One-Second Triple Break

Shiba Seika quickly scanned the Sunagakure squad.

There were four enemies: Pakura, a foul-mouthed, arrogant Puppet Master, a solitary man striking a pose atop the highest tree canopy, and a taciturn swordsman who had circled around to flank them.

Unfortunately, reality wasn't a game. Enemies didn't have their ninja rank stamped on their foreheads.

Shiba Seika could only judge them by their actions and his own instincts.

The man atop the tree seemed to hold a lot of sway. He probably wasn't weak;

The Sunagakure ninja circling around them was hard to read, but seemed the calmest of the group. He was likely steady under pressure.

As for the Puppet Master facing them, despite his big talk and arrogant attitude, he'd been the slowest of the four to appear. A classic case of being bad at his job and running his mouth.

His eyes shifted slightly, and Shiba Seika immediately chose a target to break through.

First, he deliberately taunted them loudly. "Hah! You're nothing but Sunagakure, the weakest of the Five Great Shinobi Countries—a pack of spineless dogs beaten bloody by Konoha in every Great Ninja War. And you dare run your mouths here?"

At the same time, he hid one hand behind his back, out of the enemies' sight, and covertly signaled his teammates—

Spread out. Focus on the Puppet Master!

Shiba Seika's taunt had struck a nerve. The hot-tempered Puppet Master instantly flew into a rage.

"Brat, what did you say?!"

Their captain tried to stop him. "Wait!"

Though arrogant, the captain understood that their most important task was to get the supplies and money. Fighting and killing were only means to an end, not the goal.

But the Puppet Master wasn't listening anymore.

"You Rain ninja think you can look down on us?! You think you're worthy?"

The Puppet Master immediately swept out a hand, pulling his Chakra Threads and sending a human-shaped puppet lunging straight at Shiba Seika!

What a terrible temper. Shiba Seika chuckled to himself, but pretended he couldn't handle it and leaped backward.

"Don't run!"

The Puppet Master immediately took off after him, rushing to the front of the squad in the blink of an eye.

As he swung his sword to deflect the needles, Senbon, and Shuriken fired by the puppet, Shiba Seika calmly gauged the distance.

Only when he was certain his opponent had stepped into the kill zone did he stop abruptly and shout, "Now!"

In an instant, sharp Paper Javelins rained down from above; a giant earthworm Summoning Beast burst out of the ground and pinned the Puppet Master in place; Karasuba followed up with a lightning strike, drawing his sword as he charged the enemy!

Akatsuki's coordinated attack came down all at once, like a net from which the Puppet Master couldn't escape!

For a moment, he could almost see a giant "Death" rushing toward him!

"What?! Help me, Captain! Canaan! Pakura! Help me!!"

The Puppet Master's shrieks cracked.

The Sunagakure squad's captain watched in horror!

He was just about to use the Body Flicker Technique to rush over and save him when several concealed Paper Butterflies suddenly flew out from among the branches beside him and exploded one after another, slowing him down.

That was naturally Konan's doing from above!

In the end, only Pakura, who had been at the back of the squad, reached him in time. She dodged several Paper Butterflies in an instant and rushed past her two useless teammates.

She was just one step away from reaching the Puppet Master and saving him.

But before she could take that final step, a man with a sword appeared before her!

It was Shiba Seika!

From the moment they'd met, Pakura hadn't said a word, but Shiba Seika had kept his attention firmly fixed on her!

He swung his sword, forcing Pakura back.

As she backflipped twice to put some distance between them, Shiba Seika didn't pursue. Instead, he cautiously continued to watch her.

When he saw one of the Fireballs orbiting Pakura change course, he immediately dropped his sword without hesitation and formed Hand Seals!

Substitution Technique!

Sure enough, the next moment, one of the Fireballs hovering behind Pakura's head abruptly accelerated and shot straight toward Shiba Seika!

"Fsssh!"

The sound of water vapor violently evaporating rang out from Shiba Seika's body. In an instant, he turned into a charred corpse, then—

With a bang, it became a wooden post.

