Chapter 21: Ebizō
In the blink of an eye, more than 30 Jōnin lay on the ground, their lives reaped with terrifying efficiency.
The battlefield, once filled with screams and the clash of weapons, was now plunged into silence, broken only by the constant dripping of blood soaking the earth.
The metallic stench of blood permeated the air. The bodies of the fallen, still warm, lay scattered, their faces frozen in expressions of shock and disbelief.
Until their last breath, they had been unable to comprehend how Luo Lei's speed could be so insane, how even as Jōnin, they hadn't even had the chance to counterattack.
Chiyo and Ebizō, the only survivors close to the carnage, remained paralyzed, struggling to process the scene. But they weren't the only ones affected by Luo Lei's display of power.
In the distance, Rasa, still embroiled in his duel with Orochimaru, couldn't help but let his concentration falter. His eyes, wide with amazement and fear, strayed to the scene of the massacre. "Impossible... What the hell is that boy?" he muttered.
Luo Lei was killing Jōnin as if they were mere freshly graduated genin. What kind of Kekkei Genkai could grant such mastery over speed, strength, and perception?
Orochimaru, for his part, observed everything with amazement and excitement. "Fascinating, isn't it, Rasa?"
"It's not the Hiraishin no Jutsu, but it's comparable. If I'm not mistaken, Luo Lei can reach supersonic speeds with his body alone."
A sinister smile drew on his lips. "And when he combines that speed with the Shunshin no Jutsu... the result is truly terrifying."
Realizing at that moment that Konoha's victory was only a matter of time. As long as Sunagakure couldn't contain Luo Lei, the outcome of the battle was practically decided.
"Incredible...."
"Luo Lei, with his mere presence, has tipped the balance of an entire war."
Turning his attention back to his own combat, Orochimaru let his chakra burst out again. "Come on, Rasa," he said with anticipation. "Our dance is far from over."
Rasa, feeling Orochimaru's intensity, couldn't contain a growl of frustration. He realized, with painful clarity, that his situation was desperate. With all his strength concentrated on keeping Orochimaru at bay, he had no way to intervene against Luo Lei.
"CHIYO!" His roar echoed across the battlefield. "IT ALL DEPENDS ON YOU NOW!"
As Rasa and Orochimaru resumed their combat with renewed ferocity, the Konoha ninjas, euphoric from Luo Lei's display of power, launched into attack with renewed vigor. It was as if they had been injected with pure adrenaline, their morale skyrocketing.
In a matter of moments, the Konoha forces, previously outnumbered, began to dominate the battlefield.
"This can't continue like this!" Chiyo shouted as her determined gaze fixed on her brother. "Ebizō, we have to work together to contain him!"
Despite the hatred burning in her heart towards Sakumo's apprentice, Chiyo hadn't lost her head.
Luo Lei's display of power had made it clear that he was an even more fearsome monster than his master. Victory seemed like a distant dream, but perhaps, with their puppet techniques, they could at least slow him down.
Ebizō nodded, sweat beading on his wrinkled forehead. "I'm with you, sister," he responded, his hands already forming seals at a dizzying speed.
POOF! POOF!
In an explosion of white smoke, countless figures emerged from a scroll invoked by Ebizō. The puppets launched towards Luo Lei at an impressive speed.
Observing the advance of the puppets with an arched eyebrow, an expression of mild curiosity appeared on his face.
These were not simple attackers; they were complex weapons, each of the weapons of these puppets had poisons.
Before the puppets could get close, a rain of hidden weapons erupted from their bodies.
"Ooooh... yes," Luo Lei murmured, a cold smile curving his lips. "It seems they're serious."
Without warning, the short sword in his hand came to life, emitting a white glow.
SWISH!
The movement was so fast that even the eyes of Chiyo and Ebizō could barely follow it. An arc of pure white light seemed to divide the air itself.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
A metallic symphony filled the air as the hidden weapons were destroyed one after another, as if they were made of paper.
BOOM!
A deafening roar shook the battlefield. The puppets fell to the ground in two perfect halves, cleanly cut at the waist.
They lay scattered like useless junk.
Chiyo and Ebizō stood paralyzed, their faces pale with shock. The scene before them was an echo of the past, a vivid memory of the Second Shinobi War, when Sakumo the White Fang of Konoha had shredded their puppets with the same ruthless ease.
At that moment, the fear they had felt before Sakumo was reborn with overwhelming intensity.
But this time, they faced someone even more fearsome. Luo Lei was not just the heir of the White Fang; he was a monster that made Sakumo seem like a mere precursor to true destruction.
Observing Ebizō with a barely contained murderous gaze. "It seems you still haven't learned your lesson," Luo Lei said. "Those who disobey... only have one end."
"Watch out!" Chiyo shouted as her hands moved in a blur, forming seals to summon ten more puppets.
But Luo Lei was faster.
FZZZZT! FZZZZT!
Without warning, his eyes lit up with a burning crimson glow.
"N-No!" Ebizō's exclamation was more of a gasp than a shout. Terror reflected on his face as every hair on his body stood on end. "Light Mechanical Shield!"
With surprising speed for someone his age, Ebizō channeled all his chakra into the mechanism of a puppet, transforming it into a blue shield.
BOOM!
The impact was immediate and devastating. Luo Lei's heat rays clashed against the shield with force.
A heat shockwave shook the area, causing the ground beneath Ebizō's feet to crack and collapse.
Drenched in sweat, Ebizō struggled to maintain the shield. "Im-Impossible," he muttered as his last line of defense began to crack before his eyes. "This power..."
Luo Lei's cold laughter resonated. "Haha, go to hell!"
With a thought, he raised the temperature of his thermal vision to 3,400 degrees Celsius. The effect was instantaneous.
CRACK! CRACK!
The light shield, unable to withstand the heat, cracked and collapsed in a matter of seconds.
WHOOSH!
With nothing to stop it, the heat ray directly impacted Ebizō's body.
"WHAT-!" Ebizō's cry of horror was abruptly cut off as the ray hit him. In an instant, his body was enveloped in unimaginable heat.
The air filled with the nauseating smell of charred flesh. The drops of blood couldn't touch the ground because they were vaporized, with the smoking remains of what was once one of Sunagakure's most respected Ninjas.
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