"What should we do? Go support Lord Han, or keep pursuing the Konoha Ninja?" one Iwagakure Ninja asked anxiously.
The Iwagakure Ninja leading them pondered for a moment, then said calmly, "Split into three teams. The Genin and some of the Chunin will put out the fires and see if they can salvage any supplies."
"Two Jonin and ten Chunin will go support Jonin Kamizuru. At the very least, bring him back alive."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the group, then continued, "The rest of you, send out a signal and gather the Jonin to support Lord Han. Lord Han wouldn't transform unless his life was in danger."
"Yes." The Iwagakure Ninja nodded and quickly split up to carry out the plan.
"Don't think you're getting away. Secret Technique: Swarm."
The Kamizuru clan's Ninja shouted in unison. Countless bees poured out from around them, blotting out the sky.
The sound of their wings was as deafening as thunder. The swarm carried deadly poison and used sound waves to disrupt its enemies' senses. It was vicious beyond measure.
"Looks like we can't get away without taking them down. Water Release: Water Shockwave."
Maruboshi Kosuke quickly formed Hand Seals and used a secret technique passed down from the Second Hokage. In an instant, a massive whirlpool appeared around him, sweeping up the entire swarm.
Like a wild beast, the whirlpool devoured every bee, then surged toward the Kamizuru clan's Ninja.
"What? He can use such powerful Water Release techniques repeatedly, even without any water around?" Kamizuru Ninbee cried in shock.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall."
A wall of earth rose from the ground, holding back the water.
"Are you all right?" asked the Iwagakure Ninja who had just arrived. All twelve of them had rushed over to provide support, arriving just as Maruboshi Kosuke's Water Release came crashing toward them.
"I'm fine. I'm going to capture them!" Kamizuru Ninbee was blinded by rage, but by all reasonable calculations, they still had a chance of winning.
"I'll handle the Kamizuru clan's Ninja."
Aburame Shibi said. As an insect user himself, he was the best choice to take on the Kamizuru clan.
"I'll hold off the two Jonin."
Gekko Nobuhiko said firmly. He wasn't good at fighting groups, but he could manage to buy them some time.
"I'll kill the remaining Chunin, then come support you."
Maruboshi Kosuke said. A Water Release expert was well-suited to fighting groups, and he still had a trump card he hadn't used.
"Kikaichū: Devour."
Aburame Shibi struck first. A huge swarm of Kikaichū poured out like a black flood, quickly covering the Kamizuru clan's Ninja and splitting up the battlefield.
"Konoha Style: Dance of the Crescent Moon Modified."
Unlike usual, Gekko Nobuhiko created three Shadow Clones and attacked the two Jonin simultaneously, two against each one.
The two Iwagakure Jonin didn't meet their attacks head-on. They dodged to the side and counterattacked.
"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet." Two earth dragons rose from the ground and spat mud bullets from their mouths.
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall."
Maruboshi Kosuke spewed out a massive stream of water, blocking the mud bullets and sweeping the remaining Chunin inside it to the edge of the battlefield.
The two Iwagakure Jonin tried to stop Maruboshi Kosuke, but Gekko Nobuhiko and his Shadow Clones held them back.
His swordsmanship was so solid that they couldn't break through in a short time.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique."
Maruboshi Kosuke used the Third Hokage's secret technique. He hurled a giant Shuriken forward.
It split into tens of thousands of Shuriken, which attacked in a continuous barrage.
"Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall."
The Chunin on the other side barely managed to organize a defense, but against Maruboshi Kosuke's powerful attack, their defenses were as flimsy as paper and were easily cut through by the Shuriken.
"You bastard!"
The Iwagakure Jonin held back by Gekko Nobuhiko roared in fury. Without sparing a thought for their Chakra reserves, they used Iwagakure's secret technique.
"Earth Release: Fist Rock Technique."
Rock covered their arms, greatly increasing their strength and defense.
They no longer had to worry so much about Gekko Nobuhiko's slashes.
Gekko Nobuhiko struggled to defend himself, and his Shadow Clones were destroyed one after another.
