Chapter 36: Lava Release
"Yellow Flash?"
The liquid lava chakra flowing across Rōshi's body surged even more violently, like pressure and heat building right before a volcano erupted. Every strand of that chakra carried a scorching temperature that seemed ready to burn the air itself.
"Interesting," he sneered. "But a dead genius is nothing more than a pile of useless ashes!"
Before the last word even faded, Rōshi slammed his foot into the ground with full force.
With a deep, thunderous crash, the earth split apart like a spiderweb. Stones flew in every direction as his body launched forward like a cannonball, charging straight at Izumo.
A wave of hot air mixed with the stench of sulfur slammed into Izumo's face, nearly igniting the air along its path. Even the light itself seemed to warp and tremble under the overwhelming heat.
Izumo's pupils shrank sharply, every hair on his body standing on end.
He instantly activated his master-level Body Flicker Technique.
His form blurred into a faint blue shadow, slipping sideways and backward like a ghost just as Rōshi's heavy fist—wrapped in Lava Release chakra—smashed into the spot where he had been standing.
The impact turned solid rock into bubbling magma. Hissing liquid streamed across the blackened ground, crushing even the hardest pebbles into soft, ruined earth wherever it flowed.
Rōshi's Lava Release was the perfect fusion of offense and defense.
Even the slightest touch meant fatal injury.
The heat alone, from several meters away, made Izumo's skin sting like it was being pricked by countless needles. His eyes narrowed, alarm bells ringing wildly in his mind.
"I absolutely can't fight him at close range."
His thoughts raced, pushed to their absolute limit at the edge of life and death.
"You think you can run?" Rōshi sneered, molten chakra surging up his throat. "Lava Release: Scorching Stream Rock Technique!"
The moment he finished speaking, several fist-sized balls of lava shot from his mouth in rapid succession, slicing through the air as they chased after Izumo with sharp, hissing trails.
Wherever they passed, trees and grass along the path instantly blackened and crumbled. Even low shrubs burst into flame under the intense heat.
Izumo's heart pounded.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kotetsu, Kurenai, and the others still fleeing deeper into the forest. Their figures flickered between the trees, clearly not yet out of danger.
"Rōshi's Lava Release is way too effective against me. And if Kotetsu and the others get caught in it, their ninjutsu won't be able to hold this back at all…"
"I have to draw him away."
A bold, reckless plan took shape in his mind.
He suddenly changed direction.
Instead of retreating toward the Konoha camp, he kicked off a tree trunk, using the momentum to twist around and dash toward the Iwagakure forces on the other side of the forest.
There—faintly visible through the trees—were Iwagakure patrol ninja.
If Rōshi dared to use large-scale Lava Release there, he would end up injuring his own comrades.
"Oh?"
A flicker of surprise crossed Rōshi's eyes. He clearly hadn't expected Izumo to charge straight into the "tiger's mouth."
But his killing intent was already overflowing.
Without wasting a moment to think, he stomped the ground again, shattering the earth beneath his feet, and gave chase without hesitation.
Izumo's toes barely tapped against tree trunks as he leapt forward, his body light and agile like drifting cotton.
While dodging the relentless barrage of lava spheres, he flicked his wrist and hurled three kunai. Explosive Tags hissed at their tips as they flew straight toward Rōshi's face.
Rōshi snorted in disdain.
The Lava Release chakra inside him burst outward.
"Lava Release: Granite!"
A deep red, molten armor instantly coated his entire body. The Explosive Tags detonated against it, but only produced small sparks, leaving not even a single mark behind.
Even so, that brief moment of obstruction gave Izumo a chance to breathe.
He used the dense forest on both sides to constantly change direction, pushing his master-level Body Flicker Technique to its absolute limit.
Sometimes he skimmed across the ground to avoid lingering streams of lava.
Sometimes he grabbed onto hanging vines to climb sheer rock walls.
His movements were fast, unpredictable—like a phantom in the trees—and even Rōshi began to struggle to keep up.
The chase burst out of the thick forest, and suddenly, the roar of rushing water echoed ahead.
Izumo's heart leapt.
He looked up to see a river nearly ten meters wide stretching across his path, its clear water surging rapidly downstream.
Without a second of hesitation, he dove straight in.
The cold water wrapped around his body, washing away most of the lingering heat on his skin.
Rōshi reached the riverbank moments later. The sight of Izumo in the water only made his killing intent flare even stronger.
His hands flashed through seals.
"Lava Release: Great Lava River Technique!"
A devastating torrent of molten rock blasted from his mouth, crashing toward the river's surface—he intended to evaporate the entire river with lava.
But before it could touch the water, Izumo had already finished forming seals beneath the surface.
"Water Release: Starch Syrup Capturing Field—Modified!"
He slammed his palm hard against the river.
Since he hadn't mastered Water Wall, he could only reshape the Syrup Capturing Field into something defensive.
A towering wall of water surged upward, colliding head-on with the incoming lava.
With a deafening hiss and the violent roar of boiling water, massive clouds of steam exploded outward, shrouding the river in thick, blinding mist.
The lava that met the water cooled rapidly, freezing into chunks of blackened stone.
Izumo seized that fleeting chance.
He kicked one of the solidified stones hard, sending it flying straight at Rōshi.
Rōshi snorted and threw a punch wrapped in molten armor—but suddenly froze.
"What? I can't break this?!"
To his shock, his fist stuck fast to the stone, his strength instantly drained away. The secret of the Syrup Capturing Field was its stickiness, and the high temperature of Rōshi's lava armor had reactivated the remaining adhesive properties of the technique, binding his movements for a brief moment.
Hidden behind the thick steam, Izumo swam toward the opposite bank.
When he reached land, he staggered forward a few steps. Without bothering to wring out his soaked clothes, he turned and sprinted straight into the nearby forest.
By the time Rōshi forced his way through the steam and reached the other side of the river, Izumo's figure was already gone.
Rōshi ground his teeth, staring in the direction of Izumo's escape with deep dissatisfaction.
Lacking any sensory ability, he could only snort coldly and turn away, planning to find a sensor-type ninja to help track him down.
Meanwhile, Izumo kept running until he finally reached a hidden cave.
Only then did he stop, bending over as he gasped for breath, his chest heaving violently in the dim, echoing darkness.
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