The Tables Turn

A deep azure torrent erupted in an instant, moving faster than the eye could track. Like lightning tearing through the Night Sky, it shot straight at the Tanuki Jonin's face, swelling in his pupils!

Before that ultimate penetrating force even reached him, the skin on his face already felt a bone-chilling cold and stabbing pain!

"What?! Too fast!"

The Tanuki Jonin's pupils reflected that deadly blue light. His momentary distraction had cost him the best chance to evade!

"Captain! Watch out!"

"Get out of the way!"

The two Chunin supporting him cried out in horror at the same time. They did not even have time to make any effective move to help, and could only watch helplessly as that destructive blue light shot toward their Chief!

He could not dodge it!

"Ahh—!!"

At the critical moment between life and death, the Tanuki Jonin let out a beastlike roar. A fierce glint flashed through his eyes. Since he could not dodge it, he would take it head-on!

The long blade in his hand instantly burst into blazing flames as Fire-nature Chakra flooded into it without reserve!

"Konoha-Style Swordsmanship: Fire Style: Dragon Fire Slash!"

Blazing flames coiled around the blade like an enraged dragon. With his full-force upward slash, a roaring fire dragon met the azure water spear head-on!

"Boom—!!!"

Water and fire collided at their extremes!

A piercing tearing sound and an explosion rang out at once!

However, the highly compressed and refined piercing force of the Hard Vortex Water Blade was clearly superior!

After only an instant of deadlock, the azure water spear violently tore through the core of the flaming dragon!

The Tanuki Jonin watched helplessly as the azure water spear, with unstoppable force, punched straight through the Dragon Fire Slash he had been so proud of!

The deadly blue light instantly expanded in his rapidly contracting pupils!

"What?! How is this possible?!"

He let out a horrified, incredulous cry. This had completely exceeded his expectations!

"Splurt—!"

The next moment, the remaining force of the Hard Vortex Water Blade pierced unobstructed into his right chest, leaving behind a horrifying bloody hole!

His body jolted violently as blood sprayed from his mouth. His eyes brimmed with unwillingness and shock as he crashed backward.

One lapse in judgment, and he had suffered such a devastating loss...

"Captain!!"

"My lord—!"

The remaining two Chunin saw their leader's chest pierced through and his body collapse to the ground. Their souls nearly left their bodies, their screams filled with terror and disbelief!

Even the Captain had been badly injured... then weren't they...

At that moment, Tejima Shinichi, ahead of them, stopped retreating. He stared in disbelief at the Jonin who had fallen and could not rise, his life and death unknown, as well as the other two enemies who had clearly panicked.

He had not expected that his desperate full-force counterattack would truly badly injure a Jonin!

For a moment, the urge to counterattack surged through him!

Target Unbalanced!!!

Without the slightest hesitation, he abruptly raised his right hand. Chakra surged and gathered within him once more!

"Bzzzz—!"

An azure Chakra sphere instantly appeared in his palm, emitting a shrill hum!

The highly compressed energy churned the surrounding air.

Tejima Shinichi raised his head, and the first smile since the battle began appeared on his face.

"Hahahaha... now... the tables have turned!"

Tejima Shinichi burst forward, clutching the screaming Rasengan as he lunged at the Chunin on the left like an arrow leaving the bow!

The Chunin's eyes turned bloodshot. As death descended in an instant, his instinct to survive overwhelmed his fear, and his hands formed seals faster than they ever had in his life!

"Wind Style: Vacuum Sphere!"

A high-pressure ball of wind shot out hastily, crashing directly into the oncoming Rasengan!

"Boom!"

The two forces collided violently at point-blank range—an explosion! Chaotic air currents and fragments of Chakra burst outward like countless blades!

Tejima Shinichi neither dodged nor evaded. He actually forced his way through the explosive aftermath, charging fiercely out of the scattering smoke and turbulent currents!

The sleeve on his right arm was torn apart, and fine bloody cuts covered his skin, but his gaze remained sharp!

Even more chilling was the fact that another azure Rasengan had already instantly formed in his left palm!

"N-No... impossible!"

The Chunin watched Tejima Shinichi break through the smoke of the explosion and close in again like the god of death, the destructive Chakra sphere nearly pressed against his face. He let out a desperate scream.

In his eyes, the world seemed to contain only the azure light that kept expanding and filling his entire vision, along with Tejima Shinichi's cold face.

"It's over."

Tejima Shinichi thrust his left hand forward!

The Rasengan struck squarely against the other man's mask!

"Bang!!!"

With a dull crunch that made teeth ache, the sturdy mask instantly shattered. Then... the face beneath twisted and deformed like a watermelon struck by a heavy hammer before... exploding with a bang!

In an instant, red and white... skull fragments and brain matter were flung in every direction under the Rasengan's frenzied tearing force!

The headless corpse convulsed violently once, then collapsed limply to the ground.

Another Root Chunin was dead!

Tejima Shinichi slowly straightened up, shaking the filth from his left hand as his gaze turned toward the final enemy in the field, who had been scared out of his wits and was stumbling backward.

Without the slightest pity, Tejima Shinichi raised his right hand again. Amid the familiar hum of Chakra, a deadly Rasengan instantly condensed!

He moved, lunging straight at the final target with a freezing killing intent!

In the Chunin's rapidly contracting pupils, Tejima Shinichi's charging figure and savage grin looked as terrifying and grotesque as an evil ghost crawling out of hell!

The spinning azure Chakra sphere grew larger and larger in his eyes!

"Die!"

Tejima Shinichi growled. The Rasengan in his right hand carried an aura of destruction as it was about to strike the other man's chest!

"Mind Transfer Jutsu!"