At that moment, Kiyoshi's hand signs were so fast they were almost a blur, and the chakra surging in his throat suddenly erupted.
A thread of flame constantly leaked from Kiyoshi's mouth, clearly indicating chakra accumulation.
Kakashi frowned, realizing that in the current situation, releasing more fire would only cause the wind to spread it further.
Even with Kiyoshi joining in, it would be difficult to counter, unless his Fire Release could completely negate the Jutsu of the other three ninjas.
Asuma's failure to anticipate the enemy's Wind Release was understandable, but Kiyoshi was aware of the situation, yet still chose to do this.
Then, to everyone's astonishment, a scarlet tongue of fire finally burst from Kiyoshi's mouth. Initially, it was no bigger than a wagon wheel, but it expanded the moment it separated.
The surface of the intense flame was tinged with an eerie blue-white color, and the air was scorched by the high temperature, creating distorted ripples. Even the scattered wood shavings around turned to ash before being touched.
Kakashi's pupils suddenly contracted.
Since when could a fireball expand a second time?
"This is… a combined Ninjutsu."
Minato's sensory ability was strong; he detected residual Wind Release chakra on the Fire Release.
But didn't people usually exhale fire and then a breath of wind?
Could he actually supplement the Fire Release with Wind Release after it was launched?
"Hiss—!"
The instant the expanding giant fireball collided with the hurricane, the explosive roar stung everyone's eardrums.
The law that wind feeds fire was completely overturned at this moment. The fireball, wrapped in Wind Release chakra, actually managed to forcefully shred the howling tornado.
And it continued to fly outward.
The rock layer, originally as solid as a boulder, was scorched and left with a huge crater.
The light from outside projected through the crater.
[Chakra Nature Master (Blue)] can increase the power of combined Ninjutsu by 40%!
Kiyoshi had the Wind Release Seed Trait a long time ago, and he used this Trait when he defeated Mei Terumī.
Although Kiyoshi had not yet learned Wind Release Ninjutsu, the time for accumulating the "Wind" nature chakra inside his body and the amount he could refine had significantly improved compared to before.
The result was that its effect was made stronger by the Trait's amplification.
It was easily two or three times larger than an ordinary Great Fireball Technique!
"Damn it, retreat first."
Yomi's skin was burned and lacerated by the high temperature of the Fire Release, revealing several small purple-black parasitic worms.
He turned and fled from the scene.
Now that Mōryō-sama had escaped, their continued presence here was pointless.
Under Yomi's command, most of the Land of Demons ninjas retreated.
The few who couldn't leave in time or stayed behind to cover the retreat were quickly dispatched by Minato.
"That guy's Fire Release is actually so powerful?"
Maki was inwardly astonished.
The oncoming heat wave almost ripped off her headband, and the smell of scorched hair rushed into her nostrils inside the hall.
The Uchiha clan's Fire Release was very famous, and Kiyoshi clearly used the Uchiha signature Jutsu, the Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu.
But a technique like that was at most C-rank; how could it possess such enormous power now?
Could it be that this Jutsu had been modified?
The Jiki next to her also frowned. It was true that Hidden Leaf was an ally of Hidden Sand.
But they were allies in name only.
Hidden Sand was constrained by natural resources; the resources ninjas could obtain were limited, and their population simply couldn't compare to Hidden Leaf's.
Hidden Leaf's development would inevitably suppress them.
"Kakashi, what do we do now?"
Rin looked at the fleeing Land of Demons ninjas and Mōryō.
Given Mōryō's posture, it was obvious he would return, and their task to protect the Priestess meant they would certainly have to fight again.
"Of course, we continue to execute the mission."
Kakashi said naturally.
"We must go and stop Mōryō, and reseal the menace that is Mōryō."
The Priestess, Miroku, looked in the direction Mōryō had flown off.
That was the location of the Land of Marshes.
It was clear that Mōryō, after possessing the body, wanted to go to the Land of Swamps to retrieve his physical body.
At full strength, Mōryō would be much more powerful than he was now.
All the Ghost Army would also be awakened.
To defeat this numerous army of terracotta soldiers, they could only reseal Mōryō, the source.
Minato nodded. If Mōryō truly ruled the Land of Demons, it would inevitably bring turmoil to the ninja world.
If the Land of Demons fell, the village would eventually be threatened.
The Hidden Sand ninjas on the other side were whispering among themselves. Before long, Jiki stepped out and said:
"Respected Priestess-sama, we can help you overcome this crisis. We only have one request: after this, cooperate with our Hidden Sand to export resources like rice and potatoes to our country."
If war truly broke out, every second would cost money.
Food was a top priority, and a grain reserve had to be established in their country as soon as possible.
Other countries might not have this much trouble, but the Land of Wind, which was mostly desert, had to make plans early.
"Agreed."
The Priestess nodded.
With the Daimyō possessed by Mōryō, she could decide many matters.
In the Land of Demons, the Priestess's status was almost equivalent to the Daimyō's.
"Wait a moment, Priestess-sama."
Just as all the ninjas and some guards planned to follow her to the Land of Swamps, Kiyoshi suddenly spoke.
"Is something the matter, Uchiha ninja? The situation is very urgent now."
Miroku originally didn't want to engage with anyone, only wanting to rush to seal Mōryō.
When she turned back and realized Kiyoshi was speaking, she changed her mind.
Kiyoshi had appeared in the prophecy, and it seemed he would do something to her later.
This made Miroku very curious; she wanted to know what Kiyoshi would do to her.
