Fierce Clash!

"Too naive!"

Seeing Naruto charge over so recklessly, Iwayano smiled slightly, his figure shifting like lightning as he appeared behind Naruto in an instant.

"Naruto, watch out!"

Seeing Iwayano's movement, Sasuke immediately shouted a warning.

"Oh no!"

Hearing Sasuke's prompt, a dire thought flashed through Naruto's mind. He tried to alter his trajectory, but Iwayano's fist, heavy with power, slammed into Naruto's back without a moment's hesitation.

As the punch landed, Naruto's vision blurred, followed by a surge of intense pain radiating from his back. He felt his body lose its balance and fly forward as if struck by a charging bull.

A moment later, Naruto crashed heavily into the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Naruto!"

Seeing Naruto curled up in agony like a shrimp, Haruno Sakura cried out in worry.

Ignoring Haruno Sakura's shout, Iwayano, having easily dealt with Naruto, let out a smug laugh: "See that? In front of me, you lot are nothing but trash."

"Heh... after being defeated by Kakashi-sensei and falling to the level of a rogue ninja, you're even worse than trash."

Just as Iwayano's smug voice faded, a weak voice drifted out.

"What?"

Turning his head toward the sound and glaring with venomous eyes at Naruto not far away, Iwayano's expression twisted into a snarl.

He was already fuming because that last punch hadn't knocked the weakling Naruto unconscious, and Naruto's words instantly ignited his fury.

"Isn't it true? As a man, you lack the courage to face failure, so you choose to run away!"

"And even though I know I'm no match for you, I still choose to fight to the end..."

Naruto let out a raspy laugh, and then, under Iwayano's stunned gaze, he shook his body and slowly stood up.

As Naruto rose, Iwayano could see his body trembling uncontrollably.

Blood spilled from the corner of Naruto's mouth. He slowly lifted his head to look at Iwayano, his eyes filled with a terrifying stubbornness.

"Fine, brat! I admit you've successfully angered me, but there is only one result for angering me: death!"

With a malicious grin, killing intent surged in Iwayano's dark pupils. He drew a sharp kunai and charged at Naruto, the weapon whistling through the air.

Trapped in the water prison, Kakashi watched Iwayano prepare to deliver the killing blow, his face turning deathly pale.

"No!"

Haruno Sakura shook her head, standing frozen in place. Although she often argued with Naruto, she never wanted anything to happen to him.

Several pairs of eyes tracked Iwayano's figure, but just as he reached within three meters of Naruto, Sasuke's figure abruptly blocked his path.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

As the hand seals were completed in a flash, a massive fireball erupted from Sasuke's mouth.

"This... this... this is a Fire Style jutsu? How can a brat perform this?"

Feeling the terrifying heat released by the fireball, Iwayano froze for a split second.

To avoid injury, Iwayano had no choice but to abandon his attack on Naruto, pulling back to distance himself from the fireball's blast radius.

"Boom!"

The moment Iwayano retreated, a thunderous explosion erupted where he had been standing, sending sparks flying and smoke billowing across the area.

Looking at the scene, had Iwayano not retreated in time, he likely would have been blown to a bloody pulp on the spot.

"Naruto, eat this military ration pill to recover your strength first. We'll attack according to our previous plan," Sasuke whispered, taking advantage of the smoke to pull out a healing pill.

"Yeah!"

After swallowing the pill, Naruto nodded. However, seeing Sasuke pull another long object from his pocket, he asked, "Sasuke, what's that in your hand?"

"It's a signal flare. I don't know if there are any reinforcements nearby, but we have to try," Sasuke said helplessly.

While grabbing the ration pill, Sasuke had accidentally touched the signal flare he had forgotten about. Remembering Itachi's words, he decided to take a gamble in this dire situation.

"Bang!"

As the flare shot into the high sky and exploded, a cloud resembling flames rapidly took shape in the distance.

After Sasuke fired the signal, everyone's eyes locked onto the fiery cloud.

"How does Sasuke have an Anbu signal flare?"

As a former Anbu captain, Kakashi, inside the water prison, recognized at a glance that the flare Lin Feng had used was one specifically formulated by the Konoha Anbu.

Just as Kakashi was puzzled, Sanli, beside him, shouted in dissatisfaction, "Hey, hey, Iwayano, what are you doing? Hurry up and finish off those three brats. If reinforcements arrive, it won't be easy for us to escape."

By now, the smoke had cleared, and Iwayano could see Naruto and Sasuke once again.

"Heh heh, Kakashi, watching your own students die must be painful. Today, I'll let you experience it firsthand."

Hearing Sanli's words, Iwayano cast a sinister, cold laugh toward Kakashi, then channeled his chakra. He was going to give it his all and finish off Sasuke and the others as quickly as possible.

Five miles from the border of the Land of Fire in the direction of the Land of Waterfalls lay an expanse of open ground, where the sprawl of the Rock Forest finally came to an end.

At this moment, three figures wearing Anbu masks were sprinting across the path on the open ground.

"Bang!"

Suddenly, an explosion echoed from the sky, causing all three of them to come to a simultaneous halt.

"Anbu signal flare?"

Seeing the flaming cloud signal representing the Land of Fire high in the air, the three of them immediately understood that the flare had been launched by a member of the Konoha Anbu.

"Could it be..."

A moment later, one of the shorter Anbu members seemed to guess something, his body suddenly trembling with visible agitation.

"Our people might be in trouble; it's about five miles from here. Let's head over to provide support first!"

The team captain, draped in a beige trench coat, pondered for a moment before issuing the order.

"But Captain, our mission to track the rogue ninja is still ongoing. If we delay, I fear it will lead to mission failure."

Another female teammate responded immediately.

"I remember Captain Kakashi saying that compared to a mission, saving a comrade's life is more important. Execute the order!"

The captain muttered in a low voice, then immediately took off toward the direction of the Rock Forest.

Seeing the captain depart, the other two members quickly followed suit.

Sasuke, you must be alright. Your brother is coming...

As he sprinted, the shorter Anbu member murmured to himself; through the eyeholes of his mask, one could clearly see that his eyes were a pair of Sharingan.