The pupils beneath the tanuki mask contracted violently.
Facing the overwhelming, tsunami-like Water Release barreling toward them, the Jonin immediately barked out an order:
"Joint defense! Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall!"
The moment the command was given, the Root ninja reacted with frightening exactness.
Including the Jonin himself, all five of them slammed their hands against the ground almost simultaneously.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Five thick earthen walls erupted from the ground one after another, connecting side by side to form a massive defensive barrier against the incoming flood.
Rumble—!!!
The collision sounded like thunder splitting the night apart.
The raging torrent smashed violently into the combined Earth Flow Walls, sending enormous waves exploding high into the air.
The terrifying impact instantly cracked the first three walls from top to bottom, leaving them trembling on the verge of collapse, but the combined defense barely managed to withstand the monstrous force.
The floodwaters surged around both sides of the walls, leaving the entire battlefield submerged in thick mud.
One of the Root Chunin had just let out a breath of relief after blocking the attack—
When suddenly—
"It's not over yet!" Shin's cold voice cut through the roar of the flood. "Earth Release: Earth Spike Technique!"
His seals had already been completed long ago.
The instant both hands slammed against the ground—
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The earth beneath the Root ninja exploded violently.
Countless massive stone spikes burst upward from every direction, covering the battlefield like a forest of death erupting from underground.
"What?! The range of the Jutsu is this large?!" The tanuki-masked Jonin's expression changed drastically.
Relying on his Jonin-level instincts and reflexes, he barely managed to leap away from the deadly spikes erupting beneath his feet.
The other two remaining Chunin also threw themselves aside desperately, dodging in miserable fashion.
But the Chunin who had relaxed earlier was one step too slow.
Squish! Squish! Squish!
A horrifying tearing sound echoed through the battlefield.
Three gigantic stone spikes pierced directly through his body.
One impaled his abdomen, another tore through his chest, while the third pierced his thigh completely.
The impact lifted his body violently into the air, nearly tearing him apart on the spot.
Before the blood and organs could even fully splatter outward, the remaining floodwaters washed over them, turning the surrounding mud crimson.
His mangled corpse hung suspended on the stone spikes beneath the moonlight.
The sight was horrifying.
"Bastard!"
Another Root Chunin witnessed the gruesome death of his comrade, and his concentration faltered for a single instant.
That single opening was enough.
How could Shin possibly let it go?
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Poof! Poof! Poof!
Three more Shadow Clones appeared instantly.
The original body and clones simultaneously formed seals as violent chakra fluctuations erupted across the battlefield.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet Technique!"
"Water Release: Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"
Three devastating high-level ninjutsu exploded toward the scattered Root ninja formation at the same time.
The Water Dragon roared across the battlefield.
The Earth Dragon thundered forward with overwhelming force.
The Exploding Water Colliding Wave surged like a collapsing sea.
Facing such a destructive combination attack, the shaken Chunin who had already lost his composure was instantly filled with despair.
He twisted his body with all his strength and barely managed to avoid the Water Dragon by inches.
But while still airborne, his momentum had already run out.
The moment he thought he had survived, Boom!!, the massive Earth Dragon slammed directly into his back.
Crack—!
The sound of shattering bones exploded through the clearing.
The Chunin didn't even have time to scream. It felt as though he had been struck head-on by a charging mountain.
His ribcage and spine were shattered instantly under the impact.
The terrifying force smashed his body straight into the ground like an invisible giant hand crushing downward from above.
Boom!!!
Mud erupted everywhere.
His body was pinned beneath the Earth Dragon's massive head as it continued plowing forward through the battlefield, carving a deep trench across the earth.
Wherever it passed, flesh was torn apart, and bones were pulverized. The sheer physical force nearly ground him into paste on the spot.
And it still wasn't over.
The Exploding Water Colliding Wave crashed in immediately afterward. The raging torrent swallowed the entire area in an instant.
The broken remains of the Chunin's body were dragged violently through the crushing current like clothing tossed into a storming whirlpool.
Bones shattered further. Flesh ripped apart. Everything was torn away and swept into the flood.
Within seconds, nothing remained except bloodstained mud and a few scraps of torn fabric.
Not even a complete bone was left behind.
Another Chunin is dead.
In just a matter of moments, two of the four elite Root Chunin had already been completely wiped out.
The tanuki-masked Jonin barely managed to weave through the barrage of ninjutsu using his superior speed and reflexes.
Though he avoided fatal damage, his clothing had been torn apart in several places, leaving him in an extremely miserable state.
He stared at Shin, standing proudly in the distance, whose aura had not weakened in the slightest despite unleashing such monstrous attacks.
For the first time, true shock surged through his heart.
This amount of chakra… This level of ninjutsu mastery… This insane, overwhelming fighting style that completely ignored chakra consumption…
A Genin? With power like this, even calling him a Jonin would not be an exaggeration.
Shin slowly steadied the violent chakra surging within his body before raising his eyes toward the enemy once more.
Then he coldly spoke a single sentence. "Now tell me… where exactly is the difference between a Jonin and a Genin?"