The rapidly changing battle situation caught an ordinary person like Sosetsu off guard. Just moments ago, Doto had been fiercely taking on two opponents, but the next second, he was struck down, his arms severed, unable to rise.
Due to Doto's status, the instant the thunderous sound erupted, Rin quickly hugged Koyuki's head to prevent her from developing psychological trauma.
After dealing with Doto, Kakashi and Obito wasted no time and immediately assisted the guards in resolving the other three snow ninjas.
One of the guards attempted to end Doto with a single strike, but was stopped by Sosetsu.
Sosetsu approached Doto's side and asked seriously, "Doto, do you regret doing all of this?"
Even now, Sosetsu still couldn't understand why Doto would want to usurp power; he lacked neither wealth nor authority.
"Of course I regret it. I regret not starting preparations earlier; maybe I could have completed the plan before you discovered it," Doto replied with a cold sneer.
At this point, even if Sosetsu wanted to save him, it was difficult. Since death was certain, Doto refused to admit defeat.
Seeing Doto's attitude, Sosetsu gave up entirely. He rubbed Koyuki's head and blocked her view with his body.
The nearby guard understood the cue and swiftly killed Doto with a single strike.
"Take his body to the battlefield to urge surrender; it should help lighten some pressure on Mutsuki," Sosetsu said.
Doto was essentially the Snow Ninjas' delegate, and with his death, their fight would lose all meaning.
"Look! What is that?"
Someone noticed a new change on the battlefield.
"It's about time to end the fight," Mutsuki thought, having used up his Great Fire Destruction. Sensing his remaining chakra, he decided to resolve the battle in one go.
The recent use of Great Fire Destruction was indeed powerful; even hundreds of snow ninjas couldn't block it. However, the consumption was also substantial. Mutsuki knew he could continue to win this way, but he preferred to reserve some chakra for unexpected situations.
Mutsuki initially used Fire Release because his skills were exceptional—it was a Perfect-level Nature Transformation with Mastery-level Flame Breathing and a host of Mastery-level Fire Release ninjutsu. With so many great skills, he naturally wanted to test their actual combat performance, as the stats didn't reveal true power.
To win more efficiently, Fire Release wasn't the best choice, as those snow ninjas, despite using Ice Release, were actually utilizing Water Release or snow-based Secret Jutsu, which countered Fire Release.
"Water Breathing, Total Concentration!"
Mutsuki switched his Breathing Technique to Water Breathing to enhance his Water Release abilities and immediately entered Water Breathing Chakra Mode.
In the Land of Snow, Water Release or Ice Release was the optimal choice.
After Mutsuki entered Water Breathing Chakra Mode, Kanko Hyouketsu sensed that Mutsuki had changed somewhat. However, having witnessed Mutsuki's true strength before, Kanko Hyouketsu didn't dare to engage him in battle, instead choosing to release ninjutsu from behind his subordinates.
"Water Release: Super Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"
Mutsuki clapped his hands, instantly converting a massive amount of chakra into water-type chakra, unleashing a torrent like a huge wave toward the snow ninjas.
"He's actually mastered this level of Water Release!" Kanko Hyouketsu's expression changed dramatically, sensing that things were going poorly.
The other snow ninjas also instinctively took a few steps back upon seeing the massive water release that resembled a giant ocean wave.
"What a walking natural disaster," Sandayu Asama remarked.
As a resident of an island nation, he understood the ocean well. Even from a distance, such towering waves could evoke a sense of dread, and he could imagine the feelings of the snow ninjas facing that oncoming wave directly.
To a ninja with Mutsuki's level of power, Sandayu Asama could only describe him as a human-shaped natural disaster, completely overturning his understanding of ninjas.
"Truly worthy of Yumi-sensei; his Water Release is far superior to that of the Mist ninjas," Obito said with a proud expression.
Although Mutsuki hadn't previously used very strong Water Release techniques, Obito wasn't overly surprised—after all, this was the all-powerful Mutsuki Sage.
"Has Water Release really reached this level? Could it be that Yumi-sensei's ninjutsu is on par with that of the Third Hokage?" Kakashi couldn't help but think as he watched the waves Mutsuki created.
Mutsuki had primarily showcased his Fire Release in front of them, and this was his first display of Water Release strength. Kakashi's mind entertained a bold hypothesis—that perhaps Mutsuki's other Nature Transformations were equally strong, but he simply hadn't had the opportunity to demonstrate them.
However, after a moment's reflection, Kakashi found this thought somewhat unrealistic. The Third Hokage was a super genius in ninjutsu; it was unlikely that Mutsuki could reach such heights after only a short period of training.
But just as everyone was marveling at Mutsuki's strong Water Release, a change occurred once again.
Boom! Boom! Boom!!
Suddenly, a series of explosions rang out, and the ground cracked open, shooting up numerous water columns.
