An Unsolvable Bloodline Ninja

Yuki Kagami took Kono Oda and flashed to the side, dodging a wave of hidden weapons before beginning to form hand seals for a jutsu.

He left dealing with Yichen's jutsu to Kono Oda.

This time, considering casting speed, Yichen used the original Water Style: Water Line Jutsu.

Kono Oda truly lived up to her origins as a Taijutsu Ninja from Kirigakure. She drew the long blade at her waist and actually slashed apart Yichen's Water Style: Water Line Jutsu in a single strike.

Yichen was startled. Using a weapon to knock aside hidden weapons was understandable, but dispersing a jutsu with a weapon was exceptionally rare.

Iwagakure did not excel in swordsmanship. At least, Yichen had never encountered swordsmanship like this before.

That unexpected slash disrupted his rhythm, allowing Yuki Kagami to successfully cast a jutsu despite Yichen's interference. Another ice spear shot toward Shinohara in a surprise attack.

Shinohara's hands trembled slightly in some unknown motion, and two sack-like objects appeared in his hands.

He then viciously smashed them into the incoming ice spear.

After two heavy thuds, the ice spear shuddered but ultimately stabilized, continuing to charge at Shinohara under Yuki Kagami's control.

However, it was far slower than before. The objects Shinohara had thrown were the weighted training gear he had worn on his arms for years.

The two heavy chunks of metal struck the ice spear in succession, drastically slowing it down. Meanwhile, freed from his weights, Shinohara's speed increased sharply, and he narrowly dodged the ice spear.

Yuki Kagami's expression darkened. A C-rank Ice Release jutsu had been so easily evaded by a Ninja one or two years younger than himself. He had never encountered such a thing in the village, yet he had run into two of them at once here.

Yuki Kagami looked again at Tana, who was rapidly approaching him, and could not help wanting to curse. If his target were this agile Ninja, the ice spear probably would not even touch the edge of her clothes.

Yuki Kagami was having a hard time, but Yichen was startled as well. If Shinohara had not acted so decisively, Team Five would have lost someone in that exchange.

With that thought, Yichen stopped delaying. He charged toward Yuki Kagami and Kono Oda while once again beginning to cast a jutsu.

And at this time, Tana had gradually closed in on them. After witnessing Tana's speed, Kono Oda exchanged a few words with Yuki Kagami before directly moving to meet Tana.

Seeing this, Yichen shouted a warning, "Tana, be careful of her swordsmanship! Don't get close. Just keep her occupied."

Shinohara had also regained his footing and continued charging toward Yuki Kagami's flank.

The situation began to favor Team Five. As long as Yichen could continually interrupt Yuki Kagami with jutsu and prevent him from casting, victory would belong to their side.

But Yichen had still underestimated the terror of a Bloodline Ninja.

While running, Yuki Kagami covered his left arm with a layer of armor made of ice, without needing to form hand seals.

Then, while using his left arm to block Yichen's Water Style: Water Line Jutsu, he formed hand seals and cast another C-rank Ninjutsu.

Yichen was somewhat surprised that ice-nature Chakra could be used this way, but he was not worried.

Sure enough, Yichen's improved Water Style: Water Line Jutsu struck Yuki Kagami's left arm directly.

Although it failed to pierce the ice layer, it knocked Yuki Kagami's left arm sharply out of position.

Yuki Kagami nearly lost his balance in the middle of forming hand seals, and the jutsu he was about to cast was interrupted outright.

Dispelling the ice from his left arm, Yuki Kagami rubbed it and stared at Yichen with an incredulous expression.

As someone from the Land of Water, Yuki Kagami knew very well how powerful Water Style: Water Line Jutsu was. Yet he had not expected this Iwa ninja to raise the power of a C-rank Water Style: Water Line Jutsu to such a level.

Seeing Yichen about to form hand seals again, while Shinohara had drawn ever closer during this delay, Yuki Kagami gritted his teeth as though making up his mind.

A massive amount of Chakra suddenly surged from his body. His hands rapidly formed seals. Ice Release: Ice Prison Jutsu.

This Ice Prison Jutsu rapidly released ice-nature Chakra around the user's body, then formed an ice prison around them through hand seals.

It used an ice prison intended to trap enemies on oneself, turning offense into defense.

This greatly reduced the Hand Seal Speed required, but the price was a tremendous Chakra expenditure.

By proportion, this C-rank Ice Prison Jutsu consumed roughly as much Chakra as a B-rank Ninjutsu.

However, this time Yichen did not use the improved Water Style: Water Line Jutsu, but the fastest original version.

The water line struck Yuki Kagami in the instant before the ice prison took shape.

Yuki Kagami let out a pained cry. The ice prison shook violently, but it eventually stabilized.

Seeing this, Shinohara stopped and refused to approach any closer, instead quickly retreating.

His taijutsu attacks could not possibly break the ice prison. And if Yuki Kagami could cast jutsu from inside, he would be in danger.

Just as Shinohara expected, Yuki Kagami's figure inside the ice prison was blurry, but he could vaguely be seen forming hand seals.

Yichen had not expected this either, but after thinking for only a few seconds, he came up with a countermeasure. He approached while forming hand seals with both hands.

Since Yuki Kagami had started forming seals first, his ice spear took shape first.

Yuki Kagami's head emerged from the ice prison. He first glanced at Yichen, then, seeing him casting Earth Style: Earth Rising Spear, he targeted Shinohara and controlled the ice spear to stab toward him.

Only then did Yichen finish forming his hand seals. He slammed both hands onto the ground and cast Earth Style: Earth Rising Spear.

