Chapter 46: Desperate Counterattack
Yamamoto Ryusei's face darkened instantly, and the veins on his forehead bulged with anger. 'To be taunted by a toad! To think a toad this big would know how to use trickery. If I hadn't used Tekkai in time, I'd probably be lying in the hospital right now.'
"Slashing Strike: Hundred Blades!" The Aurora in Ryusei's hand once again burst forth with a hundred slashes, attacking Gamasen. "You don't have a spear this time! Let's see you block this!"
Gamasen lunged forward, grabbed the broken spear shaft, and held the spearhead in a reverse grip, using it like a dagger. He swung it repeatedly, blocking most of the slashes. Although he sustained a dozen more wounds on his body, they were not serious.
Gamasen held the spearhead horizontally in front of him. "Although I prefer using a long spear, my skill with a short blade is not bad either. And little brat Ryusei, your Hundred Blades slashes are being blocked by my spearhead. If you try to get close, you'll just be knocked back by my tongue, which is more flexible than a long spear. Besides, your Hundred Blades technique must put a huge strain on your arms, right? I wonder how many more times you can use it? So, just surrender, little brat Ryusei. I've won this time."
Yamamoto Ryusei nodded. "Indeed. As I am now, I am not your match. In that case, don't blame me for attacking your weak point."
Gamasen laughed heartily. "Then bring it on! I'd like to know what weakness I have. If you help me find it, I'll even have to thank you."
"Slashing Strike: Hundred Blades!" Ryusei's Aurora once again unleashed a hundred slashes. But after this attack, the sword itself could barely hold up, its blade covered in cracks.
"It's useless, little brat. This will only waste your stamina," Gamasen said, preparing to block the slashes with his spearhead. But he found that the hundred slashes weren't aimed at him at all; they all fell to the ground.
Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom...
The slashes slammed into the ground, instantly creating countless fissures. A huge cloud of dust rose into the air, quickly enveloping the entire battlefield and obscuring everyone's vision.
Gamasen, seeing nothing but dust, couldn't see his opponent. He swung his left hand fiercely, creating a powerful gust of wind that blew all the dust away in an instant. The sky instantly brightened again.
"Little brat Ryusei, your plan has failed! Watch me... huh? Where did he go?" Gamasen looked at the ground where Ryusei should have been approaching but couldn't see him anywhere. He looked around in all directions but still couldn't find him.
"Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
The moment Gamasen cleared the dust, Uchiha Kagami immediately saw Yamamoto Ryusei charging towards him from the air. Without a second thought, he formed hand seals and spat out a large swath of flames to stop him.
"Rokushiki: Geppo!"
In mid-air, Yamamoto Ryusei kicked his feet repeatedly, as if climbing an invisible ladder, and flew upwards, passing over the sea of fire and heading straight for Kagami.
"Wh-what is that?!"
"To be able to move in the air... it's incredible!"
"When did our Konoha get a jutsu that allows flight?"
The surrounding ninjas all let out gasps of amazement. Inuzuka Ya, thinking that Ryusei's Geppo was taught by Tobirama, praised him. "Lord Tobirama, you are truly a heavenly genius! To think you've already invented a jutsu that allows flight!"
Tobirama's face darkened slightly. He glanced at the snickering Hashirama and Mito beside him and said awkwardly, "Although Ryusei is my disciple, Geppo was invented by Ryusei himself. It has nothing to do with me."
Inuzuka Ya realized his flattery had hit the wrong mark and gave an awkward laugh, saying nothing more.
Gamasen tilted his head back, creating distance between Uchiha Kagami on his head and the approaching Ryusei. His tongue shot out, fast as lightning, towards Ryusei.
"Slashing Strike: Half Moon!" Ryusei used all his chakra for a Monster Strength strike. Aurora burst forth with a slash even larger than the one that had broken the spear, aiming for Gamasen's tongue to force it back. At the same time, he used Geppo to charge towards Kagami, preparing to take him out with this opportunity. It was all or nothing; success or failure rested on this one move!
Seeing the giant slash flying towards him, Gamasen's expression turned grim, and his pupils contracted. Still, he did not retract his tongue and continued to attack Ryusei.
Crack... BOOM!