His face turned deathly pale. The pain of his destroyed Shadow Clones piled onto him, making his movements stiff.
"Die, Konoha Ninja!"
The two Iwagakure Jonin roared as they swung their rock-covered arms at Gekko Nobuhiko.
Gekko Nobuhiko had no strength left to defend himself. Scenes from his life flashed before his eyes.
Looks like I'm going to die. I wonder how Iori is doing. I hope he's all right.
Hayate's Ninjutsu and swordsmanship still aren't up to par. I wonder if anyone will be able to teach him after I'm gone.
His heart ached as the faces of his students and family filled his mind.
Aburame Shibi was still locked in a fierce battle with the Kamizuru clan and couldn't break away to help.
Maruboshi Kosuke sent out a Water Wall, hoping to drive the Iwagakure Ninja back, but it was already too late.
Whoosh!
A strange black arrow shot in from afar and pierced the fists of both Iwagakure Ninja.
Maruboshi Kosuke's Water Wall arrived just after, sweeping the two of them away and carrying them farther from Gekko Nobuhiko.
Boom!
The arrow's form broke apart, and the power within it erupted in a massive explosion.
The explosion at point-blank range was devastating. Even though the two Iwagakure Jonin severed their own arms in a desperate attempt to survive,
they still couldn't escape being blown to pieces.
Uchiha Iori arrived at the scene soon after. He looked around and saw that only Aburame Shibi was still fighting an enemy.
Without hesitation, he cast Genjutsu: Sharingan on Kamizuru Ninbee.
Although Iori's eyes were badly damaged, the power of the Mangekyo far surpassed that of the Three Tomoe.
Kamizuru Ninbee was a Jonin, but he had no way to resist and fell into an illusion.
With Ninbee no longer directing them, the bees were instantly devoured by the Kikaichū.
After losing their leading Jonin, the remaining Chunin were devoured before they could even make a sound.
Iori breathed a sigh of relief. He had hurried as fast as he could and had finally made it in time.
After seeing Gekko Nobuhiko's Shadow Clones destroyed earlier,
he had foreseen that his teacher was in danger, so he quickly projected the Noble Phantasm Hrunting.
Bracing the bow with one foot, he struggled to shoot Hrunting from it.
After hitting his opponent, he used Broken Phantasm to detonate the Noble Phantasm and kill the enemy.
Almost without thinking, Iori had carried out the entire sequence of actions.
When he saw Gekko Nobuhiko safe, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
It wasn't that he didn't care about his other teammates, but Gekko Nobuhiko was one of the most important people in his life.
"Did the mission succeed?" Iori asked.
He hadn't passed by the Iwagakure camp on his way back, and he had just missed the Iwagakure Ninja heading out to provide support.
"It's done. The Ninja Tool Depot, Medical Supply Depot, and all the Explosive Tags were destroyed," Gekko Nobuhiko replied.
"Good. I killed Han, the Five-Tails Jinchuriki. Iwagakure will probably be in chaos for a while."
Iori said gravely.
"I'm badly injured, so we'd better not get tangled up with them."
"What? You killed the Five-Tails Jinchuriki?"
The three of them were stunned. A Jinchuriki was one of a village's strongest fighters—
a weapon of war distributed by the First to maintain a balance between nations.
And now he had been killed.
"Yeah. I sealed his head in a scroll. Come on, let's head back to camp and talk there."
"I'm not in very good shape either."
Iori wanted to find somewhere safe and examine his eyes carefully.
"Yes." They all ran toward the border together.
Hrunting
"Hrunting" appeared in the epic poem Beowulf. Unferth lent Beowulf the sword so he could kill a water monster. But the sword was completely useless in the battle, and the monster's blood dissolved its blade, leaving only its golden hilt.
Emiya modified it for use as an arrow. As long as the archer was alive, it would keep pursuing its target no matter how many times it was shot down. It was a Noble Phantasm that worked differently from reversing causality.
Broken Phantasm
This technique destroyed a projected Noble Phantasm and unleashed its power in an explosion, instantly boosting its strength. It was a Noble Phantasm that used the strongest fantasy: a single burst of magical energy, available only once.