"Three layers of defense lines, a total of ten Chunin, five Jonin? No, there should be hidden sentries on the periphery as well."
Otonashi's gaze swept across the dim forest, his brain analyzing the enemy situation like a supercomputer. He noticed the foremost ninjas releasing 'Water Release: Water Shockwave' to attack the cave and immediately understood.
These people wanted to capture them alive; otherwise, crushing them with Earth Release or roasting the group into bamboo rats with Fire Release would only take an instant. Since they wanted a live capture, there was still time.
If Kakashi and the others were flushed out by a single Water Shockwave, Otonashi would have no choice but to turn around and leave, striving to offer them incense each year.
"It must be that guy Obito again." Otonashi sighed, already guessing why the three were neatly trapped inside the cave.
According to Kakashi's personality, he would definitely choose to cover the rear to allow one person to escape.
There was no time to judge the superiority of sensibility versus rationality. He first formed a seal with both hands, slowly drew the small tachi from his waist, wrapped the blade with bandages, and stealthily crept away like a phantom cat.
A direct assault is impossible, then assassinate!
Splash...
The sound of flowing water echoed in the silent night sky. It was already the latter half of the night. The Iwa-nin, who had also rushed and fought all day, forced themselves to stay alert, concentrating their attention on the cave entrance.
The Water Shockwave was already the second wave. Those few Konoha brats were quite tenacious, probably holding onto something tightly. Fortunately, it didn't matter. Once the cave was filled with water, the survival instinct would force them out.
After rushing a 50 kilometers, everyone's legs were trembling with fatigue, yet no one dared to rest or chat idly. On the outermost periphery, a Chunin hidden in the tree shade clenched his jaw, forcefully suppressing a yawn, his eyes scanning the surroundings.
This was the hidden sentry, practically the eyes of the entire team. Although he didn't think the battle to the north would end so quickly, orders were orders. Those who were careless were already lying in the village cemetery.
'Is there wind?'
The leaves rustled, and the refreshing breeze was pleasant, seeming to sweep away some fatigue. The honest-faced Chunin couldn't help but feel refreshed, squinting his eyes to enjoy the gentle breeze.
The breeze continued, but the squinting Chunin felt something was wrong, because he clearly saw that the leaves a hundred meters ahead weren't even swaying. This proved that the breeze was only blowing within a certain range.
Wind in nature couldn't possibly have a boundary line. There was only one factor that could cause this phenomenon—
Ninjutsu!?
He pushed off with both hands, wanting to jump up and give a warning, but a hand clamped over his mouth from behind first.
Slender yet powerful, like an iron hoop. He wanted to struggle, but felt a sharp pain in the left side of his back. Darkness filled his vision.
"One."
Otonashi didn't even look at the corpse on the ground. The bandages wrapped around the blade were stained blood-red. He closed his eyes for an instant, then instantly leaped to the left.
Interlocking hidden sentries!
The arranger was clearly a battlefield veteran; each hidden sentry's field of vision overlapped. However, just as the smell of blood entered the second Chunin's nostrils, a white figure appeared before his eyes. Without a word, the blood-red blade ruthlessly stabbed into his chest cavity!
"Second!"
Twisting the blade, charging, like a silent reaper harvesting lives, Otonashi pounced forward again like a leopard.
Killing two in a row, this third person had already jumped up. While shouting "Enemy attack!", he attempted to leap backward to dodge. A bloodied blade cut through branches and leaves, striking the spot where he had just been lying. Then, in his terrified eyes, a one-handed seal was formed.
"Wind Release: Blade Dance!"
Swish swish swish—
The sharp sound of cutting was incessant. As one of the few ninjutsu Otonashi could perform with one hand, three invisible blades swept past. That Chunin, along with the tree trunk behind him, was shattered into pieces!
Innards and severed limbs flew everywhere. The sword, having cut through the bandages, burst forth with dazzling white light. The dozen or so Iwa-nin in front of the cave turned around almost simultaneously.
"It's him!!" Taiseki blurted out, his voice tinged with panic.
It wasn't just the painful memories from before, but also because Otonashi's arrival here proved that the battle to the north had already been decided.
After the battle with the Third Raikage, all Iwa-nin reached a consensus: the individual combat power of Hidden Stone Village was far lower than that of Cloud ninjas. And now, an elite Cloud ninja (Dai) had been killed in action. How could they not be terrified!
