Chapter 98: Isobu - A Bit Grumpy This Morning
The blizzard howled mercilessly, and the freezing wind cut like razor-sharp blades.
In temperatures dozens of degrees below zero, even well-trained Hunter-nin operatives couldn't help but shiver from the biting cold.
"That bastard... dared to play us like fools!" Kushimaru Kuriarare, who already had a volatile temper, felt a surge of rage when he thought about how they had been chasing Uchiha Kazuki around like hunting dogs for the past few days. "Don't let me run into him again, or I'll definitely kill that bastard!"
"Stop with the big talk, Kushimaru."
Jūzō Biwa wrapped his cloak tighter around himself, shivering from the cold, and mocked in a low voice. "You haven't forgotten how Mangetsu Hōzuki died, have you?"
Hearing this, Kushimaru's eye twitched, and the arrogance on his face vanished instantly.
The thought that the cruel and bloodthirsty Mangetsu Hōzuki had ultimately "committed suicide" struck him as both unbelievable and deeply ironic.
"Hmph, but that guy wasn't entirely useless," Kushimaru said with a forced smile. "At least he helped us probe Uchiha Kazuki's true strength. With so many of us here, as long as we don't fight him one-on-one, we don't need to fear his Sharingan!"
Looking at Kushimaru's nonchalant demeanor, Jūzō Biwa's eyes flashed with memories of the past.
The infamous Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist—how glorious they once were!
But now, five of their seven legendary blades were lost, and only two remained.
A bitter feeling welled up inside Jūzō Biwa, a sense of desolation rising within him. He said quietly, "I wonder if we'll even make it back alive this time."
"Jūzō-sama, Kushimaru-sama, we've found him!" Just then, a sensory-type ninja spotted their target, pointing in a specific direction. "Based on the residual chakra signature, Uchiha Kazuki went that way."
Following the direction the Hunter-nin was pointing, they saw a massive frozen lake.
"That direction... something seems off!"
Jūzō Biwa frowned, a vague sense of familiarity nagging at him, though he couldn't quite place it.
Wait... a lake?
Suddenly, a terrifying realization exploded in his mind like a thunderclap.
"This is bad!!!"
Jūzō Biwa's expression changed drastically, as if he had thought of something absolutely horrifying. He roared urgently, "Everyone, follow me! We must stop Uchiha Kazuki immediately!"
Without further explanation, he unleashed a massive burst of chakra, instantly becoming like a sharp blade cutting through the blizzard as he charged forward at full speed.
"Hey, wait up, Jūzō!"
Kushimaru Kuriarare was bewildered by his sudden desperate action, but trusting his comrade's judgment, he decisively gave chase.
Whoosh—!
Under the raging blizzard, several figures braved the oncoming gale, accelerating their advance.
Kushimaru, having finally caught up, hurriedly shouted, "Jūzō, calm down! We haven't formulated a battle plan yet. Rushing in like this puts us at a disadvantage!"
"No, it's too late, Kushimaru!"
Jūzō Biwa gritted his teeth, genuine fear evident in his eyes, his voice trembling involuntarily. "That guy... that guy is going to destroy Kirigakure! We have to get there quickly and stop him, or it'll really be too late!"
Boom!
Chakra erupted again, and Jūzō Biwa's speed increased dramatically once more.
Those following behind had no choice but to grit their teeth and push themselves harder to keep up.
The forests on both sides blurred past, and the frozen lake gradually came into full view. The frozen surface was extremely vast, and only a single figure could be vaguely seen at its center.
"There! I see him!"
Jūzō Biwa finally breathed a slight sigh of relief—the weight pressing on his heart lifted somewhat.
But they couldn't relax completely yet, so he urged everyone again, "Hurry, move faster! We must stop him!"
"Leave it to me!"
Kushimaru Kuriarare frowned, though he still didn't fully understand why Jūzō Biwa was so desperately anxious.
But the panicked look on his face and the undisguised fear in his eyes undoubtedly proved the gravity of the situation, so he no longer held back his strength.
Lightning-style chakra erupted violently around him, crackling with intense electrical arcs.
"Lightning Release: Thunder Rampage!"
Bang!
The very next moment, he slammed his foot down onto the ice with tremendous force.
Amidst the flashing, violent lightning, he became like a thunderbolt cutting through the blizzard, instantly traversing dozens of meters in a single burst.
