Chapter 137: Skirmish

Duy's Leaf Whirlwind was thwarted by an Earth-Style Wall created through the synchronized efforts of several Shadow Guard ninjas. Seizing the opportunity, Pakura launched an attack using her Scorch Release.

Feeling the unsettling heat coursing through his body, Duy swiftly evaded. This woman's techniques are bizarre. Thankfully, Sakumo had briefed him on Pakura's abilities before the mission.

Unable to land her strike, Pakura quickly withdrew into formation. She knew she was no match for Duy in a one-on-one confrontation. This man is terrifyingly strong—a pure Taijutsu specialist. How did he train himself to this level?

Her gaze lingered on Duy's glowing, all-white eyes and the vibrant green energy radiating from his body. A pang of anxiety struck her. He's as formidable as Sakumo!

"Morning Peacock!"

Since Pakura showed no signs of attacking again, Duy took the initiative. In the next instant, a storm of fiery fist shadows erupted, cascading like a relentless waterfall. His hoarse roar reverberated across the battlefield.

Da-da-da~

Pakura's expression turned grim as she watched the hundreds of flaming punch shadows surging toward her. Each one radiated immense strength and scorching heat, eerily reminiscent of her own Scorch Release.

Realizing escape was impossible—Duy was too fast—Pakura braced herself to endure the onslaught.

"Block!"

The Shadow Guard sprang into action. Their hands joined in unison, channeling chakra into one of their comrades who possessed the Sand-Style.

"Sand-Style: Sand Barrier."

The ninja formed rapid hand seals, summoning a torrent of sand from the ground that solidified into two massive shields. Infused with chakra and composed of the densest, hardest minerals available, the shields stood as an impenetrable wall before them.

The enormous barrier obscured their figures, leaving Duy unable to see his opponents.

Pang! Pang! Pang!

The thunderous collision of fists against sand echoed across the battlefield. From a distance, the spectacle resembled a meteor shower, streaks of fiery light scattering in every direction—both breathtaking and terrifying.

Each of Duy's punches created ripples across the shield, the intense heat causing the sand to gradually crystallize. Signs of vitrification began to appear.

One layer of the shield crumbled under the relentless assault, but the second layer withstood it.

Behind the sand barrier, the Shadow Guards remained tense, their faces pale. Each vibration of the shield sent shivers through their hearts.

Crack!

A sudden sharp sound pierced the air. Duy and the others exchanged shocked glances as the sand shield shattered into glass, scattering to the ground. Morning Peacock had finally been halted.

"Not bad for defense," Duy admitted, surprised that his Morning Peacock had been fully stopped.

"That's nothing," Pakura retorted, taking a deep breath as if to reassert herself.

"Scorch Release: Extremely Steaming Murder!" she declared, her figure flashing forward as she charged at Duy.

"Sand-Style: Sand Rain!"

The Shadow Guard activated another Sand-Style technique. A large amount of sand gathered and descended from the sky, aiming for Duy's head. But before the attack could land, Duy vanished from sight. The technique failed to connect.

Just as Duy prepared to counter the impending attack, he felt his feet suddenly ensnared by sand hands rising from the ground.

This dual-purpose Ninjutsu brought a faint smirk to the Shadow Guard's face as he infused the sand hands with more chakra, increasing their strength and hardness to ensure Duy couldn't break free.

"Lady Kazekage, take this opportunity!" the Shadow Guard called out.

"Ah~!" Pakura roared as she surged forward, her body spinning within a fiery vortex. Her intent was clear: evaporate all the water in Duy's body and leave him a desiccated mummy. Then, with Shukaku's aid, she would join forces to eliminate Sakumo and end the battle decisively.

The vision of victory played vividly in her mind, but reality had other plans.

"Is that all you've got?" Duy's calm voice broke through her confidence.

Testing the sand hands gripping his feet, Duy found them impressively strong. Yet, to think they could restrain him completely? That, he thought, was an underestimation of the boundless power of youth!

"Leaf Strong Whirlwind!"

