Hagane Zhen was forced out of his hidden state in a rather awkward manner, finally exposing himself to the enemy's sight once more.
The enemy's self-destruct attack had actually been the correct choice. The only problem was that he had chosen the timing somewhat poorly. In fact, the best way to deal with the Mayfly Technique was an area ninjutsu. No matter how well you hid or how quickly you moved, the best tactic was to simply slap you into the ground.
A kunai pierced through the fog and, with a soft thunk, embedded itself in Hagane Zhen's shoulder, spraying blood everywhere. Fortunately, the pain in his shoulder instantly cleared his dazed mind, which had been left muddled by the blast.
A figure emerged from the thin mist, and a cold glint flashed from nearly outside Hagane Zhen's field of vision.
"Earth Release!"
While launching his attack, the enemy also shouted a warning to his remaining companions. As far as he knew, Hagane Zhen was hiding, moving, and assassinating them through some special Earth Release technique.
Clearly, his rash judgment passed the wrong information to his companions.
Hagane Zhen drove his left foot forward to brace his nearly unbalanced body. At the same time, he exerted force through his lower back, twisting his upper body sideways while leaning backward. By doing so, he narrowly avoided the enemy's decapitating slash, but the sharp blade still left a wound on his upper arm.
The enemy flipped his wrist, instantly reversing his grip on the blade. Then he swiftly pulled his arm back. Hagane Zhen could only turn his body again in the direction of the enemy's attack, dodging the strike once more.
The blade flashing with cold light stimulated Hagane Zhen's senses, while his skin felt the chill in the air. His concentration rose again, and even his breathing became calm and prolonged.
But under the enemy's relentless back-and-forth attacks, he ultimately lost his balance. His upper body fell backward, and he could only brace himself against the ground with one arm to avoid falling.
The enemy suddenly kicked him in the abdomen. The tremendous force sent him flying backward, his body curling around itself.
His back then slammed into a protruding boulder. The impact from behind made his breath catch, but he had no time to care about his injuries and immediately rolled to the side.
Clang!
The short blade in the enemy's hand had already struck the spot where Hagane Zhen had just fallen. The enemy's rapid follow-up pressed him so hard that he could not find an opening to counterattack.
He rolled forward repeatedly, evading the enemy's attacks while adjusting his posture. Only then did he finally regain a face-to-face combat position.
The enemy ninja's attacks were extremely fast, and his short blade struck with vicious precision. Every slash targeted the centerline of Hagane Zhen's upper torso.
Clearly, this was a ninja skilled in taijutsu. His dense chain of attacks was meant to separate Hagane Zhen's left and right hands, preventing him from forming hand seals and using techniques.
It was a good idea, but it was also far too dismissive of his opponent. After all, ninjutsu had never been Hagane Zhen's greatest strength. So how had he managed to establish himself on the battlefield and survive until now?
The enemy was only a Chunin. He had no ability to deprive another ninja of the ability to use techniques.
It was difficult to maintain a deadly rhythm through a continuous assault. When the enemy's breathing grew slightly disordered, Hagane Zhen turned aside to avoid an attack. At the same time, his lowered right hand hooked a kunai from the Ninja Tool Bag beside him. When the enemy changed from a slash to a thrust and rushed forward with another swing, Hagane Zhen suddenly swept the kunai upward.
Clang!
With a crisp metallic impact, Hagane Zhen caught the enemy's blade with the kunai's ring. He then violently twisted his wrist, locking the short blade in place as he pulled along the direction of the enemy's force.
The enemy's short blade flew from his hand. Hagane Zhen released the kunai at the same time, and the strength of his arm drew the enemy's body closer. Then he braced his right foot, raised his knee, and slammed it into the enemy's abdomen.
The knee strike landed directly, hard enough to cause internal bleeding. Blood spilled from the enemy's mouth, and both his legs suddenly went weak beneath him. He staggered two steps backward.
The intense pain nearly contorted the enemy's entire face. He instinctively looked up at Hagane Zhen, only to see his opponent's hands already pressed together. The final hand seal was completed in an instant:
"Fire Release: Will-o'-the-Wisp Technique!"
The heat distorted the air. Orange-red flames surged forward in clusters of varying sizes, each trailing a different tail of fire. Though this was a flame-based technique, its shape resembled someone lifting a basin of water and violently throwing it outward.
The taijutsu ninja had no room to dodge. In fact, he barely managed any effective reaction before the fan-shaped flames struck him head-on. Once the intense flames clung to his body, they could no longer be extinguished.
A shrill scream rang out. Once the flames touched human flesh, their burning intensity surged again. In less than twenty seconds, the enemy's screams stopped. His limbs still struggled symbolically, but soon he looked like charred wood and completely melted into the flames.
Hagane Zhen no longer spared a glance for the enemy who had lost all ability to threaten him. He turned his gaze toward the final enemy some distance away.
Clearly, that enemy had originally intended to rush over and help his companion. However, his companion's screams and gruesome state had brought him to a complete halt.
In his eyes, Hagane Zhen's gaze held neither hatred nor anger. It was devoid of joy or sorrow, filled only with a calm indifference so cold it was almost devouring... It was not the gaze one directed at an enemy, nor the gaze one directed at a friend, but the gaze one gave a dead object.
Having watched his companions be eliminated one after another in an extremely short time, with himself now becoming the opponent's target, he was only a Genin. He could no longer withstand the suffocating psychological pressure and immediately turned to run.
However...
Before he had gone very far, a kunai pierced through his heart from behind with a soft squelch.
This ninja was somewhat younger than Hagane Zhen. It was just that... if you did not kill others, others would kill you.
"What... what secret technique... killed the cap...tain?" In the end, the ninja could not help asking.
Clearly, the captain's death had marked the beginning of their misfortune. If their captain's death had not contributed so little to the battle, they would never have ended up in their current state.
"Secret technique? No, I only used an ordinary nin..." Hagane Zhen paused. After thinking briefly, he changed his wording. "There was no secret technique. I used nothing but completely ordinary ninjutsu."
The water vapor stirred up by the Water Release and Fire Release gradually dissipated completely. Hagane Zhen's damp hair clung to his forehead, and the clothes covering his body were almost soaked through. The battle had not lasted long, and its overall intensity had been nothing extraordinary, but it had still kept his nerves taut the entire time.
Regardless, he had basically accomplished his combat objective. Hagane Zhen took a deep breath, letting the damp, cold air soothe his overheated lungs.
Next, he still had to go support his other companions.