Crackle! Crackle!
Boom! Boom!
The ground was relentlessly torn apart.
Bolt after bolt of terrifying lightning bombarded Anko without pause.
The scale of the attack far exceeded the barrage directed at Kurenai and the others—it was overwhelming enough to make anyone's scalp go numb.
"Tsk... It's absurdly powerful..."
Facing the incoming lightning head-on, Anko's eyes gleamed with excitement as she stared at the Lightning Blade Fang in Black Hoe Thunder Fang's hands. She licked her lips.
"Now I want it even more."
She had to admit it—the power of the Lightning Blade Fang was truly astonishing.
Not only could it generate lightning on its own, allowing Black Hoe Thunder Fang to unleash large-scale Lightning Release techniques without forming hand seals, but it could also draw down natural lightning to strike enemies or replenish its own power, drastically reducing the user's chakra consumption.
In terms of combat enhancement, it far surpassed Zabuza's Executioner's Blade.
Originally, Black Hoe Thunder Fang's strength had been roughly comparable to Zabuza's.
But after being amplified by the twin Lightning Blades, his combat power had become absolutely terrifying.
"Senior Anko!!"
Seeing Anko stand motionless in the face of such a horrifying assault without even attempting to dodge, both Inuzuka Hana and Uzuki Yugao cried out in alarm, their pupils shrinking.
However, it was already too late for them to help.
Dark Release: Wind Hole!
At that moment, Anko smiled.
She thrust her right palm toward the incoming storm of lightning.
A strange sealing pattern spread across her palm.
In an instant, countless curse seal markings rotated wildly, forming a pitch-black vortex that unleashed an unimaginably powerful suction force.
Whoosh... Whoosh...
One devastating bolt of lightning after another—powerful enough to annihilate everything in its path—was swallowed whole.
"What?!"
"Dark Release?!"
The unbelievable scene made Black Hoe Thunder Fang cry out in shock.
Aside from Kurenai, who had long expected it, both Uzuki Yugao and Inuzuka Hana stared with their eyes wide open in utter disbelief.
"I'll return your attack... right back to you!"
Anko sneered.
The instant the words left her mouth, her eyes sharpened.
Crackle! Crackle!
In the blink of an eye, the Wind Hole in her palm violently expelled every bolt of lightning it had just absorbed, sending the entire barrage roaring back toward Black Hoe Thunder Fang.
"What?!"
His expression changed dramatically.
Without hesitation, he crossed his twin blades before him.
Terrifying lightning erupted around his body.
Ninjutsu: Lightning Armor!
Boom! Boom!
A dazzling cloak of lightning condensed into a seemingly solid suit of armor, forcibly blocking the incoming lightning barrage.
Even so, the relentless bombardment continued to drive him backward.
"This... this is unbelievable!"
Watching from afar, Uzuki Yugao stood frozen in shock.
Inuzuka Hana's mouth hung open, equally unable to believe what she had just witnessed.
Neither of them had imagined that Anko could absorb an opponent's ninjutsu... and then fire it back.
"Don't worry."
Kurenai remained calm, speaking with complete confidence.
"Anko's strength is far beyond anything you can imagine."
Only she knew that Anko hadn't even begun to reveal her full power.
Hidden within her body was something even more terrifying.
And it wasn't only Anko.
Kurenai herself had gained far more than just the Red Eye.
Over the past several days, her chakra reserves had increased severalfold, freeing her from the severe chakra limitations that had once held her back.
Thinking of the immensely powerful technique Akira had personally taught her—one she had yet to fully master—a faint smile appeared on her lips.
Once she completely mastered that jutsu, her strength would be no weaker than Anko's.
Whoosh!
From within the ruined battlefield, Anko suddenly charged forward.
She was several times faster than before.
Thin arcs of electricity danced across her body.
She was clearly using Lightning Release to stimulate her cells and nervous system, dramatically enhancing both her speed and reaction time.
"It's time to end this."
She slammed her right hand directly against the Lightning Armor surrounding Black Hoe Thunder Fang.
Dark Release: Wind Hole!
The vortex in her palm erupted with an irresistible suction force.
The solid Lightning Armor covering Black Hoe Thunder Fang was forcibly stripped away, devoured, and converted into chakra that replenished Anko's own reserves.
During the past few days, while researching space-time ninjutsu, Akira had boldly used Anko as one of his test subjects.
He had even obtained Jūgo of the Scales' genetic material—the source of the Curse Seal's power—from Danzo and Orochimaru through various exchanges.
Using the remains of Dark Release users collected by Root together with Jūgo's genes, he had successfully cultivated a unique artificial Devil Fruit specifically for Anko.
Not only had he used the Spiritualization Technique to directly control her body and personally teach her how to completely tame and master the Curse Seal, but he had also combined numerous sealing techniques with the space-time research data recovered from Root to further refine and elevate the abilities of Dark Release.
The Dark Release Anko now possessed was vastly superior to the ordinary Dark Release bloodline limit.
If she wished, she could not only forcibly absorb chakra and ninjutsu...
She could also make the Wind Hole generate a suction force even more terrifying than Danzo's Dream-Eating Tapir, dragging people and objects into an inescapable pocket dimension where they would be permanently sealed.
This was the second application of Dark Release that Akira had specifically developed for her.
Unlike the Rinnegan's absorption ability, this was a true sealing technique capable of imprisoning both living beings and physical objects.
Naturally, because it was fundamentally a sealing technique, it came with certain limitations.
Once activated, it could no longer absorb the target's chakra.
The reason Anko hadn't used it until now was simple.
She was worried about accidentally sealing away the Lightning Blade Fang as well.
"What?!"
In an instant—
The entire Lightning Armor was devoured.
Black Hoe Thunder Fang's expression changed dramatically as he swung both Lightning Blades at Anko without hesitation.
"Useless."
Anko sneered.
Curse Seal Transformation!
Her body underwent a visible transformation in an instant.
Her skin turned jet black.
She looked nothing like her former self.
She resembled a female demon that had crawled out of hell.
Her eyes had become a deep golden color that radiated overwhelming menace.
A terrifying aura poured from her body, enough to make anyone's blood run cold.
Clang!
In the blink of an eye, under Black Hoe Thunder Fang's disbelieving gaze, Anko crossed her now stone-hard arms before her.
She actually blocked the Lightning Blades with her bare body.
"What?!"
Bang!!
His pupils contracted violently.
The next instant, a sharp pain exploded through his abdomen.
Blood sprayed from his mouth as he was blasted away like a cannonball.
Whoosh!
A black blur flashed through the air.
Before Black Hoe Thunder Fang could regain his balance—or even react—Anko had already appeared before him like a ghost.
Her speed was unbelievable.
Dark Release: Evil Self-Destruction Strike!
She raised her right hand toward the horrified Black Hoe Thunder Fang.
The mysterious Wind Hole in her palm spun violently in reverse.
Boom—!
A terrifying blue mass of compressed chakra flames erupted from the vortex like a cannon shell, hurtling toward him at lightning speed.
"No—!"
The blast mercilessly engulfed Black Hoe Thunder Fang.
His face was frozen in fear, unwillingness, and despair.
He had no power left to resist.
"AAAAAHHH!!"
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