After putting some distance between them, Pakura narrowed her eyes, looking a little surprised.

"Quite cautious, aren't you, Rain ninja?"

A normal ninja wouldn't have used the Substitution Technique so decisively in a situation that had seemed advantageous just moments before.

The cautious ninja Shiba Seika picked up the sword he'd just dropped. He didn't answer, keeping his full attention on Pakura.

Pakura's signature technique, "Scorch Release: Over-Steam Kill," could evaporate all the moisture inside its target in an instant. It was devastatingly effective against all carbon-based life forms. He couldn't afford to be careless.

What made it even harder to deal with was that the original story had never explained how to counter the technique.

In the story, Pakura had been won over by Talk Style. No one had ever countered her technique, so Shiba Seika didn't even have an answer to copy.

Fortunately, though, he wasn't the one in a hurry now.

Behind him, the Puppet Master's screams abruptly stopped. He was nearly out of breath.

The Sunagakure captain's furious accusation came right after. "Pakura, why didn't you save him?!"

Hearing the solitary Sand ninja who had originally stood up high berate Pakura, Shiba Seika thought he understood what was going on. A mocking smile crossed his face.

"I see. You were sent here to the Land of Rain because you were ostracized, weren't you? What a tragic hero, Miss Pakura."

He deliberately didn't lower his voice. With a ninja's keen senses, everyone on both sides could hear him.

In an instant, the Sunagakure captain was shocked and furious, while Pakura's face darkened.

After the Puppet Master, someone else in the Sunagakure squad was about to lose his composure.

Two lines, and he'd broken three people's defenses. Shiba Seika's knack for spotting weaknesses was worthy of a veteran Sword Maiden.

"Enough showing off with your words, Rain ninja!"

As she spoke, Pakura drew her Kunai, sprang into action, and charged at Shiba Seika once more!

She was even faster than before!

This time, Pakura was truly angry!

"Swish, swish, swish!"

Seeing this, Konan quickly dropped a row of Paper Javelins to support Shiba Seika. But Pakura casually sent out a Fireball and evaporated them all with ease.

Shiba Seika dropped his sword and formed Hand Seals.

"Clone Technique!"

The clone charged forward with its head down, while the real one caught his sword and retreated.

Until he found a way to counter Scorch Release, he still didn't dare approach Pakura carelessly.

Pakura wielded the two Kunai in her hands, using her fierce attacks to keep several of Shiba Seika's clones in check at once.

The two remaining Fireballs circling her like Floating Cannons moved on their own, automatically tracking targets and helping Pakura shatter Shiba Seika's clones one after another.

The scene looked incredibly dangerous!

Pakura would wipe out the clones in less than two seconds and reach Shiba Seika, yet a way to counter Scorch Release still seemed nowhere in sight.

Was there really no way to deal with it?

Shiba Seika's mind raced. He cautiously crossed swords with Pakura twice, refusing to meet her attacks head-on as he continued retreating, his attention constantly fixed on those two terrifying Fireballs.

Pakura's anger still burned.

"Hah, your sword is far worse than your mouth. Is this all you've got, Rain brat?"

In her fury, even the usually silent Pakura had started taunting him.

Unfortunately, her taunts were nowhere near as effective as Shiba Seika's one-second triple break.

Shiba Seika remained calm!

Getting worked up wouldn't solve anything.

Besides, they'd already taken one of the enemy's people out of the fight. They were hardly the ones who needed to be anxious, angry, or rattled.

He continued to watch closely, thinking as hard as he could!

How could a carbon-based life form counter Scorch Release: Over-Steam Kill, which caused moisture to evaporate at incredible speed?

Then—he noticed that after attacking several times, the last two Fireballs circling Pakura had finally begun to dim. They looked ready to disappear.

Just then, Pakura's attacks slowed, and she put both hands behind her back!

In an instant, Shiba Seika's eyes lit up, his gaze suddenly sharpening!

He realized—the key to countering it had finally revealed itself!