The Three in Peril

Everything had happened too suddenly, and there were far too many bees to defend against.

Faced with countless swarms rushing at them, Kakashi and the others could only rely on Taijutsu to hold their formation. The three formed a circle to avoid exposing their backs.

Kakashi and Anko were fairly capable, but Rin Nohara was noticeably weaker by comparison. The Water Flow Clan ninja in front saw this at a glance and increased the concentration of bees, sending them straight at Rin.

Kakashi and Anko knew that if Rin faltered, they would both be in danger. They had no choice but to help deal with the bees attacking her, but weaving between them left both of them utterly exhausted.

"With skills like that, you're hardly worth watching." Shuiriu Yamafede continued to jeer from the side, his face full of scorn. "You brats haven't seen my best move yet."

"Quit fooling around. Why not just use your Bee King to finish them off?" One of his companions had had enough.

"Now, now, don't be in such a hurry." Shuiriu Yamafede formed Hand Seals, a faint smile on his face as he fixed his gaze on Rin, who was looking worse by the second. "Looks like that girl over there is about to collapse. Let's start with her."

"Summoning Technique!"

With a shout, black runes appeared out of nowhere, and a gigantic bee emerged from them.

The bee was as large as two adults. It beat its wings and hovered among the thousand-strong swarm, radiating an imposing presence.

As soon as the enormous bee appeared, many of the bees on the outskirts stopped attacking.

The Bee King's authority was unmistakable. This was no ordinary high-level summoned beast; it was a secret treasure of the Water Flow Clan, a Bee King that had taken years of cultivation to produce.

In short, it was the Water Flow Clan's trump card.

And before this, countless Anbu Ninja had died at the hands of this trump card.

"This is bad. Something's wrong with that bee. Rin's in danger!" Seeing the giant bee appear, Kakashi sensed that something was amiss. Its gaze was fixed on Rin, who was clearly at the end of her strength.

"I can't spare a hand either. These bees are such a nuisance."

Kakashi knew there was no way he could free up a hand just then. If the giant bee managed to sting him, it could well be a fatal wound. At the very least, its stinger didn't look like it carried anything good.

With no room for even the slightest mistake, everyone was so tense that they couldn't afford to be distracted.

Shunsuke Mizunagare had seen it all. The instant Rin slipped up and left an opening, he raised a hand without making a sound.

The Bee King shot straight at her.

Its speed was so astonishing that even the Land of Earth's Jonin beside them couldn't help but admire it.

Whoosh!

The Bee King's rapid charge and chilling stinger filled Rin with despair. She gritted her teeth, and an image suddenly appeared in her mind. Maybe only he could save her.

But that guy wasn't here. He couldn't possibly make it in time.

No matter how strong he was, there was no way he could save her now.

Rin's heart sank as she slowly lost hope. Then, to her astonishment, the figure in her mind suddenly appeared before her eyes. For a moment, she thought she was dreaming.

"Earth Style, Hardening Technique."

Yang Xing hardened his hand with the Hardening Technique, making his fist as rigid as rock. With a single punch, he blocked the Bee King's stinger, preventing it from piercing even a fraction of his arm.

"What? Where did this brat come from? I didn't even notice him before! Damn it, Bee King, get back!"

The Bee King buzzed its wings. When Yang Xing tried to punch it, it nimbly retreated, flying ten meters into the air where he couldn't reach it.

"Be careful. These bees have poison in their stingers." Seeing Yang Xing appear, Rin didn't know why he always managed to show up in front of her at exactly the right moment. But there was no time to think about that now, so she could only warn him.

It seemed Rin had no idea that he had been watching from the sidelines all along, only stepping in when he realized something was wrong.

"It's fine. Its stinger can't get through my Hardening Technique." With the Earth Style's power boosted by a percentage, its defensive capabilities were exceptional.

And even if the Bee King broke through his Hardening Technique, Yang Xing still had his undying aura to protect him from one fatal blow. He had nothing to fear.

When Yang Xing held his ground, the Bee King made its move. Its abdomen twitched, spraying a stream of sticky honey at him.

It was clearly trying to pin Yang Xing down before attacking.

Yang Xing sprang off both legs. He moved so fast that he shot away like a meteor, dodging in a flash.

Even Kakashi, watching from nearby, furrowed his brow at that dodge.

"So fast. Was he holding back earlier? He's much faster than before."

Clearly, Yang Xing had gained an agility boost. His speed was beyond that of any ordinary Chunin—no, it was on par with a Jonin's.

The Bee King sprayed several more mouthfuls of honey, but none of it could hit Yang Xing.

Seeing that his Bee King was nearly out of honey, Shuiriu Yamafede called to his companion, "Shunsuke, summon your bee too! This kid's too fast. Use yours to take him down."

The other Water Flow Clan Jonin, who had been standing still, heard him and immediately formed Hand Seals. He called out in an ordinary tone, "Summoning Technique."

A cloud of smoke burst into the air.

The Bee King that appeared this time was small—less than half the size of the previous bee, standing only as tall as a child.

But its wings flapped rapidly, and the powerful chakra radiating from its entire body made it clear that it was no weaker than the first one.

"Ha ha! Get ready to be amazed, kid. This Queen Bee is the fastest in our clan. Let's see where you can run!"

Whoosh!

The bee's wings sliced through the air with a sharp whine, and the Queen Bee charged at him like a bolt of lightning.

Its speed left Kakashi, Anko, and the others stunned.

"So fast! I can't even see it!"

"At that speed, only my teacher, the Fourth Hokage, could keep up." Kakashi was astonished, his face tinged with worry. "Who are these people? This is bad. Yang Xing can't win."

He had wanted to rush over, but he couldn't make it in time.

Bang!

The Queen Bee was indeed faster than Yang Xing.

But thanks to Yang Xing's reflexes, he managed to block its first strike.