NOVEL NEXT Chapter 27: CHAPTER 27
Hunter entered a state of extreme concentration, his hands moving at high speed to form a series of hand seals. As his technique neared completion, an eerie cracking sound rippled through the air around him—a telltale sign of unstable explosive chakra being condensed.
After nearly ten seconds of sealing, he suddenly raised his leg and shouted:
"Step aside!"
The two Jōnin, exhausted from holding their ground, wasted no time. They leaped away from Hunter, knowing all too well the devastation he could unleash when going all out.
With a forceful stomp, Hunter drove his foot into the frozen battlefield.
Explosion Release: Ultimate Detonation!
A deafening boom tore through the icy terrain, its force rivaling a field of simultaneous exploding tags. Shards of ice blasted outward, and the seven-meter-thick frozen surface shattered, exposing the ground beneath. At the center of the icy battlefield, a fifty-meter-wide conical crater had formed.
Seeing their chance, the two Jōnin grinned. If they could return to solid ground, their power would be restored. Even if they couldn't win, they could use underground escape techniques to retreat.
Without hesitation, the three shinobi jumped into the newly formed crater. But just as relief crossed their faces—
—a nightmarish sight unfolded.
Everyone knew explosions were chaotic, their aftermath unpredictable. The detonation had left behind a chaotic labyrinth of ice, filled with countless jagged, reflective surfaces.
A hundred fragmented ice planes.
A hundred shimmering mirrors.
And within each mirror—
A hundred Mizuki Ryosukes.
Secret Technique: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals!
From the shinobi's perspective, they were surrounded by an army of Mizuki Ryosuke's reflections, each wearing a serene, almost condescending smile. A shiver ran down the spines of the remaining Rock shinobi.
Even hardened Jōnin, trained to suppress fear, found their resolve wavering.
During the Jōnin Exams, Kaguya Yuta, a wielder of the Shikotsumyaku (Dead Bone Pulse), had nearly perished against just four ice mirrors.
Now there were hundreds.
Ice Release: Frozen Spear Barrage!
In an instant, dozens of ice lances shot out from every mirror, each one laced with an unnaturally bitter cold. There was no time to react—Hunter and one of the Jōnin were impaled instantly, their bodies transformed into grotesque pincushions of ice.
The last remaining Rock Jōnin, spared intentionally by Mizuki Ryosuke, collapsed to his knees, trembling. Even among the notoriously unyielding Iwagakure shinobi, his spirit had shattered.
One by one, the mirrored images vanished, leaving only a single, unscathed figure—Mizuki Ryosuke himself.
As he stepped out of the mirrors, the gentle curve of his lips held none of the warmth it implied. This was the time for interrogation.
Who sent these Rock Shinobi? What was their true mission?
The lone survivor scrambled backward, looking at Mizuki Ryosuke as though he were staring at the Shinigami itself.
Just then—
Hunter moved.
Despite his body being pierced through by ice, his bloodied eyes suddenly snapped open. With sheer willpower, he lunged, his frozen arm clamping onto Mizuki Ryosuke's wrist like a vice.
This wasn't a dying struggle—this was a final act of vengeance.
Hunter's lips curled into a sinister grin.
"Duff…"
"Brother, I'm coming to avenge you!"
A familiar sound crackled through the air.
The sound of an imminent explosion.
Hunter's chakra surged, the unstable detonation energy building even stronger than before. At this range, even Mizuki Ryosuke wouldn't escape unscathed.
Yet Mizuki Ryosuke didn't panic. He simply glanced at Hunter's grip with mild amusement. Then, in an unexpected move, he manipulated the ice beside him—forming a protective barrier around the remaining Rock Jōnin.
Hunter's grin faltered.
Something was wrong.
The arm he had seized—
It was too cold.
Too hard.
Too lifeless.
"No… it can't be…"
With a burst of mist, the truth was revealed.
Mizuki Ryosuke's body crumbled—into ice.
Ice Release: Ice Clone Technique.
Hunter's eyes widened in horror.
"NOOOOO!!!"
But it was too late. The self-destruction process had already begun.
BOOOOOM!!!!!
A towering mushroom cloud erupted into the sky, shaking the battlefield.
Far from the explosion site, the real Mizuki Ryosuke smirked as he sensed the final message from his ice clone.
"Hmph. Too young."
"As if I wouldn't predict an explosion freak's last resort."
His expression held a trace of contempt.
"Honestly, you guys who play with explosions… your hearts are filthy."
Self-destruction—such a predictable Iwagakure tactic.
Mizuki Ryosuke had already escaped beneath the ice long ago, leaving only an ice clone in his place to absorb the blast.
Now, there was only one task left.
He turned toward the explosion site, his eyes cold.
Would the interrogation target he left alive still be breathing?
If he was dead, then so be it.
Because nothing—absolutely nothing—was worth risking his own life.