The Fatal Blow Under Elemental Opposition

"Clang!"

The sound of metal striking metal rang out. To Qi's astonishment, his slash—which utilized the nature transformation of wind-style chakra and had never failed him before—proved completely ineffective for the first time. The blade came to a dead stop against the opponent's skin.

He had put his full strength into that strike, yet looking at it now, he hadn't even managed to break the skin. What level of Hardening Technique was this!? This was too much!

"Brat! You're courting death!"

That little bastard, he actually dared to slash at me!?

In that moment, the Iwagakure chunin was overcome with rage.

He almost—just barely—considered using Explosion Release to retaliate, but fortunately, he held himself back.

If the granary were destroyed by the enemy, he could explain it away, but if he blew it up himself, he would have no choice but to become a rogue ninja or face certain death.

The very moment the blade sliced through his clothes and struck his back, he had already thrown a fierce punch backward. Years of combat experience allowed him to precisely target where he wanted to strike.

However, Qi's reaction was not slow either. In fact, the moment his blade was blocked by the man's skin, he knew he had made a mistake.

Without a second thought, he immediately held his other blade horizontally across his chest, and at almost the exact same moment, the opponent's fist arrived right on time!

"Bang!"

Without any wasted effort, this punch—first-rate in both speed and power—slammed into the blade before sending Qi, along with his sword, flying backward!

Qi had never been hit by a car, so he didn't know what that felt like, but he conservatively estimated that if an ordinary person were hit by such a punch, the outcome would be about the same as being struck by a vehicle.

"He's an elite chunin!"

Nearly knocked over by that punch, Qi let out a string of curses. After taking that hit, he immediately realized this man was an elite chunin.

Even with the blade acting as a shield, the force of the punch still slammed into his chest, nearly shattering his sternum. Qi could even taste blood in his mouth; clearly, if he hadn't used the blade for defense, his bones would have certainly broken.

Damn it, what kind of strength is this! If he had been a fraction of a second slower, he would have been crippled.

No wonder this level was considered the divide between ninja ranks. Even though they were both chunin, the guy he had taken down earlier was nowhere near this man in terms of reaction speed or raw power.

"Pah! Bad luck!"

Swallowing his frustration, Qi dared not linger. The moment his feet touched the ground, he retreated and vanished back into the mist.

Glancing back, he clearly saw the Iwagakure chunin charging in a fury toward the spot where he had just landed. The man flicked his hands, sending several kunai flying in all directions, one of which grazed Qi's cheek.

What a rude bastard. Doesn't he know littering is prohibited in public spaces?

Qi couldn't help but shiver. There was no doubt about it: this guy was a master of taijutsu. If he tried to engage him in close-quarters combat, it would definitely end badly.

It wasn't that Qi was significantly worse than this chunin—he was also an elite chunin—but he wasn't a taijutsu-type ninja by nature. Even having a teacher like Ogata couldn't change that fundamental fact. He could handle others who weren't skilled in taijutsu, but going up against a master was just asking for a beating.

"This guy is trouble... I should kill the other Iwagakure ninja first!"

Having made up his mind, Qi moved far away from the Iwagakure ninja and turned to approach the others.

"Trying to run!?"

The Iwagakure chunin's face was murderous. Whether he had done something earlier or not, he now tracked Qi's position with uncanny accuracy. With a stomp of his foot, he lunged forward!

"Brat, now that you're marked with my chakra, do you think you can still run!?"

Chakra!?

Qi's expression changed instantly. He thought of that kunai from earlier!

*** Don't tell me it's that sinister? Who exactly is this guy... Did I just have a streak of bad luck and run into a scion of an Iwagakure noble clan?

"Take this!"

With a shout, a massive fist burst out of the mist. At this distance, even the Iwagakure chunin could clearly see Qi's face.

"Die!"

Qi let out a roar of his own. As the opponent's fist tore through the mist, he finished his one-handed seal. Suddenly, a sheet of ice crystals swept toward the Iwagakure ninja from all sides, crashing down upon him!

"Ice Release is a forbidden technique only found in the Land of Water! Get out of my way!"

In his haste, the man forgot to correct himself, still assuming Qi was from the Land of Water. Seeing the ice crystals rushing toward him, he moved his hands to finish a seal and opened his mouth!

"Whoosh!"

Like the sound of gravel being scattered, a significant amount of soft, clay-like earth erupted from his mouth, colliding squarely with Qi's ice crystals.

"Boom!"

They were in the center of the granary, where the space was wide and open. Every piece of earth that struck the ice crystals exploded at almost the same moment. The large sheet of ice was instantly shattered, and the shards were vaporized by the remaining heat. Aside from adding more density to the thick fog, the attack caused no damage to the granary.

"What exquisite control!"

Qi's eyes lit up. No matter how thick the fog was, it didn't affect him, and he saw the Iwagakure ninja's move clearly. He couldn't help but admire it.

"But it's not like before; I'm not afraid of you in a one-on-one! Your companions won't be able to stop my blade!"

"Fine, I didn't expect you to be a Mist Ninja, otherwise I never would have let you charge into the granary!"

The Iwagakure chunin sneered repeatedly.

"I should have guessed. Konoha hasn't had anyone using Water Release for years, so how could you be a ninja trained by Konoha!"

