Three People Encounter Disaster

The situation was too sudden, and the sheer number of bees made it impossible to defend against them effectively.

Facing the countless swarms surging forward, Kakashi and the others could only rely on taijutsu to barely maintain their defensive formation, keeping their backs to one another to avoid exposure.

Although Kakashi and Anko possessed decent strength, Rin Nohara was indeed weaker by comparison. The Water Flow Clan ninja at the front noticed this instantly, intensifying the density of the bees and directing them specifically toward her.

Kakashi and Anko understood well that if Rin fell, they would both be in danger. They were forced to help, clearing the bees from her side, but the constant shuttling back and forth left them both exhausted.

"Is that all you've got? It's pathetic." Shuiriu Yamafede sneered from the sidelines, his face full of mockery. "Brats, I still have a trump card I haven't even used yet."

"Stop playing around and just finish them off with your Bee King," one of his companions said, losing patience.

"Now, now, don't be so impatient." Shuiriu Yamafede formed hand seals with a faint smile, his eyes locked on the pale-faced Rin Nohara. "It looks like that girl over there is about to reach her limit. Let's start with her."

"Summoning Jutsu!"

With a shout, black runes appeared out of thin air, and a massive bee flashed forth from the markings.

The creature was the size of two grown men. As it flapped its wings, hovering amidst the thousands of smaller bees, it exuded a formidable presence.

The moment this giant bee appeared, many of the bees on the periphery ceased their attacks.

The majesty of the Bee King was on full display. Such a high-level summoning beast possessed strength far beyond the ordinary, and this was a secret treasure of the Water Flow Clan—a Bee King that took years of cultivation to produce.

Simply put, this was the trump card of the Water Flow Clan.

Prior to this, countless Anbu ninja had perished beneath this very trump card.

"This is bad. That bee is trouble; Rin is in danger." Seeing the giant bee suddenly appear, Kakashi sensed that something was wrong. The creature's gaze was clearly fixed on the exhausted Rin Nohara.

"I can't free myself either; these bees are too annoying."

Kakashi knew that they couldn't afford to let their guard down. If they were stung by that giant bee, the injury would likely be fatal; the stinger alone didn't look like it carried anything benign.

The need to avoid being struck kept everyone in a state of high tension, leaving them no room to be distracted.

All of this was observed by Shunsuke Mizunagare. Seeing the exact moment Rin Nohara let her guard down, he raised a hand without making a sound.

The Bee King dove straight toward her.

The speed was so great that even the Land of Earth jonin nearby felt a secret sense of admiration.

Whoosh!

As the rapid charge and the chilling, venomous stinger closed in, Rin Nohara felt her heart turn to ash. Gritting her teeth, a shadow suddenly surfaced in her mind—perhaps only that person could save her.

But that guy wasn't here, and he couldn't possibly make it in time.

No matter how strong he was, it was impossible for him to save her now.

Rin Nohara's heart sank as she began to lose hope, but then, the very shadow from her mind appeared right before her eyes, making her wonder if she were dreaming.

"Earth Style: Hardening Jutsu."

Relying solely on the Hardening Jutsu to reinforce his palm, Yang Xing blocked the Bee King's stinger with a single punch, his fist as rigid as rock, preventing the needle from piercing his arm by even a fraction.

"What? Where did this brat pop out from? I didn't even notice him just now. Damn it, Bee King, retreat quickly!"

The Bee King buzzed, flapping its wings to retreat with agility just as Yang Xing tried to smash it with a follow-up punch, flying ten meters into the air where Yang Xing couldn't reach it.

"Be careful! There's deadly poison in the bees' formation." Seeing Yang Xing appear—though she didn't know why he always appeared in front of her at such precise moments—Rin Nohara had no time to overthink and could only offer a warning.

It seemed Rin Nohara had no idea he had been watching from the sidelines all along, only intervening once he realized things had gone wrong.

"It's fine. That thing's stinger can't break my Hardening Jutsu." With the percentage-based boost to his Earth Style, his defensive capabilities were exceptionally high.

Besides, even if the Bee King managed to pierce his hardening, he still had his Undying aura to negate a fatal blow, leaving Yang Xing with nothing to fear.

Seeing Yang Xing standing still, the Bee King moved. Its tail flicked, spraying a stream of sticky, viscous honey toward him.

It was clearly trying to immobilize Yang Xing before attacking again.

Yang Xing pushed off with his legs, his speed so great that he moved like a shooting star, dodging the attack in a flash.

This display of evasion caused even Kakashi, not far away, to frown.

So fast. Was he holding back his full strength before? He's much faster than he was at the start.

It was clear that with his agility bonus, Yang Xing's speed was far beyond that of an average chunin; one could even say his speed rivaled that of a jonin.

The Bee King fired several more shots of honey, but it couldn't hit Yang Xing at all.

Seeing his Bee King's honey supply running low, Shuiriu Yamafede shouted to his companion: "Mizunagare, bring your bee out too! This brat is too fast—use your bee to deal with him!"

The other Water Flow Clan jonin, who had remained motionless until now, didn't hesitate upon hearing his companion's words. He formed hand seals and called out, "Summoning Jutsu."

Poof! A cloud of smoke exploded.

The newly appeared Bee King was quite small, not even half the size of the previous one, standing only as tall as a child.

However, the way its wings fluttered and the powerful chakra radiating from its entire body made it clear that this bee's strength was no less than the first.

"Haha, kid, prepare to be shocked! This Queen Bee is the fastest in our clan. Let's see where you can run now."

Whoosh!

As the bee's wings sliced through the air, the sound rang out, and the Queen Bee charged forward with the speed of lightning.

The sheer velocity left Kakashi, Anko, and the others stunned.

"So fast, it's moving too fast to even see."

"This is impossible; at this speed, only Fourth Hokage-sensei could keep up." Kakashi marveled inwardly, his expression tinged with anxiety. "Who on earth are these people? No, Yang Xing cannot possibly win."

He had intended to rush forward, but there was simply no time.

Bang!

The speed of the Queen Bee was indeed faster than Yang Xing.

Yet, relying on his conditioned reflexes, Yang Xing managed to block that first strike.