CHAPTER 140
"Boom!!!"
The three gigantic Water Dragons crashed violently into the center of the lava sea with deafening roars.
The instant they struck...
The overwhelming torrent collided head-on with the boiling magma.
An earth-shattering hiss erupted across the battlefield.
"Sizzle!!!!!!"
Extreme heat clashed violently against an immense volume of seawater.
Dense white steam exploded outward in an instant.
Accompanied by a terrifying shockwave, it swallowed the entire center of the battlefield before rapidly spreading in every direction.
For a brief moment...
Everyone's vision was completely obscured.
The white steam was so dense that they could not even see their own hands.
Only the violent sounds of water and lava colliding continued to echo.
Along with...
The inhuman screams of agony erupting from the very center of the steam.
At the same time, the tremendous air pressure created as countless tons of seawater instantly evaporated under the extreme heat mixed together with the torrent's impact.
The resulting blast surged violently in every direction.
Fortunately...
The epicenter remained focused around Roshi.
By the time the shockwave reached the battle between the Uchiha and Iwagakure forces, its power had weakened considerably.
Although many shinobi were blown backward in panic...
Neither side suffered any serious injuries.
The fierce battlefield that had been filled with killing intent only moments earlier...
Was forcibly interrupted by the colossal explosion of steam.
Everyone instinctively stopped fighting.
Their eyes remained fixed upon the rolling white mist that concealed everything inside.
Whoosh!
The torrent pouring endlessly from Guy's sealing scroll finally came to an end.
Guy grabbed Ebisu with one hand and Genma with the other.
Using the remaining momentum of the rushing water, the three landed steadily atop the flooded ground below.
Time itself seemed to slow.
Steam continued rolling across the battlefield.
Then...
As the powerful air currents gradually scattered it...
And the floodwaters slowly receded...
The dense white fog finally began to disperse.
As visibility gradually returned...
Silhouettes slowly emerged from the center of the battlefield.
However...
The moment the Iwagakure shinobi saw what had happened...
Expressions of horror instantly spread across every face.
The sea of lava created by Roshi's Lava Release: Flower Fruit Mountain had completely changed.
The boiling magma, after colliding with the enormous quantity of cold seawater and cooling at an unbelievable speed...
Had transformed into vast stretches of pitch-black volcanic glass.
Its edges were razor sharp.
Its fractured surfaces displayed characteristic shell-like patterns.
As shinobi of Iwagakure...
They recognized it immediately.
Obsidian.
The volcanic glass formed when molten lava cools almost instantaneously.
But...
That wasn't what truly terrified them.
What truly chilled every Iwagakure shinobi to the bone...
Was the figure standing at the very center after the steam completely cleared.
Half of Roshi's body...
Had been completely trapped inside the newly formed obsidian.
His lower body was firmly sealed within the hardened volcanic glass.
The upper half exposed above the surface...
Was covered with horrifying steam burns.
His skin was swollen, blistered, and bright crimson.
Some areas had even turned an unsettling cooked-white color.
Wisps of steam carrying the smell of scorched flesh continued rising from his body.
Roshi gasped heavily.
Pain...
Rage...
And disbelief...
Filled his eyes.
He desperately tried to struggle.
Yet half of his body remained completely imprisoned within the incredibly hard obsidian.
Combined with the severe burns and the tremendous impact from the Water Dragons...
He simply couldn't gather enough strength to break free.
But the most fatal thing of all...
Was the kunai pressed steadily against his neck.
Its sharp edge rested precisely over his carotid artery.
The icy touch of cold steel instantly froze Roshi's body.
He didn't dare move even slightly.
The one holding the kunai...
Was Uchiha Shisui.
Iwagakure's greatest military weapon.
The Four Tails Jinchuriki.
The master of Lava Release...
Roshi...
Had actually been captured alive by a young Uchiha shinobi.
The battlefield fell completely silent.
Every Iwagakure shinobi stared in utter disbelief.
It was as though they had witnessed the most impossible scene imaginable.
"Lord Roshi!!"
"Impossible..."
"The Jinchuriki was actually captured?!"
"Save Lord Roshi!!"
The Iwagakure forces erupted into chaos.
A Jinchuriki represented a nation's greatest deterrent.
The pillar supporting an entire hidden village.
Now...
Right before their very eyes...
He had become the enemy's prisoner.
No one could accept such a reality.
This wasn't merely a defeat.
It was a devastating blow to Iwagakure's morale.
Many shinobi instinctively rushed forward in an attempt to rescue Roshi.
At that same moment...
The Uchiha Clan finally snapped out of their own shock.
Every pair of Sharingan burned with excitement.
The enemy's strongest combatant had lost the ability to fight.
He had been captured alive.
Nothing could boost morale more than that.
"Stop them!"
"Don't let them through!"
After their brief excitement, the Uchiha immediately reacted.
Every pair of crimson eyes grew even sharper.
Without fear of death, they charged forward once more.
They blocked every desperate rescue attempt launched by the Iwagakure forces.
After the brutal battle...
Excluding Roshi himself...
Only thirty-nine Iwagakure shinobi remained.
The Uchiha Clan had also suffered heavy casualties.
