Challenge a Jonin!

"Fire Release: Fire Mist Technique!"

Tang Ping shouted as he scattered lime powder behind him, toward the "Sunagakure jonin" who had caught up with Team 3 and was currently crushing Kakashi.

His identity was based on his forehead protector!

As for whether it was genuine, that was another matter.

Hearing the sound behind him, Kakashi, who was fending off attacks, shut his eyes at once and took a hard kick from his opponent to open up some distance.

Lime powder!

After using the stuff during their last bandit purge, Tang Ping had introduced it to the two of them.

That was why they knew how to deal with it now.

Though this "Sunagakure jonin" had never seen this so-called "Fire Mist Technique," his extensive combat experience made him instinctively evade.

His speed was astonishing!

Even if jonin had different specialties, none of them would have a fatal weakness.

This jonin was extremely skilled with the Body Flicker Technique and immediately escaped the lime powder's range.

But Tang Ping had only used the lime powder to relieve the pressure on Kakashi. He had never thought a bit of lime could take down a jonin.

He formed hand seals with both hands.

"Fire Release: Flame Mantle!"

This was no time to worry about secrecy. It was a matter of whether they could survive, so he naturally did not care if this trump card was exposed.

Gauze-like flames enveloped his body.

At the same time, he swallowed a Soldier Pill.

But before Tang Ping could attack, he instinctively raised his right arm.

Psh!

A sharp kunai pierced straight through the back of his hand.

"Hm..."

A surprised murmur rang out.

Perhaps his opponent had not expected that lethal strike to fail.

Bang!

Tang Ping was kicked flying.

If he had reacted even a fraction slower, it would not have been his hand that was pierced, but his throat.

Teetering on the edge of death left his mind blank.

Though he had never shown it, Tang Ping had always harbored a certain arrogance born from being a transmigrator.

For example, his insistence that he was different from the people of the ninja world.

In this twisted ninja world, trying to remain uniquely clear-headed was itself the greatest arrogance.

Arrogance was not a sin... the problem was whether he had the strength to back it up!

He was neither an Otsutsuki nor did he have a system or Deep Blue, yet he still wanted to "remain uniquely clear-headed." What was that if not arrogance?

At the same time, Tang Ping realized that he was not as calm in the face of death as he had imagined.

He did not want to die!

That was the only thought in his mind.

With his left hand, he pulled out a bottle of undiluted Healing Potion he had deliberately saved from his Ninja Tool Pack and drank it.

Then, ignoring the pain in his right hand, he formed seals!

He did not notice that his movements were now faster and his mind more focused. Compared to before, he felt completely different.

Like the difference between a rookie and a veteran who had seen battle: there might not be much difference in their raw stats, but their performance was worlds apart.

"Fire Release: Flame Bullet!"

Tang Ping used this C-rank ninjutsu to stop his opponent's pursuit.

Even a jonin was still flesh and blood.

Whether genin or jonin, they would die if they were hit.

The key was whether the attack could land.

Anyone could tell that was impossible.

On the contrary, doing this would only make the opponent recognize him as a threat and choose to target him.

Boom!

Flames blasted apart the spot where the "Sunagakure jonin" had been.

Against a genin or chunin, Tang Ping was confident this move could finish them off, or at least injure them.

But against a jonin in normal condition, Flame Bullet could never work.

Which was why he had another plan.

Bang!

His entire body suddenly turned into a wooden log.

Behind the log stood the jonin wearing a Sunagakure forehead protector.

Just as expected, the opponent had recognized him as a threat and directly attacked him.

Tang Ping had anticipated it and used the Substitution Technique. Otherwise, if he had waited until he sensed danger, even his corpse would have gone cold before he could use it.

Whoosh!

Bathed in his Flame Mantle, Tang Ping took the initiative and charged.

This secret technique had been developed for close combat. Creating distance after using it would be a complete waste.

Whoosh, whoosh!

Several senbon shot in from the side, attacking the "Sunagakure jonin" at the same time.

