Imai Kenta really had been holding back from beginning to end. Whether before or after teaming up with Uchiha Kei, he had always seemed like the weakest and most harmless of them all.
But he knew that Uchiha Kei and the others could see he was holding back. After all, "Chunin" was only a rank. There was no way someone could survive eight years on the battlefield without keeping something in reserve.
Still, Imai Kenta was certain they had no idea just how much he had held back. And now that there was no one around to support him, he naturally couldn't keep pretending if he wanted to survive.
If he kept it up, Uchiha Kei might even skip the trouble of burying him. Given that guy's personality, he'd probably set his corpse alight with Fire Style and happily walk away.
"Are you any good, Imp?" the Iwa Ninja sneered, then charged at him again.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!" Imai Kenta's bearing suddenly grew steadier. As he dodged the Iwa Ninja's attack, he quickly formed Hand Seals. The next moment, a water dragon burst skyward from the river beneath the bridge!
Imai Kenta could actually use Ninjutsu!
Uchiha Kei would have been astonished if he'd seen this, especially since Imai Kenta used it so skillfully, as if he hadn't only learned it recently.
Clearly, the man had studied and practiced his elemental techniques for a long time. That didn't fit Uchiha Kei's impression of Imai Kenta at all: a Commoner Ninja who'd never had the chance to learn Ninjutsu.
The water dragon's head rushed toward the Iwa Ninja, but he wasn't someone to take lightly.
He made no flashy moves and used no Ninjutsu. He simply adjusted his grip on the Kunai with one hand, then thrust it fiercely at the water dragon's head.
The sharp Kunai and his terrifying strength combined. With a single thrust, he split Imai Kenta's water dragon in two!
His attack didn't stop there. He pressed forward, charging once more toward Imai Kenta.
Imai Kenta remained calm. The Iwa Ninja's imposing presence was terrifying, but it couldn't frighten him.
Imai Kenta rapidly formed Hand Seals. The charging Iwa Ninja suddenly looked startled and leapt into the air.
A long row of Earth Spears had thrust up from the ground without warning. They were exceptionally sharp; if the Iwa Ninja hadn't jumped, they would have pierced him full of holes.
Taking advantage of the Iwa Ninja's forced leap, Imai Kenta drew his Ninja Sword again. He moved like lightning, and in an instant, he had cut the Iwa Ninja in half at the waist!
Imai Kenta showed no emotion. He looked as if he'd done something utterly insignificant. But the next moment, his body turned into a cloud of smoke.
Through the smoke, a faint, indistinct figure could be seen. It seemed frozen in place, unable to move.
"Drip, drip."
Blood fell to the ground, drop by drop. As the smoke dispersed, the Iwa Ninja stared in disbelief at the blade sticking out of his chest. He felt his strength ebb away along with the blood dripping from his body.
"A Shadow Clone?" the Iwa Ninja murmured weakly. "When? How could you see me?"
"When I used 'Rock Pillar Spear.'"
A cold voice spoke from behind the Iwa Ninja. It was Imai Kenta. "I couldn't see you. I'm not from the Uchiha Clan. But I could sense you. Did you think I only countered your first sneak attack by luck? I have to admit, you put on a convincing act, but unfortunately for you, I can sense your chakra!"
The smoke cleared completely. Imai Kenta stood behind the Iwa Ninja, his Ninja Sword thrust straight into the man's back.
The blade had entered through his back and emerged from his chest. Blood flowed down its length. The strike had been swift and brutal!
Imai Kenta quickly yanked out his Ninja Sword, and the Iwa Ninja collapsed to the ground. Crimson blood drenched the bridge pier, and Imai Kenta sat down as well.
"I'm exhausted. Never thought I'd be lucky enough to run into a Mist Camouflage Jutsu user. Uchiha Kei's probably going to be furious."
Imai Kenta thought with amusement that if Uchiha Kei had dealt with this guy, he could probably have killed him by putting on an act.
And it wouldn't just be Uchiha Kei. Even that woman, Hyuga Aya, could probably have handled him easily. The advantages of a Dojutsu clan were considerable.
Imai Kenta took a deep breath and calmed himself. The fight hadn't lasted all that long, but he still felt worn out. It was mental exhaustion.
But he soon got back to his feet. He knew his mission wasn't over yet. Compared to Namikaze Minato's and Uchiha Kei's, his mission was much easier, but it was also the most important!
After quickly setting the Explosive Tags in place, Imai Kenta prepared to climb up. He was beneath the bridge and had no idea what was happening on top, but he knew the fighting up there was probably still fierce.
While fighting the Iwa Ninja, he had already felt powerful tremors and heard explosions. It was clear this battle wasn't going easily.
"Hope Namikaze Minato's all right. How am I supposed to get back without him?"
Imai Kenta wasn't the only one hoping Namikaze Minato was all right. Uchiha Kei was hoping for the same.
But unlike Imai Kenta, Uchiha Kei wasn't worried at all. He knew exactly how strong Namikaze Minato was.
There were very few Ninja who could fight like gods descending from the heavens during the Fourth Shinobi World War, and he was one of them.
Uchiha Madara and Obito had thoroughly beaten him, but by then, those two Uchihas had probably reached an entirely higher level of power, hadn't they?
Still, if Namikaze Minato hadn't died so young, his talent might have let him grow as strong as Naruto in the future, wouldn't it?
At that moment, Namikaze Minato really wasn't under much pressure. The Five-Tails had completely broken free, but Minato was handling it fairly easily thanks to his overwhelming speed.
Especially now that he was no longer holding back, Namikaze Minato wasn't sparing his chakra. He kept unleashing all kinds of attacks based on the Rasengan, with bizarre names that made people scratch their heads, though he thought they were pretty good.
The Five-Tails could barely fight back against him. After all, they weren't in the Land of Fire, nor anywhere particularly close to Konoha.
The Five-Tails wasn't Konoha's Tailed Beast, and Minato didn't need to seal it. With no pressure to hold him back, he fought without restraint. The Five-Tails was already struggling to catch its breath under his assault. Unless something unexpected happened, the battle would soon be over.
"I wonder how things are going elsewhere," Namikaze Minato thought to himself. "There was a disturbance from beneath the bridge just now. There really were enemies hiding down there. And how is Kei-kun doing? Fighting four Iwa Ninja alone can't be easy. I'll have to finish this quickly."
With that thought, Namikaze Minato formed another Rasengan. This one was even bigger than the previous one, and its chakra felt even more terrifying.
Namikaze Minato died sealing the Nine-Tails. The story began a year later, so his power shouldn't be low at this point.
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