Only twenty-two clan members were still standing.
Including Guy, Ebisu, and Genma...
Their side now totaled twenty-five people.
Iwagakure had already lost ten shinobi.
The Uchiha had lost five.
A casualty ratio of nearly two to one.
This was precisely why Roshi had become so anxious to unleash Lava Release: Flower Fruit Mountain.
Too many of his own subordinates had already fallen.
He wanted to eliminate Uchiha Feiquan and Shisui immediately.
To end the battle as quickly as possible.
Otherwise...
Despite possessing overwhelming numerical superiority...
Their casualties would become impossible to explain.
Even if they eventually destroyed Outpost No. 8...
The battle report would be disgraceful.
The Tsuchikage himself might even question him.
He had wanted to finish everything swiftly.
Unfortunately...
That perfect plan...
Had been completely ruined by those three youngsters.
Roshi's murderous gaze slowly shifted toward Guy, Ebisu, and Genma.
His eyes seemed capable of swallowing people whole.
The three met his gaze without the slightest hesitation.
Ebisu even let out a cold snort.
"A defeated prisoner..."
"And you still dare glare at us?"
Roshi nearly exploded with rage.
His teeth ground together loudly.
Just as he prepared to curse...
Battle cries suddenly echoed across the battlefield.
"Lord Roshi!!"
"No matter what, save Lord Roshi!!"
The remaining Iwagakure shinobi had completely lost their composure.
Their eyes were bloodshot.
Ignoring everything else, they desperately attempted to break through the Uchiha defensive line.
Watching his subordinates charge forward only to be blocked or cut down one after another...
Roshi's expression became terrifyingly cold.
Humiliation and fury surged endlessly within him.
Never...
Not even in his worst nightmare...
Had he imagined ending up in such a situation.
"Order your men to stop."
Shisui's calm voice sounded beside his ear.
The kunai remained pressed firmly against Roshi's neck.
Roshi didn't respond.
He didn't even open his eyes.
Instead...
He simply closed them completely.
As though he had accepted death.
Or perhaps...
He simply disdained answering.
Seeing this...
Shisui narrowed his eyes.
This kind of stubborn prisoner wasn't uncommon.
Especially when facing someone as proud as a Jinchuriki.
His wrist shifted slightly.
The kunai advanced another fraction.
Its blade effortlessly pierced Roshi's neck.
Blood immediately trickled down.
It stained both the kunai and Shisui's fingers crimson.
Yet...
Roshi merely trembled almost imperceptibly.
He still refused to open his eyes.
Only a contemptuous snort escaped through his nose.
As though the blade wasn't pressed against his own throat.
Shisui frowned.
For the first time...
He hesitated.
Should he kill Roshi immediately?
Or continue holding him captive?
The value of a living Jinchuriki...
And the consequences of killing one...
Both required careful consideration.
Guy, standing nearby, also witnessed the scene.
His brows immediately knitted together.
Something wasn't right.
Roshi was indeed heavily injured.
Half of his body remained trapped inside obsidian.
His burns were severe.
But...
That condition would only last temporarily.
A Jinchuriki's greatest strength wasn't merely destructive power.
It was their terrifying recovery ability after synchronizing with Tailed Beast chakra.
That was the truly frightening part.
As long as Roshi was given time...
Even a short amount...
His chakra would recover.
He could gradually free himself.
Or perhaps...
Even transform once more.
"He's buying time!!"
Guy reached the conclusion instantly.
Roshi's refusal to cooperate...
His deliberate silence...
Even provoking Shisui...
All served a single purpose.
He was stalling.
He was betting that the Uchiha wanted a living Jinchuriki because of his immense intelligence value.
Or...
That they feared the consequences of killing one outright.
Every extra second...
Allowed him to recover just a little more.
Every extra second...
Increased his chance of turning the situation around.
"I can't let him succeed!"
Guy's expression changed.
He immediately opened his mouth to warn Shisui.
But...
At the very instant he was about to shout...
A cold flash of steel suddenly appeared behind Shisui.
It wasn't aimed at Shisui.
The blade's true target...
Was Roshi himself.
The next instant...
The sword flashed across the air.
With flawless precision and decisive killing intent...
It swept directly across the exact spot where Shisui's kunai rested against Roshi's neck.
Slash!
The blade disappeared almost as soon as it appeared.
It was so fast...
Many people believed they had imagined it.
Roshi, who had remained silent with his eyes closed...
Suddenly opened them wide.
Shock.
Disbelief.
And finally...
The fear of death.
Filled his eyes.
His neck stiffly turned.
Slowly...
Painfully...
He looked behind Shisui.
Standing there...
With a cold expression...
Was Uchiha Feiquan.
Blood slowly dripped from the blade in his hand.
"You..."
Roshi's lips barely moved.
Only a single indistinct syllable escaped.
Then...
His head slid cleanly from his neck.
Thud.
It struck the obsidian ground.
Rolled twice.
Then came to a stop.
The shock remained forever frozen upon his face.
Iwagakure's Four Tails Jinchuriki.
Master of Lava Release.
Roshi...
After being gravely wounded and captured...
Was beheaded with a single strike by Uchiha Feiquan.