Duy channeled a massive amount of chakra into his feet and executed a sharp spin. The sand hands gripping him snapped under the immense force, creating an air-blast sound as fragments were kicked into the air.

In an instant, Duy disappeared from Pakura's sight. He wasn't reckless enough to engage Pakura head-on, knowing the dangers of her Scorch Release. For him, a one-for-one trade was unacceptable—it should be at least one for four.

The green blur reappeared in front of the Shadow Guard who was still channeling chakra to sustain the Sand Hands. The guard had no time to react before Duy's foot slammed into his stomach.

Blood spurted from the guard's mouth as he was sent flying dozens of meters. He crashed to the ground, struggling to rise, clearly on the brink of death. Only when another ninja rushed over to administer a life-saving pill was his life spared, though he was now entirely out of the fight.

With no effective defense against him besides the Sand-Style left, Pakura and the others found themselves completely overwhelmed by Duy's relentless assault.

They had no chance to regroup, and if the battle dragged on, Duy's victory seemed inevitable.

Meanwhile, Sakumo and Shukaku had exchanged several rounds of blows. Sakumo's movements were swift, and his strikes were precise and brutal. However, Shukaku's formidable defense and rapid recovery kept the fight at a stalemate. Against any other opponent, Sakumo's blade would have claimed their head long ago.

"Are all the ninjas from Konoha this tough?" Shukaku growled, his frustration evident. Every Konoha ninja he faced proved to be a tenacious adversary.

Roaring, Shukaku extended his massive hand, attempting to grab Sakumo.

"Tailed Beasts are no match for this," Sakumo thought, dodging the attack with precision. It was his first time facing a Tailed Beast, and while he had initially been cautious, he had now adapted to Shukaku's predictable attack patterns, which mostly involved manipulating sand.

Sakumo evaded the enormous hand and maneuvered to Shukaku's back, recalling what Tsunade had told him about the beast's weaknesses. However, Shukaku was now on guard, its tail lowered protectively and held immobile, refusing to expose itself as a potential target.

Instead, Shukaku turned sharply and fired an Air Bullet directly at Sakumo.

"It really is vigilant," Sakumo muttered with a sigh. Shukaku, wary after past defeats, was on high alert, leaving no opening for an easy strike. There was no chance of sneaking behind it unnoticed.

Sakumo dodged as Shukaku fired an Air Bullet, the attack blasting the ground where he stood and leaving a massive crater in its wake.

"Ah, you damned rat! If you've got guts, don't hide!" Shukaku roared in frustration, slamming its hands onto the ground. A massive wave of sand surged toward Sakumo.

This was why Sakumo had insisted on splitting the battlefield. While he could evade such attacks, the same could not be said for the other Konoha ninjas. The devastation caused by the Third Kazekage's final attack before his death still haunted him, and he couldn't afford another catastrophe.

"As you wish," Sakumo replied calmly. Activating the Flying Thunder God Technique, he appeared on Shukaku's shoulder in an instant. He had marked the beast earlier but had been waiting for the right moment to act.

"Kenjutsu: Sky Shatter."

The short blade in Sakumo's hand glowed with a vibrant green light as he brought it down in a swift, decisive slash. Originally intending to strike Shukaku's neck, he adjusted his target since its neck defenses had grown too robust. Instead, the strike severed one of Shukaku's massive arms.

"Oww~!" Shukaku howled in agony, its severed arm crashing to the ground.

"I'm going to kill you!" it bellowed, its rage unrestrained. The wave of sand it had summoned dissipated as it lost focus. Shukaku swung its remaining hand at its injured shoulder to crush Sakumo.

"Come if you dare," Sakumo taunted, a faint smirk playing on his lips. He pressed down hard on Shukaku's shoulder and disappeared again before the massive hand could connect. A cloud of dust rose from the impact, masking Sakumo's retreat.

"Ah~!" Enraged, Shukaku tilted its head and launched a Tailed Beast Ball toward the distant Sakumo. Simultaneously, sand from its injured shoulder began flowing toward the severed arm on the ground. Within moments, the limb reattached, and Shukaku stood as though unscathed.