Chapter 347: Desperate Suppression
"Lord Doto, were you given fake intel by your subordinates?"
Kanko could not stop himself from cursing.
He really could not endure it anymore.
He had gone into this battle thinking he only needed to deal with a Jonin with outstanding strength. Yet everything Mugetsu had shown so far was on the level of a powerhouse famous across the entire ninja world.
Of course, Kanko did not suspect that Doto had deliberately misled him. The two of them were already on the same sinking ship. If he could not defeat Mugetsu, then Doto's plan to usurp the throne would never succeed either.
In Kanko's eyes, Doto was simply an idiot who had accepted faulty intelligence without checking it.
"Impossible. Did you not say you were sure of victory?" Doto snapped back.
Kanko blamed his intel. Doto, in turn, blamed Bingfeng for lacking strength.
How could the leader of a ninja village be so shaken by one young shinobi from a Great Ninja Village?
Before the fighting started, he had been full of confidence, saying that taking care of a brat like Mugetsu would be no problem.
Right now, Kanko wanted nothing more than to slam Doto into the ground.
The only reason he had spoken so boldly was because Doto's dossier on Mugetsu had contained such a massive error. Had he known Mugetsu was this strong, he would never have sided with Doto. He would have defected on the spot.
However, after that brief exchange of accusations, both men calmed down quickly. One was the leader of Snow Ninja Village; the other was effectively the second in command of the Land of Snow. They both knew that arguing about who was at fault was pointless.
What mattered now was winning this battle and completing the usurpation.
With several Snow ninja in tow, Doto slipped away from the center of the battlefield toward the flank, intending to bypass Mugetsu and go straight for Sosetsu.
He was the core of the Snow ninja's side, while Sosetsu was the core of Mugetsu's. If he could capture Sosetsu, it would tilt the entire battle in their favor.
Doto's movements naturally did not escape Mugetsu's notice. Doto was, after all, one of the stronger fighters among the Snow ninja.
But Mugetsu did not move to stop him.
He had brought Kakashi and the others out here to complete missions and grow. This was their battlefield too. If the three finished this escort mission without even fighting, the mission evaluation and rewards from the teacher system would not be high.
This was a teacher system, not some strongest shinobi system. What really mattered was whether his disciples and students grew stronger.
Of course, that did not mean he would let just anyone pass.
For example, someone on Kanko's level would never be allowed near them. Even if Obito and Kakashi fought with everything they had, they still could not defeat Kanko. Unless Rin died and Obito awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan, it was simply impossible.
Mugetsu brought a huge mass of chakra up into his mouth, completing the nature transformation at an astonishing speed, converting all of it into pure Fire Release.
"Fire Release: Great Fire Destruction."
He clapped his hands together, leaped lightly, and then exhaled.
This Great Fire Destruction was far stronger than the previous one he had used. It was as if he spat out a meteor made entirely of roaring flames.
The blazing mass smashed down and exploded across the battlefield.
In an instant, the meteor turned into a raging sea of fire. Everything within reach was devoured and reduced to black ash.
The intensity of the flames far surpassed the Great Fire Destruction he had unleashed before.
Kanko was drenched in sweat almost immediately. The sudden surge in temperature left his back completely soaked.
He had never seen a Fire Release technique of such absurd power.
Without needing a single order from him, all the Snow ninja instinctively threw themselves into defense, desperately casting ninjutsu to hold back the sea of fire that seemed intent on swallowing the world.
Those who knew defensive jutsu raised ice walls and snow ramparts.
Those who did not condensed chakra and, once the walls broke, hurled their strongest offensive techniques into the flames to try and cancel them out.
They all understood very clearly: if they could not stop this blazing tide, only death waited for them.
"Do not underestimate the ninjutsu we honed in this frozen land!"
"Snow ninja fighting in the heavy snow will not lose!"
"If I make it through this battle alive, I am retiring and going home to get married!"
Listening to the Snow ninja shout and encourage each other, fighting tooth and nail against the sea of fire, Mugetsu suddenly had a strange sense of déjà vu.
It felt like he had become the raid boss, and the Snow ninja were the players banding together for a boss fight.
In terms of strength difference, that was not far from the truth.
To these Snow ninja, fighting him was no different from charging a boss that was several levels above them.
This time, Mugetsu had raised both the quality and the quantity of his flames. The overall power of the technique had skyrocketed.
