The rain was still falling.
Guy's breathing grew heavier.
The third gate of the Eight Inner Gates was open, green steam rising from his body.
Raindrops evaporated as they touched him, forming a thin veil of white mist around him.
The Eight Inner Gates made him stronger, but his body was not even nine years old.
His chakra was limited. So was his physical endurance.
Right now, he could keep the gates open for ten minutes at most.
Half that time had already passed.
Five minutes to deal with two Chunin.
Was it enough?
It was.
But Guy's goal...
Was far more than just two Chunin!
He had long been able to open the fourth gate of the Eight Inner Gates, the Gate of Pain.
He had held back until now.
Once he opened it, he could last less than half a minute.
He had to save those seconds for Iwami Shigezo!
Guy glanced toward Choza.
Choza and Iwami Shigezo were still fighting.
No.
More precisely, Choza was being beaten back.
The Spinach Pill had indeed sent Choza's strength soaring.
His body stood over three meters tall, like a small mountain, and every punch he threw shook the ground.
But Iwami Shigezo refused to meet him head-on.
He kept dodging.
As he did, he wore Choza down with Earth Release.
Earth Style: Earth Spear, Earth Spear, Earth Style: Earth Wall...
One technique after another struck at Choza.
Choza already had several wounds. A stone spear had opened a gash on his left arm, and blood dripped from his fingers.
His breathing had grown ragged, too.
The Spinach Pill would not last much longer.
Guy saw Choza reach into his clothes.
That was where he kept the box of Three-Colored Pills.
Guy's heart tightened.
If Choza took the Curry Pill, he could hold that Jonin off for a while.
But the side effects were severe.
Without prompt treatment from a medical ninja of Tsunade's caliber, it would permanently damage his body.
And Tsunade had no chance of appearing here.
Guy looked away.
He could not drag this out.
He had to finish this quickly, then help Choza.
He tightened his grip on the broadsword.
The blade had curled at the edges, its nicks making it look like a saw.
But it would still serve.
The two Chunin opposite him moved as well.
They did not charge in blindly like the Genin before them.
After exchanging a glance, they both stepped back twice and spread out.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
The one on the left pressed both hands to the ground.
An earthen wall rose in front of Guy.
Guy turned to go around it.
"Earth Style: Earth Spike!"
The one on the right had an arm coated in rock.
A sharp spike thrust out from the side of the wall.
It came from a vicious angle.
Guy raised his sword to block.
Clang!
A Kunai struck the blade, numbing his wrist.
He took a step back.
Three shuriken flew from behind the wall, cutting off his retreat from different angles.
Their coordination was seamless.
One blocked his sight, one attacked up close, and one struck from a distance.
Guy gritted his teeth and twisted aside from two of them.
The third grazed his shoulder, cutting it open.
He glanced down at the wound.
Blood ran down his arm.
The two Chunin gave him no chance to catch his breath.
The earthen wall collapsed.
The Chunin on the left had already finished his hand signs.
"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Bullet!"
Mud gathered into the shape of a dragon, which opened its mouth and charged at him.
This time, Guy did not dodge. He rushed straight toward the Earth Dragon.
At the same time, he crossed his arms in front of him.
Golden Bell Shield!
A faint golden glow appeared around his body.
Boom!!
The Earth Dragon slammed into him. The golden glow shook violently, as though it might be torn apart.
But it held.
The glow faded.
He lowered his arms. Pain pressed against his chest, and a trace of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.
The Golden Bell Shield had not blocked it completely, but it had let him close much of the distance to that Chunin.
The Chunin's eyes widened.
"You took a C-rank ninjutsu head-on?!"
"What the hell are you?!"
The other Chunin gritted his teeth and charged from the side, a layer of rock coating his Kunai.
"Earth Release: Rock Fist!"
His fist doubled in size and hurtled toward Guy's head with a rush of air.
Guy did not dodge.
This was the opening he had been waiting for!
As the Chunin on the side charged, a brief gap opened between him and the one in front.
A three-meter gap.
That was enough.
Guy moved.
He did not charge forward. He rolled sideways.
It was clumsy.
But fast.
The Rock Fist struck the ground, gouging out a pit and spraying muddy water everywhere.
Guy sprang up, his right hand already closing around the broadsword planted in the ground.
The instant he pulled it free, he turned.
"Precept-Breaking Blade, Thirty-Sixth Form!"
"Falling into the Mortal World!"
He had practiced this move tens of thousands of times.
The blade swept through the rain, trailing an arc of light.
For that instant, the battered edge seemed sharp again.
The Chunin at his side had only just drawn back his fist. Before he could steady himself, the flash of the blade was already before his eyes.
Instinctively, he raised an arm to block.
His rock-coated arm came up in front of him.
Clang—
The sword struck the rock, scattering sparks.
The rock cracked.
But it did not shatter.
The Chunin had just begun to grin at his successful block when Guy's leg rose.
Vajra Leg!
His right foot, wreathed in golden light, kicked upward into the Chunin's chin.
Bang!
The man flew up.
Guy leaped after him.
In midair, he gripped the sword with both hands and raised it over his head.
"Precept-Breaking Blade, Fortieth Form!"
"Karma Cutter!"
The blade flashed downward.
Suspended in midair with nothing to push against, the Chunin could only watch it fall.
Slash.
The blade cut into his shoulder and sliced down to his chest.
Blood sprayed out and mingled with the rain.
They landed together.
Guy hit the ground first, dropping to one knee and planting his sword to support himself.
The Chunin crashed down, rolled twice, and lay facedown without moving.
Blood spread beneath him, thinning in the rain.
One remained.
Guy stood and turned.
The last Chunin stood five meters away. He looked at his fallen comrade, then at Guy.
His expression changed.
It was not anger.
It was fear!
"You... what are you?"
Guy did not answer.
He panted, green steam still rising from his body, though it was fainter than before.
His time with the Eight Inner Gates was almost up.
Less than three minutes remained.
The Chunin had clearly noticed, too.
He saw the green steam around Guy fading.
He saw Guy breathing faster.
"Running out of strength?"
Delight flashed across the Chunin's face, then hardened into vicious resolve.
Fear and anger drove him to kill Guy now.
He slammed his hands together.
"Earth Release: Earth—"
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
A huge fireball erupted from the side without warning.
Boom!
The Great Fireball slammed straight into the Iwagakure Chunin's chest!
"Aaaah!"
Flames engulfed him. He frantically channeled chakra to put them out.
But in the next instant,
a flash of light swept past his eyes.
The Iwagakure Chunin went still.
Flames still burned across his body,
yet he did not move.
He was dead.
Dead by Guy's blade.
Dead because of Ebisu's Great Fireball Technique!
That's right. The one who had launched that final fireball was none other than
Ebisu.
Guy had never been fighting alone.
On a battlefield, if you focused only on the enemy in front of you and ignored everyone else,
you would die a terrible, terrible death.