Chapter 140: A Desperate Gamble - Fire in the Hole!
Lying on the ruined ground, Tsukasa struggled to lift his head, which he could barely move, helplessly watching the approaching Sunagakure jonin.
His face was filled with panic and shock, as if he had never expected the Sand Village jonin to still be alive.
Seeing Tsukasa's expression, the Sunagakure jonin Ryusa couldn't help but laugh maliciously:
"Hahahaha!"
"You evil Uchiha brat!"
"Today, I will personally end your life!"
Actually, Ryusa felt quite wronged.
For him, today should have been a straightforward siege mission, but he didn't expect to encounter such a wildcard.
Moreover, judging from the kid's attire, he wasn't even a jonin.
Three hundred Sunagakure soldiers fighting one person, and they were almost completely wiped out. As the commander, he was largely to blame.
His future was ruined. Returning to the village would only bring endless accusations!
Even if he tried to explain, beg for mercy, or claim that this Uchiha was incredibly strong—ridiculously strong—who would believe him?
A mere chunin-level Uchiha could rout an entire Sunagakure force like that? That's utterly absurd!
At this moment, Ryusa's predicament was like the legendary Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist storming into the Land of Fire, only to be nearly wiped out by a passing green-suited, thick-browed taijutsu specialist.
Except for those with powerful backgrounds who could return, the rest would have no choice but to defect without a second thought.
Especially with the Daimyo of the Land of Wind about to cut military spending, Sunagakure had no choice but to gamble everything on their war with Konoha.
If he returned defeated and empty-handed, it would be a situation Ryusa absolutely dreaded!
With this thought in mind, Ryusa glared angrily, lunging forward with a kunai, about to pierce Tsukasa's throat!
But at that moment, Tsukasa, lying on the ground, suddenly changed his expression. All fear and helplessness vanished from his face, instantly tearing away all pretense to reveal a ferocious look!
He raised his only mobile hand—his left—aiming it at the Sunagakure ninja.
Since his throat was damaged and he couldn't speak properly, he could only roar:
"Ha!!"
Ryusa was startled, thinking his opponent was about to use some desperate technique, but the next moment, nothing happened.
Ryusa suddenly felt that the kid in front of him had become somewhat... sympathetic, even feeling a little reluctant to kill him.
But this thought was fleeting, immediately replaced by anger and determination.
At this moment, Tsukasa had already obtained what he wanted.
In this desperate situation, no matter how many survival techniques he possessed, without chakra, it was all wishful thinking.
He could only desperately squeeze the Zero-Tails, absorbing its dark emotions and converting them into dark chakra.
Then, the dark chakra injected into his body briefly activated the Forbidden Technique: Body Modification, providing a sliver of vitality.
Tsukasa immediately refined this life force into his own chakra, simultaneously repairing the most easily healed wound on his neck, restoring a sliver of mobility to his nearly collapsed body!
He immediately bit down on the hilt of the Kusanagi Sword, saliva and blood flowing freely. He braced himself with one hand, using his core to propel himself up, his fingers digging into the ground for leverage. He tilted his head back, still biting the Kusanagi Sword, and swung it upward to block the kunai thrust by the Sunagakure jonin!
At this moment, he couldn't afford to get injured again.
Another injury, another loss of mobility—his healing speed couldn't keep up with the rate of damage—even if he survived, he would face a terrible end!
But this strike was far too weak. Ryusa merely flicked it away, and Tsukasa was sent flying backward.
He crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Ryusa's eyes widened in shock, a moment of disbelief washing over him.
He couldn't comprehend how this guy could still fight, even injured like this!
This disbelief was actually due to the Zero-Tails absorbing his negative emotions during the fight.
Regaining a bit of chakra, Tsukasa lay on the ground, biting the hilt of his Kusanagi Sword, enduring the pain to straighten and repair his broken right leg.
"Ugh!!!"
The pain made Tsukasa's eyes widen, sweat pouring down his face. He bit the hilt tightly, letting out a muffled groan of agony.
Before him, Ryusa had recovered and charged forward again.
Tsukasa immediately spat out the Kusanagi Sword, caught it with his left hand, and used it as a support to stand.
Twisting his foot, he spun around and slashed back. This time, with his right leg as support, blocking the attack was much easier.
But with such a powerful chakra source before him, how could Tsukasa let him go?
He immediately maintained his feigned defeat, letting his opponent send him flying with each "fierce" blow, secretly repairing his left leg in the process.
He was knocked down again and again, only to get back up each time.
After kicking Tsukasa away for the fifth time, Ryusa finally realized something was wrong.
Wasn't this kid supposed to be dying?
How come he's getting more energetic and lively with each exchange?
From a broken neck, broken arms, and broken legs at the beginning, to now looking like nothing happened—this was too strange!