The ice surface surged like a raging torrent, countless arcs of lightning shattering the frozen lake along their path. The intense heat instantly melted sections of ice, forming massive clouds of water vapor.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Dragon Tornado!"
The rapidly approaching Kushimaru summoned concentrated lightning directly through his technique.
In an instant, the accumulated electrical energy spun rapidly around him, whipping up a powerful storm. Enveloped in destructive thunder and lightning, it resembled a colossal dragon soaring through the sky, letting out a deafening roar. With unstoppable, terrifying power, it charged straight toward the figure standing calmly at the center of the frozen lake.
Boom! Boom!
The lightning-infused storm roared forward, shattering thick ice in its path.
After a brief, blinding flash of white light, a violent explosion erupted, sending massive waves several meters high into the air. The raging lightning surged and ravaged everything, destroying all in its path.
The enormous waves, propelled by the explosive force, crashed heavily back onto the ice surface.
BOOM!
Large sections of ice shattered completely, spraying water and frozen fragments everywhere.
"Come out! Uchiha Kazuki!"
Kushimaru Kuriarare gripped his weapon tightly, his expression showing no trace of carelessness as he stared intently at the center of the explosion. "I know you're not dead!"
Sure enough, as his voice faded, a figure slowly emerged from the settling debris—it was Uchiha Kazuki, completely unharmed.
Jūzō Biwa and the remaining Hunter-nin operatives caught up with Kushimaru at this exact moment.
"Hmm, perfect timing."
Uchiha Kazuki looked at them all and smiled slightly. "Right on schedule, just as I calculated. Now that all the actors have arrived, it's time to officially begin the show."
"Calculate? Begin what?"
Kushimaru looked utterly confused. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"I mean, are you all properly prepared?"
Uchiha Kazuki adjusted his glasses with his index finger, his eyes gleaming with dangerous intent behind the lenses. "My methods are a bit... rough, so that guy down there might be somewhat grumpy after being woken up. I hope you can bear with it."
"You... you actually—"
Upon hearing this confirmation, Jūzō Biwa's face instantly filled with absolute terror, and he shouted in complete horror, "Retreat! Everyone retreat immediately!"
However, his desperate warning came far too late.
RUMBLE—!
Suddenly, the frozen lake spanning hundreds of square meters was violently shattered by an immense force rising from below.
The earth-shattering tremor tore apart the thick ice layer completely. Massive bubbles rose continuously from the lakebed depths. The entire lake seemed to boil violently, churning and roaring as the once-calm waters were pushed upward into a huge arc.
Something... is coming up!
A powerful survival signal rapidly transmitted through everyone's cerebral cortex. Intense unease and primal fear engulfed them like suffocating darkness itself.
An indescribable, utterly terrifying pressure—like an invisible hand—gripped each of their throats with crushing force.
Then, beneath the crumbling ice, the lake surface churned even more violently.
The displaced water collided and swirled in the violent churning, converging into massive torrents that, like flowing molten lava, continuously accumulated destructive power.
And when that accumulated power finally reached its absolute peak—it erupted.
"RUN—!"
Jūzō Biwa roared desperately.
However, his warning voice was completely drowned out by an enormous, bestial roar.
BOOM!!!
The entire lake—and even the nearby mountain ranges—trembled violently as if struck by an earthquake.
The very land itself was torn apart by the violent force surging upward, as if some immense power trapped deep below was finally rising to the surface, like a caged dragon ascending to heaven.
A gigantic black shadow rose from the lakebed depths. Its terrifying and ferocious body was covered in hard, incredibly thick armor plating studded with countless sharp, deadly spikes. Its massive form, rising amidst the blizzard, resembled a dark mountain of living steel. White vapor spewed from its mouth in massive clouds, creating hurricane-force winds with each breath.
"ROOOAAAR—!"
Amidst the deafening roar comparable to a tsunami, the gigantic creature's bellow actually tore apart the snow-laden storm clouds in the sky above.
"It's the Three-Tails—Isobu!"
Kushimaru Kuriarare, tumbled dozens of meters away by the hurricane-force winds, finally made out the colossal creature's true form. A deep chill ran down his spine as he screamed in disbelief: "Uchiha Kazuki, are you out of your goddamn mind?!"
[End of Chapter 98]
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