The intense battle wasn't surprising, but the initial sequence seemed off. What should have been a high-stakes duel devolved into a brawl sparked by verbal insults.
As the fierce winds subsided, Logan pressed against the tree trunk and straightened up. Looking through the overlapping layers of foliage, he saw Akiyama and Gamabunta locked in combat.
The air was brighter now, though it was unclear whether it was due to the advancing dawn or the radiance of the blazing bird. The towering and broad figure of the toad stood amidst a faint red glow, with shadows and light interweaving, exuding a heavier sense of pressure.
This final battle of the night, now reaching its end, was a clash between these two colossal creatures, Logan couldn't help but sighed helplessly.
Both his and Naruto's Chakra were nearly exhausted, Sasuke was defeated, and the others were scattered elsewhere. The massive Summoned Beasts, towering over twenty meters, caused thunderous noises with each move, shaking mountains and rivers, shifting landscapes. No one could intervene. At this time, the originally opposing characters were no longer the protagonists.
It was hard to imagine that he would end up in such a battle with his two students, yet it was quite fitting, as the grand finale was truly spectacular. Considering the outcome, Logan gazed at the flaming divine bird in the distance and whispered, 'Since you're a Divine Bird, you should work harder.'
Whoosh!
A sharp sound like a diving bomb echoed as another wave of water bullets and roaring flames clashed. Unstable, smaller water bullets exploded mid-air, scattering fiery shards like a meteor shower onto the ground. The sky was briefly lit as bright as day by the fleeting fire meteors.
Logan, luckily, wasn't caught in the aftermath this time. With the brightened vision, he saw Naruto clutching Sasuke, desperately fleeing on top of the statues.
The two statues, eternally gazing at each other, shook under the beautiful firework-like assaults. Rocks continuously crumbled from the impact, and the waterfall turned murky from the constant vibrations.
Naruto, dragging Sasuke along, awkwardly slid down the slope, bumping into several sharp spots before finally rolling into some unknown part of the forest.
"Water Release: Gunshot!" Gamabunta roared, firing another water bullet comparable to Shukaku's Wind Release. Akiyama, disdainfully watching the attack, flapped his wings and easily ascended dozens of meters into the sky before the water bullet could reach him.
"You toad, is that the only trick you've got? Can't you try something new?" A small hill was eroded into a mudslide by the sweeping water wave, and Akiyama effortlessly hovered in the sky, mocking without restraint.
Gamabunta glared coldly at his airborne opponent. After a brief standoff, he refrained from exchanging insults as before, unable to hide his solemnity. As Akiyama climbed higher into the sky, the evident disparity in the situation became clear to anyone, "Tsk, that red bird sure can fly..."
Birds can, of course, fly. The problem is how Gamabunta would deal with it.
The Valley of the End was now beyond recognition, and Akiyama, entrusted with victory, did not disappoint Logan. The red figure darted across the sky like a new star against a deep background, looking remarkably striking.
'With the advantage of flight, there should be no surprises.' Logan thought. Gamabunta's disadvantage was apparent from the start of the duel, though it was somewhat muddled by their unruly banter.
After all, he had just fought against Shukaku during the day fighting experience aside, and with his short reach unable to touch anything in the sky, Gamabunta had no way to deal with Akiyama.
'It seemed that beyond appearance, there were other innate differences between the bird and the toad.'
Akiyama hovered above Gamabunta, darting back and forth. Frustrated, Gamabunta spat out several more water bullets, but Akiyama effortlessly dodged them, not even grazing his tail.
Feeling bored, Akiyama looked down and spotted Logan's position. Recalling Logan's request, he figured it was time to quickly return to Paulownia Forest, as assisting a mere human bound by summoning contracts wasn't particularly fulfilling.
"You toad on the ground, if you're smart, you'd better get your ugly self back home." Akiyama's clear call echoed below.
Gamabunta's face twitched when he heard this. No one would acquiesce to such words under these circumstances, but despite his usual hot-blooded nature, Gamabunta knew he had little chance of winning without any suitable moves.
Akiyama's ability to control flames at will was evident, and he hadn't even revealed a fraction of his true power yet. Gamabunta sensed Naruto's location and thought, 'That kid, why did he stop at a certain place without moving? Is he already out of energy?'
Gamabunta roughly gauged that Naruto was being affected by their battle, but from his vantage point at the forest's edge, he couldn't see clearly, 'This grudge between him and that Missing-nin... I can only try my best to help.'
While Gamabunta was still contemplating why every opponent he faced alongside Naruto was so troublesome, Akiyama, noticing the motionless toad below, grew impatient. Without a word, he summoned roaring flames that spontaneously ignited around him.
"Sage Art: True Fire!"
The fiery red glow flickered in the sky, and the flames began to converge toward Akiyama's mouth, forming a fiery line across the heavens, as if every flame element were eagerly racing forward.
Crackle…
The captivating sound of burning intensified. The small flame rapidly grew into a massive fireball, illuminating the entire world.
Gamabunta stared up at the imposing sight, feeling an overwhelming force locking onto him. Sweat beaded on his forehead as the sea of flames rolled and compressed against the sky's edge, and the ground below began to feel the abrupt, surging heat.
As the temperature climbed to the sweltering intensity of a summer noon, Gamabunta noticed a streak of gold emerging within the fireball that had gathered countless flames.
A bird's cry rang out, heralding the arrival of an unstoppable force.
As the mysterious gold infused the fiery sky, Gamabunta's grip on his short blade tightened, his palms slick with sweat. It was hard to tell whether it was from pressure or heat.
A gust of wind blew as Gamabunta's expression shifted. With the quickest reflexes, he darted to the side to avoid the attack.
Boom!
The golden miniature sun in the sky poured down molten flames like lava, incinerating everything at Gamabunta's previous location into nothingness in an instant, as if evaporating and melting. Akiyama hovered in the sky with a majestic demeanor, turning his head leisurely, like a king of flames surveying his domain.
The torrent of golden flames continued to cascade down, raining upon the dodging Gamabunta. The fiery waterfall descended from the sky, leaving no life in its wake.
Seeing the extraordinary fire approaching, Gamabunta had no intention of resisting head-on and swiftly fled in the opposite direction of Naruto.
'Such power is simply...' The fiery waterfall seemed endless. Gamabunta glanced back during a brief respite, still reeling in awe and dread, 'Where did that Summoned Beast come from?'
It wasn't just Gamabunta, as Logan, watching from afar, was also stunned by Akiyama's display of power. The spectacle right now was far more dazzling than anything the Summoned Beasts of the three Holy Land could muster, "Is this considered a special move... or something else?"
The fire, half gold and half deep red, consumed half of the Valley of the End. Finally, constrained by the terrain, Gamabunta couldn't keep up. He leaped over a hill, but the devouring heat behind him, like the maw of an abyss, threatened to engulf him.
Gamabunta's eyes hardened as he mustered his Chakra and turned, unleashing his most powerful Water Release: Gunshot without reservation.
Ssstt!
The massive water bullet clashed against the golden flames descending from the sky. Contrary to the roaring noise it made when launched, the water bullet was effortlessly vaporized and dissolved upon contact, leaving nothing behind.