He even started shouting during the fight, yelling things like:
"You're truly a formidable opponent worthy of respect! I'm about to die!"
"One more hit, I'm really going to die!"
"That was close! I almost got stabbed in the heart!"
Thinking of this, Ryusa felt a wave of dizziness wash over him. He'd never felt so disoriented in his entire life!
Realizing something was amiss, Ryusa immediately leaped back a considerable distance, his expression tightening before his normal emotions returned.
He frowned, cautiously monitoring the distance between himself and Tsukasa.
Five meters—beyond this distance, his opponent's peculiar ability, seemingly some kind of genjutsu, would have no effect on him.
"Can't fight at close range. Right here, I'll finish him off with Wind Release!"
He took a deep breath, shifted his stance, and leaped back another distance, his hands beginning to form hand seals.
Seeing this, Tsukasa frowned slightly, somewhat surprised that his opponent had seen through his ability so quickly.
But the chakra converted by the Zero-Tails wasn't enough to fully repair his charred right hand.
Unable to form hand seals and use ninjutsu, without any obstacles to use his thread-based movement technique, trying to get close to a jonin skilled in Wind Release was clearly unrealistic. It would be like his charge across the desert earlier—he'd be forcibly repelled before even getting close.
Moreover, without the Forbidden Technique: Body Modification to continuously repair his body, he might even be shredded by his opponent's Wind Release here.
When a battle reaches this point of chakra depletion, all that's left is strategy.
Tsukasa narrowed his eyes, surveying the battlefield. After a moment's calculation, he glanced sideways at his charred right arm.
He couldn't afford to repair it now, but thankfully, it could still be used!
He took a deep breath, gripped the Kusanagi Sword in his left hand, and slammed the hilt against his chest!
The next moment, a surge of violent chakra erupted within him.
Without using the Forbidden Technique: Body Modification to continue repairing his body, Tsukasa directly channeled all his dark chakra into Fire Release Chakra Mode.
Instantly, flames erupted, converging entirely on his right arm!
Fire Release: Kirin Arm blazed once more!
Seeing this, Ryusa felt a chill run down his spine.
Recalling the giant flaming sword and fire dragon he had just barely survived, his mind was still reeling. He couldn't comprehend how this kid could use such massive ninjutsu again! Did he think his chakra was unlimited?!
"Damn it!"
Ryusa gritted his teeth, his hands rapidly forming hand seals, and suddenly leaned back, gathering chakra in his throat.
Tsukasa subtly activated his Sharingan, not rushing to draw his Flame Greatsword, but instead focusing his gaze intently on the wind jutsu that Ryusa was about to unleash.
The next moment, Ryusa leaned back and took a deep breath. His stomach, chest, and even his cheeks bulged like a toad before he suddenly exhaled!
"Wind Release: Extreme Sandstorm Breakthrough!"
This technique was an improved version of Shukaku's Wind Release: Infinite Sandstorm. The user could absorb massive amounts of wind into their body, causing their body to swell and unleash a devastating desert storm.
However, because the human body cannot store vast amounts of wind like a body composed of sand, forcibly using this technique would damage the user internally. Therefore, this technique was considered a high-risk forbidden jutsu in Sunagakure.
But at this moment, to prevent being killed by Tsukasa's flaming sword, Ryusa had no choice but to use this forbidden technique at the cost of his own life!
However, upon seeing this, Tsukasa's eyes turned ferocious, and he suddenly grinned.
"Now!"
"Perfect opportunity!"
He immediately gripped the Kusanagi Sword with his left hand, reversed the blade, and aimed it at himself!
Gritting his teeth, he slashed down with all his might!
Swish!!
The Kusanagi Sword, which could cut through anything, instantly severed Tsukasa's blazing right arm.
Tsukasa released the sword, planting it in the ruins.
His left hand grabbed his falling right arm, which was gleaming with explosive light.
His eyes were filled with madness as he stared at Ryusa, who was unleashing terrifying winds. Despite the excruciating pain, he laughed maniacally:
"Hahahahahaha!"
"Sunagakure!"
"Watch closely—this move is called—"
"FIRE IN THE HOLE!"
WHOOOOSH!
A sudden gust of wind surged forth!
Tsukasa raised his severed right arm high, then calmly released his grip in the wind!
His right arm, burning with intense light, was instantly swept up by the powerful gale, flying high into the sky toward the distant Sunagakure forces!
Then—after a period of extreme silence—
Suddenly!
The entire battlefield shook violently once more!
BOOOOM!!!
And with this deafening roar that echoed across the desert, something had been utterly obliterated.
End of Chapter 140
Support Rewards
500 Power Stones = 1 Chapter
10 Reviews = 1 Chapter
100+ advance chapters on P7treon (Soulforger)