Bang!
His body crashed heavily to the ground.
He struggled a few times but couldn't manage to stand up again.
The two Cloud ninja behind him exchanged a look, both seeing the ruthlessness in each other's eyes.
They formed hand seals almost simultaneously.
“Lightning Release! Black Panther!”
Two black panthers, composed entirely of lightning, moved swiftly towards the unconscious Hiruzen Sarutobi lying on the ground.
Even now, they remained cautious, choosing long-range attacks.
Suddenly, a deep voice sounded.
“Earth Release! Earth Style Wall!”
Rumble—
Suddenly, a wall of earth appeared in front of Hiruzen Sarutobi.
The two roaring black panthers crashed headfirst into the earth wall with unstoppable force.
Boom! Boom!
Two loud explosions kicked up dust and pebbles.
When the dust settled, the solid earth wall was on the verge of collapse, with two huge craters left on its surface.
But regardless, the attack had been stopped.
Seeing this, the two Cloud ninja's expressions changed.
“Who is it?!”
“How is this possible?!”
Lightning Release was supposed to be effective against Earth Release.
Their combined attack had failed to break the earth wall.
This outcome only meant one thing.
The caster of this earth wall was far stronger than them.
Experienced in battle, the two immediately stood back-to-back, warily surveying their surroundings.
The only people who would stop them here were Leaf ninja.
Suddenly.
That voice sounded again.
“Earth Release! Swamp of the Underworld!”
Instantly, the soil beneath the two Cloud ninja's feet became soft, like a swamp.
Anyone or anything standing on it would slowly sink, and it possessed an extreme binding force, making it impossible to break free easily.
Their teamwork was excellent.
They reacted immediately, pressing their backs against each other and using the force to try to escape the swamp's constraints.
But the next second.
“Earth Release! Earth Dragon Bullet!”
“Ninja Art! Muddy Swamp Dragon!”
An earth dragon emerged from the swamp, its rigid appearance devoid of any emotion.
From its open mouth, mud pellets shot out, many hitting the two Cloud ninja directly, interrupting their escape and the sticky mud brought an even stronger binding force, seemingly determined to trap them completely in the swamp.
“Lightning Release! Surge!”
The sticky swamp contained a certain amount of moisture.
The electric current emitted from their bodies followed the water, spreading across the swamp, preventing them from sinking further.
At the same time, the two drew their long swords, meeting the mud being constantly spat out by the earth dragon, slashing it apart with each strike.
It seemed they had fended it off.
“Who is it?!”
“Are Leaf ninja only capable of hiding in the shadows and ambushing people?”
They wanted to provoke their hidden enemy into revealing themselves, otherwise, they would only be able to parry without a chance to counterattack.
But their only response was a cold voice.
“Earth Release! Mountainous Graveyard!”
Rumble—
On both sides of the swamp, two rocks, resembling small mountains, rose up, pressing towards the two Cloud ninja with immense pressure.
Seeing this, the two Cloud ninja's eyes widened.
Trouble.
This was an A-rank ninjutsu, and the enemy in the shadows seemed to have no intention of engaging them directly.
They weren't giving them any chance to counterattack, determined to kill them with these methods.
Zzz...
Arcs of electricity flickered faintly around their bodies.
At the same time, their faces flushed red, and they gritted their teeth, seemingly enduring immense pressure.
“Lightning Release! Lightning Armor!”
However, it seemed that the two had not fully mastered this technique.
Faced with the threat of death, they had no choice but to use this desperate method, using lightning to stimulate their bodies wildly, unleashing their strongest power.
They couldn't maintain this state for long.
But as long as they could block this attack, they might have a chance to counterattack.
“Hmm?”
From deep within the forest, a slightly surprised nasal sound echoed.
Lightning Release - Lightning Armor was a common technique used by Cloud ninja, but there weren't many in the entire Cloud Village who could master this technique to its peak.
But if mastered to its peak, it would become extremely terrifying.
Its greatest effect was not in battle, but in the continuous strengthening of the body during ordinary training.
The most famous were the Third Raikage and the future Fourth Raikage, who could unleash their speed to the limit, even keeping up with Minato Namikaze's Flying Thunder God Technique.
However, these two were clearly not capable of that.