The massive ice wall that had managed to block his earlier Great Fire Destruction melted away at frightening speed, vanishing in just a few seconds as if it had never existed.
"Ice Release: Black Dragon Blizzard!"
Realizing that Mugetsu's strength far exceeded his expectations, Kanko was finally forced to use his true trump card.
He pushed the Chakra Armor on his body to its limit, then formed hand seals at blinding speed.
Chakra erupted from him, swirling into the sky to form a towering dragon made of ice and snow that plunged straight into the sea of fire.
Kanko's ninjutsu was powerful, and in a heavy snow environment it was further enhanced.
But before Mugetsu's Great Fire Destruction, which was like a natural disaster given form, it still seemed fragile.
The ice dragon did not even manage to slow the sea of fire for a heartbeat before it was swallowed completely.
"Ice Release: One Horned White Whale!"
"Ice Release: Breaking Dragon Fierce Tiger!"
"Ice Release: Ice Spikes!"
Once the ice walls crumbled, every Snow ninja who could still weave hand seals unleashed their best techniques into the oncoming flames.
Dozens of ice beasts and waves of frost hurled themselves into the inferno, trying desperately to stop its spread.
Even so, the sea of fire refused to go out.
Its range shrank, little by little, but it continued to burn with terrifying intensity.
Kanko retreated rapidly, barely staying ahead of the shrinking flames.
Some of the Snow ninja who were slower, or who mistimed their steps, were engulfed directly and burned to death.
The survivors stared at Mugetsu with naked fear in their eyes.
That one Great Fire Destruction had only wiped out a portion of their forces, but it had completely shattered their morale.
There were hundreds of them.
Yet they had still failed to fully block a single technique from him.
"Even the legendary Sannin cannot be much stronger than this," Kanko muttered, the fire in his chest completely gone.
Mugetsu's strength had gone beyond anything he had imagined.
This was what it meant to collide head on with hundreds of ninja and not be pushed back.
This battle thoroughly destroyed his dream of turning Snow Ninja Village into a Great Ninja Village.
The foundation of the Five Great Ninja Villages was simply too deep.
Konoha alone had Mugetsu, the Sannin, the Third Hokage, and the Nine Tails Jinchuriki. Even if Snow Ninja Village somehow obtained a Jinchuriki, there was no way they could compete on that level.
At this point, Kanko no longer had any idea how to win.
The only thing he could do was cling to the hope of a war of attrition.
Chakra was finite. No matter how powerful the technique, it was useless once the caster ran dry.
"Lord Doto, do something useful for once."
Kanko's other hope lay in Doto.
If Doto could take Sosetsu hostage, even if they could not complete the usurpation, they could at least negotiate an orderly retreat.
While the Snow ninja's morale was at rock bottom, the mood on Mugetsu's side was the exact opposite.
The defenders' despair was swept away, replaced by excitement and awe.
Asama Santaifu no longer saw Mugetsu as a simple shinobi.
In his eyes, Mugetsu was like a fire god descended to earth, spewing flame that crashed over the land like a calamity.
"To fight so many ninja alone… just how far has his Fire Release been trained?"
The ninja among the guards could not wrap their heads around it, but they were completely thrilled.
In their hearts, Konoha, where Mugetsu came from, had already become the undeniably strongest of the Great Ninja Villages.
Some of them even thought of the legendary Hokage.
If a Konoha Jonin's Fire Release could be this terrifying, then how monstrous must the Hokage's Fire Release be?
"I knew Teacher Mugetsu still had even stronger jutsu. This Fire Release is incredible. I wonder when I will be able to learn it."
Watching his teacher single handedly pummel hundreds of ninja, Obito's eyes were full of longing.
From his perspective, Mugetsu looked exactly like the protagonist of a ninja novel, stepping forward to turn the tide the moment everyone had given up hope.
It was a shame Obito's strength was still lacking.
Otherwise, he really wanted to stand side by side with Mugetsu and unleash this technique as well. Just imagining it felt amazing.
"If we can get through this crisis safely, I must grant Mugetsu the title of Hero of Ice and Snow."
Sosetsu made up his mind.
That title was the Land of Snow's highest honor for outstanding heroes. In all of Land of Snow's history, only a handful of people had ever received it.
"Watch out!"
