Border Encounter (1)

Just as the two groups of ninja stood in a standoff, Shirokumo Hayama suddenly spoke: "Once I break through this Ice Pillar Cage, you are to retreat immediately."

The other two Konoha Jonin nodded upon hearing this, and one of them quickly asked, "What about you, Captain?"

Shirokumo Hayama kept his gaze fixed on Uesugi Shinji across from them and replied to his subordinates in a deep voice: "I will, of course, stay behind to cover our retreat."

As he said this, his voice dropped a few notches: "And while I'm at it, I'll give those poor, sacrificed children of ours some justice!"

At that moment, the faces and voices of the young ninja who had just died before his eyes resurfaced in his mind, further hardening his resolve to finish off Uesugi Shinji with his own hands.

Suddenly, a powerful cyan current erupted from Shirokumo Hayama's body, causing his hair and clothes to whip violently. These currents were formed by the Wind Style chakra churning within him, clearly signaling that he was preparing a high-level Wind Style jutsu.

Seeing this, Uesugi Shinji quickly formed hand seals; he had to finish his opponent before Shirokumo Hayama could complete his jutsu and break through the Ice Pillar Cage!

"Ice Style: Ice Thorn."

Countless razor-sharp ice spikes sprouted from the pillars surrounding the Konoha ninja, instantly piercing the entire interior space of the cage. If the Konoha ninja had no way to counter this, their bodies would undoubtedly be riddled with holes.

Off to the side, Kisame Hoshigaki's lips curled into a faint, triumphant smile.

This was not his first time coordinating with Uesugi Shinji. In past missions, without exception, every enemy had perished on the spot once this sequence of jutsu was completed. In his view, the Konoha ninja and their target inside the cage were already as good as dead.

However, just then, Uesugi Shinji's voice suddenly rang in Kisame Hoshigaki's ear.

"Dodge!"

Out of trust for his partner, Kisame Hoshigaki moved laterally to the left without hesitation, while Uesugi Shinji dodged in the opposite direction to the right.

The moment the two left their positions, the entire area covered by the Ice Pillar Cage and the Ice Thorns exploded. A violent hurricane surged into the sky, sweeping through the area and completely obliterating the Ice Style jutsu.

At the same time, a wind blade of incredible speed—nearly invisible to the naked eye—appeared within the hurricane, flying toward the spot where Uesugi Shinji and Kisame Hoshigaki had been standing just a moment before.

Fortunately, thanks to Uesugi Shinji's timely warning, neither he nor Kisame Hoshigaki was struck by the blade.

Regaining his footing, Kisame Hoshigaki turned to look at the vast stretch of forest behind him that had been sliced clean through by the wind blade, a lingering sense of fear gripping his heart.

There was no doubt that the future Kisame Hoshigaki would be a formidable S-rank ninja, but at this point, he had not been a Jonin for very long. While he was already an outstanding talent among Jonin, his various abilities still fell short of the level he would reach as a member of the Akatsuki organization.

"My, my, as expected of a representative elite Jonin of Konoha; you really aren't an opponent that's easy to take down."

Quickly adjusting his state, Kisame Hoshigaki drew his sword and assumed a defensive stance, not forgetting to spout some nonsense while he was at it.

Before the operation, they had already confirmed the intelligence on their opponents, and the one they were most concerned about was naturally the captain of this squad, Shirokumo Hayama.

Although Shirokumo Hayama was not a Kekkei Genkai user, his fundamentals and comprehensive abilities were top-tier. Combined with his resilient and cautious nature, he could be considered one of the most excellent Jonin in Konoha.

Now that Shirokumo Hayama had not only defended against their killing blow but also launched such a fierce counterattack, it was both unexpected and yet within reason.

As the hurricane that had destroyed the Ice Style jutsu gradually dissipated, Uesugi Shinji and Kisame Hoshigaki, who were standing by to attack, could vaguely see the figures of the Konoha ninja through the rising dust.

A single figure suddenly burst through the dust and charged toward Uesugi Shinji, while the other two moved in the opposite direction, vanishing into the forest in the blink of an eye.

Clearly, the figure charging forward was Shirokumo Hayama acting as the rearguard, while the other two were the retreating Konoha Jonin, and the target the Mist ninja were tasked with killing was being carried away by the retreating ninja.

"Trying to run!?"

Uesugi Shinji narrowed his eyes slightly and hurled the short sword in his hand forward. Wrapped in pale, frigid air, the blade tore through the air and reached Shirokumo Hayama in an instant, forcing him to raise his own sword to parry.

With a crisp sound of clashing metal, Shirokumo Hayama's blade successfully blocked the incoming short sword.

Because of the immense force behind the throw, Shirokumo Hayama did not deflect the weapon away; instead, a brief stalemate occurred, causing his forward momentum to stutter.

In that brief moment of deadlock, a black shadow flashed before Shirokumo Hayama's eyes—Uesugi Shinji had already used the Body Flicker Technique to arrive right in front of him.

At this moment, their eyes met, and murderous intent flared!