"Joton... it truly is a troublesome ability."
Kaede gazed at Pakura from a distance.
He remembered that Pakura was hailed as a hero of Sunagakure, her status in the village comparable to that of Konoha's White Fang. Her end had been similar to that of White Fang's, her achievements were so remarkable that they threatened the position of the Kazekage, Rasa. After the war, the higher-ups in Sunagakure secretly plotted his death.
To become a hero, he likely succeeded in carrying out an attack that caused significant damage to Konoha.
And now, he had encountered her.
Pakura's strength was undoubtedly at the level of a Kage, but from the fluctuations in her chakra, it seemed that she had only just reached that level and hadn't yet reached the power of White Fang.
This was the first time Kaede had faced a Kage-level ninja.
He had thought that the Sand ninja he lured in would be easily dealt with, but he hadn't expected a more troublesome figure to show up. However, in Kaede's eyes, Pakura was still just a bit more troublesome.
Because...
Joton had no effect on him, who could reverse time.
"Let me use you to practice switching my short blade to a long sword."
Kaede muttered to himself before gripping the Kusanagi Sword's hilt. This time, he didn't charge directly at Pakura but instead swung the sword from a distance.
Swoosh!!
The blade, wrapped in lightning, scraped against the air, igniting flames, and cleaved in an arc, creating a crescent-shaped slash. The two ends of the crescent flared with intertwined flames, almost forming a full moon.
Pakura was slightly surprised by Kaede's ability to perform a long-range attack but remained calm. SHe gave a slight hum before waving her right hand, sending a white orb of light wrapped in flames toward the crescent.
Boom!!
The crescent and the white orb collided, creating an explosion.
The ground was instantly torn apart, forming a deep crater several meters in diameter. The shockwave swept across the barrier, causing the damp earth to churn.
"You're not daring to fight me at close range anymore..." Pakura's expression remained unchanged as she coldly spoke, "But long-range attacks are my specialty!"
As his words fell, Pakura's slender hand waved forward, and another white orb of light shot toward Kaede. He then waved his right hand again, launching another white orb.
Kaede watched the incoming white orbs, then with a swift movement, he swung the Kusanagi sword in a slicing motion, releasing two fiery crescent-shaped slashes. They collided with the white orbs midair.
Boom! Boom!!
Two violent explosions erupted.
Kaede didn't even glance at the explosions above. The shockwaves forced him to close his eyes, but his hand never stopped swinging the Kusanagi sword.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!!
Flashes of silver light continuously burst forth, spinning like spiral-shaped blades, ripping through the earth and cutting through the air, heading straight toward Pakura.
Pakura's expression shifted at the sight.
That kind of attack... can it be released continuously?!
This is impossible!
She could tell that Kaede's attacks were utilizing lightning-based chakra, and with ultra-fast strikes, he was delivering long-range assaults. However, such a technique should consume far more chakra than her Joton, yet he showed no sign of slowing down.
"Joton! Overheat Explosion!"
Despite not understanding where Kaede got his stamina to compete with her, Pakura let out a low shout and pushed her hands forward. White fireballs burst from her palms and rushed toward Kaede, clashing with the continuous flashes of light.
Boom! Boom! Boom!!!
The explosions intensified, one after another.
Although each explosion occurred almost directly at the center of the barrier, the resulting shockwaves caused the entire barrier to shake, forcing the three Jōnin maintaining the barrier to exert all their strength to stabilize it.
They watched the scene inside the barrier, their expressions filled with disbelief.
They knew Pakura's strength and her techniques, but this young ninja was actually able to engage her in long-range combat using Joton!
His strength was far beyond what they had anticipated. If they had encountered him on the battlefield rather than here, he would have been an incredibly difficult opponent to handle!
"This kind of person definitely cannot be allowed to escape…"
"Lady Pakura, please!"
The three of them inhaled deeply as they watched the situation inside the barrier.
Kaede's displayed strength was terrifying. If he were outside the barrier, the situation would have been incredibly dangerous. But inside the barrier, relying on Joton, Pakura held a clear advantage.
Boom! Boom! Boom!!
Explosions continued to erupt in a chain.
The small barrier was shaken by the repeated shockwaves.
Inside, chaos reigned, and no one could clearly see what was happening. The only sounds were the explosions, and the ground beneath them seemed to tremble continuously.
As the battle wore on, Pakura, who had originally remained calm, was now finding it difficult to maintain her composure.
"This guy…"
She couldn't believe it. Her chakra had already been drained by more than half, yet Kaede was still relentlessly launching attacks without any signs of weakening. In fact, his attacks were becoming more intense than before!
Could his chakra be infinite?!
No!
She couldn't let this continue!
Pakura gritted her teeth, not worried about losing in a battle of attrition, but because the continuous explosions and shockwaves within the barrier were building up. The battle between her and Kaede was no longer a long-range exchange, it had become a struggle to resist the shockwaves that kept exploding.
Now, even defending against the shockwaves was becoming difficult. If this continued, the shockwaves alone would destroy the barrier!
"It's do or die!"
A flash of resolution appeared in Pakura's eyes.
At this point, she had realized how terrifying a ninja like Kaede could be. If she allowed him to escape, he would cause unimaginable damage on the battlefield. His speed made him difficult to pin down, so she had no choice but to eliminate him here.
"Joton... Overheat Explosive Kill!"
She took a deep breath, and her chakra surged violently. The two light orbs placed on either side of her, prepared in case Kaede made a sudden assault, also began to move.
A large number of light orbs spiraled around her and gathered in her palms, forming one giant sphere wrapped in crimson flames. With a fierce motion, she thrust it forward.
Boom!!!
A thunderous explosion rang out.
The dusty, yellowed barrier could no longer withstand the blast, shattering completely under the force of the explosion.
The three Jōnin maintaining the barrier were hurled backward, their chakra disordered by the violent shock, and they coughed up blood.
"Lady Pakura!"
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Ignoring their own injuries, the three Jōnin immediately rose and rushed toward Pakura.
What they saw shocked them.
After releasing the final attack, Pakura had also been unable to withstand the shockwaves. She was sent flying backward, her clothes shredded, her body covered in burns and scorched marks.
"Cough…"
With the support of one Jōnin, Pakura staggered to her feet, giving a wry smile. "I didn't expect him to be this hard to deal with. The upcoming ambush might be affected."
She had unleashed her full power in that last attack, compounded by the previous shockwaves. Kaede's body was likely obliterated beyond recognition. However, she herself had been heavily injured, and she wasn't sure if she could heal enough to lead the ambush.
"That ninja is probably Konoha's secret weapon. Just like our ambush, taking him down would be enough to affect the war effort."
One of the Jōnin comforted her.
The fact that someone could force Pakura into this state meant that the ninja's strength was truly terrifying.
Another Jōnin, seeing that Pakura's life was not in danger, walked toward the shattered barrier to check if there were any remains of Kaede's body or his headband left behind.