Just as everyone was still marveling at Mugetsu's strength, Kakashi suddenly sensed something wrong.
Whoosh, whoosh!
Two kunai shot out toward Sosetsu.
Whoosh!
Kakashi drew his White Fang short blade with lightning speed, his arm flickering as he sliced both kunai out of the air.
The instant he cut them down, three Snow ninja appeared and rushed him, launching an attack in close quarters.
"Flame Breathing, Full Focus. Sharingan, activate."
With Kakashi's warning, Obito instantly pushed himself to full power.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
He inhaled deeply and exhaled a massive fireball directly in front of Kakashi, forcing the three Snow ninja to split up and retreat in order to dodge.
"Bad guys are here. Princess Koyuki, quickly get behind me," Rin said, her expression tensing.
As an ordinary child, Koyuki was in the greatest danger. Even a random stray attack could seriously injure her.
The obedient Koyuki ducked behind Rin, only poking her head out to peek at the battlefield.
"Strange. How did these guys get here?"
Obito dropped down from the roof, frowning.
Even if Mugetsu missed a few enemies, there were still many guards stationed behind him. Were all those guards blind?
"Because Kazahana Castle is also my home. No one knows its layout better than I do," said a familiar voice.
Doto stepped into view, appearing last behind the three Snow ninja.
There was a reason he had personally led the team to capture Sosetsu.
If they could not bypass the guards, they would never even get close to him. The guards could not defeat a full Snow ninja assault, but they could still hold off a few attackers.
"Uncle? There are bad guys over there, Uncle, hurry and come over here!"
When she saw Doto, Koyuki immediately called out to him, still instinctively viewing him as family.
Doto did not react at all.
He focused on gathering chakra, preparing to cast his jutsu.
At this point, it was either him or them. There was no third option.
"Doto, if you still know that Castle is your home, then why do you insist on destroying it?" Sosetsu asked wearily.
For Sosetsu, the recent days had felt like an eternity.
His younger brother, who had been his partner in governing, suddenly became a rebel who wanted to usurp the throne. He then led the entire Snow Ninja Village to attack.
A peaceful country had been pushed to the brink of collapse.
"Because I want to build a better new home!"
As soon as his chakra reached its peak, Doto formed hand seals and released his technique.
"Ice Release: Black Dragon Blizzard!"
Doto could not afford to drag this out.
Even though he had managed to slip past the front line of guards, the moment a commotion broke out here, reinforcements would rush in.
He had to end this in the shortest time possible.
With the boost from the Chakra Armor, his ninjutsu power surged. An enormous black dragon of ice and snow took shape, roaring into existence.
Without hesitation, Doto sent the dragon hurtling toward Sosetsu and Koyuki.
"Uncle…"
Koyuki stared at the ferocious look on Doto's face, completely dazed.
She could not understand what was happening.
Sosetsu's three bodyguards moved as one, stepping in front of him and gripping their swords tightly, ready to block with their lives.
As Obito watched the black dragon rush toward Sosetsu and Koyuki, the flames in his chest burned hotter and hotter.
His desire to punch Doto in the face went through the roof.
"She might not act very much like a princess, and she is not exactly the most lovable person, but she has been calling you Uncle this whole time, you bastard!"
With that furious shout, Obito's breathing, already at a high level, shifted again.
"Flame Breathing Chakra Mode."
Obito could tell Doto's strength was not simple.
He immediately stepped into his strongest state, choosing to face Doto with everything he had.
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
A massive amount of chakra gathered in his throat.
The boost from Flame Breathing allowed him to complete the nature transformation in an instant.
He then unleashed it, spewing a torrent of blazing flames like a roaring tyrannosaurus that crashed head on into the black dragon.
Although the range of Obito's Fire Release could not compare to Mugetsu's, Mugetsu was fighting far away, while Obito was standing right here.
Sosetsu was stunned. He had not expected a boy who looked so young to possess such powerful strength.
Koyuki rubbed her eyes in disbelief.
She had never imagined that the clumsy, rude Obito could be this strong.
However, Doto not only wore Chakra Armor, he also fought under the buff of a heavy snowstorm.
Even with Obito pushing his Fire Release to the limit, he still could not fully melt the black dragon.
Instead, the dragon slowly ground down and smothered his fire.
The three Snow ninja who had arrived with Doto originally wanted to move in and assist him in crushing Obito and Kakashi.