The slash severed Gamasen's still-advancing tongue. With undiminished force, it struck Gamasen's chest, cutting open his armor and sinking deep into his body. At the same time, the remaining half of Gamasen's bloody tongue slammed heavily into Ryusei, sending him flying. Gamasen roared, "Little brat, I still win this time!"
"Aigh..." A collective sigh rose from the crowd. The spectating ninjas all knew that Ryusei had lost. Although Gamasen's tongue was cut in half and his body was severely injured, he still had fighting strength. Ryusei, on the other hand, had likely used his last bit of strength in that final attack. But to be able to fight to this extent, his perseverance was admirable.
In the air, Ryusei coughed up blood. He could feel that the bones in his arms were broken, and he had suffered severe internal injuries. His body was completely immobile. Although he had used Tekkai, Gamasen's pain-fueled tongue strike was much more powerful than the last one, directly shattering his defense. If he hadn't blocked with his sword, Aurora, it likely wouldn't have been as simple as just two broken arms. Unfortunately, Aurora had been completely shattered, leaving only the hilt in his hand.
Seeing Ryusei's posture, Hashirama knew he was now unable to move. He pushed off with his feet, leaped to Ryusei's side, and caught him, landing on the ground together.
Gamasen was now covered in blood. A huge gash ran from his left shoulder to his right abdomen. If he hadn't used the spearhead to support his body, he would have been cut down by that giant slash. Seeing the heavily injured and immobile Ryusei in Hashirama's arms, Gamasen revealed a smile. He had still won this battle.
"NOW!"
"Konoha Secret Taijutsu Supreme Technique: A Thousand Years of Death!"
Seven or eight of Ryusei's shadow clones lifted the half-shaft of Gamasen's spear and viciously thrust it into the toad's rear end.
Hearing the commotion behind him, Gamasen didn't even have time to turn around before he felt something being forcefully inserted into his chrysanthemum. The pain made him slam face-first onto the ground, the half-spear sticking out of his rear like a flagpole.
"What a sinister move!"
"If I were hit with that, I wouldn't want to live anymore."
"Hehe... this move is interesting. I'll have to try it on the battlefield in the future."
"I'm going to add a steel plate to my butt from now on."
The male ninjas present were all discussing the practicality of this move. Although it was a bit vulgar, it didn't stop it from being a practical and effective technique. A ninja, after all, had to be willing to use any means necessary.
The impact of the Thousand Years of Death on the female ninjas was significantly stronger than on the men. All the kunoichi on the field were blushing and looking on with disgust. How could you stab that place? If I were hit with that, I would definitely not want to live... or I'd have to kill everyone on the field to silence them.
The girls who had just been talking about marrying Ryusei were now silent. In their eyes, Ryusei had just committed social suicide. If he hadn't already found a girlfriend, he might have been single forever. Even Komiya Yuki couldn't help but want to distance herself from him a little to avoid the social fallout.
Yamanaka Seisen's face was pale as she murmured, "I will absolutely, absolutely, absolutely never fight Ryusei!"
Utatane Koharu and Komiya Yuki both nodded their heads grimly.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, Hyuga Natsuki, and the rest of the unconscious group of six all subconsciously touched their own rears. Inuzuka Rō said with relief, "Luckily, Ryusei didn't use that move on us. Otherwise, how could we ever show our faces again?"
The other five all nodded, their hearts still pounding with fear. Luckily, Ryusei's twisted sense of humor was limited to hitting faces and not the Thousand Years of Death. Otherwise, they wouldn't have even had a chance to resist. Thinking about it that way, getting hit in the face was pretty good.
Tobirama's face was completely black. He turned on the Ryusei in Hashirama's arms and began to yell, "You degenerate disciple! Why would you give that kind of jutsu the name 'Konoha Secret Taijutsu Supreme Technique'?! If word of this gets out, what will the other ninja villages think of us?! What will they think of the secret jutsu I invented?!"
Hashirama just chuckled. "Don't be so agitated, Tobirama. I think this move is pretty good."
Tobirama looked at the eager-to-try-it-himself Hashirama and couldn't help but imagine Hashirama's True Several Thousand Hands combined with the Thousand Years of Death. He shivered, feeling a deep sense of pity for Hashirama's future enemies.