On the frost-covered street, two intense battles raged simultaneously.
On one side, two colossal figures were locked in combat, while on the other, a giant ice dome made of countless ice mirrors had formed on the street.
The methods of battle were entirely different, yet both were equally terrifying!
By this time, most of the townspeople had been evacuated. The only ones left nearby were Kakashi, Asuma, and the Hidden Leaf shinobis, as well as Itachi and Zabuza, the true members of Akatsuki.
Boom, boom, boom.
Amid the deafening rumble, the two colossal figures continued their primal fight.
Even though it was just a simple taijutsu battle, their massive size made every punch and kick shake the very ground beneath them.
It was unclear whether Itachi, Kakashi, and the others were imagining it, but after observing for a while, they noticed something peculiar. The Akatsuki member controlling the red 'Susanoo' seemed to be deliberately preventing the battlefield from expanding, avoiding further damage to the town.
Several times, the red Susanoo had stopped the Ice Crystal Statue from spreading the fight to other areas, keeping the battle near the main street.
In contrast, the white-haired youth calling himself Doma, who was controlling the Ice Crystal Statue, had no such concerns. He wildly swung his two golden fans, recklessly unleashing attacks.
However, Doma's Ice Crystal Statue seemed to have little effect on the red Susanoo, unable to penetrate the defense and harm the Akatsuki member within.
While the red Susanoo was able to damage the Ice Crystal Statue, leaving it covered in cracks and sending shards flying everywhere, it was still unable to completely destroy it.
At this point, Doma leaped onto the Ice Crystal Statue's shoulder.
Waving his golden fan, he arrogantly laughed, "How much longer can your lungs hold out in this cold? That giant you're hiding in won't be able to block the omnipresent freezing air, right?"
Beneath the Susanoo, the masked Akatsuki member paused upon hearing this, seemingly only now realizing the issue.
Yet...
Even after breathing in the cold air, they found that their body showed no noticeable discomfort despite Doma's warning.
So, they resumed their attack.
Seeing this, Doma's smile slowly faded.
He was well aware of his situation. The reason his Blood Demon Art was so powerful was due to the chakra he had previously accumulated.
But even as an Upper Moon demon, he couldn't escape one critical fact.
That fact was his only way of obtaining chakra was by devouring living creatures from the shinobi world.
As an Upper Moon demon, his body could not generate chakra on its own, and with the ongoing battle, the chakra he had accumulated was running low.
If the freezing air on the battlefield couldn't destroy his opponent's lungs, his chances of victory were slim.
Moreover, his gaze drifted toward the distant rooftop.
There stood a figure, unmoving, silently watching. Despite the intense battles raging on both sides, this person seemed completely unbothered.
It was that very presence that filled Doma with a sense of unease!
At this moment, the Akatsuki member controlling Susanoo also glanced toward the rooftop, eyes focused on the silent figure.
A strange mix of fear and guilt flashed in their eyes!
Doma noticed this and couldn't understand it. "How could someone so powerful show fear? Are they afraid of their leader? Or are they feeling guilty for not finishing me off? Hmph, how arrogant!"
As an Upper Moon demon, Doma felt his pride take a hit.
Sensing the gaze from his side, the figure on the rooftop slowly turned to look back.
Instantly, the Akatsuki member controlling the red Susanoo shuddered.
The moment their leader's gaze fell upon them, they became anxious.
With a sudden burst of determination, they clasped their hands together and shouted, "Hah!"
At that moment, a clear female voice echoed through the battlefield.
Doma's face changed. "A woman!?"
He hadn't expected that the person who had pushed him, an Upper Moon demon, to this point was a woman!
What shocked him even more was that, as the Akatsuki member yelled, a red spear materialized in the hands of the once unarmed Susanoo.
Roar!
The red Susanoo let out a thunderous roar, brandishing the long spear and driving it straight into the Ice Crystal Statue!
Crack!
With a resounding snap, the spear pierced through the Ice Crystal Statue's body!
Large chunks of ice shattered and broke apart under the force of the spear.
The 20-meter-tall Ice Crystal Statue, already riddled with cracks, could no longer hold together and collapsed in the swirling mist!
As chunks of ice and shards flew everywhere, the freezing mist on the street thickened, making it impossible to see anything.
At the far end of the street, Kakashi immediately signaled his team to retreat to a safer distance.
Itachi and Zabuza, seeing the encroaching mist, also leaped back, quickly finding higher ground on distant rooftops.
In the brief moment of retreat, the figure that had been standing silently on the rooftop disappeared.
Itachi was the first to notice this, his eyes narrowing. His Sharingan scanned the battlefield meticulously, but even with its power, the dense mist made it difficult to locate the missing figure.
Kakashi's group soon realized that the masked Akatsuki leader had vanished from the rooftop as well.
Asuma asked, bewildered, "Where did they go?"
Yamashiro Aoba shook his head, "The mist is too thick. I can't see anything!"
Even Aoba's trained ninja crows were unable to approach the battlefield core, circling high above and cawing.
Kurenai speculated, "Did they enter the battlefield?"
"Yes."
Kakashi nodded.
Although he hadn't seen the figure disappear, his intuition told him that the Akatsuki leader had finally entered the fight!
Suddenly, a piercing scream echoed from within the mist-covered street!
The scream was so raw and anguished that it sent chills down everyone's spine, even from afar!
"What's happening?" Asuma asked, tension rising in his voice.
Yamashiro Aoba and Kurenai gripped their kunai tightly.
They knew that the four fighters on the battlefield, regardless of which side they were on, were all at least elite jonin level.
For the leader of the Akatsuki to make a move and cause such a scream meant that the situation had escalated significantly.
At the far end of the street, Itachi seemed to sense something, his face showing disbelief.
Zabuza asked, "What's going on?"
Itachi slowly shook his head, not offering an explanation.
Within the thick mist that obscured the battlefield, Itachi could faintly sense the presence of Amaterasu.