As the two spoke, the sound of weapons clashing echoed from the other side of the mist. Clearly, Obito and Rin were already engaged with the other Iwagakure ninja.

"I won't let you go to assist your companions. Your Hidden Mist Technique is useless against me now; I've marked you, so give up!"

Seeing that Qi seemed to be trying to slip past him to launch a sneak attack, the Iwagakure chunin wasn't about to let him have his way. He charged forward immediately, raising his fist to smash down.

He had already witnessed the sharpness of Qi's blade; his companions certainly couldn't block it—it was a one-hit kill for them. Even standard kunai were sliced in two, so he simply relied on his own Hardening Technique to counter it.

"You're so annoying! Always getting in the way!"

Qi didn't want to take a hit, so he shifted his body to dodge, simultaneously slashing twice. However, he only managed to tear the man's clothes, and aside from a metallic clanging sound, he didn't even leave a mark.

What kind of monster is this guy? His Hardening Technique is trained to an absurd level!

"If I can't hack you to death, I'll freeze you to death!"

During the few exchanges between them, Qi had roughly figured out that this guy's Hardening Technique was truly solid; his blade simply couldn't break through the defense.

No wonder Ogata said that if he ever encountered a master of the Iwagakure Hardening Technique, he shouldn't bother with melee—just blast them with ninjutsu! These turtle shells were truly disgusting to deal with.

"Stop right there!"

With his hands pressed together, the mist surrounding Qi suddenly churned and surged directly toward the Rock Ninja, while the temperature plummeted!

Although Ice Release was based on ice, it didn't mean the ice had to be formed every single time. All three states of water could be used as a medium for attacks, which was quite convenient, and he was indeed capable of utilizing some of it now.

Before the mist even reached the Iwagakure chunin, a significant amount of fine crystals had already formed due to the rapid drop in temperature. It was clear that the temperature was exceptionally low; being enveloped by it would surely lead to a miserable end.

"So cold... This brat, his ninjutsu is powerful!"

The Iwagakure chunin was about to force his way through, but before he could take a single step, he felt the chill penetrate his body, making him shiver uncontrollably. Looking down, he saw that a layer of frost had actually covered his body!

"Wind Release! Wind Cutter!"

Seeing the cold air about to engulf him, the Rock Ninja didn't dare to charge anymore. As he retreated rapidly, he performed a few hand seals and swung his hand.

Swoosh!

A sound like fabric being sliced rang out. The cold current controlled by Qi was abruptly cut in two by the Rock Ninja. The incomparably sharp wind blade continued its momentum, slashing directly toward Qi!

This guy knows Wind Release too!?

Without a second thought, Qi performed a desperate roll to dodge. Because the distance between them was so close, he was narrowly missed, having a few strands of his hair cut off in the process.

This was a real headache. Both of them were bloodline limit ninjas, and both happened to know Wind Release—if this kept up, it would turn into a war of attrition!

Aren't ninjas who use Wind Release supposed to be a tiny minority!? How did I run into one so easily!? Is something wrong with the world!?

However, no matter how troublesome it was, it would end here...

"What a pain... Why would someone like you come to guard a warehouse..."

Qi suddenly smiled, a very happy smile.

"It's not worth dying here, old man..."

As soon as he finished speaking, a dazzling silver blade light suddenly tore through the thick fog. Carrying an unstoppable, fierce momentum, it appeared from behind the Rock Ninja and slashed straight down!

"Huh!?"

The Rock Ninja's reflexes were extremely sharp—Qi had already fully witnessed this earlier. Almost the exact moment the blade light appeared, he had already spun around to look.

"White Fang of the Leaf!? That's impossible! You can't be here!"

An unexpected situation occurred, one that left Qi completely dumbfounded: the previously arrogant, badass, and flashy Rock Ninja, upon just a single glance, let out a wail as if his parents had died. Not only did his entire body freeze up, but his eyes widened to the size of saucers, filled with sheer terror!

He had actually... just by seeing the White Fang Short Blade, mistaken Kakashi, who hadn't even fully revealed his form yet, for the White Fang of the Leaf, who was supposed to be dead!

Even if it was the power of a famous name... this was just too exaggerated.

"I'll fight you to the death!"

Under Qi's "are you an idiot" gaze—which was a mix of annoyance and amusement—the Iwagakure chunin, perhaps having lost his mind, didn't even bother to dodge. He swung his fist and smashed it directly toward Kakashi, who was still partially obscured by the mist.

"Stop right there!"

How could Qi let him have his way? Now was the best time to kill this man. He pressed his hands together, repeating his previous trick, and a large wave of cold mist surged up once again!

This time, the Rock Ninja, whose composure had been completely shattered by his own fear, couldn't dodge at all. Almost instantly, his movements became visibly stiff; thick layers of ice covered the joints of his limbs, looking quite comical.

However, this comedy quickly turned into tragedy. The next moment, the White Fang Short Blade flashed with a brilliant light, and with a single strike, it sliced the Rock Ninja in two from head to toe!

Lightning beats Earth. Even though they were both elite chunin, Kakashi's match-up against this man demonstrated the terrifying nature of elemental superiority. The Hardening Technique that Qi found so incredibly troublesome was exceptionally fragile under Kakashi's blade!