"Spread out! Kill the ones in the cave first!"
Kakkō roared first, his thin body emitting a deafening sound.
With someone giving orders, the Iwa-nin immediately recovered from their brief disconnected state. But their first thought wasn't to counterattack, but to scatter individually.
There was no choice; they had almost developed a psychological shadow from Otonashi's 'art' before.
Opportunity!
Otonashi, jumping out from the forest, clearly saw the Iwa-nin scattering like birds and beasts. As the saying goes, slaying the man is inferior, attacking the mind is superior. It was naturally best if he could scare the enemy away right from the start. Moreover, he had already guessed what the opponent wanted to do next.
Water Release: Water Formation Wall!
"Kill him!"
The sound of splashing water and roars erupted almost simultaneously. Kunai, earth spikes, and even explosive tags exploded sequentially on the Water Formation Wall, instantly shrouding it in dust and smoke.
And at the same time, Taiseki also approached from behind using his camouflage technique, thrusting forward with all his strength.
Die!
Boom!
As the sword pierced the chest, a strong light illuminated him. Immediately afterward, a storm mixed with minced meat, stones, and water scattered in all directions. Kakkō lowered the hand covering his face, his eyes wide with fury, almost shedding tears of blood.
Explosive tags again!
Real is false, false is real. This combination of the real and the false made him feel like he was being toyed with.
"Rending Land Palm! Kill the three brats in the cave first!!"
...
"What's happening outside?"
Inside the cave, the three ragged figures finally caught their breath. The impact of the water flow had brought countless pebbles, cutting countless wounds on their bodies like steel knives.
Just when they were about to collapse, the sounds of explosions and screams erupted outside one after another, finally giving them a chance to breathe.
"Kakashi, how are you?" Rin rushed to Kakashi's side immediately, only to see the latter gasping frantically, the wound on his chest torn open.
Meanwhile, Obito secretly glanced at the girl who was only wearing her undergarments, his face slightly red. He didn't even have time for a nosebleed and quickly stood guard at the cave entrance.
"Don't worry about me." Kakashi gently pushed away the girl who was preparing to bandage him, panting, "Take advantage of the reinforcements arriving and rush out quickly!"
"But..."
"Don't waste time! If we get blocked again, we'll all die!" Kakashi was unusually stern.
Now was not the time for sentimentality. Rin bit her lip, stood up, and was just about to charge out with Obito when a black shadow shot in. Startled, she immediately prepared to throw a kunai.
"It's Otonashi!" Obito beside her subconsciously grabbed the girl's hand, his face filled with ecstatic joy. His Sharingan had already clearly seen who the newcomer was.
It turned out that taking advantage of the chaos among the Iwa-nin, he had quietly rushed in. Glancing at Obito's eyes, without needing to ask, he immediately answered all the other's questions.
"I'm the only one who came. Where's Kakashi?"
The situation was urgent, and Obito didn't have time to show off his Sharingan, quickly pointing towards the back of the cave.
Otonashi looked over and immediately felt a headache. He saw Kakashi squatting on the ground covered in wounds, completely useless.
Really dropping the ball at a critical moment. He had originally thought of combining their power ('Chidori'), blasting an exit from the back of the cave together. Unexpectedly, everyone else was fine, only he was incapacitated.
There was no time to think further, not even time to activate a backup plan. His peripheral vision caught the scene outside the cave, and his pupils shrank sharply.
Such fast reaction!
Seven or eight Iwa-nin stood in a line, heavy earth-attribute chakra slamming onto the ground.
Earth Release: Rending Land Palm!
Boom—
Countless cracks appeared on the ground, extending towards the cave. In an instant, the sky collapsed and the earth split. They couldn't even stand steady. Giant boulders from the ceiling fell one by one, and the ground beneath was actually empty, instantly shattering into countless pieces, causing the four to fall downwards.
Feet stepping on air, the prepared Earth Flow Encampment Wall couldn't be deployed. Hearing the panicked screams beside him, looking at the giant boulders burying down from above.
Otonashi gritted his teeth, mobilized the little chakra remaining in his body, his hands rapidly forming seals, taking a deep breath.
"Wind Release! Vacuum Great Sphere!"
Countless wind blades cut upwards in a fan shape, shattering the giant boulders that could crush people into meat paste. But he had also reached his limit, only able to protect his head with his hands as he fell downwards.
Falling...