Chapter 574: The Ice Age That Freezes Everything

Although the Jinchuriki, who had fully transformed into a Tailed Beast, had a strong presence, Roshi and Jiraiya had already left the main battlefield, so there was no actual impact.

Both the Iwagakure Ninja and the Konoha Ninja continued to fight as before.

Muzuki wanted to press his advantage, but many Iwagakure Ninja, seeing Roshi injured, quickly attacked Muzuki to prevent him from causing further harm to Roshi.

Most Iwagakure Ninja didn’t like Roshi; he was a Jinchuriki and had a bad temper.

But this was on the battlefield, and they were at a disadvantage due to Konoha’s cunning scheme; they needed Roshi’s strength.

When the Iwagakure Ninja Force was first formed, Ōnoki didn’t arrange for other top Iwagakure experts because there were two Jinchuriki overseeing it.

If Roshi was directly killed by Muzuki’s combination of attacks, the Iwagakure Ninja Force would be in trouble.

“Earth Release: Rock Iron Cannon Technique!”

“Earth Release: Rock Pillar Spear!”

All kinds of Earth Release Ninjutsu were thrown at Muzuki.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Muzuki calmly took three Flying Thunder God Kunai from his Ninja pouch and threw out two of them.

“Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!”

Some Iwagakure Ninja quickly raised an Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall to block the Kunai, preventing them from getting close to the Earth Release Ninjutsu attack range.

Whoosh!

Muzuki activated Flying Thunder God Technique, disappearing from his original spot and appearing beside several Iwagakure Ninja.

He and Minato had made thorough preparations, with Flying Thunder God Technique formulas already placed at many points; the two thrown Kunai were actually meant to attract attention.

Slash!

Blood splattered as Muzuki’s Kunai accurately sliced through the Iwagakure Ninja’s necks, taking the lives of several Iwagakure Ninja.

The other Iwagakure Ninja who witnessed this scene frowned, cursing Flying Thunder God Technique as a disgusting Ninjutsu in their hearts.

Being able to teleport by throwing Kunai was already annoying enough; now they had entered a trap meticulously prepared by the enemy, and they didn’t even know where the opponent would teleport to.

“Cough, cough.”

Roshi coughed twice, gathering Chakra to stand on the small pond.

“Huff, huff.”

Roshi was breathing heavily, trying to adjust his body’s condition with the help of Tailed Beast Chakra; he was in a lot of pain right now.

Although only four of Muzuki’s Ten Dragon Bites hit him, they inflicted considerable damage on Roshi.

His lava armor, which was strong enough to withstand Minato Namikaze’s Rasengan, was ineffective against the water dragons, which were a Nature Transformation counter; aside from the first water dragon, which was slightly blocked, the subsequent three water dragons directly struck his body.

If he hadn’t activated Tailed Beast Chakra in time to mitigate some of the force, he would probably be in an even worse state now.

“Hayate Mugetsu!” Roshi stared intently at Muzuki’s flickering figure in the crowd with a serious expression.

After rigorous training to master the full Tailed Beast transformation, this was the first time he had suffered such a great setback from a single person.

If it weren’t for the other Iwagakure Ninja around him helping, he might have already been defeated by Muzuki.

“Use full Tailed Beast transformation, make Hayate Mugetsu think you’re going all out, and then I’ll lead a squad to take the opportunity to finish him off!” Iwakura, who had silently appeared beside Roshi, spoke quietly.

Iwakura really wanted to retreat, but given the current situation, a direct retreat would certainly fail.

They needed to eliminate some key figures among the Konoha Ninja, either Jiraiya or Hayate Mugetsu.

Even Minato Namikaze wouldn’t do, as Minato’s position on the current battlefield was somewhat lower.

“Full Tailed Beast transformation here?” Roshi frowned deeply.

Their current position was the center of the Iwa Ninja Force, and Roshi had only used Melting Style Chakra Mode precisely because he was concerned about this.

“Most Ninja will have enough time to retreat to a safe distance; as for the small number of Ninja who are accidentally injured, that’s a necessary sacrifice for success,” Iwakura quickly replied.

This was the best plan he could think of.

Even if Roshi lured Muzuki to Lord Fifth’s side, it would be useless, because Jiraiya was also difficult to deal with, and an injured Roshi combined with Lord Fifth might not be able to defeat Muzuki combined with Jiraiya.

But it was different here; the Four-Tails in full Tailed Beast transformation, plus the five Iwagakure Jōnin from the Iwa Explosion Corps he led, and a large number of surrounding Iwagakure Ninja, made killing Muzuki not impossible.

Roshi showed a hint of hesitation.

Even though his status as a Jinchuriki had subjected him to much criticism and discrimination, he subconsciously disagreed with Iwakura’s words.

“If we don’t kill Hayate Mugetsu to create an opportunity for a breakthrough, even more people will die in the end,” Iwakura pressed on.

If Roshi agreed, he wouldn’t have to worry about taking all the blame.

After all, Ōnoki was already at odds with Roshi due to his stubbornness; when he reported, if he mentioned something about Roshi disregarding the lives of fellow village Ninja to use full Tailed Beast transformation, wouldn’t the blame for the defeat be lessened?