Why did he give off the same ominous aura as Mōryō?
"I want to ask, Priestess-sama, you have a thousand years of inherited Sealing Jutsu; you should have seen through the Daimyō's disguise long ago. Why did you not act until the Daimyō, under Mōryō's influence, attacked Kurenai?"
Kiyoshi's tone was somewhat intense, but his heart was very calm.
At the beginning of the movie, when Yomi broke the seal, Mōryō didn't even dare to come out, claiming his soul state would quickly vanish.
Interestingly, couldn't the Priestess have thought of this?
Why even bother with sealing? Since she could separate Mōryō from the physical body, wouldn't it have been better to simply dispel Mōryō's soul?
The only possible reason was the ancestral teaching passed down through the Priestess lineage: if Mōryō did not exist, the Priestess could not maintain her transcendent status.
People in the ninja world were very realistic. Anything that couldn't bring them benefits would be seen as a "monster."
Look at what happened to Haku and Kimimaro in their childhood; you can see the truth.
"Kiyoshi, now is not the time to dwell on this."
Minato spoke, glancing at Yūki, who had regained some strength and was bandaging himself.
With the loss of one Jōnin's combat power, the mission to protect the Priestess was now very strained.
Delaying even a minute in reaching Mōryō could mean Mōryō would grow stronger by a minute.
After realizing his Sealing Jutsu was useless against Mōryō, Minato became very cautious.
Having been constantly involved with Kushina, he knew exactly how powerful the Uzumaki clan's Sealing Jutsu was.
"Minato-sama, I just find this behavior hard to understand. It almost harmed my teammate."
Kiyoshi looked at Kurenai.
Kurenai quickly waved her hands, saying she was fine.
But her heart felt warm; Kiyoshi actually cared about her so much.
The Priestess's expression flashed with a hint of unnaturalness, and she sighed softly.
Kiyoshi had bravely blocked her way alone just now; he must be a kind-hearted, very righteous ninja.
A teammate almost being killed would naturally cause anger.
"How dare you be so insolent to the Priestess-sama!"
"How could the Priestess-sama possibly do such a thing!"
The guards around the Priestess were all displeased by Kiyoshi's questioning attitude.
How could a mere ninja question the most revered Priestess-sama?
Even the Daimyō wouldn't dare claim a higher status than the Priestess.
"This matter is my fault. I held onto a hopeful illusion about the Daimyō. As for Mōryō, it is because if one Mōryō is destroyed, another will emerge. Sealing it is the best outcome."
The Priestess shook her head, her mature face carrying a trace of loneliness.
Sealing Mōryō required the cost of a life, but she hadn't yet married and given birth to the next Priestess.
Could the inheritance be broken in her generation?
"Is that so?"
A subtle smile flashed in Kiyoshi's eyes.
It was good that she felt hesitant and guilty; this would facilitate his next step.
"Priestess-sama…"
Hearing the Priestess openly admit her mistake made the surrounding guards somewhat unable to accept it.
Especially the most devout Ashisō.
He almost revered the Priestess as his personal deity.
But… even the perfect Priestess-sama had the ordinary emotions of a human.
As the Priestess, she allowed Mōryō to persist, which led to the series of consequences today.
"I will apologize to the citizens of the Land of Demons afterward. Now, let's quickly go and stop Mōryō."
The Priestess gripped the ritual tool in her hand and was the first to walk out.
Jiki received the clear reply from the Priestess and happily led the Hidden Sand ninjas to follow her.
Maki looked back at Kiyoshi, surprised that Kiyoshi valued his comrades so much.
"Minazuki Jōnin, you should stay here for now."
Minato said.
Hearing this, Yūki nodded.
It was indeed better for someone like him to stay here.
A ninja who couldn't perform hand signs had already lost most of his combat power.
"Let's go."
Minato ordered his team and Kiyoshi's group to quickly catch up with the Priestess.
Mōryō's brazen appearance could not be hidden from the citizens of the Land of Demons, and many people saw the terrifying sight.
Upon learning that the Priestess was going to seal Mōryō, some people hurried to pack up their families and flee the Land of Demons, fearing the sealing would fail.
Others chose to accompany Miroku to the Land of Swamps.
The Land of Swamps was not far from the Land of Demons. Both were small countries, and a fast journey wouldn't take long.
Miroku was touched, seeing the citizens of the Land of Demons who followed her.
Not only that, but citizens and soldiers from the Land of Swamps also arrived.
Clearly, the flying Mōryō was too conspicuous, and the Daimyō of the Land of Swamps also knew about the incident.
Both countries had suffered Mōryō's harm, so they had each established a "Sealing Shrine" to seal Mōryō.
By midnight, everyone had arrived there.
The sight that greeted them was a massive army. Terracotta soldiers were constantly emerging from the earthen mound outside the "Sealing Shrine."
The terracotta soldiers, holding earth-made long halberds or long swords, began to slowly advance toward the Priestess's group.
Kiyoshi made a rough estimate—the number was about one thousand.
The greatest advantage of the terracotta soldiers was their quantity, and ordinary kunai couldn't penetrate their defense.
Kakashi's Lightning Blade could only shatter a dozen or so terracotta soldiers at a time.
But how many times could he release it?
He would quickly run out of chakra.
"No, the Rasengan cannot be used in this situation."
Minato frowned.
Rasengan was the name Kushina had given it. It was the name Kushina casually mentioned after he apologized to her.
So Minato changed the name to Rasengan.
But inwardly he felt the name he came up with was slightly better.
***
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