Whoosh!
The gold sand surged forth like it had just emerged from a vat of multicolored dye, its hues now vibrant and chaotic.
As the sand fell to the ground, the liquid dripping from it emitted a corrosive sizzle. Clearly, the gold sand had entered an "enchanted" state, infused with toxins.
Clang!
Jūzō Biwa's face showed a trace of urgency as he swung the Executioner's Blade with all his might, forcing Scorpion's puppet to retreat. Then, he leapt backward to avoid the encroaching gold sand.
But the earthen wall's confines were limited, and the ground was saturated with poisonous liquid. Trapped within the walls, Jūzō could only retreat a short distance.
During the brief pause, Scorpion's fingers danced to control his puppet, but he also managed to form hand seals.
"Wind Release: Pressure Damage!"
Boom!
It was as if a high-yield explosive had been hurled into the air. The space in front of Scorpion erupted violently, unleashing a compressed, high-density sphere of wind that roared forward like a hurricane.
As the wind sphere neared Jūzō, it detonated again, forming a spherical storm of razor-sharp wind blades.
The sturdy earthen wall surrounding them was instantly shredded and blown apart. Even the toxic water below churned violently, sending ripples cascading outward as though a tempest had swept through.
When the storm subsided, a large section of the wide earthen wall was missing, as if a giant beast had taken a massive bite out of it.
Sōmi squinted, scanning the scene. He spotted Jūzō Biwa, who had narrowly escaped death. His figure was battered and wedged into a crevice in the earthen wall, his Executioner's Blade now broken at the tip.
Judging by the blue Chakra radiating from the blade, it seemed Jūzō had wrapped it in Chakra to enhance its cutting power, carving out a desperate escape route.
Sōmi pressed his palm against the earthen wall, channeling his Chakra. The wall opposite Jūzō began to stir, as if it had come alive.
A mass of bright yellow sand emerged. Sōmi didn't have the time to refine it into gold sand, so he made do with ordinary sand.
The sand swept across the poisoned liquid below, becoming "enchanted" as it absorbed the toxins. The now multicolored sand surged toward Jūzō, intent on overwhelming him.
Jūzō struggled to his feet, gripping the Executioner's Blade tightly. The blue Chakra coursing through the blade intensified, flowing faster than before.
Clearly, surrender was not a word in Jūzō Biwa's vocabulary.
Clang!
Just as Jūzō prepared to leap onto the earthen wall, Scorpion's puppet struck him with a sudden slash, forcing him off balance. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Sōmi's enchanted sand coiled around Jūzō's legs.
"Argh!"
Jūzō let out a piercing scream as smoke rose from his legs. Sōmi, seizing the momentum, manipulated the sand to completely engulf Jūzō, then compressed it tightly.
A muffled scream echoed briefly before fading into silence.
Moments later, Sōmi waved his hand, dispersing the hourglass-shaped mound of sand.
Clatter...
The sound of something hard hitting the ground echoed. All that remained of Jūzō Biwa were his bones, along with partially dissolved, viscous organs. Red, green, and white fluids mixed together, forming a sticky, half-melted mess that resembled partially melted ice cream.
"Finally done. Scorpion, that guy up there should be dead, right?" Sōmi wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"Yeah," Scorpion nodded.
"But... why did you turn his body into that?"
"How else could I ensure he was completely destroyed? Besides, you're the one who made the poison this potent," Sōmi retorted with a shrug.
"When I was creating the poison, weren't you the one complaining it was too merciful, too simple, and too easy to counter? You said poisons should aim for effects like paralysis or even death," Scorpion replied nonchalantly, his tone matter-of-fact.
"Heh... That was for our safety, you know?" Sōmi laughed awkwardly. Seeing Scorpion's relaxed expression, he tentatively asked, "Scorpion... how much Chakra do you have left?"
"Hmm... about half, I'd say," Scorpion replied casually, tilting his head.
"..."
Sōmi was speechless.
The two were about the same age, and Sōmi had been rigorously training his body since childhood. As he grew older, the intensity of his training had only increased.
Scorpion, on the other hand, spent most of his time tinkering with puppets. He barely exercised, and his daily Chakra refinement time was far less than Sōmi's.
Yet, Scorpion's Chakra reserves had always been greater than Sōmi's—and the gap was only growing.
Sōmi glanced at Scorpion's striking red hair, growing increasingly suspicious. Could this guy be a member of the Uzumaki clan, those Chakra powerhouses?
Red hair, incredible vitality, massive Chakra reserves, mastery of sealing techniques...
Scorpion's traits seemed to fit the profile perfectly. When Sōmi had been studying sealing techniques, he'd often discussed them with Scorpion, and his talent in the field was undeniably extraordinary.
At the very least, Scorpion's current proficiency in creating and using Sealing Scrolls was nearly on par with Sōmi's.
Unfortunately, Scorpion himself had no knowledge of his family lineage, so this was merely speculation.
Sōmi surveyed the battlefield. The earthen wall, resembling a low mountain, had a massive gash on its right side, as if it had been struck by a hurricane cannon.
The terrain had been completely transformed. Toxic water flowed beneath the wall, and the trees had been corroded into withered husks, swaying lifelessly on the surface of the water.
Despite having unleashed numerous powerful jutsu during the battle, Scorpion still had plenty of Chakra left.
This realization filled Sōmi with a burning sense of envy.
In this ninja world, where bloodlines reigned supreme, relying solely on natural talent imposed far too many limitations.
Sōmi's homeland, the Land of Wind, was already the weakest among the Five Great Nations. Aside from Magnet Release, it lacked any truly formidable jutsu.
It wasn't like Konohagakure, which had the Second Hokage, a man who created countless Forbidden Techniques (excluding "Sea Release"). This abundance of techniques was one reason why so many geniuses emerged from Konoha. After all, even the most talented individuals needed compatible jutsu to fully realize their potential.
Take the Fourth Hokage's Flying Thunder God Technique, for instance. Sōmi coveted it greatly...
But obtaining that jutsu would be about as easy as toppling Konohagakure itself...
Wiping the sweat from his brow, Sōmi felt a strange sensation in his stomach, pulling him back to reality.
The side effects of the soldier pill were starting to kick in. Fortunately, with only one pill, the side effects were manageable.
"What about this thing? Could you use it for a puppet?" Sōmi asked, standing beside Scorpion and pointing at Samehada, which was flopping around and emitting strange gurgling noises.
Samehada seemed desperate to escape, but the multicolored toxic liquid below made it extremely uncomfortable, and it refused to submerge itself again.
"Let's give it a try," Scorpion said thoughtfully.
He had witnessed firsthand the power of Fuguki Suikazan's fusion with Samehada. If not for Fuguki's own lack of skill, which led to flaws in their combined state, dealing with him would have been far more difficult for Scorpion.
But if Fuguki's corpse and Samehada could be re-forged into a puppet, could those flaws be resolved?
Scorpion's eyes lit up with excitement. The challenge of crafting such a puppet ignited his artistic passion.
After all, neither Sōmi nor Scorpion possessed a high affinity for water-natured Chakra, making them incompatible with Samehada. To maximize its utility, they would have to think creatively.