The Opponent for Each

Just as Akimichi Tōshi launched his interception, Nara Suzaku quickly formed hand seals to activate the Nara clan's signature Shadow Secret Technique. The shadow beneath his feet suddenly elongated, stretching rapidly toward the path ahead of Uesugi Shinji.

Even if Uesugi Shinji managed to dodge Akimichi Tōshi's shovel attack, he would still be ensnared by the shadow if he continued to move forward.

Uesugi Shinji, moving at high speed, did not stop for the attacks of Akimichi Tōshi and Nara Suzaku. He pressed his palms together and whispered, "Ice Release: Sharp-Tailed Swift."

To the astonishment of Nara Suzaku and Akimichi Tōshi, Uesugi Shinji's body transformed into a slender streak of white light resembling a swift, dashing forward a significant distance. A trail of misty, frigid cold air dragged behind him, leaving a frost-covered path on the ground.

With a thunderous boom, the shovel in Akimichi Tōshi's hands slammed down, but it landed far behind Uesugi Shinji, failing to even graze his clothing, while the shadow extended by Nara Suzaku was similarly left in the dust.

"Ice Release: Sharp-Tailed Swift" is a short-range Body Flicker Technique infused with Ice Release chakra. Its speed is significantly faster than a standard Body Flicker, and the cold air it emits can restrict enemies who get too close.

The Body Flicker Technique is not true teleportation; rather, it is a high-speed movement achieved by a ninja after their taijutsu training reaches a certain level, consuming stamina and chakra to traverse a short distance so quickly that it appears as a short-range teleport to the human eye.

In reality, however, different ninjas have varying levels of understanding and development regarding the technique, leading to vast differences in speed. Among jonin, Uesugi Shinji's proficiency with the Body Flicker is top-tier, but Namikaze Minato's ability is peak, his speed capable of crushing him.

It was precisely for this reason that he had recently developed the "Ice Release: Sharp-Tailed Swift" jutsu to narrow the gap between himself and Namikaze Minato in terms of movement speed.

The sharp-tailed swift is the fastest bird in the world, and after completing the development of the jutsu, Uesugi Shinji named it after this bird.

"Rin, that Konoha shadow technique is troublesome. Stay behind and help Terumi Mei deal with him."

After evading the attack, Uesugi Shinji spoke as if to himself. No sooner had his voice fallen than a soft hum echoed in his ears. Then, a black shadow split off from the one at his feet, flickered a few times, and appeared beside Terumi Mei in the distance—it was Rin, who possessed the Shadow Release Kekkei Genkai.

"Don't misunderstand, I'm only helping you for the sake of the village. Don't think I want to be friends with someone powerful like you," Rin said to Terumi Mei.

Terumi Mei smiled slightly. "What a pity. Excellent female ninjas like you are so rare; I would have loved to befriend you."

Rin and Nara Suzaku had clashed several times before, and their abilities could be said to be mutually reinforcing yet restrictive. Terumi Mei knew that the Nara clan's shadow techniques were extremely difficult to deal with; if she were caught, it would mean total defeat. With Rin's assistance, her risk was significantly reduced.

Upon hearing this, Rin turned her head and hummed again, but seeing Terumi Mei value her so highly, the hostility in her heart toward Terumi Mei diminished greatly, and she even felt that the other woman seemed like a rather decent person.

With a strong reinforcement joining Terumi Mei's side, the pressure on Nara Suzaku increased. At this point, intercepting Uesugi Shinji was impossible, so he had to find a way to use strategy to take down Terumi Mei and Rin as quickly as possible before turning back to deal with Uesugi Shinji.

Nara Suzaku nodded to his two partners, and Akimichi Tōshi and Yamanaka Santen immediately understood. Akimichi Tōshi charged toward the location of Terumi Mei and Rin with his shovel, while Nara Suzaku and Yamanaka Santen leaped onto the shoulders of the giant-sized Akimichi Tōshi, preparing to coordinate and launch attacks against the enemy at any moment.

Seeing that Nara Suzaku and his team had taken the initiative, Terumi Mei and Rin charged forward to meet them. The battle between the Konoha Ino-Shika-Cho and Terumi Mei and Rin had officially begun!

On the other side, the Kakashi squad, which included Nohara Rin, and the Ebisu squad were gathered together to deal with the enemy. Except for Kakashi, they were all newcomers who had only recently left the Ninja Academy. Looking like mere teenagers, they immediately became the targets of the surrounding Kirigakure Ninjas.

Fortunately, Kakashi's strength was outstanding, and the performances of Guy, Ebisu, and Shiranui Genma were far beyond that of average new ninjas, allowing them to hold their ground for the time being.

Regrettably, another ninja from the Ebisu squad, aside from Shiranui Genma, had been killed shortly after joining the battle. This taught them the cruelty of war for the first time; the excitement they had originally felt vanished completely, replaced by fear and tension.

"Everyone, regulate your breathing rhythm. Being too tense will cause your stamina to drain twice as fast. A battle like this is just a minor skirmish; you'll adapt once you get used to it."

Kakashi repelled a Kirigakure Ninja who was about to attack Obito, then stood guard in front of him and spoke in a calm tone.

The group was stunned. Only then did they realize the abnormality in their bodies. They hadn't been fighting for long, yet they were already breathing heavily and covered in cold sweat. After Kakashi's guidance, they realized the problem and immediately tried to adjust their states.

Not far from Kakashi, Guy let out a long breath, as if expelling all the fatigue and tension from his body, and his previously grave expression returned to his usual full-of-fighting-spirit look.

"Hmph! As expected of my fated rival, Kakashi! I'll count this round as my loss, but I will definitely perform better than you in the next battle!" Guy gave Kakashi a thumbs-up and a slightly greasy wink, though Kakashi didn't look at him at all.

Ebisu, Shiranui Genma, Obito, and Nohara Rin also gradually relaxed their emotions. Their movements while engaging the Kirigakure Ninjas were no longer as stiff and sluggish as they had been at the start. Working together, they actually began to suppress the surrounding Kirigakure chunin, a sight that left those battle-hardened Kirigakure Ninjas feeling somewhat incredulous.

Just then, a figure suddenly attacked Kakashi at high speed. A sharp glint flashed in Kakashi's eyes as he drew his short blade to parry a few strikes, after which both sides quickly pulled back to maintain a standoff.

"Hatake Kakashi, I didn't realize you Konoha rookies were actually quite capable. You were lucky to escape with your life in our previous encounters, but I won't let you off today."

The newcomer was none other than Kakashi's old rival, Hozuki Mangetsu. The two were of similar age and both were genius ninjas of their respective villages; in the months of fighting between their forces, they had come to view each other as rivals.