But the guards on the main battlefield had already noticed the commotion.
A large number of them were rushing over to support.
The three Snow ninja had no choice but to pour all their strength into ninjutsu to prevent the guards from getting close.
That was precisely why Doto had brought three Snow ninja of Jonin level, one of whom was also wearing Chakra Armor.
They were the elite among the Snow ninja.
Of course, even elite power had its limits.
They could hold the line for a while, but not indefinitely.
If they had been able to sweep aside so many guards easily, they would never have needed to sneak around in the first place.
"Lightning Release: False Darkness!"
Seeing that Obito could not hold on by himself, Kakashi rapidly formed hand seals and spat out an incredibly sharp spear of lightning that shot straight into the black dragon.
With Kakashi's Lightning Release joining Obito's Fire Release, the situation instantly changed.
Under the combined power of fire and lightning, the black dragon began to collapse.
Doto frowned.
He had not expected Mugetsu to be such a huge problem, and now even the brats around him were this strong.
"Ice Release: Twin Dragon Blizzard!"
Doto squeezed every last drop of chakra out of his body, forcibly creating two slightly smaller ice dragons.
Even with Chakra Armor, this was not a jutsu he could casually release.
Only with the heavy snow boosting his power could he barely pull it off.
The strength of each dragon was slightly lower due to how strained he was, but having two instead of one still made the overall power greater.
After using the technique, Doto's expression turned much paler.
Sosetsu let out a long, weary sigh.
"Do you truly want to become Daimyo that badly?"
In Sosetsu's eyes, Doto now seemed like a stranger.
The old Doto had always worn a stern expression, but his gaze would still soften when he looked at Koyuki.
Now, it was as if he were staring at an enemy.
"Of course you would say that so easily. You were born to be Daimyo.
As your younger brother, I have to work harder and harder, then risk my life on a stunt like this just to get a slim chance at that seat," Doto said coldly.
"What Daimyo or not Daimyo… you bastard, stop making excuses for yourself!"
The more Obito looked at Doto, the more violently the flames in his heart burned.
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
He once again unleashed a massive wave of scorching flames at Doto's twin dragons.
The fire this time was even more ferocious than before, completely engulfing his and Kakashi's silhouettes.
Even so, Obito's Fire Dragon Flame Bullet had already been barely enough against one dragon.
Against two at once, he quickly fell into a disadvantage.
However, when the sea of flames finally receded, Doto suddenly realized something was wrong.
The white haired brat was gone.
"Thunderclap Flash."
Just as he began searching for Kakashi, Kakashi suddenly appeared ten meters away from him.
Doto instinctively tried to redirect one of the dragons to attack Kakashi, but something he never expected happened.
Boom.
A thunderous crack split the air.
Blinding yellow lightning exploded around Kakashi's body.
At this moment, Kakashi had pushed his Breathing Technique to its extreme.
He converted a massive amount of chakra into lightning, driving it through every cell to vitalize his body and explosively enhance his physical ability.
The White Fang short blade in his hand crackled as chakra surged into it, extending a razor sharp blade of lightning from its edge.
Entering the Transparent World, Kakashi removed all unnecessary movement and waste.
His body turned into pure lightning as he shot forward.
Swish.
Doto saw only a flash of yellow.
Then he noticed two familiar shapes spinning through the air in front of him.
A moment later, a sharp pain arrived.
Only then did he realize that Kakashi had sliced off both of his arms.
"How… how is this possible? I actually…"
Doto stared at his severed arms on the ground, completely unable to accept the reality in front of him.
He could accept losing to a monster like Mugetsu.
But he had never imagined he would be defeated by two brats who were not even teenagers.
"You rarely fight, do you?"
Kakashi spoke flatly as he dispelled the chakra on his White Fang and released the Transparent World.
Doto's ninjutsu power was indeed impressive, but his combat sense was abysmal.
Compared to the Mist Village Jonin they had fought earlier, he was worse.
Compared to some of the Chunin level enemies they had faced, he was only on par.
Without Doto continuously supplying chakra, the twin dragons quickly collapsed under Obito's raging flames.
Whoosh.
Obito surged forward, chakra flaring as he flashed to Doto's side and drove a flame infused fist straight into his face without mercy.
With a heavy thud, Doto's body crashed to the ground, slamming into the stone and lying still.
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