Chapter 44: The 'Unbreakable' Kekkei Genkai Shinobi
Mizunotsuki Kagami dodged away with Kawano Oda, avoiding another wave of projectiles. Now well out of the trap zone, Kagami began forming seals for another jutsu, leaving Oda to deal with Ishiro's ninjutsu.
This time, Ishiro used the standard version of Water Thread for speed. Kawano Oda, who excelled in swordsmanship from her time in Kirigakure, simply drew her blade and, in one fluid slash, cut the Water Thread apart.
Startled, Ishiro realized that, while blocking projectiles with a blade is understandable, slicing through the body of a ninjutsu was far rarer. In Iwagakure, nobody in his circle specialized in swordsmanship to this degree.
That unexpected slash threw off Ishiro's momentum, letting Kagami smoothly complete his next jutsu. Once again, an Ice Spear rushed at Shouhara.
In that split-second, Shouhara abruptly performed a slight motion with both hands, and two heavy sacks appeared out of nowhere. Then he hurled them right at the incoming ice spear.
A pair of dull thuds followed: the spear struck these lumps, pausing only for an instant before carrying on. But it clearly slowed down, allowing Shouhara, who had removed his arm-weights, to move just fast enough to avoid the ice spear at the last moment.
Ishiro felt relief but also cold sweat. If Shouhara hadn't improvised so decisively, Team Five would have suffered a serious casualty right there.
Yet Kagami was just as surprised. His C-rank Ice-Release technique had already been evaded twice by these youngsters. He was used to finishing off similarly aged ninja with relative ease. Now, it felt like each one of them had a personal counter for his attacks, especially the agile Tanaka.
Seeing no immediate success in attacking Shouhara, Kagami turned his gaze to Tanaka again. But if he targeted the swift Tanaka with an ice spear, it likely wouldn't even brush her clothes. So he decided on another approach.
Ishiro and Shouhara also recognized the potential threat of Kagami's ice ninjutsu. Ishiro quickly formed seals for another ninjutsu while Shouhara moved to one side to flank.
But Kagami was a fast thinker as well. Without needing to speak, he and Oda coordinated. Oda stepped forward to hold off Tanaka, leaving Kagami free to continue his own attacks.
Both sides were locked in a back-and-forth, with neither finding an easy breakthrough. Ishiro realized that letting Kagami gain time for jutsu was far too dangerous. So he pressed his own ninjutsu advantage:
Ishiro employed the improved Water Thread, the variant that inflicted a near "pressurized slash." But Kawano Oda again positioned herself with blade in hand, ready to slash away or deflect the Water Thread.
In response, Kagami started weaving signs for yet another technique. Ishiro was determined not to let him complete it. Yet Kagami's quick adaptation was soon apparent: with Oda handling Ishiro's Water Thread, Kagami conjured a short-range Ice Armor around his left arm.
That layer of ice forcibly absorbed the Water Thread's blow, albeit with a large jolt that almost threw Kagami's arm off track. Still, the partial armor allowed him to keep forming seals with the other hand.
Ishiro felt chills. "He's layering ice on his limb as a shield while simultaneously weaving ninjutsu…this is no ordinary adversary!"
But Kagami's casting was nonetheless interrupted by the force. After staggering, he had to release the ice layer and rub his arm to restore circulation—by then, it was too late to push out a new jutsu.
"Curses," Kagami muttered inwardly. He was gradually being forced on the defensive. "Since that was my left arm, if that had been my right, I'd have lost the chance to form seals. These brats are unbelievably well-coordinated."
While Kagami recovered, Ishiro kept the pressure on, again forming seals. A solid Water Thread took shape. Meanwhile, Shouhara, newly unburdened by the thrown weights, tried to encircle Kagami from an angle.
Realizing he might be cornered, Kagami took a deep breath, as if making a decision. Suddenly, a large burst of chakra flared around him. He formed hand signs far faster than before, at a steep cost.
"Ice-Release: Ice Prison!"
Ice Prison was originally used to entrap enemies, shaping an ice enclosure around them. Kagami forcibly turned it into a protective cocoon around himself. Because it was an improvised usage, the chakra expenditure soared to what might be called a B-rank cost, even though it remained functionally a C-rank technique.
Ishiro was mid–Water Thread cast. He launched it the very moment Kagami's ice enclosure was nearly complete. The swirling line of water struck the shell, generating a heavy impact that made Kagami let out a muffled groan inside. The ice prison, though, withstood it.
Stunned, Shouhara halted his approach. He couldn't possibly break that barrier with pure taijutsu. Meanwhile, Kagami could, from within that shell, presumably cast ninjutsu.
Ishiro too was stuck. He could disrupt Kagami whenever the latter was in the open, but with Kagami turtled up, Ishiro's jutsu simply lacked raw destructive force to break through.
Yet Ishiro quickly realized: "We can't waste time trying to break it. Shouhara, let's ignore him and help Tanaka."
Indeed, if Kagami wanted to remain in the ice shell, that was effectively taking him out of the fight. With the entire original trap array destroyed, the best path was to gang up on Kawano Oda—who lacked such a protective method.
But none of them foresaw that Koazuki, locked in combat with Kitsuchi on the other side, would spot an opening. In a flash, Koazuki unleashed a ranged ninjutsu at Ishiro.
Hearing Kitsuchi's urgent shout of warning, Ishiro reflexively canceled the Earth Spear Gun he was channeling, hurling himself to the ground. Simultaneously, he flung a hidden "substitute log" (per plan) while weaving the single-second two-seal Substitution Technique.
His timing was on a knife's edge. Koazuki's jutsu battered the log, splintering it. Ishiro still suffered a deep laceration along his abdomen but managed to survive.
He refused to let the pain distract him: Kagami had presumably begun a jutsu to strike down Shouhara at this perfect chance. So Ishiro forcibly suppressed the stinging wound, forming hand seals for Earth Spear Gun once again.
Indeed, Kagami was raising his hand inside the ice prison. But once again Ishiro's earthen spikes wrenched the ice prison off its footing, sending Kagami tumbling. Disrupted, the near-finished ninjutsu dissipated.
Over on the other side, the parted log revealed that Kitsuchi had capitalized on Koazuki's momentary distraction to deliver a lethal blow. Koazuki's entire right side was smashed. Although Koazuki tried to evade half a step, Kitsuchi's follow-up blow fully crushed him.
Ishiro's eyes darted over briefly, sighing with relief: "Sensei's as reliable as ever."
Now free, Kitsuchi dashed over to help, first taking out Kawano Oda with a single thunderous blow, leaving Kagami alone in his battered ice shell. Kitsuchi then formed signs to envelop Kagami's prison from both sides with earthen walls, forcing them inward.
In desperation, Kagami shattered the shell at the final moment, bounding out. But Kitsuchi had already flickered behind him with a quick movement. The deadly blow saw Kagami's head severed before he could defend.
Tanaka, Shouhara, and Ishiro watched, numb. Just moments earlier, Kagami had pinned them with unstoppable ice ninjutsu. Yet in front of Kitsuchi, he was swiftly cut down.
Kitsuchi turned to the three. "Stay vigilant. This isn't the Land of Earth—danger could still be around."
Ishiro and the others all stiffened. Indeed, the earlier commotion might draw other ninjas. With that, Team Five quickly took the heads of Kagami, Koazuki, and Oda, sealing them in scrolls for proof of elimination. Then, ignoring the rest of the battlefield, the four swiftly withdrew.
As for the original mission to hunt the rogue ninja Qīngyán (aka Blue Yan), no one gave it another thought.