Chapter 22: Driving Back the Enemy Forces
As the smoke and dust slowly faded, every pair of eyes locked onto the half-curved wall of earth.
Even though cracks spidered across its surface, the Earth-Style Wall was still standing. It hadn't collapsed.
Behind it, Izumo stood on unsteady legs. His face was pale, and a thin line of blood ran from the corner of his lips, but it was clear he hadn't suffered a fatal injury.
"H-How is this possible…?" The Iwagakure jōnin's eyes went wide, his face filled with disbelief. "A Genin actually blocked my Earth Release? And this shape of the Earth-Style Wall…?"
The corner of Izumo's lips lifted slightly in quiet satisfaction.
After Earth-Style Wall reached the expert level, he had realized he could now make subtle adjustments to the technique's form.
The half-curved structure was one of the results of that development.
With a curved surface, the force of an impact would be guided along the arc instead of concentrating at a single point, reducing the risk of localized cracking.
At the same time, the curve could absorb part of the impact through slight deformation, redirecting vertical force into surface-aligned force, lessening the direct blow.
Compared to the old flat wall, this curved structure could withstand much stronger impacts without extra reinforcement, and its overall stability was far higher despite using the same amount of material.
The Konoha and Iwagakure ninja nearby were so shocked they couldn't find the words to speak.
The Konoha genin burst into hushed whispers.
"My god… Kamizuki didn't just kill a Chūnin. He even blocked a jōnin's attack!"
"What kind of monster is he? How can someone this young master ninjutsu like that?"
"We really underestimated him. His strength is way beyond a normal genin now. He's already on the level of a Chūnin!"
Kotetsu looked like he had just escaped death, relief washing over his face, while Kurenai stared at Izumo Kamizuki with eyes full of admiration and respect.
She had always known Izumo worked hard, but she never imagined he had grown this strong.
The Iwagakure jōnin's expression darkened, turning ferocious. He hadn't expected a Konoha genin to give him this much trouble.
He took a deep breath. Chakra surged wildly through his body once more, and his footsteps quickened.
"You brat… you've really managed to make me angry!" he snarled. "Today, I will kill you!"
Izumo's face grew serious.
Close-range combat would be even more dangerous. If this man got close, there was a good chance Izumo wouldn't make it back to camp alive.
His eyes flicked back to the panel.
Water Release: Starch Syrup Capturing Field was sitting at 99/100. He only needed one more trigger to break into the expert level.
"I have to hold him here until Doto-sensei arrives…" Izumo muttered in his mind as chakra surged down into his legs.
In the next instant, a pale blue flow of water spread out from beneath Izumo's feet, rushing forward and coating the ground beneath the Iwagakure jōnin.
"Huh?" The jōnin felt his step stall for a brief moment.
He detonated his chakra and tore himself free from the binding water, then charged forward again.
"Izumo-kun, Starch Syrup Capturing Field won't work on a jōnin!" Kurenai cried out anxiously when she saw that.
"No—we don't know that yet!" Izumo shot back.
Under his gaze, the proficiency on the panel finally broke past its limit. New words appeared:
[Water Release: Starch Syrup Capturing Field: Beginner → Expert (Proficiency: 101/1000)]
The expert-level Starch Syrup Capturing Field underwent a qualitative change.
"Keep going… Water Release: Starch Syrup Capturing Field!" Izumo Kamizuki shouted in his mind.
Seeing the water spread under his feet again, the Iwagakure jōnin burst into laughter.
"Kid, is that all you've got? Didn't your friend just say this doesn't work at all? Figures. A child is still just a child!"
But the moment the words left his mouth, he realized that even after exploding his chakra, his feet still wouldn't budge.
"What is this cursed stickiness?!"
Izumo snorted softly.
At the moment of the breakthrough, he had felt it clearly—he could now condense the sticky water of Starch Syrup Capturing Field into a pale blue adhesive gel. Its binding power had increased by far more than just a small amount.
"This isn't over yet. Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall—Modified!" Izumo shouted, his voice low and heavy.
This time, the Earth-Style Wall transformed into a fully enclosed, curved earthen dome, sealing the Iwagakure jōnin inside.
"What?!" The jōnin's expression changed drastically.
"What a perfect opening!" Akimichi Doto roared with excitement.
He had been gathering chakra this whole time. The instant he saw the Iwagakure jōnin trapped, he unleashed the Akimichi clan's secret technique:
"Partial Expansion Technique: Human Bullet Tank!"
Akimichi Doto's body swelled several times over, transforming into a massive, roaring sphere of flesh. With the sound of rushing wind tearing through the air, he slammed straight into the earthen dome with overwhelming force.
The Iwagakure jōnin tried to dodge, but the sticky gel and the earthen dome held him fast, leaving him completely unable to move.
The impact hit like a landslide.
The Human Bullet Tank crashed into his body, and the sharp, unmistakable sound of bones breaking echoed through the air.
The jōnin vomited a mouthful of blood. His body flew back like a kite with its string cut, slamming into the ground and failing to rise again.
The battlefield fell into a sudden, heavy silence.
Neither side had expected that a genin who had just graduated from the academy could hold down an enemy jōnin at such a critical moment—and create a deadly opening for his teammate.
"Retreat! Fall back, now!" an Iwagakure jōnin shouted sharply, issuing the order without hesitation.
The Iwagakure ninja pulled back like a receding tide, vanishing into the depths of the mountain forest in a matter of moments.
Izumo let out a long breath. The tension drained from his entire body at once. His legs went weak, and he nearly collapsed to the ground.
Kotetsu and Kurenai rushed over and caught him.
"Izumo-kun, are you okay?" Kurenai asked anxiously, lifting a hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth.
"I'm fine. Just a little tired," Izumo said, giving a faint smile and shaking his head.
Akimichi Doto walked up to him, praise written all over his face.
"Izumo, what you did today was incredible. You didn't just kill a Chūnin—you even managed to hold down an enemy jōnin and create the chance for us to win. You already have strength on the level of a Chūnin!"
The Konoha ninja nearby gathered around as well, looking at Izumo with eyes full of awe.
"Izumo Kamizuki… what a terrifying kid," one Konoha Chūnin muttered in admiration.
"Yeah. Looks like Konoha is about to give birth to another genius."
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