His aura weakened significantly in that moment.
"Kill him!"
Completely lacking his previous calm and composure, Suien looked at Shibuki opposite him with an incredibly hideous expression and shouted viciously.
In this moment, Suien no longer cared about defeating Shibuki in a flashy manner, and clearly, he couldn't do it anyway. Having consumed the Hero Water and exchanged his burning lifespan for power, Shibuki had already reached the level of an Elite Jonin, or perhaps even a notch higher. A mere Suien could no longer possibly be Shibuki's opponent.
His ugliness was fully exposed.
"Oh!"
Boom!
The dozens of Waterfall ninja behind him also revealed fierce expressions.
Bang!
The chakra that erupted in an instant...
Although none of it was particularly strong, they had the advantage of numbers. Moreover, the three or four figures speeding at the very front possessed chakra fluctuations of Elite Chunin, or perhaps even a shred stronger.
"Bastards."
"Stop them! Cover the Leader!"
"Buy time for Lord Shibuki to deal with that traitor Suien!"
"Charge!"
Seeing Suien's subordinates launching an attack, Shibuki's direct subordinate Waterfall ninja—who had been on standby—also revealed looks of determination, even though they numbered less than a quarter of the enemy.
But they believed their Leader was invincible right now.
The Hero Water!
That was the secret treasure passed down from ancient times in their Hidden Waterfall Village.
A mere Suien...
As long as they held the line for a moment, the Leader would definitely be able to slay the traitor. The final victory would surely belong to their side.
Further away, even the Waterfall ninja observing the battle—those who had been most stubborn about maintaining neutrality—began to waver. Shibuki had demonstrated his strength, even if it was through the use of the Hero Water.
But the situation was what it was.
After a moment of hesitation, a portion of them made up their minds to stand by their Leader once again.
They couldn't really wait until Shibuki had won completely before making a move.
If they did that, even though Shibuki was recognized as a good-natured person and a gentle leader, it would ultimately leave a very serious "negative impression."
At least they could still salvage the situation a bit now.
But the moves of these people, including Shibuki's direct subordinates, were all a step too slow.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Menma, standing on the tall building, had acted the moment Suien shouted that desperate command.
With a flash of his body, he bit his finger.
Hand signs formed rapidly.
In mid-air, his palm slammed down abruptly.
Bang!
Amidst the shocked expressions of all the Waterfall ninja present...
A massive cloud of smoke appeared out of thin air. As it dispersed rapidly...
Bang!
A gigantic, dark green lizard covered in beautiful scales appeared instantly on the empty ground ahead.
The chilling aura it emanated...
"What is that!?"
"What a terrifying Summoning Beast!"
The moment some cried out in shock...
"Heh, Lord Shibuki, leave these people to me. You just focus on dealing with the traitor to the village," Menma said with a faint smile, having resumed his "young man disguise" and standing atop the head of his Summoning Beast.
"Then I'll leave it to you, Accelerator-san!"
Shibuki was equally shocked that Menma could summon such a terrifying beast, whose power could be judged by the naked eye alone.
But the stronger Menma was right now, the more certain victory became.
As for later problems?
Those would be discussed later.
Anyway, Shibuki trusted his Grandpa Satoru's judgment.
Hearing Shibuki's words...
The Waterfall ninja preparing to act were first shocked, then overjoyed. So their Leader had such powerful support!
Shibuki's side was ecstatic.
But Suien's side was trembling with fear, feeling infinite terror.
Especially Suien.
The moment he saw Menma's familiar face...
"Bastard! Why!? Why!? Why betray me!?"
Suien's face contorted extremely. He couldn't understand why they had agreed on everything before, only for Menma to stab him in the back at the last moment!?
Were the promises he made not enough!?
"You betrayed the village yourself, yet you dare question others? Suien, I told you: this place, today, is where you die."
Shibuki flashed to close range at extreme speed.
Having swallowed more Hero Water...
His chakra pressure surged again.
"Damn it! Damn it!"
The threat of death rushing toward him...
Made Suien's expression crazier than ever before.
"I won't die here! I am the man who will become the Leader of the Hidden Waterfall Village!"
Shouting presumptuously...
Suien exploded with his strongest, and final, chakra, fighting back desperately.
Bang!
The air currents shattered.
The two clashed fiercely again, but Suien was undoubtedly at a disadvantage. Only holding on with his last breath, he would inevitably be defeated by Shibuki within a short while.
Menma, completely ignoring Suien's roar...
After summoning his exclusive Summoning Beast...
Left everything to his big lizard to handle freely.
Boom!
Bang!
"Ah!?"
A ravaging figure.
A display of berserk power.
Facing these Waterfall ninja, whose strength maxed out at Chunin level, the lizard Shido was simply a dimensional strike. With fierce power and soaring speed...
Not a single Waterfall ninja could withstand Shido's attack.
And that was only because Menma had specifically ordered it to hold back a little and not actually kill these people. Otherwise, under Shido's absolute power, these Waterfall ninja would have been completely wiped out in an instant.
But even so.
Shido didn't take long.
Almost at the same time that Shibuki landed another heavy punch on Suien's abdomen, causing him to vomit blood again and collapse limply to the ground, truly losing his last ability to resist...
Shido had also easily crushed the dozens of Waterfall ninja.
They were either sent flying or heavily injured by a tail sweep, falling to the ground one by one, all losing their ability to resist.
After all, these people were Waterfall ninja, and they were in the Hidden Waterfall Village. In front of so many people, if he could show mercy, it was better to do so.
Menma was ambitious and wanted to seize the nest for himself, eventually becoming the master of the Hidden Waterfall, but he hadn't succeeded yet.
Therefore, it was most appropriate to leave the punishment of these rogue ninja to Shibuki and his people.
Seeing that Menma could so easily defeat so many Waterfall ninja—without even lifting a finger himself, relying solely on his Summoning Beast to crush them—the remaining Waterfall ninja on Shibuki's side looked at Menma with awe.