The scorching flames, combined with a barrage of crystal senbon, put immense pressure on Rasa.
Under his control, Gold Dust formed a protective sphere around him, shielding him from the attack.
But Kazuyama's eyes burned red with fury, and he no longer cared about chakra consumption.
At this moment, he finally understood the thrill of Madara's fire jutsu—it truly felt like turning a B-rank technique into an S-rank one through sheer force.
Fueled by Chōmei's chakra, Fire Release: Great Fire Annihilation unleashed an unprecedented level of destruction.
"Damn it! What kind of Fire Release is this? The heat and range are ridiculous!"
"And those senbon..."
Rasa had no choice but to stay on the defensive, but Kazuyama's relentless assault left even him uneasy.
The Gold Dust shield in front of him was glowing red-hot, and even through it, he could feel the searing heat.
But Kazuyama wasn't done yet. As the flames painted the sky in fire, he abruptly cut off his jutsu.
While the flames hadn't dealt a critical blow to Rasa, they had completely shifted the tide of battle.
"Damn it! This isn't over!"
"Crystal Release! Infinite Shuriken!"
The words Crystal Release exploded like thunder across the battlefield.
Everyone—except for Orochimaru—widened their eyes in shock.
They had never heard of such a thing.
But as the sunlight reflected off the massive crystalline shuriken, their confusion turned to disbelief.
Crystal… as in actual crystal?
A moment later, they saw what a real shuriken barrage looked like.
Kazuyama pressed his hands together, his face full of fury. Around him, giant crystal formations gleamed ominously.
Then, the shuriken launched. The sheer number was staggering.
In the blink of an eye, Rasa's Gold Dust shield was riddled with spikes, turning it into a pincushion.
First senbon, now shuriken—his defenses were beginning to crack.
"Two Kekkei Genkai?! Damn it!"
"Bastard, you've been hiding this all along!"
It finally dawned on Rasa—Kazuyama possessed not one, but two Kekkei Genkai. The first was the Transparent Escape Technique, which granted invisibility. The second, just revealed, was Crystal Release.
His outburst made everyone else realize the same thing, and shock rippled through the battlefield.
Even Chiyo, locked in battle with Orochimaru, couldn't hide her disbelief.
"That brat… he actually has two Kekkei Genkai?"
Kekkei Genkai were already rare—having just one was an incredible gift.
Two? That was unheard of.
"Heh, hard to believe?"
"My disciple is exceptional! Chiyo, we've fought long enough. Let's end this!"
Orochimaru had known about Kazuyama's second Kekkei Genkai for a long time, so he wasn't the least bit surprised. Seizing the moment, he unleashed his full power.
His already devastating Wind Release techniques surged to an even greater level, instantly shattering two more of Chiyo's puppets.
"Orochimaru, don't get cocky! So what if you have Kekkei Genkai? As long as the One-Tail is here, you don't stand a chance!"
"Manipulating Attack Blades!"
Seeing three of her puppets destroyed, Chiyo's expression darkened. She knew she had lost this battle, but as a veteran, taking her down completely wouldn't be easy.
Her puppet-controlled kunai launched another attack while she took the chance to retrieve her damaged puppets and retreat.
Orochimaru didn't look particularly pleased after forcing Chiyo back. She wasn't wrong—so long as One-Tail remained on the battlefield, Sunagakure still had the advantage.
Just then, wild laughter rang out.
"Hahahaha! Rasa, you useless bastard!"
"Getting pushed around by some brat? That's hilarious!"
"Need my help, Rasa? Beg me! Beg me, and I just might help you! Hahahaha!"
Shukaku cackled as he watched Rasa struggle under Kazuyama's relentless attacks, unable to do anything but defend.
For too long, Rasa had kept him in check, using Gold Dust to suppress him whenever he refused to retreat. Shukaku had been holding a grudge, and now that he saw Rasa struggling, he was loving every second of it.
Rasa's face darkened, but he had no time to argue. Kazuyama's attacks were relentless, forcing him to stay on the defensive.
Just as Kazuyama was venting his fury, Yulín's voice reached his ears.
"Kazuyama, he's not going to make it. His chakra is fading."
Kazuyama froze. Without hesitation, he stopped his attack and flew back to Yulín's head.
Seeing Shirakumo's breathing grow weaker, his crimson eyes darkened even further.
But he forced himself to push down his anger and knelt beside him.
"Damn it! Yulín, take us to the rear—he needs treatment!"
Hearing the urgency in his voice, Yulín quickly changed direction and flew toward Kikyō Pass.
"It's no use, Kazuyama… I know my condition. That One-Tail strike shattered my organs…"
"If not for my chakra barely holding me together, I'd already be dead."
Shirakumo wasn't afraid of death. But on his face, there was a hint of regret.
Seeing that expression, Kazuyama clenched his teeth hard...
"No! Hold on! The medical-nin will be here soon!"
"Hahaha… Kid, what's with that look? I've fought on the battlefield for decades—why would I fear death? I just regret not killing a few more of them… and I won't accept that damned One-Tail stepping foot in the Land of Fire."
Hearing his words, Kazuyama's fury burned even hotter. He refused to let Shirakumo say another word.
"Yulín, get him back!"
"Understood." Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩⁂𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢⁂𝔫𝔢𝔱
Leaving those words behind, Kazuyama shot back into the sky, his presence radiating an oppressive intensity.
With his roar, massive crystal formations gathered around him, merging into an enormous dragon—even larger than before.
"It's just a damn raccoon!"
"You think you're something special?!"
With his raging chakra surging, the crystal dragon charged straight at Shukaku.
The dragon crashed into Shukaku with full force.
Shukaku caught it with both hands, his face full of disdain.
"Tch! Just some fancy crystals. You think this can hurt me?"
"Brat, do you even know what you've just done?"
"Sand Binding Coffin!"
Under Shukaku's command, golden sand surged, forming a massive hand that reached for Kazuyama.
But Kazuyama didn't give him the chance. Twisting midair, he landed swiftly on the ground.
Then, without hesitation, he bit into both his fingers, his expression turning fierce.
"I'll slice you apart!"
"Summoning Jutsu! Quintuple Rashōmon!"
p@treon com / PinkSnake