Mutsuki's Super Exploding Water Colliding Wave wasn't just about the sheer volume of water; even an ordinary Exploding Water Colliding Wave could produce enough water to form a lake with sufficient chakra. The unique feature of the Super Exploding Water Colliding Wave is its ability to control water on a large scale, drawing up even underground water.
If it could pull up underground water, it was needless to say that all the wells in Castle were also spraying water columns toward the battlefield.
The Super Exploding Water Colliding Wave could be classified as an S-rank Water Release forbidden technique. To perform it, three conditions must be met: first, entering Water Breathing Chakra Mode; second, having a high proficiency level in water-type chakra nature transformation, with a minimum of Mastery-level proficiency above 3,000 points; and third, having a large amount of chakra.
The water columns from all directions left the snow ninjas in utter disarray, with some directly injured by multiple blasts of water.
"What kind of ninjutsu is this?" Kanko Hyouketsu thought, watching the erupting water columns and those coming from the distant castle; his worldview was once again challenged. This was nothing like the ninjutsu he understood—the scale of its impact was too vast.
But Kanko Hyouketsu had no time for further contemplation, as he now had to face the overwhelming tidal wave coming at him.
Boom!!
The massive wave crashed down with a thunderous roar, causing some snow ninjas to spit blood and collapse, while the remaining ones were swept into the torrent.
Although Kanko Hyouketsu managed to withstand the incoming wave, he couldn't escape; there was simply too much water.
Just as he pondered how to survive, the direction of the water columns changed, shifting from randomly targeting the snow ninjas to continuously enlarging the flow.
Miraculously, the water currents that swept away the snow ninjas didn't disperse; it was as if an invisible barrier held the water together, ultimately forming a gigantic oval water balloon nearly a hundred meters high, trapping all the snow ninjas inside.
This is the effect of the Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave, and the Super Exploding Water Colliding Wave has the same effect.
This is why Mutsuki tirelessly seeks to master various ninjutsu; with enough knowledge, developing new techniques becomes simpler.
"With such a large defense, it can't be too strong; I still have a chance!" Kanko Hyouketsu held his breath and swam towards the boundary of the water balloon, trying to break it with his own strength.
His thinking was commendable, but if he could come up with it, Mutsuki, the user, certainly could as well.
"Ice Release: Freeze Ray!"
Mutsuki raised his hands, unleashing a massive burst of chakra and quickly transforming it into Ice Release chakra, which he released at high speed. His hands glowed with dazzling white light, and a thick blue-white beam shot into the water balloon.
Just as Kanko Hyouketsu was about to touch the water balloon, it began to freeze at an incredible speed. Kanko Hyouketsu, true to his name, was soon encased in ice; the entire giant water balloon quickly transformed into a massive ice sphere, radiating a brilliant hue under the sunlight.
The guards of the castle, Mutsuki's disciples, and Sosetsu all gazed at the massive ice sphere radiating a brilliant hue.
"Could he be the snow god sent to save the Land of Snow?" one guard exclaimed in disbelief.
The nearly hundred-meter-tall ice sphere was truly astonishing; even a two-meter-tall man would need to stack fifty of himself just to reach the top. Standing alone in front of this colossal ice sphere made one feel utterly insignificant.
"I'd rather believe he is the snow god," Sandayu Asama thought to himself.
In his eyes, Mutsuki's various methods seemed superhuman. Of course, he kept this opinion to himself, as many in the Land of Snow believed in the snow god.
The ice sphere was so enormous that even people in the residential areas noticed the sudden appearance of the giant ice, sparking discussions. Some even speculated that it was a sign of the snow god's descent, heralding the upcoming snow god festival.
"It's truly an unimaginable realm," Kakashi thought, gazing at the massive ice sphere, feeling a wave of shock.
Mutsuki's series of actions had conveyed an immense amount of information: the extraordinary Water Release followed by the Kekkei Genkai Ice Release.
Since the rapid improvement in his Breathing Technique, Kakashi had felt quite confident, but the more he learned about Mutsuki, the more he felt that Mutsuki was the real genius, simply too humble and low-key.
"If I could learn even one-third of Yumi-sensei's Water Release, I'd be able to contribute much more in battles," Rin said, her eyes filled with longing.
In the recent fight, she felt she had mostly just been a bystander, as it was primarily Kakashi and Obito doing the heavy lifting.
It wasn't that she wanted to slack off; rather, if she didn't use her Water Release properly, it might interfere with Obito's Fire Release. It was better to conserve that chakra and protect Koyuki instead.
Of course, Rin believed this was mainly due to her own lack of ability. If she could be like Mutsuki, such situations wouldn't arise.
"Father, what is that? It's so big!" Koyuki exclaimed as she poked her head out to see the ice sphere.
"That is the work of our snow and ice hero," Sosetsu sighed.
Reflecting on the events of the past few days, Sosetsu truly felt as if he were in a dream—absurd, bizarre, and hard to believe.
His trusted younger brother had been plotting a usurpation, and just when he thought the situation was hopeless, an incredibly strong ninja appeared, creating miracles by fighting against hundreds.
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