Amid the rising steam, Torifū murmured in a voice only he could hear, "Cloud Release: Cloud Spear Technique."
Thick white clouds billowed from his mouth, and with a grabbing motion, the clouds gathered into a long, gleaming white spear in his palm. Exhaling more cloud mist, he mixed it seamlessly with the existing steam from earlier water jutsu. Using the presence of the cloud particles, Torifū locked onto Rōmaru's exact location with ease.
He hurled the spear without hesitation—thwack! A pained howl echoed through the mist, bringing a smile to Torifū's face.
Whether steam or fog, once Torifū infused it with his cloud chakra, the entire field became his domain. While others struggled to see in the dense vapor, Torifū moved through it like a fish in water. Even the Sharingan couldn't pierce the veil of his cloud release.
Rōkin, the older brother, immediately recognized his younger brother's voice! He instantly broke free from the combined attack of Hiruzen and Koharu, running towards his brother without a second thought.
"Rōmaru! Hang in there! Use that move!"
Rōkin located the direction of his brother's cry and plunged into the cloud vapor. When he touched his brother, he found Rōmaru's entire body was as cold as ice, incredibly frigid.
Rōmaru struggled to utter a few indistinct words: "Rōkin, I'm going to die... use that move... then... run."
Rōkin's eyes turned bloodshot, and he roared almost frantically, "What are you saying! You're my brother! We both escaped from Sunagakure!"
Rōmaru shook his head. He knew his own condition. He was barely able to breathe, his entire lungs feeling frozen. He definitely wouldn't survive. "Go ahead."
Seeing Rōmaru's resolute expression, Rōkin nodded unwillingly and with resentment. They had finally escaped Sunagakure together! Yet today, his brother would die in this ravine!
"Wind Release - Tornado Technique!"
He spewed out a violent gale from his mouth, blowing away all the cloud vapor! Fragments of destroyed houses and various debris caused by the battle were all swept up! Then, the gale gathered, twisting and rotating into a massive storm! The immense suction seemed to want to drag everyone into the center of the storm and tear them apart!
Fortunately, Akimichi Torifū, relying on his massive size, barely managed to stand firm in the storm. He held everyone in his palm, allowing them to escape the catastrophe.
They hadn't expected to underestimate the strength of these two! This was their last dance, using all their power. Could they withstand it?
"Fire Release - Great Raging Fire."
Rōmaru, barely holding onto his damaged body, used the last bit of chakra in his body to unleash a torrent of raging fire. Unlike the previous Raging Fire, this one was even more violent and surging! The fiercely burning flames met the storm and instantly shot into the sky!
The wind fueled the fire! Rōmaru's Raging Fire instantly intensified several times over! The raging fire snaked upwards along the storm, transforming into a gigantic fire tornado.
"You! All of you die! Be buried with my brother and me!" Rōkin roared madly, while Rōmaru had already died in his brother's arms after releasing the ninjutsu.
It seemed Rōkin had no intention of escaping; instead, he planned to perish together with Torifū and the others.
Akimichi Torifū carried everyone in his hand and ran towards the valley entrance, but the suction of the storm was immense and was moving towards them. So, their current situation was very unfavorable!
"Damn it! What do we do! Is there a way out?" Hiruzen's expression was grave. The severity of the situation exceeded his imagination. He really couldn't understand why two such strong ninjas would choose to defect from their village.
Koharu shook her head helplessly. "The combination of these two ninjutsu is already S-rank or even beyond S-rank."
"Torifū? Do you have any ideas?" Hiruzen asked urgently. If they delayed any longer, they might all be finished.
"I don't have much chakra left. I can't use such a powerful Water Release." In fact, even if his chakra was sufficient, the ninjutsu he could release wouldn't be able to withstand the fire tornado of the Rōkin and Rōmaru brothers.
"Crap! Naori!"
Kagami suddenly realized that his younger sister was still hiding in one of the houses! He was about to jump down to find Naori, but Danzō grabbed him.
"Don't be rash. The tornado hasn't reached the houses yet. Your sister might not be in danger, but if you jump down, you definitely will be."
Danzō was right. They had placed Naori in a house far from the center area. They hadn't reached Naori's location yet.
"Kagami, don't let your concern cloud your judgment," Hiruzen also said. Naori should be fine, but if Kagami rashly jumped down, he might die.
At this moment, Torifū suddenly spoke, "I'll go find Naori. Let's meet at the valley entrance."
Hiruzen frowned slightly. How come after just dissuading one, another one was stepping forward?
"I can guarantee my safe return. Trust me."
"As your team leader, I can't just trust you blindly—I'm responsible for everyone's safety."
The other companions also chimed in agreement. Even Kagam stepped in, "Danzō is right. Naori might not be in danger, and I can't let you take such a risk."
Hearing Kagami say such words, everyone present felt a pang in their hearts. If they were stronger, wouldn't the situation be different now?
Torifū still wanted to argue a few more times. He didn't want to stand by and do nothing while Naori might be harmed. Naori was his best friend.
"I-..."
"Wood Release – Deep Forest Emergence!"
With a loud shout! Countless thick trees burst from the earth, spreading like vines throughout the entire valley! The incredibly powerful fire tornado that had almost pushed them to the brink of despair shattered and turned into nothing the moment it touched the spreading branches. Only a few sparks remained, burning on the trees.
"It's Hokage-sama!" Hiruzen pointed towards the valley entrance.
Everyone followed his gaze and indeed saw Hashirama. The anxiety in their hearts instantly subsided.
"Naori is there too. Looks like the Hokage-sama rescued her along the way," Kagami said with a cheerful smile. The gloominess from before was completely gone, and his mouth was practically stretched from ear to ear.
Torifū looked over, and indeed! Naori was being carried by their master like a handbag! Only then did a smile appear on his face. Fortunately, their master had arrived, or else he really wouldn't have known how to break this deadlock. He had even considered risking the potential exposure of his system, wanting to exchange items in the shop to enhance his strength!
Without the suction of the tornado, Akimichi Torifū took a few large steps and reached the valley entrance.
"Hokage-sama!"
Everyone bowed to Hashirama. As long as Hashirama was present, people felt an immense sense of security, except for the enemies, of course.
"Hahahaha, did I scare you kids?"