To fight against many at once was no longer a difficult matter for Kyoichi. The problem, however, was that when among that "many" appeared a master like Akaishi, the situation changed. With his current strength alone, it was not something that could be resolved quickly against the group of Iwa-nin under Akaishi's command.
Had it been at another time,
Kyoichi wouldn't have minded sparring with Akaishi and his men, perhaps forcing them to reveal more Earth Release techniques he had yet to master.
But right now, at this critical juncture,
such games were clearly inappropriate.
The battle needed to end quickly if his clan was to remain safe.
For that reason,
Kyoichi abandoned the thought of relying on his stone colossus to contend with Akaishi and the others.
The creature had great destructive power, yes.
But against Iwa-nin skilled in Earth Release's subterranean techniques, it was clumsy and insufficient. To decide victory with it alone would be difficult.
By comparison,
it was safer to bring out the trump card he had not yet used in real combat—striving for a swift and decisive win.
Thus—
he resolutely sacrificed the colossus beneath his feet, letting it serve as a shield to absorb the incoming punch of Akaishi's newly-summoned stone giant.
"Sage Art: Earth Release—Mud Mage."
Kyoichi finished weaving seals even in midair, and as he touched the ground, he released this seemingly simple technique. Natural energy-infused chakra poured into the earth. In an instant, the land ahead melted into a swamp of sucking mud. Unlike the earlier Mud Mage Technique that had only swallowed the ankles of a giant,
once prefixed with Sage Art,
the mire now reached all the way up to the thighs of Akaishi's freshly-summoned stone giant. Kyoichi's own fallen colossus was engulfed nearly to the waist. And it wasn't just depth—the swamp's range was vast, spreading across the battlefield.
Slate, Iwami, and Ishiza were all within its reach.
Confronted with this sudden change,
the three revealed different responses.
Slate reacted the fastest, twisting his body and leaping backward. Trained in the Anbu, he was used to covert actions; if a problem could be solved without ninjutsu, he would never waste chakra. From experience, he judged that the swamp must have limits. A short retreat should take him clear.
But Iwami and Ishiza were not like the younger Anbu. They were older, more seasoned, and knew that sometimes conserving chakra was a fool's gamble—especially against an enemy strong enough to threaten their very lives in single combat. They had seen too many comrades fall, saving chakra only to die before exhaustion ever came.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!"
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!"
Both unleashed the same jutsu simultaneously.
But instead of drawing chakra into the ground to raise earth beneath their feet, they spat refined chakra directly from their mouths. As it touched the soil, it transformed into dark-gray earth, which erupted upward, multiplying and expanding rapidly. In mere moments, two towering walls stood between them and the mire.
This method consumed far more chakra—
but they had no choice.
The swamp was saturated with Kyoichi's chakra, making it impossible to wrest control of the earth beneath their feet. Their only hope was to spend more chakra creating new earth walls to stand upon, resisting the mire that sought to swallow everything.
And indeed—
that extra effort paid off.
"Help me!!"
The cry came from behind.
Both turned to look.
"Slate!"
Ishiza cried out in shock as he saw Slate's lower half already sinking into the mire.
It was clear:
Slate had miscalculated the reach of Kyoichi's Sage Art: Mud Mage. Not only had he failed to escape, but his error cost him the chance to respond with ninjutsu. He was now trapped in the swamp's terrifying pull.
Once caught—
he sank rapidly, faster than even he could comprehend. His mind went blank, unable to think of any way out.
Instinctively, he shouted for help.
But it was already too late.
Before Iwami and Ishiza could even attempt to aid him, the mire had swallowed him to the neck—and then, in moments, he was gone, dragged beneath its depth of more than ten meters. All that remained was that single cry for help—no last words, nothing.
Yes.
A final cry was all he left.
Iwami and Ishiza knew all too well what awaited those swallowed by such a swamp. If one could not be rescued within a single minute, death was certain. Even a Jōnin could not last any longer than a Genin or an ordinary person in that suffocating mire.
And they had no way to reach him in time.
Because—
Kyoichi's next attack had already begun.
"Sage Art: Earth Release—Earth Dragon Bullet Technique!"
His hands finished weaving signs.
From the swamp before him, a massive dragon's head rose, maw opening wide like an abyss. From within, it spat forth thousands of hardened mud bullets, each the size of a watermelon, dense enough to shatter skulls.
They howled through the air,
like a storm of apocalyptic hail.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!"
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
In panic, Iwami and Ishiza abandoned all thought of saving Slate, hurriedly raising walls to defend against this dreamlike onslaught. Even Akaishi could only command his giant to cross its arms before its head, shielding itself desperately.
Bang! Bang! Bang!!
The ceaseless barrage resounded.
The stone colossus lasted only seconds before the rain of mud shattered it into rubble.
Iwami and Ishiza fared even worse.
If even the mighty colossus was pulverized, what hope had their hastily raised earth and water walls? Within two seconds, both defenses crumbled. A mud bullet smashed square into Ishiza's face. Though he had reinforced himself with Earth Release: Hardening Technique—
it was not the high-level version. It could not withstand the strike.
His head exploded on the spot. The headless corpse, driven by impact, flew backward into the swamp, vanishing without a trace.
Iwami was luckier.
He escaped a direct hit.
But looking at the battlefield before him,
it was clear—how long could such luck really last?