Knowing the situation was urgent, Akimichi Kanbei didn't hesitate to bring out his full strength.
He pressed his hands together and transformed into a towering giant more than ten meters tall.
Super Expansion Jutsu!
"Little bug, let's see what you can do." Akimichi Kanbei let out a ferocious laugh. Then his limbs tucked in, and he turned into a gigantic ball.
Super Body-Launch Tank!
There were only a handful of people in the entire Shinobi World who could guarantee they'd withstand an impact of this magnitude.
Even Uchiha Rei himself would have to avoid its force, let alone Uchiha Izumi, who hadn't yet reached the Elite Jonin level.
There was no way she could block it.
But dodging the attack wasn't difficult for him.
The sparks produced by Chidori weren't just useful for killing enemies; they could also greatly stimulate cellular activity.
It felt very similar to a certain family's secret technique in the Land of Lightning.
After swiftly dodging the Human Bullet Tank, Uchiha Izumi turned into a streak of lightning and raced toward the target in the distance.
The Jonin, Yamanaka Rumiko.
"What kind of ninjutsu is this?!" Nara Teppei quickly changed his hand signs. His shadow abandoned its pursuit of Kyosuke and instead formed a huge net, attempting to intercept the incoming threat.
Shadow Gathering Jutsu: Black Net!
Whew. Kyosuke breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that his back was covered in cold sweat.
The Jonin-level Nara ninja had put him under terrifying pressure.
Without activating the Body Flicker Technique, simply dodging had been extremely exhausting.
After taking a few light breaths, he ignored the Chunin charging toward him, quickly formed hand seals, and unleashed his second Chidori of the day.
With his current Chakra, he could use Chidori at most twice.
He couldn't waste his precious Chakra on a Chunin.
Using the dynamic vision granted by his Sharingan, he successfully evaded the Chunin's attempt to surround him, becoming a blurry afterimage as he charged into the distance.
His target was still Yamanaka Rumiko, who was entangled with Maya.
Being caught between two Chidori attacks at once would make her the first person in history to suffer such a fate.
Nara Teppei could stop one of them, but he couldn't deal with Kyosuke at the same time.
"Stop him!" With no other choice, he could only put his hopes in his subordinates.
"Not so fast." Another Akimichi Chunin leaped out.
It seemed these fat pigs weren't just good at eating. They were pretty capable, too.
Otherwise, how could they have so many clan members that they seemed impossible to kill?
Partial Expansion Jutsu!
The jutsu activated, and a pair of house-sized palms rushed toward Kyosuke.
Before the attack even reached him, the violent gust of wind had his hair whipping wildly.
"Should I dodge, or..."
His gaze was fixed firmly on his target. He could jump to avoid the attack, but doing so would instantly reduce Chidori's power by a great deal.
Without enough distance to build up momentum, the attack would struggle to kill a Jonin in one blow.
That was why Chidori was an A-rank technique, while Lightning Blade was an S-rank technique. Lightning Blade could unleash its full power without a running start and could also silence its sound for assassination.
The two techniques came from the same source; they had simply been developed in different directions.
Uchiha Sasuke focused on changing Chidori's form, developing techniques like Chidori Stream and Chidori Sharp Spear. Later, he began working on changing its nature, with most of his efforts focused on increasing its power.
Kakashi, on the other hand, focused on assassination. He developed Lightning Blade to the point where it made no sound at all.
Even Kakuzu, with decades of fighting experience, couldn't dodge Kakashi's assassination from behind.
Without Earth Grudge Fear to keep him alive, Lightning Blade would have killed him outright.
Kyosuke hadn't yet delved into advanced ninjutsu training. In other words, he still needed to run a long distance to build up power for his Chidori.
He could charge straight in and kill the Akimichi Chunin, but he would inevitably be struck by those giant palms himself.
"I can't let them gather together."
"If the Ino-Shika-Cho formation comes together, the fight will become several times harder."
"I have to end this as quickly as possible!"
Once he'd made up his mind, Kyosuke began drawing in Chakra with reckless abandon.
Was Lightning Release not stimulating his body fast enough?
Fine. He'd force himself to use the Shisui Style Body Flicker Technique while Chidori was active.
In theory, it was absolutely possible. As for the consequences, he couldn't afford to care anymore.
Feeling his whole body tearing apart with pain, the veins on Kyosuke's forehead bulged as he roared, "Get the hell out of my way!"
Shisui Style Body Flicker Technique, activate!
In an instant, a cloud of blood exploded out of nowhere, leaving a string of bloody afterimages before the Chunin.
Smack! His giant palms finally clapped together, but his target had already flashed past him.
He quietly swallowed. He knew perfectly well that if he'd been the target, the other man could have killed him ten times over as they passed.
He turned around stiffly. The Akimichi Chunin's pupils suddenly widened as he stared in disbelief at Yamanaka Rumiko, lying unconscious on the ground with one arm severed, felled by Genjutsu.
"Incredible..." Even though they were on opposing sides, he couldn't help feeling impressed.
Compared with the boy who barely reached his chest, he felt as though he'd wasted the twenty years of his life.
"We can't let them leave." The Akimichi Chunin knew exactly what would happen.
The Three Clans had been able to contend with the Uchiha largely because they had the advantage of terrain.
Ambushes, surprise attacks, intelligence warfare—every kind of tactic had worn the Southern Legion down.
The exposure of their hiding places was a minor issue. If their secret contact points were compromised, decades of painstaking work would vanish in an instant.
Even if it meant killing the woman, he couldn't let the enemy take her away.
He pressed his hands together with a clap, intending to bet his life on using Super Expansion Jutsu to meet the enemy.
But just as he was about to act, a dazzling flash of lightning appeared behind him.
"You!" He gave a bitter smile at the arm that had pierced his chest, then fell to the ground and died.
Ninja battles were sometimes just this cruel.
When you weren't strong enough, you didn't even have the right to fight to the death.
After taking down the third Chunin, Uchiha Izumi couldn't help panting.
She glanced at the captive Maya was carrying over her shoulder, then started toward Kyosuke, who had passed out.
Unexpectedly, Nara Teppei got there first. He grabbed Kyosuke by the neck with one hand and roughly lifted him off the ground.
Kyosuke was covered in blood. His left leg bent inward at an unnatural angle, showing that his knee had suffered unimaginable damage.
Forget continuing to fight; it was questionable whether he'd ever be able to continue his career as a ninja.
"Not bad." Nara Teppei let out a sinister laugh. "You've put your future on the line just to finish the mission. I'm almost moved to tears."
"Bastard!" Uchiha Maya furrowed her brow, biting her lip so hard it bled without even noticing.
She'd never expected Kyosuke to take such a reckless risk.
It was only a captive. There'd been no need to take such a huge risk, and in her eyes, ten lives of that woman's weren't worth a single hair on Kyosuke's head.
"Come on. How about we trade hostages?" Nara Teppei suggested with a smile.
Should they make the trade?
Before you continue