Entering the Granary

"Everyone, come over here!"

The Rock Ninja's movements were all caught by Qi's eyes. Unlike Obito and the others, Ogata had once recounted his experiences fighting ninjas from various nations to Qi in detail. Compared to Obito and the others, he had a much better understanding of the conventional combat styles of ninjas from other lands.

Qi and Obito charged forward rapidly. In the blink of an eye, they had appeared within twenty paces of the Rock Ninja. However, this distance was often the most lethal.

For a ninja, this distance was the optimal range for the power of ninjutsu to be unleashed.

At this moment, quite a few Rock Ninja were rushing out from various storehouses. Many of them were too far away to arrive in time, but even so, no fewer than ten Rock Ninja had gathered in front of Qi and his group, and these individuals had clearly already finished weaving their hand seals.

"Earth Style: Rock Pillar Spear!"

A loud shout rang out at the same time Qi called for Obito and Ling. The Rock Ninja opposite them had already slammed their hands heavily onto the ground.

Immediately, a series of sounds of earth breaking followed one after another. Under the combined efforts of the Rock Ninja, at least several dozen incredibly hard stone spears erupted from the ground, covering the maximum distance the three could have used to escape.

To be honest, this could hardly be called a Rock Pillar Spear anymore. The greatest weakness of the Rock Pillar Spear—insufficient volume—had long since ceased to exist under the collective casting of the Rock Ninja.

"In your dreams! You think you can kill us with just this?"

Qi dared not harbor any thoughts of conserving chakra at this moment; he was also exerting his full strength.

The abundant moisture in the surroundings provided him with an excellent environment to save chakra while achieving better results. As he stretched out both hands, the standing water on the ground nearby immediately gathered toward his position with a "gurgling" sound, wrapping around him, Obito, and Ling entirely.

Whether it was Ice Release or Wood Release, their most formidable aspect was that, in many cases, they no longer resembled mere ninjutsu. Users of Wood Release could combine their own ** with the technique, and the same applied to later Ice Release; there were even times when they could be cast without the need for hand seals.

The First Hokage had nearly crushed all the experts of that era with his Wood Release, not because he only knew Wood Release, but because Wood Release was too fierce—so fierce that he hardly needed any other means.

The Senju brothers were the standard of the current Konoha style—a hodgepodge of various ninjutsu, nearly proficient in everything—but in the end, they were still famous for their respective elemental releases, which could be considered a form of regret. The Second Hokage's space-time ninjutsu was second only to Madara and the Fourth.

However, Qi had no leisure to admire the style of his predecessors at this moment. If he were half a beat slower, he would be turned into a kebab. Almost the instant the water sphere formed, his Ice Release was activated, turning this spherical water wall into an ice wall!

"Pfft..."

A series of muffled thuds echoed. The ice wall Qi constructed with all his might was of considerable quality. The stone spears erupting from the ground, without exception, all smashed into the ice sphere and shattered, leaving the three of them without a single hair harmed.

Yet, the more absurd part was not over. It was unclear how the weight of this ice sphere was calculated, but under the assault of numerous stone spears, it actually rolled, smashing directly toward that group of Rock Ninja!

Sometimes Qi truly felt that his practice of Ice Release was extremely similar to learning English in his past life; without the accumulation, it was useless, but once the time came, it could be used with ease.

One had to know that a month ago, Ice Release was still the kind of thing to him that was basically useless other than wasting chakra...

"What kind of ninjutsu is this!?"

By comparison, the Rock Ninja were extremely shocked. The Land of Water, a place where one could enter but not leave, was considered mysterious even by people from the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning, let alone the Land of Earth, which was a hundred thousand miles away. The vast majority of Rock Ninja had never seen what a Mist Ninja looked like in their entire lives, and naturally, they did not know about the Yuki clan.

The Yuki clan had only been active in the Land of Water for the duration of one Daimyo's reign; to those outside the Land of Water, it wasn't even as famous as the Kaguya clan...

"Scatter!"

Seeing such a massive thing smashing toward them, that Chunin shouted again, though this time, his voice was much gloomier.

"Since when did Konoha produce this kind of ninjutsu? This person—if possible, capture him alive!"

"How could I let you scatter!"

Qi smiled coldly inside the ice sphere.

"Split for me!"

The massive ice sphere changed with his shout. Amidst a "crackle," the entire ice sphere disintegrated, turning into a large expanse of sharp ice crystals that swept toward the Rock Ninja below!

If anyone still tried to run at this moment, there would only be one outcome: being pinned to death by the ice crystals...

In an instant, from the outside in, a large expanse of ice crystals swept down from mid-air. Many of the larger ones underwent secondary splitting, increasing the area of lethality. The helpless Rock Ninja had no choice but to stop their attempt to scatter, switching to dodging and blocking the ice crystal attacks.

And the three of them, Qi and the others, landed on the ground almost simultaneously.

"Obito, the granary! The Rock Ninja won't dare to destroy the granary!"

Just as he landed, Qi drew the two katana from his back, waving them to deflect several kunai, and took the lead in charging toward the nearest granary.

"Right!"

