Scorching Style Pakura

"Were you the ninja sent to capture me? But sending a bunch of brats to deal with me—isn't that underestimating me a little?"

Among the Five Great Ninja Villages, Chunin weren't considered particularly strong.

But across the entire Ninja World, Chunin were by no means weak.

So it wasn't hard to understand why Okubo Yahiko was so arrogant.

In his eyes, the Three Little Ones were too young to be a threat. The only one he really needed to worry about was Qingshui, their team leader.

So as he began to fight back, he kept his eyes on Qingshui, wary of a possible sneak attack.

But what he couldn't understand was that Qingshui had stood motionless in the same spot the entire time, showing no sign of joining the fight.

It seemed he really intended to let these three brats deal with him.

Once Okubo Yahiko figured that out, he almost laughed aloud.

He'd already decided that Qingshui was an arrogant, conceited fool.

But that suited him just fine. He'd take care of the three brats in front of him first, then focus on dealing with the conceited Qingshui.

With that in mind, Okubo Yahiko faced the Three Little Ones.

But as soon as they clashed, he realized something was wrong.

The Three Little Ones, whom he'd thought were beneath notice, were inexplicably strong.

It wasn't that they were much stronger than him. They looked like no more than seven- or eight-year-old brats, yet each of them was almost as strong as he was.

With the three of them working together, he had to take them seriously.

Otherwise, he really might lose here.

How was that possible?!

Okubo Yahiko couldn't believe it, and he couldn't make sense of it either.

How could anyone be this strong at such a young age?

It wasn't as if they'd started training in the womb.

The truth was, his experience was simply too limited. He'd never encountered anything like a true genius before.

"How can this be!"

With a furious roar, Okubo Yahiko got serious.

He was a hardened veteran who'd made his way through the Ninja World for years. Once he gave it everything he had, even the Three Little Ones working together couldn't take him down quickly.

Clearly, he had real skill.

And when it came to combat and life-or-death battles, he had far more experience than the Three Little Ones.

So for a while, he held the advantage, keeping them on the defensive.

Qingshui watched it all, still showing no intention of stepping in.

This mission was meant to train the Three Little Ones, so unless their lives were in danger, he wouldn't intervene.

Besides, in his judgment, as long as the Three Little Ones could bring their full strength to bear, dealing with Okubo Yahiko wouldn't be difficult.

Especially Nagato. If he used all his abilities, he could take the man out in an instant.

"You three think you can kill me? Dream on!"

Okubo Yahiko shouted triumphantly. He kicked Yahiko, then followed up with a punch that knocked Konan back.

But when he attacked Nagato, he didn't get his way. Nagato blocked him.

Even without using his Rinnegan or Ninjutsu, Nagato's Taijutsu was formidable.

After all, he was a member of the Uzumaki Clan, naturally gifted with immense Chakra and vitality, and especially talented at training in Taijutsu.

"What?"

Okubo Yahiko's face filled with shock.

Nagato gave him no time to react. He thrust his Kunai forward at incredible speed.

Clang!

But Okubo Yahiko still managed to defend himself in time, blocking Nagato's Kunai.

Then he quickly retreated, putting distance between himself and Nagato.

Konan and Yahiko followed up with Ninjutsu attacks, but he dodged them.

Lightning Release: Silver Lightning!

After rapidly forming Hand Seals, Okubo Yahiko shot a bolt of silvery-white lightning at Nagato. It was incredibly fast.

There was no way Nagato could dodge it!

However, just as the Silver Lightning was about to hit him, it suddenly shattered.

At the crucial moment, Nagato had activated Shinra Tensei.

But to avoid hitting Yahiko and Konan, who were standing close to him, he merely repelled the Silver Lightning instead of attacking Okubo Yahiko.

The bizarre sight left Okubo Yahiko unable to understand what had just happened.

What kind of technique was that?

He stared at Nagato, his expression more solemn than ever.

Until he understood Nagato's abilities, he didn't dare attack recklessly again.

"Nagato, Konan, we were too hasty just now. This guy's not simple. We need to coordinate our attacks."

Yahiko's words won agreement from Konan and Nagato.

After fighting Okubo Yahiko for a while, they'd calmed down considerably.

At first, anger had clouded their judgment, and they'd forgotten to work together, charging at him without a plan.

As a result, they hadn't been able to show their true strength.

Watching from the side, Qingshui finally let a faint smile cross his otherwise expressionless face.

He hadn't reminded the Three Little Ones to stay calm at the start because sometimes, simply talking at someone didn't work.

People might not learn from other people, but one lesson from experience was enough.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Konan threw a flurry of Paper Shuriken, forcing Okubo Yahiko to dodge in a hurry.

At the same time, Yahiko and Nagato finished forming Hand Seals. One used Water Release, the other Earth Style.

Just as Okubo Yahiko dodged the Paper Shuriken, the ground beneath him suddenly surged upward, raising a stone pillar.

Instinctively, he lowered his stance to keep his balance.

At the same moment, the Water Wave Yahiko spat from his mouth was already in front of him. It blasted him right off the stone pillar.

The rapid string of attacks left Okubo Yahiko no opening to counterattack.

But the Three Little Ones' assault wasn't over yet.

As Okubo Yahiko hit the ground from the Water Wave, the second volley of Paper Shuriken Konan had thrown was already closing in.

This time, he couldn't dodge.

If they hit, they'd pierce his vital organs and kill him.

"Die, scum!"

As Konan shouted, terror of death appeared on Okubo Yahiko's face.

He could hardly believe he was about to fall to three brats!

But the next instant, something unexpected happened.

A fireball suddenly flew in from the distance, burning all of Konan's Paper Shuriken to ash in the blink of an eye.

"Who's there?"

The Three Little Ones quickly looked toward the newcomer and demanded to know, their voices sharp.

Qingshui frowned as he looked over too. The intelligence hadn't mentioned that Okubo Yahiko had any companions.

But though that crossed his mind, he remained calm.

So what if he had a companion?

With Qingshui there, they wouldn't get away!

He was confident of that.

But when Qingshui saw who had saved Okubo Yahiko, he realized things were about to get complicated.

Because he knew her.

The newcomer was a female ninja with a perfectly proportioned figure. She looked about Qingshui's age and had long hair streaked with green and light brown.

Most importantly, she wore Sunagakure's Forehead Protector, identifying her as one of its ninja.

"Scorching Style Pakura!"

Qingshui called out her name.