Rōshi arrived in a heartbeat.
Regardless of the sheer power behind the Four-Tails Jinchūriki's attack, taking that punch head-on was not an option Hagoromo would ever consider. The enemy was as fast as a gale; he was equally swift as lightning. In most cases, as long as Hagoromo's vision could track it, his movements could keep up.
Lightning flashed!
The iron sand behind him dispersed, moved, and then coalesced instantly, transforming into an arc-shaped shield standing guard in front of Hagoromo.
CLANG!
A sound that pierced the eardrums rang out! It didn't sound like something a body of flesh and blood could produce, but rather like a sledgehammer being slammed violently against an anvil. The ferocious impact sent Hagoromo skidding backward rapidly.
Even from that momentary contact, the color of the iron sand shield changed. The intense heat instantly turned the iron sand into dark red molten iron, which dripped onto the snow bit by bit, making a hissing sound.
Though Hagoromo himself hadn't taken damage, his eyes blinked several times. Rough estimate... is that temperature over 2000 degrees?
It was likely caused by a momentary burst of high-density chakra. If Rōshi remained that hot constantly, how was Hagoromo supposed to fight?
One strike failed, and Rōshi continued to press in. However, Hagoromo was not one to let an attack go unanswered. He was never just a Lightning Style ninja; he was... an ambitious Lightning Style ninja. Through continuous cultivation, he had finally fulfilled his wish of becoming a Water Style user as well.
Pushed back ten meters, Hagoromo stopped his retreat, and the hand signs were already complete.
Ox - Monkey - Rabbit - Rat - Boar - Bird - Ox!
By simplifying the forty-four signs down to seven, combined with Hagoromo's natural hand speed, the B-rank Water Style jutsu was completed instantly.
A columnar water dragon leaped up beside Hagoromo. Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet!
Rōshi stopped to defend, but Hagoromo controlled the technique, refusing to release it immediately. The chakra in his body converted back to Lightning Style, and his right hand was once again dyed in lightning. The sound of birds chirping rang out—Chidori!
His right hand, carrying the Chidori, thrust into the abstract head of the water dragon. Using his left leg as an axis and slamming his right foot into the ground, his body spun violently. Following his movement, the water dragon was drawn in, spiraling around him.
Then, utilizing the centrifugal force and the raw power of the jutsu itself, Hagoromo hurled the Water Dragon Bullet toward Rōshi's location! Like a hammer throw, like a lightning arrow!
Straight! Swift! Violent!
And then... a hit!
A blend of high-level Water and Lightning Style. This wasn't just a Water Dragon Bullet; it was a Lightning-Infused Water Dragon!
You couldn't necessarily say the combination resulted in 1+1>2—in fact, the power of the Chidori was likely diluted—but the speed, impact, and sheer presence of the Water Dragon Bullet were on a completely different level.
Sizzling sounds erupted constantly. Centered on Rōshi's body, steam that even the wind and snow couldn't suppress billowed up instantly. The continuous pillar of water made Rōshi look like a red-hot coal tossed into a bucket of water.
Take down a Jinchūriki in one move? Impossible. The scorching aura remained, and bright colors flickered in the center of the thick mist.
Hagoromo didn't rush in. He waited for the mist to clear... and then he saw that it wasn't going to be that simple. A wall of lava-like material stood in front of Rōshi.
It was his jutsu: Lava Style: Granite.
The water had dimmed its glowing color, and sparks of lightning were still dancing on its surface. That was Hagoromo's Lightning Style, but it clearly hadn't achieved much; it hadn't even managed to break the defense. If you throw a coal into water, it should go out, but Rōshi had steamed the Water Dragon Bullet dry.
"This... is a bit unscientific, isn't it? Water beats Fire, Earth beats Water. While Lava Style is a mix of Earth and Fire, fundamentally, Water should still have some suppressing effect on Lava, right?" Hagoromo said with surprise, though it didn't quite reach the level his tone suggested.
"I didn't expect you to be able to use Water Style. This intel was outside of our grasp..." Rōshi said. "But if you want to suppress my Lava Style, you'll need something bigger than that."
The obstruction turned back into lava and fell to the ground, revealing Rōshi's figure. As expected, he was unharmed.
For a Water Style ninja with strong control, the scale of the jutsu can vary based on the chakra used. Even for the same technique, more chakra means a stronger result. For instance, the Water Dragon Bullet Hagoromo just used could have been twice as powerful if he'd poured more into it.
However, considering the potential for a long-drawn-out battle and the upcoming mission—plus the lightning buff—he had wanted to conserve chakra. He had deliberately suppressed the scale, only to find he hadn't left a scratch on Rōshi.
Against a Jinchūriki, one shouldn't hold back.
"The defensive move you used earlier... was likely Magnet Style? The intel saying you are a Kekkei Genkai ninja capable of Magnet Style is true after all. Our judgment was correct: the White Yaksha is a ninja with great potential and threat. You need to be killed as soon as possible—before your strength increases further."
Those words... made Hagoromo a bit depressed. Look at Minato's reputation among the Hidden Stone: If encountered, the mission can be considered a failure and you may retreat without penalty.
Why did it have to be "Kill on sight" for him?
The Jinchūriki was a man of his word; if he said he was going to kill him, he truly intended to do it. Stepping on the scorching lava as if it were nothing, Rōshi rushed toward Hagoromo, his signs already complete.
Lava Style: Scorching Stream Rock Technique!
Bringing his hands together in front of his chest, Rōshi inhaled deeply and spat violently toward Hagoromo! Ninja are a mysterious species; they can spit out all sorts of things that defy physics, using "mysterious chakra" as a catch-all justification.
Lava fireballs, like a shotgun blast, rained down on Hagoromo over a wide area!
Since he mastered Water Style, Hagoromo had become quite an expert at "vomiting" as well! Just a mutual exchange of spit, no one was bullying anyone here.
Concentric waves of water rose up to guard Hagoromo, forming a wall of water that combined toughness and strength to block all of Rōshi's lava rocks.
Water Style: Water Encampment Wall!
Among the pure defensive techniques Hagoromo mastered, this was second only to the Rashomon gates. However, before the wall could even dissipate, while he was still hidden behind it, he continued the "vomit"!
Dragon - Ram - Rat - Ox - Monkey - Bird - Water-Rat - Rat - Tiger - Snake!
Water Style: Water Severing Wave!
The trademark of the Second Hokage, known as the God of Water. An S-rank jutsu, the pinnacle of offensive Water Style!
Fine as a needle, sharp and strong enough to split gold and crack stone!