This Isn't My Fault!

"Bang!"

The sound of flesh colliding with flesh rang out above Asuma and Might Guy's heads. Then, both of them felt the weight on their shoulders suddenly lift as a figure shot violently off to their right, accompanied by what seemed to be a muffled groan.

Huh—? Then, they both opened their tightly shut eyes, a bewildered thought rising in their minds.

And then...

With two soft thuds, they fell one after the other onto the ground in spread-eagle positions, kicking up a cloud of dust. The shallow human-shaped crater Chiba had made when he hurled Might Guy was right beside them.

What just happened? The instant they hit the ground, both men sprang up and took several steps back, looking toward the direction in which that figure had flown.

"Bang!"

The moment their gazes turned in that direction, they heard another impact, along with startled cries from the crowd—cries of relief as though they had narrowly avoided something.

Things like:

"Ah!"

"That was dangerous!"

"It almost hit us!"

Such startled exclamations rang out.

But when their eyes turned that way, all they saw were layer after layer of green leaves drifting down from trembling branches.

"That hurt... Kakashi, what are you doing?!"

At that moment, Chiba's aggrieved complaint rang out amid the falling leaves.

The instant they heard him, their gazes abruptly dropped to the ground beneath the tree trunk that had shaken the entire tree.

What entered their sight was Chiba leaning against the trunk, with Kakashi's back pressed against his chest.

Chiba was rubbing the back of his head where it had struck the tree, his eyes tightly shut and pain written across his face. His expression held a faint but undisguised irritation.

Kakashi, meanwhile, had one hand over his chest. The exposed eye above his mask