As the voice echoed, an incredibly hot, azure flame swept across the lake, engulfing Aizen's figure.
Faced with this devastating attack, Aizen activated his Reiatsu state without hesitation and simultaneously unleashed Shunpo! His figure flickered, vanishing instantly.
Naturally, with Aizen's departure, the earthquake he had cast dissipated. Rasa, who had been buried underground and rendered unconscious, was spared from death.
However, due to the protective layer of Magnet Release sand around him, combined with the cracks created by Aizen's earthquake jutsu, several openings leading to the surface had formed. Therefore, even though Rasa remained unconscious underground, his life wasn't in immediate danger.
Meanwhile, the scorching azure flames quickly evaporated Aizen's Exploding Water Shockwave, revealing his hidden form.
Aizen looked at the figure hovering in the air with interest, his expression unfazed by this sudden turn of events. As if all of this had been anticipated.
The figure was a beautiful woman in her twenties, with long emerald green hair, fair skin, and delicate features. Unlike the typical attire of Sunagakure shinobi, she wore a turquoise ninja robe, her posture in the air relaxed and elegant, lazy yet casual.
However, Aizen didn't dare to underestimate this seemingly peaceful kunoichi! She was the genius shinobi of Sunagakure, whose reputation on the battlefield rivaled that of Ryuken – Kosa Hebi!
"You managed to dodge my attack just now, and with such ease. Very impressive!" Kosa Hebi chuckled, her beautiful eyes studying Aizen intently.
Her words seemed like praise, a display of admiration for Aizen. Yet, a deep-seated killing intent lurked in the depths of her eyes! As Rasa a fellow disciple under the Third Kazekage, Kosa naturally cared for him.
When Rasa encountered Aizen and struggled in their battle, she didn't immediately intervene, hoping to provide Rasa with a valuable learning experience. Only at the last moment, when Rasa was on the verge of being killed, did she choose to act!
And her attack just now had been unleashed with her full power! She had intended to eliminate Aizen completely! However, Aizen's incredible speed had caught her off guard! His speed rivaled even her own! Kosa wasn't just an ordinary elite Jonin; she was a top elite Jonin, possessing peak-level combat power! Aizen's talent had even shocked her.
Now,she was determined to eliminate Aizen here and now! As for Rasa, who remained unconscious underground, He wouldn't die anytime soon, so he wasn't a concern.
Therefore, without warning, Kosa took the initiative while still chuckling!
"Scorch Release: Extremely Steaming Wind Blades!" Kosa's eyes flashed, and in the next instant, she materialized several azure wind blades in her hand, hurling them towards Aizen!
These wind blades were unique, possessing both the speed and sharpness of wind-natured chakra and the heat and flammability of fire-natured chakra! This type of attack couldn't be easily defended against with ordinary evasion techniques! Even Water Wall wouldn't suffice. Even if Aizen used an Earth Release wall, it would likely be overwhelmed. He couldn't even burrow underground. At the speed of these attacks, he would be sliced through the earth before he could reach a safe depth!
Aizen had no choice but to dodge. But evasion always left one vulnerable!
As expected, just as Aizen executed Shunpo,Kosa's next attack followed swiftly!
"Scorch Release: Extremely Steaming Bullet!" Kosa's figure, enveloped in azure wind, drew a long, blue-green arc through the air, appearing near Aizen in an instant!
She then formed hand seals, her cheeks bulging as she unleashed a barrage of turquoise Scorch Release bullets!
These bullets possessed both the speed and sharpness of Wind Release and the burning destructive power of Fire Release!
"Eight Gates... Gate of Opening, open!" "Eight Gates... Gate of Healing, open!" "Eight Gates... Gate of Life, open!"
Facing these clearly potent Scorch Release bullets, Aizen immediately opened the first three gates of the Eight Gates Released Formation, further amplifying his speed!
Bang! Bang! Bang! Countless turquoise bullets, effortlessly dodged by Aizen, effortlessly pierced the hard ground and the stones within, like a hot knife through butter! After impact, each bullet also triggered a small explosion! The destructive and burning power of these explosions were such that even stones showed signs of melting into magma!
Aizen, sensing this through his spiritual network, couldn't help but gasp. "The Scorch Release Kekkei Genkai of this Sunagakure ninja, Kosa, is truly extraordinary," Aizen thought to himself.
If Kekkei Genkai were to be categorized into tiers, excluding those that could be considered broken abilities like the Mangekyo Sharingan and Wood Release, Kosa's Scorch Release undoubtedly belonged to the most powerful group! This Kekkei Genkai was the result of combining wind-natured and fire-natured chakra!
Not only did it grant decent offensive power and enhanced speed, It also bestowed the ability to fly! It was comparable to renowned Kekkei Genkai like Lightning Release from Kumogakure and Ice Release from Kirigakure. Even Aizen found this type of Kekkei Genkai user difficult to deal with.
Despite his seemingly easy victory over Ryuken in their previous battle, It appeared as though Aizen already possessed the strength to defeat peak-level elite Jonin. However, if Ryuken hadn't been initially wounded by Aizen and hadn't exhausted so much chakra healing his injuries. Coupled with Aizen's Water Body Substitution Technique, which perfectly countered Ryuken's Water Style.
The mysterious ninjutsu Ryuken had used with the Sixth Gate activated would have easily shattered Aizen's full-powered Water Style techniques. In that scenario, Ryuken would have reached his limit! Ultimately, it was due to Aizen's Kyōka Suigetsu's deception that Ryuken met his demise!
Therefore, it was incorrect to claim that Aizen's strength had completely surpassed that of top elite Jonin!
The current Aizen, even with all his trump cards, at most possessed the power to briefly contend with peak-level elite Jonin in terms of raw power! Whether he could ultimately emerge victorious depended on his ability to devise a strategy that utilized his strengths to their fullest potential!
After evading Kosa's Extremely Steaming Bullets, Aizen quickly formed hand seals, and the Water Severing Wave gathering in his throat intensified! Simultaneously, a dense fog had silently enveloped the space around Kosa.