Special Ninja

Facing Yang Xing were only two special genin, but even this number gave him a bit of a headache.

The Earth Style ninjutsu they used clearly enhanced their bodies, making their skin as rigid as rock. When they raised their fists, the limbs were visibly petrified. Yang Xing, not yet fully accustomed to his own chakra, dared not meet those fists head-on and instead relied on constant use of the Substitution Technique to evade.

It had to be said, this enhanced version of the Substitution Technique was truly useful.

"Water Clone Technique!"

"Damn it, this brat can really run! How many times can he use that substitution? Hell, it feels like it never ends." The Land of Earth genin struck out, only to hit a mass of water, leaving him frustrated.

Yang Xing's substitutions were triggered in rapid succession, with intervals of less than a second. Each time he reappeared, it was over a dozen meters away, sometimes directly behind them, leaving them with no time to prepare.

"Substitution Technique." Timing his position perfectly while the two had their backs turned, Yang Xing used the technique to appear right behind them. In this prime position, he didn't hesitate for a second. His hands flew through the seals without a thought, preparing to unleash a jutsu: "Fire Style, Great..."

"Ah, Kakashi!"

A cry of distress made Yang Xing turn his head, only to see that Rin Nohara had woken up and was screaming in shock.

Whatever had happened over there, Kakashi had been kicked flying.

It was clear that the strength of the special chunin was too great; even with two of them, Kakashi was simply no match.

Kakashi stood up, and seeing Yang Xing turn around, he still put on a brave front: "Don't worry about me, save Rin first! I can hold them off for a bit."

"Arrogant little brat, daring to fight the two of us."

"Don't waste time, just finish him off."

"Hmph."

With a focused gaze, one of the two chunin charged forward.

The man's fist transformed into stone, the rock condensing around his hand until it looked immensely heavy and large.

Kakashi could only leap away to dodge; his own substitution couldn't cover such a large distance. The massive stone fist grazed his body, but unfortunately, while Kakashi dodged that strike, he couldn't avoid the other man's ninjutsu.

"Earth Style: Earth Flow River."

The moment Kakashi landed, he was startled to find his legs sinking into the earth. He realized immediately that something was wrong: "Damn it, I can't pull my legs out!"

The force of the flowing earth pushed him back, right toward the ninja who was charging forward with that massive stone fist. As a special chunin, his combat experience was clearly vast; if that punch landed, the current Kakashi would be dead or severely wounded.

At such a critical moment, even Rin Nohara's eyes trembled in fear, almost unable to watch.

Obito was too far away to reach them in time.

Kakashi could only grit his teeth, trying to protect his vital organs to endure the blow.

Just as he prepared to take the hit, with the opponent's fist only centimeters from his body, a sound—neither loud nor soft—erupted, stirring up a massive wave in this small battlefield.

"Water Style: Water Wave!"

Yang Xing felt the surge of chakra and opened his mouth, spitting out a jet of water that shot forward with the speed of a meteor.

Zzzzt! Boom!

Sensing the terrifying surge of chakra behind them, the two ninja reflexively leaped away.

As they jumped, the water jet slammed into a tree, slicing it clean in half. It didn't stop there; the force of the water struck a second, and then a third tree. Three large trees were severed at the trunk by a single Water Wave.

"What is this?"

"This... what kind of hellish ninjutsu is this?" One of the special chunin looked at the scene of devastation, his face turning pale: "That brat just used the C-rank ninjutsu Water Wave, right? That's impossible!"

The three trees slowly toppled over, their severed trunks perfectly smooth. The sight was so eerie that both special chunin stood frozen, their scalps tingling.

It was clear now that they had to be wary of the person behind them.

Though they didn't understand how Yang Xing had unleashed such a stunning technique, Kakashi grew anxious as he saw the two chunin shift their focus.

"Don't just stand there! These guys are strong and have tons of combat experience—move!"

Just as he was about to tell Yang Xing to flee, Yang Xing cut him off: "Kakashi, take Obito and Rin and go first."

"What are you saying?" Kakashi gritted his teeth. He didn't believe Yang Xing could handle them alone; this was the guy who could only maintain a Clone Technique for ten seconds, after all.

Facing Kakashi's expression, Yang Xing merely frowned: "Didn't Master Minato say to leave this to me?"

Seeing such a serious expression and recalling the look Minato Namikaze had given Yang Xing before leaving, Kakashi's face finally changed after a few seconds of silence.

He gritted his teeth, took one last deep look at Yang Xing, and nodded: "I understand."

Kakashi crawled out of the mud, looking disheveled, but no one stopped him. Clearly, the Land of Earth ninja were intimidated by the jutsu Yang Xing had just displayed; not knowing what other powerful moves the brat might have, they stood by, motionless.

Kakashi stood up, pushed off the ground with his toes, and moved with incredible speed toward Yang Xing.

As he passed by, he left behind a quiet remark: "Don't die. Stall them for ten minutes, and I'll be right back."

"Die? Impossible. How could I possibly die?" Glancing at his own "immortal" aura, Yang Xing smirked.

"Don't let these brats get away! Stop him!" Seeing Kakashi rushing toward the still-bound Rin Nohara, the ninja moved, but a slight sound made them freeze in their tracks.

"Water Style, Water..." After a simple hand seal, Yang Xing raised one hand to his mouth.

This action made the two charging ninja flinch, and they quickly veered to the sides. To their surprise, the brat didn't even show signs of activating a jutsu; instead, he flashed a wicked grin and said, "Just kidding."

By now, Kakashi had successfully cut the ropes binding Rin Nohara. After exchanging a few words, he led Obito and Rin away, moving rapidly. Along the way, all three looked back once, then turned in sync and vanished into the distance.

"Argh, damn brat!" Seeing them escape, one of the Land of Earth chunin flew into a rage. As his anger surged, he activated the Earth Style: Hardening Technique, turning himself into a meteor as he charged forward.

Compared to him, Yang Xing had long since prepared: "Water Style, Water Clone Technique."

Puff!

The hardened body only collided with a water sphere that burst in mid-air.

There was a second, then a third.

"Chain Water Substitution Technique!"

Puff, puff, puff!