Obito also knew the situation was urgent and immediately pulled Ling along to follow. By this time, the ice crystals had all fallen to the ground, and the Rock Ninja were swarming toward the three of them; one step too slow meant death.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

Seeing that a Rock Ninja Genin had already rushed to the front, Obito didn't even think and unleashed a Fireball at the opponent. The orange-red flames immediately forced the other party to dodge, while Ling's delicate face was now covered with a layer of ferocity, flicking her hand to throw a kunai attached with an Explosive Tag, immediately blowing that Rock Ninja away.

However, watching that person roll a few times on the ground and then shakily stand back up, one could see the Rock Ninja's attainments in the Hardening Technique.

This was basically the same principle as not challenging the Uchiha Clan to a Fire Style duel... to each their own specialty...

But with a slight obstruction, the three of them finally managed to rush into the nearest granary in time.

Although it was a supply station, there was no doubt that the granary was more important than the armory. Ninjas had plenty of things they could use to kill people, but there was no choice when it came to eating; if there was no food, they couldn't fight at all.

"Damn it!"

That Chunin also didn't expect these Konoha brats to be so "shameless," and anger finally appeared in his eyes.

"A few of you come with me inside, slaughter those brats who use strange ninjutsu, and try to capture them alive!"

It seemed Qi had bet correctly; the Rock Ninja truly did not dare to destroy the granary...

Of course, what Qi hadn't anticipated was that the other side was also extremely interested in his Ice Release.

However, what they faced first was not these pursuing Rock Ninja, but the garrison ninjas inside the granary. These people had been given strict orders not to leave the granary to prevent anyone from coming to destroy it.

"Konoha ninja! Die!"

The three of them had barely stepped into the granary when a flash of a blade greeted them head-on!

"Someone is here, just as expected!"

Qi was in the lead, so naturally, he was the first to face the attack. He gripped his katana with a reverse hold and blocked it horizontally.

What met his eyes were a pair of eyes radiating the same murderous intent...

"A Genin? Then go to hell!"

After a glance at the opponent's attire and gauging their skill, Qi had already determined this was merely a Genin; naturally, there was nothing to fear.

The pair of swords Uchiha Xiu had given him were truly fine items. Compared to a Kunai, they were of a much higher grade in quality. The two weapons clashed once, and while Qi's katana remained unscathed, the opponent's Kunai was already notched.

"Hiyah!"

Yet, even so, this Rock Ninja Genin showed no fear, simply swapping for a new Kunai and charging forward again.

It was said that Rock Ninja were extremely loyal to their orders, and once a command was given, they would all throw their lives away. It seemed that was indeed true; this person knew they were outmatched, yet showed not a shred of hesitation.

If Konoha was powerful because of the exceptional combat prowess of its individuals, then the Rock Ninja were likely powerful because of their unity. Among the Five Great Villages, Mist and Konoha had the most rogue ninja, while Rock and Kumogakure had the fewest.

"Obito, guard the entrance! Get in here!"

Calling out over his shoulder, Qi channeled Wind Style Chakra into his blade and charged forward again. This time, there was no suspense; the katana easily sheared through the opponent's Kunai and sliced across their chest, spraying a large splash of blood.

But it wasn't over yet. Qi firmly believed what Ogata had told him: the fight wasn't over until the enemy was dead. His second strike followed immediately, decapitating the Rock Ninja Genin and concluding this brief skirmish.

It was at this moment that several more Rock Ninja rushed in from the entrance, among them the Rock Ninja Chunin.

"Kid, what kind of jutsu was that? You aren't from Konoha, are you?"

Aside from the Mist Ninja, the other three great villages all considered defeating Konoha their primary goal. The Rock Ninja's intelligence gathering on Konoha was no less advanced than the others, and this Chunin naturally arrived at such a conclusion.

"I'd have to be sick to tell you that..."

Qi kicked the Rock Ninja he had just killed aside, grouping up with Obito and Ling to firmly hold the corner where the grain was piled most densely.

These supplies were now not only related to the stomachs of the Rock Ninja army but also to their own lives.

"Being stubborn is fine. Once you fall into our hands, whether you want to talk or not will be up to us."

The Rock Ninja Chunin grinned, his face twisted in a grimace.

"Don't think I don't know what you're planning. There won't be any reinforcements; your companions will be hunted down by us soon enough."

This guy had clearly seen through it from the start. No wonder so few people had entered; presumably, the others had all gone to hunt down Kakashi. However...

"As long as you're here, old man, it's not a failure. My companion isn't the type of person a mere Genin can handle."

Qi gave a sinister laugh and scanned his surroundings.

"I'm actually very curious: if this place were burned down, would Iwagakure execute you all directly?"

As if to respond to his words, Obito cooperated perfectly, his hands rapidly forming Fire Style hand seals. His eyes darted around the room, seemingly considering where to start the fire.

"Kid, if you do that, you'll die too!"

The Rock Ninja Chunin's expression turned ugly. If this group really went that crazy, he certainly wouldn't have a good ending.

He suddenly felt a pang of regret; perhaps he shouldn't have insisted on taking them alive? This warehouse of grain was now more important than anything else...

"Dying here is better than falling into your hands."

Qi let out a "Heh" and appeared increasingly relaxed.

By now, not only Qi but also Obito and Ling could see it: this group truly cared about these supplies. Obito made up his mind that if they couldn't hold out, he would set the fire. He wanted to see whether the enemy would choose to kill them first or save the grain!