Chapter 195
“Do it!”
Guy’s hand dropped abruptly, and the three of them moved at once!
Guy took the lead, the Chakra within his body surging violently as he pushed his physical strength beyond its ordinary limits.
“Eight Gates, Fourth Gate: Gate of Pain, Open!”
BANG!
A violent blast of air exploded from Guy’s body, and deep green steam immediately rose from his skin. His figure transformed into an afterimage that tore through the air, instantly crossing more than ten meters and appearing above Pakura’s position.
“Great Vajra Leg!”
Guy’s right leg carried a dazzling golden light phantom. Like a gigantic battle axe descending from the heavens, it swung downward with overwhelming force toward Pakura!
Pakura’s expression changed drastically!
She had never expected that enemies would be lying in ambush here, much less that the attack would arrive with such terrifying speed and precision. The intense sense of crisis left her with almost no time to think.
Three fist-sized Scorch Release spheres, radiating terrifyingly high temperatures, instantly appeared around her body. They whistled through the air as they shot toward Guy!
This was Pakura’s instinctive counterattack in her current weakened condition, as well as the fastest defensive method she could use.
However…
“Break for me!”
Guy’s eyes were cold, and the momentum of his descending right leg didn’t diminish in the slightest. The golden phantom surrounding his leg suddenly expanded, becoming even more imposing as it collided violently with the three Scorch Release spheres.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Three muffled explosions rang out almost simultaneously!
The terrifying Scorch Release spheres were actually struck apart by Guy’s overwhelming kick and forcibly detonated in mid-air. Scorching waves of heat and high-temperature steam scattered in every direction, but the concentrated heat that would normally evaporate the moisture from a living target had already been disrupted and dispersed by the overwhelming force of Guy’s attack.
“What?!”
Pakura’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Her Scorch Release spheres had actually been kicked apart by someone!
And the opponent hadn’t suffered any obvious damage!
“Who is it?!”
Pakura caught a fleeting glimpse of the attacking figure, and her pupils suddenly contracted.
“Might Guy! Why is he here?!”
With only one glance, Pakura recognized him.
That green-clad youth who had left such a deep impression on her during the Battle of Mount Kikyo.
The same young shinobi whose terrifying physical strength and strange Taijutsu had forced her to take him seriously.
Pakura was about to say something, but Guy clearly had no intention of giving her time to speak.
The Great Vajra Leg had shattered her Scorch Release spheres, but the remaining force of the attack continued downward toward her.
Seeing this, Pakura could only throw herself desperately to the side, rolling across the ground in an extremely awkward manner to avoid the remaining wind pressure.
SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!
Almost at the same moment she rolled, several senbon tore through the air.
The senbon came from different angles, their trajectories carefully calculated to block the routes Pakura could use to regain her footing.
A powerful sense of crisis surged through Pakura’s heart.
She continued rolling without caring about her appearance.
PUCHI!
She couldn’t completely avoid one of the senbon.
It pierced deeply into her left arm.
“Ugh!”
Pakura’s face twisted in pain, and her movement stalled for an instant.
“Now’s the time! Rope Binding Seal!”
Ebisu’s low shout rang out!
The specially prepared steel wires shot out from the bushes behind and to the side of Guy like venomous snakes suddenly coming to life.
They wrapped around Pakura’s body in an instant!
Faint Sealing Technique formulas began to glow along the surface of the wires. The steel wires didn’t merely restrain Pakura’s limbs. They also attempted to interfere with and suppress the flow of Chakra throughout her body.
“We got her!”
Ebisu’s excited voice was filled with exhilaration.
Genma’s expression also relaxed slightly.
Pakura had been caught by the Seal.
Even if the restraint lasted only a few seconds, it should have been enough for Guy, who was currently in perfect condition, to deliver a decisive blow!
Guy naturally noticed the opportunity.
He showed no mercy.
“Great Vajra Whirlwind Flame Leg!”
His body spun through the air.
His left leg was accompanied by fierce wind pressure and blazing Fire Release Chakra. Like a flaming drill, it drove straight toward Pakura’s abdomen!
Guy deliberately didn’t aim for her head or heart.
At this moment, Pakura was already restrained and severely weakened. A living Sunagakure elite shinobi who possessed the Scorch Release Bloodline Limit was far more valuable than a corpse.
If they captured her alive and handed her over to Konoha, she could provide valuable intelligence concerning Sunagakure, the battlefield, and the movements of the enemy. Her Bloodline Limit would also naturally attract the attention of Konoha’s researchers.
From the perspective of war merit, a successful live capture of an elite enemy shinobi would undoubtedly be worth far more than simply killing an ordinary soldier.
Ebisu looked extremely excited, as if he could already see the large amount of war merit waiting for them.
However, just before Guy’s flame-wreathed toes were about to touch the fabric covering Pakura’s abdomen…
CRACK!
The Sealing Technique formulas glowing along the steel wires suddenly dimmed.
Immediately afterward, all the steel wires loosened and fell away from Pakura’s body at the same time!
A powerful burst of Chakra erupted from Pakura.
Taking advantage of the instant in which the binding weakened, she rolled backward again in an extremely awkward posture.
