Aomi did not look back, but the flames became the most fitting backdrop for him at that moment.
"Don't get carried away!" a shapely female Jonin roared suddenly, igniting a fiery orange-red fireball in her hand and angrily hurling it at Aomi!
Scorch Release Master Pakura, a strong contender in Hidden Sand competing with Rasa for the position of Fourth Kazekage, was betrayed and sold to the Hidden Mist by her village in the original timeline. Although a war hero, she met a tragic end.
Judging from now, she is probably still a loyal ninja...
Aomi glanced up at Pakura, then shifted his gaze towards those Scorch Release fireballs emanating a dangerous aura...
He did not evade; instead, he raised his hand and caught them in his palm!
Pakura's heart leaped with joy...
What an arrogant bastard!
Scorch Release, formed by combining wind and fire Chakra attributes into a Kekkeigenkai, not only carries the burning and explosive power of Fire Release, its true power lies in draining the moisture from the enemy's body.
In Pakura's view, anyone like Aomi who tries to catch it barehanded would soon become a dried-up corpse...
No matter how strong he is!
Yet, contrary to Pakura's and everyone's expectations, the Scorch Release fireball caught by Aomi did not activate; it was crushed explosively in his grip!
Pakura's face turned pale instantly, how is this possible?
Her Scorch Release is invincible!
Even the Third Raikage, famed for his physical prowess, was not thought by Pakura to withstand her "Scorch Release: Extremely Steaming Murder" so easily...
What Pakura didn't know was that Aomi's body had already transcended the limits of ordinary humans in the Ninja World...
Gathering various Sage direct lineage bloodlines, his body was undergoing fusion and had been tempered through continuous use of Lightning Release Chakra Mode and Medical Ninjutsu, making it far beyond what any Scorch Release could affect.
Aomi glanced at Pakura, a red light flashed in his eyes.
At this moment, although Pakura was already marked as his opponent, the principle behind Scorch Release had been fully analyzed.
"This ninja from Hidden Sand, you were the one who used Ninjutsu first..."
Aomi raised a finger, speaking softly: "Since that is the case, please taste the flavor of Scorch Release as well."
In an instant.
From Aomi's finger, a crimson flame began to swell and grow rapidly!
The Scorch Release fireball, tens of meters high, quickly drew out the moisture from the ground with intense heat.
At once, the blood flowing on the land instantly turned into black-red scabs, the moisture was drained entirely from the bodies, leaving lifeless skin cracking open in the wind.
The deceased who once had recognizable faces now became skeletal remains, unnamed dead.
"Run! Run quickly!!" Seeing the Fire Release many times larger than her own, Pakura shouted abruptly.
In her strained voice was a hint of despair and agony.
Pakura couldn't understand...
Why was her unique Scorch Release, after merely being looked at by this man, mastered and unleashed with such terrifying grandeur!
But it was in vain, as the Scorch Release fireball began extracting moisture from a vast area the moment it appeared.
The ninjas within the affected range were severely dehydrated and found their steps as heavy as lead, unable to muster any strength.
From a distance, a unit of the Ninja Alliance Army, prepared to counter an aerial bomb attack, quickly released consecutive Water Dragon Bullets at their shadow's command, howling towards Aomi, trying to extinguish the terrifying Scorch Release.
Aomi laughed gently, softly saying: "How adorable..."
Although Aomi was maintaining the Scorch Release, it didn't affect his ability to continue casting a second large-scale Ninjutsu.
A straightforward but effective Earth Array Wall cut off the Water Release aimed at quelling the Scorch Release and blocked the escape path for the Ninja Alliance.
The Scorch Release, like a mini sun, ascended into the sky, detonating with a blaze!
Under the immense heat, the air twisted into waves, and every member of the Ninja Alliance caught in its coverage was instantly dried into expressionless skeletons.
The rocky walls of the Earth Array Wall cracked under the high temperature.
From the perspective of the Ninja Alliance, Aomi appeared as a demon emerging from Hell.
The twisting air made his figure ghostly and elusive, while amidst the steam, Aomi's white hair swayed slightly, like an Immortal!
Yet surrounding him were skeletal remains and a land marked by death's scabs.
"Still too slow..."
Aomi gazed at his own hands, his voice not loud, yet distinctly heard over the battlefield hosting tens of thousands: "At this pace, how long will it take to kill these tens of thousands?"
"It's time to get serious."
These words caused even the Konoha camp to erupt in excitement.
This is considered slow killing?
Just the previous sword slashes, combined with the explosion of Scorch Release, led to the deaths of at least a thousand ninjas!
And these were not just incompetent Genin...
They comprised the backbone of a Hidden Village, either seasoned Jonin or promising veteran Chunin!
If following the patterns of past ninja wars,
the thousand that Aomi killed alone would be enough to fight a months-long stalemate in a local area...
Yet here, barely a stick of incense's time has passed, and so many have been slain—how much faster could he possibly kill?
The young Uchiha Itachi only then realized the battles he had seen before were mere child's play.
This scene of bones, scabs, miasma, wails, and madness is the true place of brutality.
"Father, I—I want to ask you something…" Uchiha Itachi, hiding behind Uchiha Fugaku's leg, even though he was a precocious child, found his mental capacity reaching its limit after witnessing this scene:
"I—I've heard rumors that you and Lord Aomi don't get along well, is that true?"
Rumors within the Uchiha Clan inevitably reached Uchiha Itachi's ears.
In the past, he didn't pay them any heed, as Uchiha Fugaku's laid-back attitude was astonishing, and Uchiha Itachi didn't know the happenings before his birth, considering them mere idle gossip.
But after witnessing this scene today, Uchiha Itachi began to worry that it might be true...
"It's not true, it's not true…"
Uchiha Fugaku took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, repeatedly telling himself to remain steady; what his Mangekyo had foreseen about the future could not be wrong!
But against this manifestation of Aomi, can anyone truly defeat him?
Uchiha Fugaku's hands also began to tremble, his larger hand clasping Uchiha Itachi's smaller one, the father and son plunged into mutual anxiety.
Meanwhile, Jiraiya, witnessing this scene, had his mind reeling completely.
Indeed, what the Great Toad Sage said was right!
Aomi was indeed the Child of Prophecy but one associated with a portent of disaster and destruction, an ominous Child of Prophecy!
Jiraiya hardly dared to imagine what would become of the Ninja World if Aomi continued killing at this rate...
Peace was intended, but not "nuke-powered peace," come on!
Jiraiya was finding it hard to hold back, and just as he was about to move to negotiate with Aomi, Sarutobi Hiruzen firmly grabbed his arm.
"Jiraiya, if you don't want to die, don't go..."
Sarutobi Hiruzen said solemnly: "Not every Hokage is as easy-going as this old man!"
"Orochimaru has already been dealt with; do you want to repeat his mistakes?"
"Sit down! If those ninjas want to survive, they will naturally surrender, and if they don't surrender, it simply means they still harbor resistance, so the battle naturally continues..."
"This is a battlefield, a place of life or death!"
Jiraiya tightened his fists, lowered his head.
And beside Sarutobi Hiruzen, Shimura Danzo already had thoughts of fleeing and defecting from the village.
Aomi's hand and heart were too black; Shimura Danzo had no doubt that if Aomi, deranged enough to consider a thousand kills in a stick of incense's time slow, noticed him again, what kind of fate awaited...
If he didn't run, he would face death!