Kakashi had made his move.

As for Yamaa Koji, he was hidden in the shadows, ready to support them.

With the Flame Mantle's enhancement, Tang Ping's close-combat ability rose sharply. In particular, he could use jets of flame to alter his movement speed, making enemy predictions fail.

"What kind of secret technique is this...?"

The "Sunagakure jonin," whose kunai had missed several times, cried out in shock.

It was unheard of for a genin to block his attacks.

"Fire Mist Technique!"

Tang Ping swung his free left hand again, scattering another pouch of lime powder.

He had brought plenty of the stuff with him.

Sha!

White lime powder filled the surrounding area.

Close your eyes!

If one did not want to be affected by the lime powder, the best choice was to close their eyes.

And with a ninja's taijutsu skills, fighting with closed eyes was not impossible. Even the future Might Guy could fight with his eyes shut.

Once his opponent closed his eyes, Kakashi could seize the chance to attack from afar.

Using the Flame Mantle and lime powder, Tang Ping forcibly kept himself alive under a jonin's assault.

But this "Sunagakure jonin" was no fraud.

Even with his eyes closed, he continued to dodge Kakashi's senbon and shuriken without any intention of retreating.

He was determined to kill Tang Ping!

The air carried the bloody stench of evaporating blood.

Whoosh!

The Flame Mantle covering his body gathered entirely around Tang Ping's right fist, where a bloody hole was still steadily leaking blood.

He was running out of Chakra!

He was neither an Uzumaki nor a Jinchuriki. Even with Soldier Pills replenishing his Chakra, he could barely maintain the Flame Mantle now, so he might as well make one final attack.

Survive only after being driven into a corner!

Close combat had originally been his weakness, but now he was using it to seek survival.

If he opened the distance and let a jonin use ninjutsu, he would definitely die in spectacular fashion.

Perhaps sensing the extraordinary nature of Tang Ping's attack, the "Sunagakure jonin" swiftly formed two hand seals, and blue lightning covered his right hand.

Crackle!

It was naturally not Chidori, but a C-rank Lightning Release.

There was too little time. His opponent had no chance to use high-rank ninjutsu.

This showed the advantage of Signless Ninjutsu.

If Tang Ping had needed hand seals to cast his technique, the other man would have had enough time to unleash a high-rank ninjutsu in response. But with Signless Ninjutsu, his opponent could only hastily use a C-rank technique to meet it.

Fire Release: Flame Fist!

Tang Ping shouted inwardly.

With his current Chakra control, this was all he could manage. If he grew stronger, he could develop many more applications.

There was no reason Uchiha Sasuke's future Chidori Current could do things that he could not, right?

Their fists collided.

Flames versus lightning!

Boom!

Amid the massive explosion, Tang Ping's body flew high into the air like a rag doll.

"Tang Ping!!"

Before he lost consciousness, the last things he saw were Yamaa Koji rushing toward him and the "Sunagakure jonin," whose cheek had been scorched by flames.

When he woke again, his surroundings had completely changed.

The predominantly white room and the smell of disinfectant filling his nostrils all told him where he was.

Konoha Hospital!

There were no wounds on his body.

Even the back of his hand, which had been pierced through by a kunai, was smooth as jade. If not for the slight difference in skin color, one might think it had never been injured.

That was only natural!

That bottle of undiluted potion had not been drunk for nothing.

"You're awake?"

The cold voice of a girl beside him brought light back to Tang Ping's eyes.

It was Uchiha Mei!

She sat on a chair beside the bed. Though her eyes were covered by white bandages, it did nothing to diminish her strikingly beautiful, aggressive features.

"I..."

Tang Ping recalled what had happened before he lost consciousness.

"After you fainted, the Anbu arrived in time and saved you. They also killed that 'Sunagakure jonin.' The village has been busy with this matter for the past two days...!"

Uchiha Mei slowly told Tang Ping what had happened after he lost consciousness.