Rainy Night Battle

Amid a dense clatter of mechanisms, thin black wires tipped with kunai and Explosive Tags came snaking toward them from every direction.

"Whoosh—" "Click-click—"

One dizzying shadow after another whistled and flashed through the air.

Judging by their density, this long-planned attack had accounted for every angle they could use to escape. There was nowhere for them to dodge.

Tiger—Snake—Dragon—Dog. Chiba and Konan's hands moved rapidly through the seals for Earth Style.

"Earth Style: Earth Wall!"

"Earth Style: Earth Wall!"

Two semicircular earthen walls thrust up from the ground and joined together to form a circle in front of them.

At the same time, Nagato and Yahiko instinctively used their own ninjutsu to attack the only opening, above them.

"Boom!"

The shock wave from several Explosive Tags detonating swallowed them completely in a sudden cloud of water vapor.

A moment later, the mist cleared, revealing the group unharmed.

Panting hard, Chiba and the others hadn't expected the man to have another trick like that.

If they hadn't reacted quickly, they probably—

Before they could even recover from the relief of having survived that attack, the ground suddenly shifted again.

Another dense clatter of mechanisms rang out, and more black wires hurtled toward Chiba and the others.

There were even more than before, and, most dangerously, this wave was coming from very close by.

Chiba and the others stared in shock. They had just finished using their ninjutsu and didn't have time to put up another defense.

Watching the young brats in front of him panic, Jing Jiu smiled with satisfaction. There was no way they could defend against an attack like this in time.

But thinking of what he'd had to spend, Jing Jiu couldn't help feeling grim.

For people from great clans, the Explosive Tags and little pills he'd just used might have been nothing—perhaps just supplies wasted during some casual training. But for a civilian ninja like him, they represented savings he'd built up over a long time.

He'd stolen some supplies before defecting, but the long escape had already cost him dearly. This time, he'd used almost everything he'd been saving for an emergency.

To put it bluntly, he'd spent more on this fight than the bounty on his head.

And he had nowhere to replenish those supplies, which made the loss sting even more.

Thinking of the exorbitant prices on the black market, Jing Jiu's expression grew darker and darker.

But just as he was certain the brats had all been taken out, he was astonished to realize his attack might not have worked.

As the mist cleared, Chiba and the others came into view.

Nagato was panting heavily. At the last moment, he had used his Kekkei Genkai to shield the group, unleashing a protective barrier that had saved them.

But it was clear that Nagato hadn't developed his Kekkei Genkai very far. Even with his enormous chakra reserves, that attack had taken a heavy toll on him. And after carrying the burden of the other four's chakra consumption earlier, he was nearly out.

Jing Jiu's expression was naturally dreadful. He hadn't expected those brats to survive an attack on that scale.

Even he wouldn't have stood a chance if he'd been caught in a trap like that. Yet these still-inexperienced children had defended against it without a scratch—not once, but twice.

If he could, Jing Jiu would have fled right then. But when he thought of how little chakra he had left and how the children before him seemed to have bottomless reserves, he decisively abandoned the idea.

If he fought to the death, he might still have a sliver of hope. If he ran, he'd probably just be hunted down and killed.

On the other side, Chiba and the others also looked grim.

Even though Chiba had expected the fight to be difficult, it was proving far harder than he'd imagined.

The man in front of them didn't have any particularly impressive abilities or powerful ninjutsu, yet even his simple tricks and traps had repeatedly put them on the back foot.

Especially that last attack. If not for Nagato's unusual ability, they would have already lost.

Compared with this battle-hardened ninja who had clawed his way out of a pile of corpses, even Chiba could feel the obvious gap between them.

Rainwater dripped down the faces of Chiba and the others, as well as Jing Jiu's.

Both sides stared at each other in silence, their eyes full of murderous intent. They held in a tense stalemate for a moment.

Then both sides charged forward with a roar.

At this point, neither side had any reason to retreat.

"Scrape—"

With the shrill scrape of kunai, the two sides clashed fiercely.

The man was undeniably experienced. He kept changing positions as he fought, never giving Chiba and the others a chance to surround him.

On top of that, the kunai he threw were sharp and struck at tricky angles, constantly putting them at a disadvantage.

"Clang!"

Just as the kunai in Chiba's hand collided with the man's again, Jing Jiu suddenly made a startling move.

He abandoned his defense entirely and thrust straight toward Chiba's chest.

Chiba was momentarily stunned. If he followed through, he could kill the man, but the man would kill him too.

Seeing the ferocious look in Jing Jiu's eyes, Chiba instinctively flinched.

That single move left Chiba wide open, and Jing Jiu struck him in the shoulder.

"Chiba, are you all right?"

Clutching the wound on his shoulder, Chiba shook his head. "I'm fine."

Now that he was out of immediate danger, Chiba felt a little frustrated.

Thinking back, he could have handled that moment much better. Instead, he'd chosen the most foolish option.

He had to admit that at such a critical moment, the man's fearless, do-or-die attitude had gotten to him.

Chiba quickly tightened his sleeve to hold the wound closed, then threw himself back into the fight.

This time, Chiba didn't rush in blindly to attack. Calming down, he began to watch his opponent's movements and coordinate with his teammates.

Although Chiba was injured, the group's attacks began to grow more fierce.

But against Jing Jiu's flawless defense, the fight remained deadlocked.

When it came to taijutsu alone, Jing Jiu undeniably had the advantage.

According to Jiraiya, each of them should have been about as strong as this man, and Nagato might even have surpassed him. But there was no doubt that Chiba and the others leaned more toward ninjutsu, while their taijutsu was limited by their age.

And now that their chakra was almost gone, their opponent naturally had an advantage.

The man's long arms and legs, combined with his experience, made it difficult for Chiba and the others to find an opening.

Quietly watching the man's movements, Chiba tried to predict where he would step next.

In weather like this, he shouldn't be able to notice that technique, right?

As he thought, Chiba secretly formed a hand seal behind Nagato, using his body to hide the movement, and silently recited:

"Earth Style: Mud Swamp Technique."

With the torrential rain, the muddy puddles covering the ground, and the darkness of night, Chiba's technique was nearly imperceptible.

Jing Jiu, caught up in the fight, naturally didn't notice any of it.

Under Chiba's focused gaze, Jing Jiu dodged through the battle and unknowingly stepped into Chiba's mud pit.

"Crack—"