Though I Don't Want to Admit It

Above the bottomless, deep lake.

Facing the attacks of a Chunin and a Genin, Anko and the others on the boat were indeed locked in a protracted battle.

The ninjas from the Land of Earth were not only proficient in Earth Style ninjutsu, but with a Jonin using genjutsu, Anko, Obito, and the others—who could never locate the real bodies—were simply wasting their chakra.

"Tch, is this ever going to end? It's all just illusions." With a Shadow Snake Hand, Anko struck directly at a ninja's illusion, her expression darkening.

Obito was in the same predicament; his Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique and Fire Style: Fireball Technique slammed into the targets, but aside from creating pillars of water, he couldn't even touch the enemy's shadow.

As a member of the Uchiha Clan, although Obito possessed abundant chakra, he had yet to awaken his Sharingan. Against such high-intensity genjutsu, all his efforts were in vain.

Yet, these were not the main problems.

What truly soured Obito's mood was that he hadn't even managed to graze Yang Xing. Yes, even the power of his own Fireball Technique couldn't reach half the strength of the one Yang Xing had displayed.

"Damn it, why can't I do it? Why can't I even compare to that guy?" Obito clenched his fists, his face grim. Staring at the distant city wall, he couldn't help but mutter, "That guy couldn't have already... No, with that high-level Earth Style and that Fireball Technique, he couldn't possibly be in trouble. Those ninjas wouldn't be able to stop him."

For some reason, Obito vaguely sensed that those few ninjas might not be a match for Yang Xing. Though he didn't want to admit it, this feeling made his heart race with anxiety.

This caused his originally vigilant posture to waver for a split second.

It was immediately noticed by the two Earth ninjas ahead.

"Hey, that brat is wavering."

"Hmph, let's start with that brat and teach these kids a lesson."

"Water Style: Exploding Water Impact!"

One of them performed hand seals, and several illusions followed suit.

The ninjutsu was unleashed so suddenly that it was impossible to tell which one was the real body.

One could only see the water surface ripple, and a mass of water surged up, scraping into waves that reached dozens of meters in height.

It formed a massive lake wave, the crest of which was two stories high—extraordinarily magnificent. Being struck by such a powerful wave was no simple matter.

Obito snapped back to reality, only to be left stunned by this sudden jutsu.

"Fire Style: Fireball... No, at this height, it won't break through." As he performed the hand seals, Obito realized something was wrong before he had even finished half of them. The Water Style before him was too fierce; realizing his own jutsu couldn't counter it, he immediately turned around, intending to run without a second thought.

Unfortunately, as he turned, he was met by a ninja who had already rushed over at high speed.

The ninja's high-speed movement stirred up the lake water, masking his approach. By the time Obito reacted, the enemy had already launched a flying roundhouse kick, which slammed directly into Obito's defenseless face.

Thwack!

Obito went flying at high speed.

"No!" Rin Nohara covered her small mouth and cried out.

But at this moment, no one could stop Obito from colliding with that massive wave.

Splash!

Like a cannonball, Obito slammed into the giant wave and sank straight down, vanishing without a trace, his figure completely obscured.

"Obito!" Rin was frantic. Seeing her teammate in distress, she was so anxious that she wanted to rush over immediately.

Unfortunately, before she could run more than a few steps on the water, she was intercepted by the Chunin who had kicked Obito away.

"Next, it's your turn!" The Chunin, clenching his fist, showed no trace of sympathy on his fierce face.

His fist swung directly toward Rin's forehead, intending to make her sink to the bottom of the lake just like the others. But at that moment, a familiar voice, neither loud nor soft, caused Rin's body to tremble.

"Duck, Rin!"

Hearing Yang Xing's voice, Rin didn't hesitate for a second. Reflexively, she ducked her body, and following that came Yang Xing's commanding shout.

"Water Style: Water Wave Technique!"

A thin stream of water surged forward, accompanied by a sharp, rapid impact sound.

It cut across the lake, carving a path through the water and splitting the giant wave ahead in two.

As the wave parted, a figure hurriedly retreated. The clumsy way he backed off hardly matched his previously aggressive expression.

The Chunin, who had barely managed to dodge, had sweat on his forehead; as he looked at the newcomer, his pupils trembled.

Rin, however, was ecstatic. She trotted over excitedly, "Yang Xing, Yang Xing, Obito, Obito, he..." She pointed toward the lake nearby, and seeing that there was no sign of Obito in that area, she nearly burst into tears.

Yang Xing, who had calmly scanned the water, looked at the kind-hearted girl with a placid expression. "If you wish, I can go down."

"Please, please, save him!" Grabbing Yang Xing's hand, Rin spoke with great urgency. She knew very well that with Obito's current ability, he wouldn't last more than a few minutes underwater.

"Hai, hai. Since it's Rin's request, I shall oblige." Yang Xing smiled and dispersed the chakra on the soles of his feet, sinking directly into the water. However, as he descended, one sentence made Rin purse her lips tightly.

"Though, if it were Kakashi, I might not have saved him."

Plop!

Slowly sinking, Obito, whose consciousness was fading, could only see one person swimming toward him as freely as a fish at the moment he was still awake. Seeing that face, for some reason, his heart felt entirely at peace.

That's right; aside from that guy, there is likely no one else who could save him.

Only now did he fully realize his own insignificance; within the entire team, he was the weakest one of all.

"Cough, cough..." When Obito regained consciousness, he found himself on the surface of the water. The discomfort in his stomach caused him to scramble onto the boat and vomit up the water he had swallowed.

Yang Xing was also busy tidying his soaked clothes. The descent had been too rapid, and dragging someone else up quickly had left his clothes heavy and waterlogged. The sensation of them clinging to his skin was unpleasant, but what was even more annoying was that the guy in front of him hadn't shown the slightest bit of gratitude: "Hey, don't you even know how to say thank you?"

"Thanks!" For once, it was rare for Obito to actually say thank you.

Yang Xing curled his lip; seeing that the brat was being reasonably well-behaved, he decided there was no need to say anything else.

At that moment, a Chunin from the Land of Earth who had been watching quietly from not far away could no longer hold back: "Hey, brat, where are my companions?"

Seeing only Yang Xing return alone, he couldn't shake a bad premonition.

This feeling made him stand quietly in the distance, hesitant to launch a rash attack for the time being.

Raising his head while smoothing out his dripping clothes, Yang Xing gave a simple answer: "Dead."

"Dead? Impossible, who are you trying to fool?"

"They're all dead. You wouldn't believe me even if I told you. Why the hell are you still asking me?"

"Damn you." The Chunin, choked up by this kid's retort, looked displeased, his hands clenching into fists: "I don't believe they could have been killed by you. Who are you trying to lie to?"

The Chunin was enraged, and in his fury, he prepared to rush forward and "court death."

Yang Xing was already prepared; the moment the opponent charged, he would use a Substitution Technique followed by Fire Style to finish him off. After all, when the real body had arrived amidst those dozens of illusions, he had already confirmed it with his Sharingan.

As long as the opponent stepped forward, he would undoubtedly be walking to his death.