tier battlefield.
The distance was too far, the Byakugan couldn't see Jiraiya and the others fighting, whereas the range of Perception Ninjutsu surpassed that of the Byakugan.