“You’d better really be able to kill Hayate Mugetsu.” Roshi sighed, closing his eyes slightly.

Iwakura’s heart rejoiced, and he put on a serious expression, saying, “Of course, I will do my utmost!”

Dark red Chakra continuously surged out from Roshi’s body, enveloping his entire being.

Accompanied by a rising brutal aura, another enormous beast appeared on the battlefield, and it was right in the center of the battlefield.

“To deal with Muzuki, he actually used full Tailed Beast transformation in such a location.” Minato Namikaze looked at the red-haired giant ape with some surprise.

At Roshi’s current position, if he punched Muzuki, it was uncertain if Muzuki would die, but several Iwagakure Ninja would likely die.

“Targeting me?”

Muzuki’s Byakugan, with its 360-degree unobstructed view, noticed something: after Roshi transformed, several Ninja with considerable Chakra were approaching his position.

Although the Byakugan had already seen through their Chakra, to be safe, Muzuki still threw out several Appraisal Technique.

【”Name: Iwakura”】

【”Chakra: 71000″】

【”Skills: Explosion Release (Mastery: 3100/15000), Earth Release Chakra Nature Transformation (Mastery: 3500), Explosion Release: Meteorite Blast (Mastery), Explosion Release: Explosive Flying Stones (Mastery)… “】

【”Name: Sasame”】

【”Chakra: 41000″】

【”Skills: Explosion Release (Mastery), Earth Release Chakra Nature Transformation (Mastery), Explosion Release: Exploding Stone (Mastery)… “】

【”Name: Tsuchi Koku”】

【”Chakra: 35000″】

【”Skills: Explosion Release (Mastery), Earth Release Chakra Nature Transformation (Mastery), Earth Release: Hardening Technique (Mastery)… “】

“It’s the Iwa Explosion Corps.”

Looking at the six appraisal panels, all uniformly showing Explosion Release, Muzuki instantly knew that the six people quietly approaching were the strongest elite unit in Iwagakure, the Iwa Explosion Corps.

However, Muzuki was not flustered.

Since he had already discovered the opponent’s plan, the danger was reduced by a notch, and with Flying Thunder God Technique, which allowed him to withdraw at any time, and Armament Haki, which could perfectly protect his body, there was even less to worry about.

Seeing Roshi transform into a giant ape, the Iwagakure Ninja, fearing accidental injury, rapidly retreated.

Muzuki, however, followed at an even faster pace, cutting down Iwagakure Ninja while moving towards areas with more Iwagakure Ninja, aiming to make Roshi accidentally injure more Iwagakure Ninja.

Roshi, having made up his mind, did not give up his attack because of Muzuki’s actions; he leaped up fiercely, swinging his giant fist towards Muzuki.

In his full Tailed Beast transformation state, simply using Chakra to enhance his physical body for Taijutsu attacks had immense power.

Boom!

Roshi directly smashed a large crater into the ground, a crater that contained the bodies of two unlucky Iwagakure Ninja.

As for Muzuki, who was the target of Roshi’s attack, he used Body Flicker Technique at the last moment to create distance, rushing towards the small pond he had created, where most of the Explosion Release Ninja were located.

“Sure enough, a genius like him isn’t afraid of an injured Jinchuriki.” Iwakura couldn’t help but show a hint of a smile on his face at the sight.

Normally, given the chaos of the current battlefield, choosing a Ninja who could use Flying Thunder God Technique as a target for encirclement and killing would be irrational.

Because Muzuki could use Flying Thunder God Technique to leave at any time, they simply couldn’t stop him.

However, Iwakura had anticipated Muzuki’s thoughts; he didn’t think Muzuki would be afraid or retreat just because Roshi had undergone full Tailed Beast transformation.

On the contrary, he believed Muzuki would use this opportunity to completely defeat Roshi.

Muzuki was not only a young super genius but also one who had personally killed a Jinchuriki on the battlefield; Iwakura believed that such a Muzuki would have his own pride and would not easily back down.

“Explosion Release: Explosive Flying Stones!”

Iwakura seized the opportunity, rapidly creating several stone projectiles with power far exceeding that of explosive tags, and shot them towards Muzuki.

Before acting, Iwakura had already given orders to the other members of the Iwa Explosion Corps; the moment Iwakura made his move, the other five Explosion Release Ninja also unleashed their most proficient Explosion Release Ninjutsu.

“Explosion Release: Exploding Stone!”

“Explosion Release: Explosion Technique!”

Various Ninjutsu capable of causing explosions flew towards Muzuki.

Seeing Muzuki about to be engulfed by the explosions, Iwakura felt no relief; Muzuki only needed to use Flying Thunder God Technique to easily evade this crisis.

Iwakura rapidly condensed Chakra, preparing to unleash his strongest Explosion Release Ninjutsu, Meteorite Blast.

He judged that Muzuki would not use Flying Thunder God Technique to go too far, but would teleport nearby to counterattack.

As long as Muzuki appeared, no matter who he was beside, no matter how many Iwagakure Ninja were next to Muzuki, Iwakura would immediately activate his Ninjutsu.

