Immediately, his left hand, shrouded in cloud-like chakra, heavily struck Uchiha Setsuna's chest!
However, Setsuna didn't feel any pain after receiving Torifū's palm strike. Setsuna wanted to mock him but found that his entire body was powerless.
His lips became incredibly heavy, and his hands and feet seemed to have disappeared! His eyes were filled with terror, and he could only hum and grunt, unable to utter any sound, staring fixedly at Torifū.
"Do you know why this move is called Cloud Transformation?" Torifū said calmly.
Hearing this, Setsuna stopped struggling, no longer made any sound, and his eyes lost all emotion, becoming empty and lifeless. The next second, Setsuna's body suddenly dissipated, turning into wisps of white clouds that flew towards the horizon and disappeared.
This Cloud Transformation technique was the most core ninjutsu in Cloud Release, yet it was also considered a beginner's move.
Learning Cloud Transformation meant learning how to turn a living person into cloud wisps, a skill crucial for continuing to learn or develop stronger Cloud Release ninjutsu.
"Hmm, it's still different from Dust Release," Torifū muttered to himself. He had previously thought that the effect of this move was similar to Dust Release, but only when he actually used it could he clearly feel the difference. Dust Release shattered all matter within an area into atomic states, while Cloud Release turned the target into cloud chakra. There was a significant difference between the two.
Although it sounded inferior to Dust Release, Cloud Release ninjutsu was ever-changing, while Dust Release only had one move, the Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique.
Torifū looked in the direction where Hiruzen and the others were heading. He estimated that he should be able to catch up; after all, it hadn't taken him long to deal with Uchiha Setsuna.
"Cloud Release - Cloud Surge!"
A large amount of cloud chakra spewed out from Torifū's sleeves, pushing him directly into the sky like a thruster! Then he fell down again!
"Damn! So exciting! I'm not very good at this yet!" Because it was his first time using this ninjutsu, it wasn't easy to control, so he flew erratically, almost crashing into trees several times!
Torifū increased the surge of cloud chakra, flew steadily into the air, and practiced repeatedly for a while before finally mastering the technique. He felt great for a moment and circled in the air several times.
"Yahoo! Let's go!"
Then he flew towards Hiruzen and the others, leaving only a trail of cloud chakra in the air.
Not long after Torifū left, a black and white head slowly emerged from the ground in the roadside bushes.
"It's that person's descendant," White Zetsu said faintly, seemingly without any emotion.
Black Zetsu echoed, "It seems so."
"They secretly modified the scrolls, but I didn't expect him to learn it anyway," one of them remarked.
Black Zetsu reached out and picked up the arm that Torifū had severed. "Anyway, it's just a contingency plan; it doesn't matter if it fails."
White Zetsu responded softly, "Is this thing useful?"
"Who knows? It's just a contingency plan anyway," Black Zetsu replied. Then they slowly sank into the ground again.
...
Torifū, on the road, naturally didn't know all of this. At this time, he was 'speeding' on the wide road. In the Cloud Surge state, Torifū's speed was very fast. Because this move only used propulsion to maintain its so-called flight, it didn't consume much chakra. Most importantly, it couldn't be used in battle, making it purely a ninjutsu for travel or display.
[Ding - Chaos Event has ended, completion A+, reward 6000 peace points.]
"Whoa! Good heavens, this one Chaos Event directly gave 6000 peace points!"
After waiting for a long time and confirming that no chaos value had increased because he had disrupted someone's plan, Torifū began to revel wantonly in the air.
Everything was developing in a good direction. If it continued like this, what was there to fear about Uchiha Madara? In a great mood, Torifū sped up his flight and finally saw Hiruzen and the others at a fork in the road.
"Hey everyone!" Torifū shouted.
On the ground, Hiruzen's ears twitched. "Why do I seem to hear Torifū's voice?" he murmured.
Hearing this, Koharu looked back but didn't see even a shadow. "You must have misheard! There's nothing there!"
"Impossible!" Hiruzen declared righteously. "Don't underestimate my ears that have been eavesdropping on the women's bathhouse for many years... cough cough... no, no, no, it's patrolling the women's bathhouse for many years!"
Hearing this, Koharu immediately gave Hiruzen a beating without a second thought! "You pervert! How dare you speak of peeping so openly!"
Hiruzen rubbed his swollen cheeks, his expression aggrieved. "I really heard it."
Danzo, who was on the side, shook his head as he looked at Hiruzen. "Then why didn't your ears, which have been 'patrolling' for years, tell you that Torifū is in the sky?"
Hearing this, everyone immediately looked up and found that Torifū was indeed hovering in the air, with billowing white clouds spewing from his sleeves.
Seeing this, Hiruzen immediately said to Koharu, "See! I told you I heard it!"
But the result was another beating. "Am I beating you because of this matter?! Pervert!"
Having been beaten twice in a row by Koharu, Hiruzen couldn't even speak clearly; he just felt aggrieved.
'Why do I get beaten for peeking at the women's bathhouse? Isn't this a family tradition!' he lamented internally.
At this time, Torifū also slowly landed, a smile on his face. Everyone else was a little puzzled.
'What's with him?' they wondered. 'Did he enjoy having diarrhea?'
But no matter what, Torifū's appearance could be said to have been full of style. Was there anything more handsome than descending from the sky?
"Hello everyone, I hurried as fast as I could and finally caught up with you."
Koharu stepped forward and walked around Torifū. "Torifū, what ninjutsu are you using? Can Cloud Release be used to fly?"
Faced with Koharu's question, Torifū readily answered, "Koharu-nee, this is the propulsive force generated by constantly releasing thick white clouds; it's not really flying."
Then he explained its drawbacks, and Koharu understood that it was primarily a ninjutsu for rapid travel, not combat. Still, it was very novel; she had never seen anything like it before.
At this time, Hiruzen, who was battered and struggling to speak clearly, squeezed out from behind, stammering, "S-since Torifū is back, let's c-continue on our way."
The voice sounded very strange, so Torifū didn't immediately recognize whose it was. And when he looked at Hiruzen, he was even more confused.
"Koharu-nee, who is this pig-headed fellow?" Koharu was embarrassed and scratched the back of her head.
"Ah... haha... this is Hiruzen." After Torifū found out, he didn't say anything, just gave Hiruzen a look.
Hiruzen nodded upon receiving it, as if to say, 'Good brother, everything is understood without words!'
Since Hiruzen's speech was now so comically distorted, Danzo temporarily took over as captain, leading everyone back to the village.
With Torifū's return to the team, their overall speed increased slightly. After about two hours, everyone could clearly see the gates of Konoha Village.