Seeing Uchiha Kagami bound by his own Wood Release clone, Kazekaze decisively jumped out from under the Wood Dragon. He aimed at Uchiha Kagami's chest without hesitation, without a second thought. He gathered Chakra into his fist, unleashing monstrous strength, and struck at Kagami in front of him!
No matter how you put it, Kagami was the most skilled in genjutsu and possessed the strongest illusions in this team. He was the only one who could pose a threat to him. Because even Kazekaze wasn't sure if he could be immune to genjutsu. To be safe, he first tricked Kagami into using his genjutsu, then unleashed Cherry Blossom Impact!
Boom. A loud explosion erupted between them, followed by a terrifying gust that instantly destroyed Kazekaze's Wood Release clone. And Uchiha Kagami, hit directly by Cherry Blossom Impact, felt a massive force surge into his body, as if all his bones were shattered. Kagami didn't even have time to groan. He fainted on the spot!
Kazekaze's monstrous strength is truly terrifying now! Immediately, Uchiha Kagami's body broke free from the Wood Release's restraints, flying backward like a kite with a broken string, uncontrollably crashing into the ground. With a dull thud, Kagami's body slid forward a bit before finally coming to a stop! Motionless!
Hiruzen, Danzo, Koharu, Homura, Torifu—all their gazes fell on Kagami. The excitement from Kagami catching the bell vanished without a trace, replaced by a look of extreme shock and daze, staring at the fallen Kagami. The entire scene was silent! It was so quiet that everyone could hear their own heartbeat thumping faster!
The genjutsu that carried everyone's hopes, just like that, was shattered! Uchiha Kagami stepped up! And then, Uchiha Kagami was defeated in an instant! Yes, their focused attention resulted in seeing Uchiha Kagami being one-shotted by Kazekaze! He didn't even have time to groan! They never expected this outcome for Kagami!
At the same time, their hearts were once again shaken. So, Kazekaze's strength has become this formidable? A few months ago, he hadn't even undergone any training, right? For Uchiha Kagami, the standout among them, the entire process didn't even take ten seconds!
In the forest, Koharu stared blankly at Kagami lying on the ground and couldn't help but ask Homura beside her, "Homura... did I just see that wrong? The person who just flew back... was Kagami? Was he... one-shotted by Kazekaze?" Koharu's eyes widened, and even now, she found it hard to accept this fact. That Kagami, hailed as the genius of the Uchiha clan, actually couldn't even take a single punch from Kazekaze. In one encounter, he was sent flying by Kazekaze!
Incredible. Unbelievable. No matter how much of a genius Kazekaze is, could he really end a fight with one punch? How big is the gap between his current strength and theirs? The hope that had just been ignited was instantly shattered by Kazekaze's youthful fist!
In fact, it wasn't just Koharu who was shocked. Homura and Torifu beside her were no better. "Maybe... we never had any hope from the start," Homura couldn't help but smile bitterly, his mood completely sinking to the bottom as he looked at Kazekaze with despair. He couldn't imagine how to snatch the bell from that monster.
In terms of strength, Kagami was much stronger than both him and Koharu. Moreover, he possessed the powerful Sharingan bloodline limit. Yet when facing Kazekaze, Kagami couldn't even block a single move! How could they possibly snatch the bell? No hope at all! At this moment, Homura even considered giving up. Because... this was just too despairing!
"Hey, Kagami... are you still alive?" After a long while, Hiruzen swallowed hard, his voice trembling as he asked Kagami. At this moment, Hiruzen wasn't even worried about whether Kagami was okay, but whether he was still alive. Seeing no response from Kagami, Hiruzen cautiously approached him, crouching down to check his body.
Several ribs were broken. Although Hiruzen had mentally prepared himself to face a strong opponent a month ago, he never expected Kazekaze to be far beyond what he could have prepared for. He even felt that Kazekaze had held back. Otherwise, if Kazekaze's strength had been any greater, it might have damaged Kagami's organs. At that point, whether Kagami could survive would really be uncertain!
"Is Kazekaze really only seven years old? His strength is ridiculously overwhelming!" Hiruzen shook his head helplessly, "To have such incredible power at seven... Do we really have any chance of winning?" At this moment, even the always confident Hiruzen began to doubt himself, to doubt life. Not long ago, Kazekaze was still his subordinate. In the blink of an eye, he had grown to a level far beyond his reach!
Despair! An unprecedented despair loomed over them. Although Hiruzen didn't want to admit it, he couldn't deny... Maybe, even if all of them attacked together, they might not be a match for Kazekaze!
"Don't worry, Hiruzen, this is just a practical exercise, not a battle to the death with enemy ninjas." Noticing the despair in Hiruzen's eyes, Kazekaze smiled and said, "Kagami won't be in any life-threatening danger, but... having been hit directly by my monstrous strength, he'll probably be out for a few days before waking up. In other words, your genjutsu can no longer be activated." Kazekaze pointed out this predicament bluntly.
Then, he turned to look at the forest where Koharu and the others were hiding. "You might as well all come out. Although I have the bell tied to me... finding each of you one by one isn't difficult. And in a one-on-one, none of you stand a chance. Why not be direct, and all of you come at me together. Maybe... there might be a slight chance." Kazekaze raised his voice twofold. On one hand, he was too lazy to play cat and mouse with them. On the other hand, Kazekaze thought this would be more interesting. "What do you all think?"
Koharu, Homura, and Torifu exchanged glances. For some reason, they all felt Kazekaze wasn't bluffing. "Kazekaze is right, in a one-on-one, we really have no hope," Homura spoke first. "If we all attack together, maybe we still have a chance to win. After all, our victory condition isn't to defeat Kazekaze, but to... snatch the bell!" Koharu and Torifu nodded slightly, agreeing with Homura.
In a one-on-one, none of them would be a match for Kazekaze. So, the three encouraged each other, then stepped out from the forest. Hiruzen placed the unconscious Kagami to the side, treated his injuries, and then returned to his original position. A fearful Danzo also rejoined the group at this time. The five of them faced Kazekaze together!