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BWOOSH!
Just as the woman closed her eyes, waiting for death, a massive fireball came roaring in, smashing directly into the Rock ninja in front of her.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
The five Rock-nin scattered, dodging with practiced ease. The fireball didn't even singe their clothes.
"Well, the Great Fireball Technique really can't hit anyone. Guess it's only good for an entrance special," muttered Chiba, the one who'd launched it.
"Up there! Must be Leaf ninja—two brats and a—turtle?" one Rock-nin shouted, pointing up the slope.
No need to guess. It was Team Chiba, finally arriving.
Are… are Leaf reinforcements here?
The woman on the ground felt a flicker of hope reignite. But she was spent. She couldn't even move, lying there weakly, her fate no longer in her hands.
In her blurring vision, three figures descended the steep cliff face, getting closer and closer…
"Earth Style: Stone Spikes!"
"Earth Style: Rock Spears!"
The Rock-nin reacted fast. Two of them formed hand seals. Sharpened stone lances shot forth with a sharp whoosh, aimed at the three figures who'd just leapt from the cliffside.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Maruboshi Kosuke spun around mid-air, his giant iron pot strapped to his back becoming a whirling shield. Like a top, he smashed into the incoming spears, deflecting every single one in the span of a breath.
"Konoha-ryū: Willow - Phantom Sword Art!"
Kosuke landed and didn't even glance back at Chiba and Nawaki. In one fluid motion, he drew a long sword from behind his back and charged the Rock-nin.
"Th-this is…!"
One Rock-nin's eyes widened.
The long sword in Kosuke's hand seemed to multiply—one became two, two became three, then hundreds, swaying like willow branches in a wild dance. Kosuke's own form vanished behind the illusion of countless whipping blades.
"Don't look at the sword!" Kūgo, the leader, barked a warning.
He saw through it. The old man had woven genjutsu into his kenjutsu, using the sword's movements as the medium. A brilliant, terrifying technique.
Schlick!
Kosuke flashed past the stunned Rock-nin. The blade traced a clean line across his throat before snapping back into a guard position.
"Dammit! Kill them all!"
Seeing their comrade fall, the remaining Rock-nin saw red. The dying woman was forgotten. Their only thought was to tear these three interlopers to shreds.
"I'll handle the old man. You two, take out the brats!" Kūgo commanded, his gaze locked on Kosuke, expression grave.
"Understood!"
The three remaining Rock-nin split up, charging Chiba and Nawaki from different angles.
"Kosuke-sensei! What are you doing? Stick to the plan!" Nawaki yelled, his face paling.
But Kosuke's grip on his sword only tightened. His world had narrowed to the enemy before him, Kūgo. Nawaki's shouts didn't register.
Damn it!
Chiba's expression darkened. He suddenly remembered something.
This old-timer… when he faced a worthy opponent, he'd fight like a man possessed. He'd get lost in it. That was why he only took Genin-level missions.
"Nawaki!"
"On it!"
A single glance exchanged, and they moved. Chiba and Nawaki positioned themselves back-to-back, placing the unconscious 'Shrine Maiden' between them, bracing for the three-pronged assault.
The mission objective was just to retrieve the intel. But who knew if it was a physical object on her, or locked inside her head?
"Earth Style: Earth Wall!"
Chiba slammed his palms to the ground. A thick, five-meter-tall earthen wall erupted with a rumble, blocking the path. Etched crudely on its surface was a large, derpy dog face.
"What the hell is that?"
One Rock-nin cursed. He'd never seen this meme from another world, but he could feel the sheer mockery radiating from it.
"Earth Style: Splitting Earth Palm!"
The three Rock-nin moved in sync. They dropped, hands slamming the earth in unison. Their chakra shot through the ground. The sturdy wall fractured, then exploded into a cloud of dust and rubble.
They didn't slow down, leaping over the debris straight for Chiba and Nawaki.
Too fast!
Chiba's heart lurched. He hadn't expected them to break through so quickly. He'd just slung the woman onto his back and hadn't secured her yet.
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
Nawaki formed a one-handed seal, puffed his cheeks, and unleashed a torrent of wind at the Rock-nin closing in on Chiba.
Swish!
The attacker staggered. Chiba used the split-second to loop a rope around himself and the woman, tying her securely to his back. He focused chakra into his spine, letting the healing energy flow directly into her through contact.
A true master doesn't complain about the environment. With maxed-out chakra control, Chiba could perform medical ninjutsu from any part of his body. Even his… ahem.
Shing!
Nawaki drew his own blade, meeting one Rock-nin head-on. The remaining two focused on Chiba, now burdened with extra weight.
"Earth Style: Rising Stone Spears!"
One Rock-nin repeated his earlier tactic. The ground shuddered. A forest of sharp stone spikes erupted beneath Chiba's feet.
Shadow Dance Step!
With the woman on his back, Chiba's leg muscles coiled and released, propelling him straight up into the air, clearing the deadly spikes.
But the second Rock-nin was already there, long sword in hand, a nasty grin splitting his face as he waited at Chiba's inevitable landing spot.
"Got you now, brat—!"
"Heh. Taste my secret poison technique!"
Mid-air, with no leverage to change trajectory, Chiba seemed trapped. But he wasn't worried. He simply crushed the poison capsule he'd been palming.
The woman (unconscious) and the Rock-nin: "???"
Pop!
The capsule burst. A cloud of violet powder exploded outward, showering the Rock-nin below directly in the face, turning him purple.
"Cough Gah! Hack!"
The swordsman was stunned. This kid was insane! Carrying a critically injured person and he still used an area-denial poison? No regard for allies?
Chiba, who'd taken the antidote beforehand, shrugged mentally. Just a neuro-paralytic. She's already immobile. A little extra toxin in her system won't make much difference.
The woman, of course, had no opinion. She was out cold.
Thud.
Chiba landed. Before he could finish off the now-sluggish swordsman, the other Rock-nin swiftly dispersed the remaining poison mist with a gust of wind, shielding his comrade.
Tch. Fast reflexes.
Chiba scanned the battlefield. Nawaki was still locked in his duel. On the other side, Kosuke and Kūgo were going at it, flames and shockwaves lighting up the rainy clearing.
Kūgo, leader of the Rock Explosion Corps, possessed the Kekkei Genkai: Explosion Release. He could focus chakra into his fists and detonate anything he touched.
Kosuke was a master of Water Release, and the rainy environment was half a home-field advantage. The two were evenly matched, a spectacle of elemental fury.
Chiba gave a slight nod. "This works. Kosuke-sensei ties down their strongest. Nawaki and I just need to—"
"Explosion Release: Landmine Fist!"
In the split-second Chiba's thoughts raced, Kūgo drove his fist into the ground. Earth and stone erupted upwards in a violent spray, blocking the lines of sight between Chiba and Kosuke.
And in that very instant, Kūgo—who should have been facing Kosuke—reappeared.
Right behind Nawaki.
His gloved fist, crackling with volatile chakra, was already drawn back.
"NAWAKI!"
Chiba's eyes nearly burst from their sockets. Watching his friend, utterly exposed.
Against Explosion Release, Nawaki's body would be like porcelain. It would shatter.
"KOSUKE-SENSEI!!!"
Chiba's scream was raw, desperate. The only one who could save Nawaki now, with his god-tier Water techniques, was the old master
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