Naruto: I, Uchiha, Just Want to Die

Chapter 141: Roar! Variables! Manda Devours Its Master!

A fierce wind, carrying seemingly endless sand and dust, swept backward!

Grass, trees, pebbles, rocks—even red willows deeply rooted underground and charred to coal—were uprooted entirely!

The Wind Release: Infinite Sandstorm Breakthrough, when unleashed by Shukaku, could cover a radius of several kilometers.

The forbidden version of this jutsu, as modified by Ryūsa,

instantly annihilated everything in its path the moment it was cast.

Even Uchiha Ci couldn't stabilize himself in the fierce gusts, his body was forcefully dragged backward, on the verge of being swept into the air.

Squinting his eyes against the storm, he barely managed to drive a kunai into the ground with his left hand.

Hanging onto the kunai like a flag, he was violently blown backward.

As for his severed right arm, the wind carried it more than a hundred meters away.

Through Uchiha Ci's precise calculations, the arm landed right before the Sand Ninja squad still battling Manda.

At that moment, Ryūsa's attack unintentionally enveloped his own forces.

The incoming storm forced the Sand Ninjas to shield their faces with their arms.

No one anticipated what followed—a dark, blinding object hurtling through the air toward them.

It was a charred, severed arm.

Fissures began forming on it, radiating a dazzling light.

The Sand Ninjas were momentarily stunned.

Sensing something amiss, one of them instinctively launched Wind Release: Chaotic Air Dance to blow the strange object away.

However, the blackened chakra stored in the arm ignited with an eerie crackle,

triggering a chain reaction through the Fire Release chakra system—

chakra burning chakra, resulting in an explosive escalation of power.

Just as the Fire Release system was about to detonate the arm's remaining chakra,

it collided with the swirling Chaotic Air Dance.

The flame instantly spread outward, igniting not only the surrounding air but also the chakra within the wind jutsu.

Everything—Sand Ninjas, Manda, and their combined chakra—was engulfed in flames.

The power expanded to its peak.

In the next moment:

BOOM!!!

An ear-splitting roar, far louder than Uchiha Ci's Great Flame Sword: Dragon Dance, erupted!

Ryūsa and Uchiha Ci simultaneously turned their heads in shock.

The night sky was instantly illuminated as if it were daylight.

As the blinding white light dissipated, a fiery, red mushroom cloud connecting heaven and earth appeared, seemingly burning a hole straight through the sky.

The spectacle far surpassed the terrifying scene caused by Uchiha Ci's earlier fire dragon.

Even Deidara would exclaim in awe, "This is true art!"

Witnessing the scene, Ryūsa's eyes widened in horror.

His face contorted, his teeth clenched tightly as he roared hysterically,

"What... What is that?!"

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!!!"

"What have you done?! You devil! Monster! Demon!!!"

Ryūsa fell to his knees with a thud, howling furiously at Uchiha Ci, his face twisted with rage.

Before his very eyes, his subordinates were nearly annihilated by his own wind jutsu.

Of his three-hundred-strong team, only a sparse handful remained.

In the aftermath of the explosion, only Manda's massive, lifeless purple corpse lay quietly in the scorched zone.

Nothing else was left.

"This... I caused this?!"

Uchiha Ci's expression twisted as he gazed at the mushroom cloud that had risen from the ground.

Heaven knows, he had used the Fire Release chakra system countless times before and was well aware of its limits.

His original plan was simple:

the chakra-infused arm would explode, breaking through Ryūsa's defensive formation, freeing Manda, and ensuring victory.

But he hadn't expected the explosion to escalate into such devastation.

The result was a terrifying small-scale nuclear blast!

Uchiha Ci was dumbfounded. The Fire Release system had never exhibited such capabilities before.

Not only had it burned his chakra, but even the enemy's chakra was consumed!

"This is way too destructive!"

Letting out a long breath, Uchiha Ci's lips curled into a faint grin.

Though he still hadn't figured out why the arm detonated so spectacularly, one thing was certain:

He had won!

On the battlefield, life and death were inevitable.

The Sand Ninjas' deaths weighed lightly on his conscience.

Ryūsa, noticing Uchiha Ci's smile, erupted in fury.

"You evil Uchiha—"

Before he could finish, a massive, grotesque purple snake head suddenly burst from the ground behind him.

Opening its jaws wide, the snake's ominous breath chilled Ryūsa to the bone.

Turning his head in shock, he was greeted by the sight of Manda—alive and monstrous.

How could Manda still be here?!

Wasn't it also killed in the explosion?

Wasn't its body lying over there?!

Manda paid no heed to Ryūsa's confusion.

Its massive jaws clamped shut with a snap, swallowing Ryūsa whole, along with a chunk of the ground.

The bulge in Manda's throat twitched violently as Ryūsa struggled inside.

Moments later, the thrashing ceased.

This was why Uchiha Ci claimed victory.

His Sharingan had long noticed unusual chakra movements beneath the ground.

Manda had used the Shedding Technique to escape the explosion.

As the battle ended, a string of notifications appeared before Uchiha Ci's eyes:

[Ding!]

[You have valiantly defeated the elite Sand Jonin Ryūsa. You've acquired his random skill: Wind Release: Grand Air Cannon (B, Proficient).]

[Critical reward bonus: Wind Release: Grand Air Cannon (B+, Master).]

[Your Heartsteel level has increased.]

Other prompts followed,

but the low-quality skills gained from the weaker Sand Ninjas weren't worth noting.

The Wind Release: Grand Air Cannon, however, was exceptional—

a jutsu akin to the Great Fireball Technique and on par with Shimura Danzō's Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere.

It could one day be combined with the Great Fireball Technique to create a devastating combo: Wind-Fire Ball Technique.

Letting out a deep breath, Uchiha Ci reclined on the ruins, gazing up at the starlit sky.

The once chaotic battlefield had fallen into silence.

Having exhausted all his chakra, his mind finally stopped racing, leaving only a blank slate.

But then—

A low hissing sound reached his ears, followed by the sensation of a massive presence slithering across the ground.

Manda's arrogant, venomous voice echoed:

"Brat, you dared to include me in your explosion?"

"Even the offerings meant for me were obliterated."

The snake's massive head loomed overhead, casting a shadow over Uchiha Ci.

Manda's cold eyes glared at him, a flicker of killing intent flashing within.

"Do you think you've lived long enough?"

Faced with Manda's threat, Uchiha Ci smirked coldly.

Mockery laced his tone as he retorted,

"Stupid snake, do you dare defy me?"

Manda's gaze narrowed, a human-like sneer twisting its features.

"And what if I do?"

"You're out of chakra, aren't you?

That fire sword is unusable. Orochimaru's regeneration jutsu requires chakra as well.

Right now, you're no match for me!"

Manda's snake eyes flared with murderous intent as it opened its jaws.

"It's time you learn who the real master is!"

Hiss~