Chapter 54: Four Releases Unleashed
The Sand squad leader barked an order to the genin beside him:
"Something feels off. Takahashi, stop here and use your sensing ability to check the others' situation. I've got a bad feeling."
Ordinarily, someone like Takahashi would never have been included in a pursuit mission of this level. But since they needed to track a target, his unique sensory ability made him indispensable.
"Y-yes, sir!" Takahashi slowed down at once, forming the seals for his sensing technique.
The jutsu required him to remain still, which was why he hadn't been able to use it during the chase—unlike Nan, who could sense while moving.
But as his perception spread outward, what he detected made his face go pale.
"Lord Watanabe! It's bad—Kimura and Shibasaki's teams… their chakra signatures are gone!
That Nan's chakra—there's only two left. The one just ahead of us, and the one Lord Nozawa's group is chasing!"
Watanabe's expression darkened as the truth struck him.
"We've been played. This one is only a shadow clone. From the very beginning, that brat never intended to run—his plan was to split us up and pick us off one by one.
Kimura and Shibasaki are likely already dead. His next target will be Nozawa. We move—now!"
Without hesitation, the two turned and sprinted in the direction Takahashi indicated.
Back with Nan's clone—he had sensed the moment Takahashi stopped moving, and when the two Sand ninja suddenly abandoned the chase to head toward his true body, realization dawned.
Tch. That guy must've used a sensory jutsu. They've seen through the plan.
With no need to waste time, the clone dispelled itself, sending its memories and observations back to the original.
At that moment, Nan's true body was already engaged with Nozawa and his genin companion. The instant the clone's memories reached him, he probed the battlefield with his own senses—sure enough, the other two Sand ninja were closing in fast.
If they regroup, I'll have to fight two jōnin at once. That… would be troublesome.
His decision was immediate. I'll have to finish these two quickly.
Up until now, he'd been holding back to conserve chakra. But with time running short, that luxury was gone.
"Summoning: Myriad Snake Net Formation!"
It was a technique he had once learned from Orochimaru—and this was the first time he unleashed it against living foes.
Slamming his palms against the ground, a swarm of venomous serpents erupted forth, surging toward the Sand pair in a writhing flood.
The sight alone was enough to paralyze ordinary shinobi with terror.
The jōnin instantly retreated, knowing it was suicidal to face such numbers head-on. The genin, however, froze in place, his legs trembling. He faltered, and two snakes sank their fangs deep into his calves. Escape was no longer an option.
In moments, countless serpents were upon him, their coils wrapping tight, threatening to bury him alive.
"Nozawa!" he cried in panic.
The jōnin reacted swiftly, weaving seals.
"Wind Release: Scattering Sand Dance!"
A moderate but controlled burst of wind blasted outward, sweeping the serpents off his teammate without tearing him apart. The genin scrambled up a nearby tree, gasping, before retreating back to his leader's side.
Meanwhile, Nan had already slipped from his original position, his hands flashing through seals once more.
"Fire Release: Great Dragon Flame Technique!"
The roaring blaze surged forward, incandescent heat spilling across the battlefield.
Nozawa's eyes widened. He countered in a rush—
"Wind Release: Drilling Air Bullet!"
This was another jutsu inspired by the powers of Shukaku's jinchūriki. Its force was considerable, easily enough to tear apart most fire techniques.
But Nan's dragon fire was already too close. Unlike the Great Fireball, this wasn't a mere distraction—it was a killing strike.
The two jutsu collided with a deafening roar, the explosion consuming both techniques in a violent burst.
Neither side's jutsu prevailed—but the shockwave left behind searing heat and burning embers that scattered in every direction, turning the clearing into a furnace of flame.
Nan had kept his distance, so the fiery explosion barely touched him.
But the two Sand ninja caught in the blast weren't so lucky.
Searing embers clung to their clothes, setting fabric alight. The scorching heat singed their hair and baked the moisture out of their bodies.
Where Nan's fire release had clashed with Nozawa's wind release, the result mimicked the terrifying effects of Scorch Release—skin shriveling, muscles stiffening, movements slowing to a crawl.
The jōnin gritted his teeth in pain, feeling his limbs grow heavy and unresponsive. Both taijutsu and ninjutsu would be difficult now.
His subordinate had it even worse—already weakened by snake venom, the blast had stripped him of all strength. He collapsed, utterly incapable of continuing the fight.
Nan's eyes gleamed. The perfect chance.
"Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu."
With three sharp bursts of chakra, three more clones appeared beside him.
The Sand pair, already struggling to move, found themselves instantly surrounded from four directions—Nan and his clones forming a tightening ring.
How ironic. Only moments ago, eight Sand ninja had encircled Nan. Now he stood as four, hemming in the two survivors. They lacked the speed or power to break free as he had.
The four voices cried out in unison:
"Four-Release Barrage!"
From each Nan surged a different element—Fire, Lightning, Water, Earth. Four chakra projectiles spiraled inward, converging on the beleaguered Sand shinobi.
Even at their peak, fending off such an assault would have been difficult. In their current state, it was impossible.
At best, the jōnin could block one. The other three would tear through them mercilessly.
Despair clouded his face. For a moment, he stopped resisting. But ninjutsu held no pity—the four elemental blasts obeyed Nan's will without hesitation, crashing into their targets.
The combined force detonated in a roaring explosion. Fire, lightning, water, and earth collided in violent synergy, unleashing a storm of raw chakra.
"No—!"
A desperate shout rang out from the distance. Nan turned his head just as the last two Sand ninja arrived on the battlefield.
So they made it after all. A little too late, though.
His lips curled into a cold smile.
Watanabe staggered to a halt, his eyes widening in horror. He had arrived just in time to see his comrades consumed by Nan's jutsu. When the smoke and flame finally dispersed, only mangled remains lay scattered across the ground.
There was no saving them.
Hatred burned in Watanabe's gaze as it fixed upon Nan—the cause of this massacre.
Eight had come, confident that one enemy would be simple prey. They had even joked along the way, certain of easy victory.
Now, only two Sand shinobi remained.
Even if they succeeded in killing Nan, the mission was already a disaster. Rewards would be out of the question—punishment was far more likely.
Watanabe's voice thundered with rage:
"You dare slaughter our Sand shinobi?!"
Nan chuckled softly, almost mockingly.
"Heh. You call it slaughter, but I call it survival. You're the ones who came to kill me.
What did you expect—that I'd just kneel and bare my neck?
Anyone who kills should be ready to be killed. Surely even you understand that much."
His eyes flicked over the corpses, then back to the furious jōnin. A playful glint shone in his gaze.
"You're awfully angry. Don't tell me… one of those two was your son?"
The Sand jōnin was in his thirties, perhaps forties. The ones Nan had just slain had been barely adults—late teens, maybe twenty at most.
It wasn't impossible.
Nan smirked and gave a small, deliberate nod.
As if confirming his cruel suspicion.
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