Yuki Kagami was not afraid of Yichen's Earth Style: Earth Rising Spear. His ice prison was tightly sealed on all sides, so the Earth Rising Spear could not possibly strike his body.

But Yichen had never intended to injure Yuki Kagami with Earth Style: Earth Rising Spear. Earthen spikes thrust up from one corner beneath the ice prison, directly tipping it over. After more than a dozen spikes, the ice prison could no longer remain upright and toppled to one side.

Yuki Kagami inside the ice prison had not anticipated this at all. He instantly lost his balance and his control over the ice spear.

Taking advantage of this, Shinohara dodged the ice spear once more.

But Yichen was troubled. Although he had interrupted Yuki Kagami, he could do nothing to him. The attacks of the three of them simply could not break the ice prison.

Then an idea flashed through his mind, and Yichen shouted at Shinohara, "Ignore him! Go support Tana!"

Shinohara jolted. That was right. Yuki Kagami was hiding inside a turtle shell, and they could not do anything to him, but that female Ninja had no turtle shell.

He immediately charged toward Tana and Kono Oda.

At the same time, Yichen began forming hand seals again. It was still Earth Style: Earth Rising Spear. If Yuki Kagami came out of the ice prison, he would kill him directly. If Yuki Kagami stayed inside, he would still use Earth Style: Earth Rising Spear to stop him from casting jutsu.

Yichen believed in Shinohara and Tana. Together, they could definitely defeat that female Ninja.

But just then, Yichen heard Kitsuchi's urgent shout. "Yichen, watch out!"

Yichen's heart jolted. He did not look in that direction, instead immediately dispelling his Earth Style: Earth Rising Spear.

He deliberately threw his body to one side while following a routine he had practiced countless times, pulling out a Substitution Wood and tossing it into the distance.

Then, within a second, his hands finished forming the seals. He switched places with the Substitution Wood.

The spot where the Substitution Wood had been was now nothing but a pile of wood chips, while a long wound had appeared across Yichen's abdomen.

But Yichen ignored the wound and did not look toward Kitsuchi. Instead, he cast Earth Style: Earth Rising Spear again, because Yuki Kagami had seized the opportunity to cast a jutsu.

He barely managed to interrupt Yuki Kagami's jutsu before it could injure Shinohara.

Yichen let out a breath of relief. Only then did he have time to glance at Kitsuchi.

Sure enough, Kitsuchi had not disappointed him. Imamura Kosaku had risked falling completely into a disadvantageous position to launch an attack at Yichen.

After that, he had no further chance to interfere with the battle here. He was now being suppressed by Kitsuchi and was in imminent danger.

Facing Yuki Kagami, Yichen formed hand seals once more. However, no one noticed that this time, the seals he formed were no longer for Earth Style: Earth Rising Spear, but for the improved Water Style: Water Line Jutsu.

And after completing the seals, Yichen's target was not Yuki Kagami, who was hiding in the ice prison.

With Yuki Kagami's Hand Seal Speed, and with him still not having recovered from the latest tumble, Yichen had more than enough time to cast Water Style: Water Line Jutsu and then cast Earth Style: Earth Rising Spear again.

Yichen's target was Imamura Kosaku, the Jonin who was struggling to hold on against Kitsuchi.

At that moment, all of Imamura Kosaku's attention was focused on dealing with Kitsuchi's attacks. Yichen's Water Style: Water Line Jutsu came too suddenly. He was completely unprepared and was struck head-on. The water line drilled in through the front right side of his abdomen and emerged from the rear left side of his body.

What drove Imamura Kosaku into even deeper despair was that his body's instinctive pause left him unable to avoid Kitsuchi's killing blow.

He only managed to twist his body slightly on instinct, and then half his body was smashed apart by Kitsuchi's Rock Fist.

Having landed the blow, Kitsuchi did not hesitate in the slightest. He followed up with another punch, smashing Imamura Kosaku's remaining half to pieces as well.

At the same time, Yichen did not watch Kitsuchi's follow-up attack after casting Water Style: Water Line Jutsu. His attention had already returned to Yuki Kagami. Another Earth Style: Earth Rising Spear sent Yuki Kagami through another dizzying tumble.

With that, Yichen's task was complete. Kitsuchi did not care about the Jonin's status. With a Body Flicker Technique, he closed in on the female Ninja and killed her with a merciless punch, then called for Tana and Shinohara to retreat.

After killing the female Ninja, Kitsuchi began forming hand seals. The ground on both sides of the ice prison rose up, crushing the ice prison between them. In less than two seconds, cracks covered the ice prison before it exploded with a bang.

But Yuki Kagami, who had long been prepared inside, leaped out. Before the masses of earth on both sides could close together, he jumped free and escaped the fate of being crushed into pulp.

But Kitsuchi gave him no chance to flee. He used another Body Flicker Technique to catch up, and amid Yuki Kagami's utter terror, punched him in the body before swiftly pulling out a kunai and cutting off his head.

Seeing Yuki Kagami, whom they had fought for so long without being able to kill, slaughtered by Kitsuchi as easily as chopping vegetables, Yichen and the other two were speechless. At the same time, they finally relaxed completely.

Kitsuchi gave a low shout. "Stay alert. This isn't the Land of Earth. We're not out of danger yet."

Yichen jolted. That was right. There had been such a huge commotion just now; there was no telling whether other Ninja would come investigate.

He hurriedly called Tana and Shinohara over to regroup. Once the four gathered together, Yichen used Sealing Jutsu to seal away Yuki Kagami's head and body, then cut off the heads of Imamura Kosaku and Kono Oda as well and put them into the Sealing Scroll.

Then, without even conducting battlefield cleanup, the four of them left immediately.

As for the mission to pursue and kill Chunin Aoyen, who still cared about that?