If he could personally eliminate Muzuki, then his defeat would not be an ordinary one, but a glorious one despite the loss.

However, to Iwakura’s surprise, Muzuki did not use Flying Thunder God Technique to dodge, but instead activated a Ninjutsu.

“Ice Release: Ice Age!”

The large amount of Chakra condensed within Muzuki’s body erupted at that instant, and terrifying ice-blue cold air spread out with Muzuki as the center.

Crack! Crack!

Boom!

The small pond instantly transformed into an ice field, and the stone projectiles, each containing explosive power, turned into ice chunks that fell to the ground, causing bursts of explosions.

The cold air spread extremely fast, and coupled with Iwakura not expecting Muzuki to use Ice Release instead of Flying Thunder God Technique, in Iwakura’s shocked expression, the cold air rapidly eroded his body, freezing him into a large block of ice.

The other Explosion Release Ninja who were not far from Muzuki were even weaker than Iwakura, and naturally, they also did not escape the fate of being frozen.

Roshi had originally intended to seize the opportunity to land a punch on Muzuki, but before his fist could even swing, the cold air had already made contact with his body.

The biting cold caused Roshi’s pupils to instinctively contract; before he could make another move, he transformed into an enormous ice sculpture.

Under Muzuki’s unsparing expenditure of Chakra, the S-rank Ice Age displayed terrifying power.

Aside from the Explosion Release Ninja and Roshi, who were relatively close to Muzuki, some other Iwagakure Ninja nearby also failed to escape the erosion of the cold air, turning into one ice block after another.

The Iwagakure Ninja who were not caught stared at the giant ice sculpture, dozens of meters high, with terrified expressions, and rapidly retreated.

Even the Konoha Ninja who had arrived nearby disregarded everything else and quickly retreated.

For a moment, a silent, ice-blue area appeared on the battlefield.

“As expected of Sensei Muzuki!” Obito exclaimed, seeing Muzuki so easily resolve the crisis and launch a powerful counterattack.

Just now, his disciples had jointly killed many Iwagakure Ninja and were leading a team of Konoha Ninja to help Muzuki relieve pressure, but before they could provide support, Muzuki had already solved the problem himself.

“It seems it won’t be this time.” Kakashi breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.

With the war progressing to this point, their plan to lure and kill the Iwa Ninja Force was already largely successful.

Both Muzuki and the Konoha Ninja Force were in good condition; no matter what, it wouldn’t lead to Muzuki’s death.

Next, they only needed to weaken the Iwagakure Ninja’s fighting strength as much as possible, which would be Konoha’s biggest victory since the war began.

“Next, we need to pay more attention to our surroundings.” Shisui’s Sharingan rapidly scanned the area.

Muzuki’s side was fine, so they needed to protect themselves well and not become a burden to Muzuki.

“He actually cultivated Ice Release to such a formidable extent without anyone knowing.” Jiraiya, who was currently locked in battle with Lord Fifth, was somewhat surprised.

Jiraiya, who was fighting a Jinchuriki, should have been preoccupied, but the frozen Four-Tails was simply too large and too eye-catching.

At this time, the sun was slowly rising, and the dawn light striking the ice reflected various colors, coupled with the Four-Tails’ already striking red fur, it was truly dazzling.

“If it’s him, he might even surpass Sarutobi Sensei’s Ninjutsu teaching.” Jiraiya couldn’t help but feel emotional at the moment.

Muzuki had already demonstrated Water Release and Fire Release far beyond ordinary people, and now even his Bloodline Limit, Ice Release, was cultivated so proficiently.

One must know that Muzuki was only twenty-one years old now; he still had plenty of time to cultivate and research Ninjutsu, and his future was simply immeasurable.

Lord Fifth also noticed the situation on the main battlefield, and his usually calm personality couldn’t help but feel a little anxious, making his attacks more erratic.

However, Jiraiya in Sage Mode was not a pushover; the anxiety did not lead Lord Fifth to achieve results, but instead, Jiraiya seized an opening.

Not only was he injured, but all the Iwagakure Jōnin responsible for protecting him were also killed by Jiraiya and the two Great Sages.

“With these annoying distractions dealt with, the battle will be much easier now.” Jiraiya exhaled.

A Jinchuriki capable of full Tailed Beast transformation was a being that no strong individual would underestimate.

If they also had the assistance of a specialized Jōnin squad, the danger would increase significantly.

However, for a powerful individual like Jiraiya, who possessed many different techniques, dealing with a single Jinchuriki, while not effortless, offered a very high chance of success.

The frozen Four-Tails and the frozen Iwagakure Ninja boosted the morale of the Konoha Ninja, but for the Iwagakure Ninja, it was a tough blow.

The powerful combatants of their force were all struggling and failing to gain an advantage; in such a situation, let alone winning against Konoha, even breaking through would be difficult.

PS: This chapter is 4.2k, there will be another chapter later, probably around midnight, no later than 1 AM.

Because Xiao Ju successfully went to bed early yesterday, I want to keep it up and stick to it for a week, maybe my sleep schedule will return to normal.