Naruto: Kurotsuchi Mayuri

The Rock Ninja struck by the Wind Serpent exploded into a shower of blood in an instant. 

Even though they had used Earth Release techniques to form barriers to block the Wind Serpent, those defenses were shattered in a single blow. 

The barriers crumbled into pieces, leaving two Rock Hidden Jonin behind them exposed. The Wind Serpent swiftly wrapped around them.

Every scale on the Wind Serpent's body was a compressed wind blade. In other words, its massive body was essentially a storm of densely packed, razor-sharp wind blades.

The moment the two Jonin were hit and entangled, their bodies were torn apart. Their shredded remains, like broken sacks, were carried by the wind and hurled down from the sky in a spiraling motion.

"The technique's power has increased! Is it because of those Byakugan eyes? Or is it due to that strange state he's in?" Gari narrowed his eyes as he watched the two Explosion Corps members being killed in a single strike.

Just moments ago, the Hyuga had been at a disadvantage. But now, the strength of his techniques was on a completely different level compared to before.

A chakra nature transformation?

While retreating quickly with his companions, Gari tried to analyze the sudden shift in power.

This explosive surge in strength, along with the overwhelming chakra leaking from his body—almost forming a cloak of chakra around him—matched only one possibility that Gari could think of.

A Jinchuriki! 

A host with a Tailed Beast sealed inside, capable of borrowing the beast's power.

Everyone knew that a Jinchuriki who used the Tailed Beast's power was far stronger than one who didn't. The difference was like night and day, offering two entirely distinct modes of attack.

Could this Hyuga with the Byakugan be a Jinchuriki? 

But wasn't Konoha's Nine-Tails Jinchuriki supposed to be an orphan from the Uzumaki Clan?

"Watch out!"

One of the Rock Jonin suddenly shouted.

Hyūga Ran's body was cutting across the ground, forming a wind dragon in his wake. With a speed rivaling Lightning Release techniques, he closed the distance rapidly, propelled by the force of the wind.

Earth Release: Earth Spear! 

Earth Release: Stone Dragon! 

Earth Release: Rock Pillar Prison!

The three Rock Jonin, in perfect synchronization, formed hand seals almost instantaneously. They unleashed their techniques simultaneously to counter Hyūga Ran's advance.

An Iwagakure ninja slammed his hands heavily on the ground. Instantly, dense stone spears, resembling stalactites in a cavern, burst through the surface like a forest of thorns. They bloomed menacingly in the area where Hyūga Ran stood.

Another Iwagakure Jōnin controlled a dragon made of rock, which swooped down from above. Its gaping mouth aimed to grab Hyūga Ran's body and pin him into the forest of stone spears below.

Rock pillars shot up from the gaps in the stone forest, forming tightly packed cages like fences. These were designed to restrict Hyūga Ran's unparalleled agility.

Attack, control, entrap.

The three Iwagakure Jōnin coordinated their moves almost instantly, working together seamlessly. Even if it were Gari, the team leader of this Explosion Corps, he would have to rely on his kekkei genkai to blast a path through such an assault.

From experience, an ordinary Jōnin facing such an attack would have little chance of escaping unscathed. They would either die on the spot or suffer severe injuries.

Either outcome would gradually tilt the balance of power in their favor, enough to determine the battle's outcome.

However, Gari couldn't shake off the nagging feeling that this attack wouldn't be enough to deliver a fatal blow to their opponent.

Although countless thoughts raced through his mind, the events unfolded in the blink of an eye. Gari's unease quickly turned into reality.

A massive spherical, spinning barrier expanded rapidly from the direction where Hyūga Ran had fallen.

The stone dragon, spears, and rock cage—

In the face of the rotating barrier, they were shredded to pieces almost instantly. None of the ninjutsu could penetrate the barrier. Everything was blocked and cleared completely within its range.

In the next moment, Gari's pupils constricted sharply again. The barrier stopped spinning and transformed into countless wind blades that shot out in all directions.

Being closest to Hyūga Ran, the four Iwagakure Jōnin were the first to face the storm of raging wind blades.

"Earth Release: Earth Spear!"

Gari and the others immediately used Earth Release ninjutsu to harden their bodies.

The dense wind blades howled as they collided with their reinforced bodies. Though their clothes were shredded into tatters, and shallow white marks appeared on their skin, the technique had minimized the damage.

Feeling the slight stinging pain coming from his body, Gari's heart sank once again.

The Earth Spear, a B-rank ninjutsu, works by channeling chakra throughout the body to harden the skin, raising its defensive capabilities to an incredible level. 

This technique can make the body as hard as diamond, capable of ignoring most ninjutsu except Lightning Release.

At the same time, it grants the user immense offensive power, making it a versatile technique for both offense and defense. 

However, its only drawback is the limited mobility after hardening the body, making the user susceptible to prolonged attacks.

Ordinary Wind Release techniques, based on the principle of elemental superiority, shouldn't be able to break through the Earth Spear's defense. 

But the wind blades thrown by Hyūga Ran, even after dispersing their power, still managed to make them feel pain.

Either their mastery of the technique was insufficient,

Or Hyūga Ran's chakra nature transformation and shape transformation were vastly superior in quality to theirs.

The first possibility could be ruled out, leaving only the second.

Could he have used some kind of forbidden technique to suddenly unleash this level of power?

As a member of the Hyūga Clan, renowned alongside the Uchiha Clan for their dojutsu and kekkei genkai, the use of explosive forbidden techniques wasn't out of the question. Such techniques usually came with severe aftereffects.

If they could endure and outlast Hyūga Ran's burst of power, victory would still be within their grasp!

Realizing this, Gari's heart suddenly cleared. He voiced his speculation loudly, instructing his three surviving teammates to stop launching direct attacks. 

Instead, he told them to focus on interference and stalling, waiting for the aftereffects of Hyūga Ran's forbidden technique to kick in.

"Your guess is correct, but only if you can survive long enough to escape."

Hyūga Ran acknowledged Gari's analysis, but filled with immense power coursing through his body, he didn't care that Gari had deduced his plan.

A rapidly retreating Iwagakure jōnin found himself quickly overtaken by Hyūga Ran. 

Realizing escape was impossible, the Iwagakure jōnin's expression turned grim. He abruptly stopped retreating, activating the Earth Spear again to engage Hyūga Ran in close combat.

Even if it meant death, he was determined to buy time for his companions to observe and gather more intelligence on Hyūga Ran's current abilities.

****

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