EBE Chapter 543 Cloud Ninja?
Chapter 543 Cloud Ninja?
He saw his companion lying lifeless on the ground, and anger almost burst from his chest. At such close range, his keen eyesight finally caught sight of the headband on Zhang Hai's forehead.
It was a uniquely designed headband with an inverted cloud-like pattern engraved on it—the symbol of Kumogakure!
"Kumakushi ninja?!" Huang Tu's pupils constricted sharply, his face filled with disbelief, shock, and anger. "You're from Kumogakure?! Why did you attack Iwagakure?! Does the Raikage want to start a war at this time?!"
His voice was full of questioning and threat, yet tinged with doubt. Although Kumogakure and Iwagakure had frequent conflicts, such a large-scale attack, especially one that directly destroyed the village entrance, was practically a declaration of war.
Zhang Hai didn't answer immediately. A cold, sly smile played on his lips, hidden beneath his mask. His goal was to attract the attention of the Iwagakure leadership, ideally enraging them and driving them to madness. And this man in the yellow earth before him was the perfect opening.
"Oh? You dare ask who I am?" Zhang Hai's voice, hoarse and laced with disdain, came through his mask. "I am an elite from Kumogakure, here on orders from the Fourth Raikage to carry out a top-secret mission." He paused deliberately, fueling Huang Tu's anger, before continuing in an extremely provocative tone: "As for the reason for attacking Iwagakure... heh, do you even need to ask? Are all the people of Iwagakure so stupid that they can't even figure this out?"
He swept his disdainful gaze across the yellow earth, as if looking at a clown. "Your Iwagakure is nothing but a small, isolated village, weak and unable to even produce a decent Kage. That old Tsuchikage should have retired long ago; he's too old and his strength has declined, he's simply not worthy of the title of Kage."
Huang Tu's face turned ashen because of Zhang Hai's words, and veins bulged on his forehead, but Zhang Hai did not stop there. Instead, he intensified his attack.
"In comparison, what a powerful being our Fourth Raikage of Kumogakure is! His Lightning Release Chakra Mode combines speed and power, making him virtually invincible in the ninja world! He alone is enough to intimidate the entire ninja world, while what about your Iwagakure? Besides hiding in the mountains, what other skills do you have?" Zhang Hai's tone was full of naked belittling and insult, each word like a heavy hammer, striking Huang Tu's nerves hard.
Sure enough, Huang Tu's anger was finally ignited. He was by nature upright and could not tolerate anyone insulting his village and his father. Zhang Hai's words were like adding fuel to the fire, completely burning his reason to ashes.
"Damn it! You're asking for death!" Huang Tu roared, his chakra erupting from his body like a volcano. Without another word, he clenched his fists, and a thick layer of rock quickly covered his arms, forming a pair of indestructible rock gauntlets. He leaped down from the mountaintop with terrifying force, aiming directly at Zhang Hai's head.
This punch, imbued with all the fury and power of the loess soil, carried the might to split mountains and shatter rocks, enough to blast any obstacle into pieces.
However, Zhang Hai showed no fear in the face of Huang Tu's furious attack. He merely smiled slightly, and his figure vanished like a phantom the instant Huang Tu's fist was about to touch him.
"Substitution Jutsu?!" The yellow earthen fist slammed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust and gravel, but it only struck a charred wooden stake. His attack missed, his pupils contracted sharply, and he was shocked. This kid's reaction was so fast, and he could use the Substitution Jutsu at such close range, right under his nose. This was something that ordinary Jonin could not do.
"Up there!" Huang Tu almost instinctively judged Zhang Hai's next location. He looked up sharply and saw that Zhang Hai's figure was already several meters above his head.
"Earth Escape: Digging!"
Huang Tu's reaction was incredibly fast. He swiftly formed hand seals, stomped his legs on the ground, and roared. The next moment, the ground beneath his feet cracked open, and countless shards of earth mixed with fine gravel erupted from the depths of the earth like a fountain, raining down like a dense barrage of arrows, covering the direction Zhang Hai was dodging. This move, "Earth Rising and Digging," was a wide-range attack ninjutsu within Earth Release, intended to completely cover Zhang Hai with earth and gravel, leaving him nowhere to escape, and even potentially burying him alive.
Mud and gravel surged forth like a torrential downpour, completely obscuring all directions from which Zhang Hai could dodge, the air thick with the damp, earthy stench. However, Zhang Hai was no ordinary man. Just as the mudslide was about to engulf him, the black dagger in his hand suddenly erupted with dazzling blue lightning. He didn't retreat, but instead chose an extreme offensive stance.
Lightning Release: Chidori Blade!
The short sword, crackling with electricity, slashed upwards at an uncanny angle. This wasn't a simple cut; rather, lightning-attribute chakra was imbued into the blade, creating a high-frequency vibration. This vibration, combined with the lightning's restraint on earth-style techniques, caused the gushing soil and gravel to be instantly pulverized into finer particles, accompanied by a burnt smell, as if subjected to an invisible high-pressure impact. Zhang Hai's figure darted through the cracks in the mud like a fish, seemingly submerged in the mudflow, but in reality, the lightning cleared a path, tearing a gap through the surrounding mud.
Without lingering in the fight, he took advantage of a lull in the yellow earth attack, his figure blurred, and in a few leaps, he had already vanished into the distance, becoming a blur as he sped away towards the outskirts of Iwagakure.
"Trying to run?! Not so easy!" Huang Tu's expression darkened further as he witnessed Zhang Hai escape despite his wide-range Earth Release ninjutsu. The ground beneath his feet bulged again with the infusion of chakra, lifting him into the air like a giant earth giant. He swung his arms, and countless massive rocky arms shot out from the ground, chasing after Zhang Hai like predatory pythons, attempting to intercept him. Huang Tu's speed was equally astonishing; empowered by Earth Release techniques, he traversed the rugged mountain terrain as if it were flat ground, relentlessly pursuing Zhang Hai.
While Zhang Hai and Huang Tu were engaged in a chase, another, more secretive and deadly operation was quietly underway in another part of Iwagakure Village.
Minato, like a golden lightning bolt, weaves through the intricate architectural complex of Iwagakure.