A patch of charred corpses lay smoldering on the ground, reduced to nothing but ash. The power of Flame Daruma was not to be underestimated.
The fire produced by the Flame-Flame Fruit burned far hotter than ordinary flames—hot enough to incinerate everything it touched.
Behind the thick earthen wall, Iwado's face was dark with fury. His killing intent rolled off him in waves; he wanted nothing more than to tear Leo apart. But Leo's power was too strange, too unpredictable—his techniques impossible to defend against.
"Could it be… some kind of special fire-based bloodline? But there's never been any record of a Fire Release bloodline in any of the Five Great Ninja Villages…" Iwado muttered through gritted teeth.
Among everyone present, the only one who remained calm—truly calm—was Tsunade.
Held in Leo's arms, she had clearly felt it: for an instant, his entire arm had turned into living flame.
No one in the Leaf Village—no clan, no ninja—had ever possessed an ability like that.
Who was this man?
Suspicion deepened in her heart. Her own safety no longer seemed important compared to the mystery before her. The longer she stayed in his arms, the more familiar his aura felt… as if she had known him once, long ago.
Leo's gaze turned cold as he faced the defensive formation of Iwa-nin before him.
In the ninja world, there was no right or wrong—only conflicting interests. He didn't even know these Iwa-nin, yet he had already slain dozens.
To end the battle quickly, he chose to strike first.
With a flick of his wrist, he sheathed Enma on his back. Lightning gathered in his palm—white-hot, crackling violently, shrieking like a thousand birds crying at once.
The Lightning-attribute Chakra was compressed, then shaped—transformed into a sword of pure thunder several meters long.
Arcs of electricity danced along its surface, flaring and retracting with dazzling intensity.
The technique born from the fusion of the White Fang's Sword Style and Leo's own mastery surfaced in his mind. His very cells thrummed with lightning energy, overflowing with vitality.
He raised the blade and spoke in a calm, cutting tone:
"Lightning Severing Sword!"
This was his own creation—an ultra-long-range sword technique born from the White Fang's art!
Buzz!
The air shuddered. A single line of blinding light tore through space itself!
Iwado's instincts screamed. "Everyone—defend!" he shouted.
"Earth Release: Earth Formation Wall!"
"Earth Release: Earth Formation Wall!"
"Earth Release: Earth Formation Wall!"
Dozens of shinobi slammed their palms to the ground, raising thick stone walls one after another in front of them.
But they underestimated that one sword's power.
Where the Lightning Severing Sword passed, the earth walls were sliced like tofu—neat, clean, effortless.
Iwado and Ishiki's eyes widened in horror as they retreated, pulling the surviving ninja with them.
The sword's reach was limited—but its edge was absolute.
Everything in its path—trees, earth, men—was cleaved cleanly in two.
The ground split along a flawless line, smooth as a mirror. Massive trees toppled with thunderous crashes. And in their shadow lay more than ten Iwa-nin, bisected from the waist down, blood spraying like rain.
A single swing—seven, eight more dead.
Silence fell over the battlefield. Only the sound of collapsing trees rumbled through the still air.
Iwado stared at Leo with wide, disbelieving eyes. That sword… that power…
How could one man wield something so terrifying? Ordinary Earth Release defenses were completely useless!
Even Ishiki, another elite jōnin, looked shaken. "Y-you… are you the captain of Konoha's ANBU?"
Leo didn't answer.
He gripped Enma again and stepped forward. This time, his slash came down vertically.
No one dared meet it head-on. After the previous strike, every Iwa-nin instinctively fell back, terrified to come within his range.
When the dust settled, Iwado realized in horror that his entire squad was down to only five or six men—himself included.
Three elite jōnin, one special jōnin, and two who had survived purely by luck.
If they didn't kill Leo—and capture Tsunade—the Iwa-nin would be annihilated.
Leo knew it too. He took no pride in the carnage. Those he'd slain were mere small fry—the real threat lay in the three remaining jōnin before him.
"Captain Iwado," said one of the survivors—a young female ninja with sharp eyes and a confident air—"let's attack together. The three of us combined should be able to take down even ANBU."
She was the special jōnin among them, her name: Hitotsuchi. Despite her youth—barely twenty—her reputation in Iwagakure was already formidable.
Special jōnin were those who lacked the overall power of an elite jōnin, but possessed an exceptional gift—often a Kekkei Genkai, a bloodline limit.
In Konoha, many from the Uchiha and Hyūga clans held the same rank for precisely that reason.
Such bloodline powers could vastly increase one's combat ability.
"Agreed. We'll kill him with everything we've got!" Iwado snarled, nodding.
Iwa-nin were not known for their taijutsu or speed; that was why Leo had been able to slaughter them so easily.
Had he faced the Cloud Village's body-technique users instead, things might not have gone so smoothly.
"Three jōnin attacking together…" Tsunade whispered, worrying clouding her voice. "If it looks bad, let's retreat."
"Don't worry," Leo said calmly, his tone steady as still water.
"Lava Release: River of Molten Rock!"
Hitotsuchi's voice rang out sharply. Her hands flashed through seals before she opened her mouth and spat forth a blazing sphere of molten magma!
The magma surged forward like a burning comet, its heat so intense that even the air warped around it.
Leo's eyes narrowed slightly. Lava Release… a Bloodline Limit.
Among the Five Great Villages, only Iwagakure possessed that ability. It was the hereditary technique of the Tsuchikage's line, a fusion of Fire and Earth chakra natures—an extremely rare power that almost no one could replicate.
In the world of shinobi, Bloodline Limits weren't something one was simply born with. They were the result of exceptional shinobi, in some generations, discovering a fusion of two elemental chakra natures—and passing that ability down genetically.
From that moment on, their descendants would almost certainly inherit it—ninety-nine percent of the time.
(As for the remaining one percent… well, perhaps someone wasn't truly "family.")
That meant this young woman was very likely related to the Third Tsuchikage himself.
But to Leo, it didn't matter.
"It's just a magma ball."
He raised Enma, his gaze steady, and swung once.
Slash!
The molten sphere split neatly in two, each half hissing as it splattered harmlessly to the sides.
The next instant, the other two jōnin leapt into action—hands forming seals at lightning speed.
"Fire Release: Dragon Flame Bomb!"
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Burst!"
"Earth Release: Crushing Flow!"
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
So many jutsu at once—the air crackled with violent chakra fluctuations.
Leo's eyes flickered with a spark of inspiration.
An idea flashed through his mind—one that was bold, dangerous, and… utterly devastating.
If this works… I can wipe out all three of them in one strike.
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