The scorching heat made sweat drip steadily down Torifu's face. Just then, Yan hurled the fireball in her hands straight at him.
Torifu stopped compressing it and threw the small ice sphere in his hands. He was worried that if it got too close, even blocking the attack might not keep him from being caught in the blast.
But when Yan saw the ice sphere, she burst out laughing. "Kumonaka Torikaze, if you're planning to give up, you don't have to go to all this trouble. You could just say so. Why embarrass yourself?"
Yan's expression was full of mockery, but she was only being sharp-tongued. Torifu had the upper hand, and she wasn't foolish enough to actually think he was surrendering.
She was taking Torifu extremely seriously. She had already lost to him once, and she absolutely didn't want to lose a second time!
Compared with the fireball, Torifu's ice sphere looked incredibly tiny. But when the two collided, the result wasn't one-sided.
The little sphere of ice actually held its own against the enormous fireball.
Yan gave a cold snort. "I knew you wouldn't be that easy to deal with."
As their jutsu collided, Yan used the Clone Technique again. Her two clones once more intercepted the Tsuchikage and Kazekage as they came to support Torifu.
The two of them were both frustrated. "Damn it, she's determined not to let us help the Hokage."
"Can't be helped. We'll just have to deal with the enemy in front of us first."
Torifu saw through Yan's plan, but he didn't try to free the two of them again.
The Kazekage and Tsuchikage weren't strong enough to defeat the clones, but at least they wouldn't get hurt.
If Torifu killed the clones, Yan would probably just make more. Aside from wasting