Guy’s seemingly certain-to-hit kick merely grazed the edge of her clothing and passed by.
BOOM!
His foot slammed violently into the ground.
A shallow crater exploded beneath the impact, sending dust and broken earth flying in every direction.
“Impossible!”
Ebisu cried out in disbelief.
His Rope Binding Seal had clearly been maintaining a continuous flow of Chakra. How could Pakura break through it so quickly?
The opponent was obviously exhausted!
Yet the facts were right before his eyes.
He had no choice but to accept them.
Genma’s reaction was extremely fast.
The moment Pakura rolled away, he had already rushed forward. Several senbon were held between his fingers, ready to be launched once more.
Guy also leaped into the air, gathering power in his legs.
However, at that moment, Pakura had finally gained a brief opportunity to breathe.
She endured the intense pain in her left arm and the weakness spreading throughout her body before shouting loudly.
“Stop! I didn’t kill that person!”
Her voice was hoarse and urgent.
Guy’s expression changed slightly, but his movements didn’t stop.
On the battlefield, how could a shinobi easily believe the words of an enemy?
Whether Pakura was telling the truth or lying, Guy would first knock her down and completely strip her of the ability to resist.
That was one of the lessons he had learned through the bloody battles of Mount Kikyo, the Land of Waves, and the Land of Rice Fields.
Never give an enemy the opportunity to turn the tables.
Without hesitation, Guy’s calf muscles suddenly bulged.
Fine blue electrical arcs began jumping beneath his skin.
“Lightning Release: Lightning Fang: Rapid!”
Lightning Release Chakra intertwined with the deep green steam produced by the Eight Gates, causing Guy’s speed to surge once again!
Even without opening the Fifth Gate, his explosive acceleration was already approaching the level he could normally achieve with the Fifth Gate.
The advantage of this combination was obvious.
It strengthened his explosive power without forcing his body to endure the additional burden of opening another Gate.
After practicing Lightning Release: Lightning Fang: Rapid for some time, Guy had discovered that this was one of the combat methods that suited him particularly well.
Fourth Gate combined with Lightning Fang.
The overall explosive power could approach the level of the Fifth Gate, while the strain on his body was significantly lower.
“Great Vajra Thunder Flame Leg!”
Guy released a low roar.
His figure once again transformed into an afterimage.
Pakura had only just regained her footing, her breathing still disordered, when Guy appeared before her.
His side kick carried both Lightning Release and Fire Release, making the attack even more violent than before.
BOOM!
The kick tore through the air.
The wind pressure alone was oppressive.
With Pakura already at the end of her strength, a direct hit would leave her severely injured at the very least.
Pakura’s face became pale.
A terrifying shadow of death instantly enveloped her.
She used the last remnants of her strength and Chakra to scream desperately.
“Shukaku, save me!!!”
The instant her voice faded…
RUMBLE!
A thick wall of sand suddenly erupted from the ground in front of her without warning.
It formed almost instantaneously.
The sand condensed into an extraordinarily dense barrier, standing between Guy and Pakura like an enormous shield.
The sand wasn’t ordinary loose earth.
It was being manipulated by an immense and distinctly recognizable Chakra.
The moment Guy saw the sand wall, his pupils contracted violently.
“Shukaku?!”
The name exploded through his mind.
The Ichibi, Shukaku!
How could the One-Tail possibly be here?!
Wasn’t the Ichibi supposed to be sealed within a Sunagakure Jinchuriki?
And what exactly was Pakura’s relationship with Shukaku?
Could there have been some change in Sunagakure’s Jinchuriki situation that he didn’t know about?
Countless thoughts flashed through Guy’s mind in an instant.
But there was no time to think about them.
His attacking leg had already been committed.
He couldn’t retract it now.
BOOM!
Guy’s Vajra leg, wrapped in crackling lightning and blazing flames, slammed directly into the thick sand wall!
The impact produced an enormous explosion.
The sand barrier shattered under the tremendous force.
Countless grains of yellow sand erupted outward like a massive explosion, filling the surrounding area and obscuring everyone’s vision.
Dust and sand mixed together, forming a dense yellow mist.
For a moment, nothing could be seen clearly.
The instant Guy shattered the sand wall, he used the recoil from his kick to flip backward and land safely.
Deep green steam continued rising from his body as he immediately assumed a defensive posture.
Ebisu and Genma quickly moved closer.
The three of them stood back-to-back, their eyes sharply scanning the churning sand and dust surrounding them.
No one spoke.
The battlefield had suddenly become eerily silent.
Only the sound of swirling sand could be heard.
Guy’s expression was exceptionally serious.
That voice had definitely called out the name Shukaku.
And the Chakra contained within that sand had been far beyond anything an ordinary Sand shinobi could produce.
But there was one thing Guy couldn’t understand.
If Shukaku had truly appeared here, then why?
And more importantly…
Why had Pakura, a Sunagakure elite shinobi who possessed the Scorch Release Bloodline Limit, been able to call upon the power of the One-Tail?
Guy tightened his fists.
His gaze became colder.
Something was seriously wrong with this situation.
And whatever was hiding behind it…
Was almost certainly much more complicated than a simple encounter between Konoha and Sunagakure shinobi.