"These two are both Jonin of the Hidden Steam Village," Mr. Crow reminded as he landed on Mori Shiraishi's shoulder.
"Furthermore, two other Jonin are at the front lines. The Hidden Steam Leader and another Jonin are dealing with the Evil-Faced Ghost Snake. That guy named Kamimoto seems quite capable; the snake can probably only hold out for about ten minutes."
Mori Shiraishi's expression remained unchanged as he silently analyzed the intelligence brought by Mr. Crow.
Ten minutes? That's enough.
In this battle, the most critical factor was that he absolutely could not get surrounded. He had to use the main Ghoul force and the ghost snake to pin down the four Jonin-level combatants, giving him the chance to deal with the two Jonin in front of him first.
"What big words. As Jonin, we are not comparable to those other guys," the fat Jonin sneered at Mori Shiraishi while wielding his massive cleaver.
The tall, thin Jonin stared fixedly at Mori Shiraishi and said seriously, "Uemura, be careful. This guy still has a powerful force within him that hasn't been released."
The fat Jonin, addressed as Uemura, nodded. "I know. Otherwise, these fellows wouldn't be called monsters."
"Monsters?"
Mori Shiraishi looked up, his eyes instantly bursting with a crimson light. From his severed arm, a thick Koukaku resembling an arm suddenly sprouted. However, this arm had no hand; from the elbow down, it transformed into a heavy, sharp Koukaku similar to a drill.
"Next, I'll show you what a real monster looks like."
As he finished speaking, the area where his wings had been severed began to boil, and a terrifying aura spread out. The original Ukaku kakuhou underwent an instantaneous change, and a pair of flame-like, bright red Ukaku wings blossomed.
The two Jonin immediately went on high alert.
Mori Shiraishi aimed his flame-like wings at them, and countless diamond-shaped crystals composed of RC Cells swept toward the enemies like machine-gun fire.
"Watch out!"
"Earth Style: Mud Wall!"
A thick wall rose instantly, blocking all the incoming crystals. However, Mori Shiraishi's offensive was not that simple. He flashed to the front of the Mud Wall and swung his thick drill-shaped Koukaku. With just one strike, he smashed the Mud Wall to pieces.
"Retreat!"
The two Jonin used the Body Flicker Jutsu almost simultaneously to put distance between them. But the speed Mori Shiraishi unleashed was clearly beyond their expectations.
Amidst the flying debris, he used the flame-like Ukaku on his back to maintain balance. His toes tapped repeatedly against the rubble, his body moving like a butterfly as he bypassed layers of obstacles in an instant to catch up with the thin Jonin.
However, as a Jonin, the man's combat experience was incredibly rich. Even facing this crisis, he did not panic. Instead, he calmly infused Lightning Style chakra into the senbon held between his fingers.
"Lightning Style: Violent Thunder Needle!"
Dazzling lightning pierced the night, racing toward Mori Shiraishi at extreme speed. He was well-prepared; a thick, centipede-like tail suddenly curled up to intercept it.
The thin ninja's lightning needle could only pierce into the Bikaku. Electricity flared, and countless arcs of lightning flickered across the tail.
"I'm sorry, but even if I can't hit your main body, the current in the senbon will travel through your meridians and paralyze your entire body."
The thin ninja seemed to have anticipated this. He used Lightning Style chakra to stimulate the muscles in his legs without hesitation, resulting in a burst of maximum speed. He gripped his ninja blade, which crackled with brilliant lightning.
"It's over."
The lightning-wrapped blade carved an arc through the night. Just then, the Bikaku that should have been in a state of paralysis was suddenly flung aside.
Under the ninja's shocked gaze, Mori Shiraishi—his entire body covered in Koukaku—burst out from the shell formed by the curled Bikaku. Only then did the ninja see clearly by the light of the lightning: Mori Shiraishi had proactively severed his own Bikaku before being hit to prevent the electricity from paralyzing him.
His crimson eyes were as calm as a deep well. Covered in hard Koukaku, Mori Shiraishi crashed into the enemy like a tank, slamming him right through a house!
"Boom!"
Spider-web-like cracks spread rapidly, and then the entire house collapsed.
"Caw caw! One enemy eliminated. Time elapsed: one minute and fourteen seconds."
The Raven landed on the roof of a nearby house, describing the battlefield conditions like an announcer.
"Damn it..."
Uemura's face was ashen. At this point, he couldn't afford to worry about his comrade's life.
"Earth Style: Rocky Mountain Smash!"
Two giant rocks suddenly rose from both sides of the ruins and then slammed together in the middle like closing palms.
"Boom!"
As the two rocks collided, the ruins in the middle were completely crushed, and a thick cloud of dust from the impact spread rapidly.
"Is he finished?"
The fat Jonin pulled out his cleaver, cautiously staring at the dispersing smoke. The relaxed and casual look he had at the beginning was nowhere to be seen on his guarded face.
"Seven minutes and forty-five seconds remaining."
The crow nearby was cawing like an omen of death, making the fat Jonin feel frustrated and distracted. He simply couldn't spare the energy to deal with it now. He could only endure his irritation, thinking that once he finished the monster, he would catch the bird and make stew out of it.
Unfortunately, that thought was destined to go unfulfilled.
Cracks began to spread rapidly through the center of the rocky mountain formed by the two collided rocks. With a "boom," the rocky mountain instantly shattered into countless pieces.
A burly figure stepped out from the smoke. It was Mori Shiraishi.
However, Mori Shiraishi's appearance had completely changed. His body was now entirely covered in dark-red Koukaku. Six Rinkaku swayed slowly behind him like tails, and his height had surged to three or four meters.
"Hooo..."
Mori Shiraishi opened his mouth, and the bright red blood on the corners of his lips was a shocking sight to Uemura. Nourished by the enemy, Mori Shiraishi had replenished a massive amount of energy. The human flesh and chakra he devoured were rapidly converted into nutrients for his RC Cells, causing them to divide quickly and form new Kagune.
Of course, this process also placed a massive burden on his body. But he didn't care.
Thus, Uemura's greatest fear was realized. From Mori Shiraishi's severed arm, a brand-new Koukaku arm began to grow, appearing even stronger than before.
"A monster... he really is a monster..."
As Mori Shiraishi approached step by step, the hand Uemura used to grip his cleaver began to tremble slightly. Suddenly, the ground shattered under the force of Mori Shiraishi's movement as he pounced forward like a predatory beast.
Uemura's pupils shrank. He didn't even have the courage to continue fighting and used the [Earth Style: Underground Projection Jutsu] to dive beneath the earth. Before he could successfully escape, the quick-reacting Mori Shiraishi used his Rinkaku to impale him through the soil.