"Are you telling me that the only ones left from Konoha's reconnaissance unit are you two?"
Gari's gaze swept across the outpost, his voice dripping with undisguised contempt. "Where's that Orochimaru guy? Don't tell me he ran off and left you behind."
Uchiha Jun didn't answer.
His eyes stayed fixed on the Iwa-nin before him as he rapidly recalled everything he knew about Explosion Release.
Explosion Release, a Kekkei Genkai.
It let its user detonate anything they touched at close range.
If Gari's fist hit him—even if it only grazed him—the explosion would catch him in its blast.
Close combat would be suicide!
"Jun, fall back."
Yamazaki Kengo barked the order, drew his sword, and charged.
Uchiha Jun was just about to follow when he sensed another chakra rapidly approaching—it was another Jonin!
He stopped at once and formed Hand Seals.
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
A thick wall of water surged up from the ground, just in time to block a Rock Fist attacking from the side.
"Oh? Water Release?"
The Iwa-nin Jonin emerged from the shadows, surprise on his face. "A Uchiha from Konoha using Water Release? Interesting."
Uchiha Jun didn't reply. He put on a nervous expression, stumbled backward a few steps, and knocked over a table.
His movements looked panicked, but every step was calculated. He was now standing in the outpost's narrowest passage, with walls on either side. The Iwa-nin could only attack him from the front.
And a Genin panicking in the face of a Jonin was only natural.
The Iwa-nin Jonin fell for it. Grinning, he strode forward, ready to finish off this "scared witless" kid in one blow.
Meanwhile, Yamazaki Kengo had already engaged Gari.
Both men moved at their limits, sword flashes and fists clashing. Every impact rang out with the shrill clang of metal and a wave of scorching air.
Yamazaki Kengo was no weakling among the Special Jonin, but his left arm and right leg were injured, and his movements were clearly less nimble than usual.
Gari, on the other hand, grew more ferocious with every exchange. His fists were like a pair of sledgehammers, each blow landing with an explosive roar.
"What's wrong, Konoha Jonin? Is that all you've got?"
Gari laughed wildly as he slammed a fist into Yamazaki Kengo's blade.
The force of the blast sent Yamazaki Kengo staggering back several steps, and another bloody gash opened on the arm gripping his sword.
Uchiha Jun wasn't faring any better.
The Iwa-nin Jonin might not have been famous, but he was still a Jonin. His Taijutsu, ninjutsu, and combat experience all far surpassed those of an ordinary Chunin.
His punches and kicks landed with incredible force, numbing Uchiha Jun's arms with every blow.
"Kid, your Water Release is decent, but that's all you've got!"
The Iwa-nin Jonin snorted and formed Hand Seals.
"Earth Style: Rock Fist Jutsu!"
His right arm was instantly encased in stone, transforming into a massive rock fist that smashed toward Uchiha Jun.
Uchiha Jun's pupils contracted. At this distance, he couldn't dodge in time.
Secret Scroll: Chakra!
In an instant, a warm current surged through Uchiha Jun's body, and the Secret Scroll's power replenished all the chakra he'd already spent!
At the same time, Uchiha Jun formed a Summoning Seal.
"Summoning Technique!"
Poof!
A cloud of smoke burst open in front of the Iwa-nin Jonin, and a golden Shiba Inu sprang out. It was Mofang!
"Woof—!"
The moment Mofang appeared, his whole body shot forward, turning into a golden blur as he slammed straight into the Iwa-nin Jonin's face!
The Iwa-nin Jonin never expected the Konoha kid he'd been driving back to still have enough strength to summon an animal.
His Rock Fist was already halfway through its swing, and he couldn't pull it back. Caught off guard, he could only turn his head instinctively to evade Mofang's charge.
Now!
Seizing the instant the Iwa-nin Jonin's attention wavered, Uchiha Jun darted forward instead of retreating, skimming past the edge of the Rock Fist.
The fist smashed into the wall behind him, blasting a huge hole through it. Shards of stone flew everywhere, and the shock wave tore several holes in the back of his combat uniform.
Taking advantage of the opening, Uchiha Jun brought his hands together, and chakra erupted from his body!
"Multiple Explosive Tags Jutsu!"
In an instant, countless Explosive Tags shot from Uchiha Jun's pouch and sleeves, like snow-white butterflies, swarming over the Iwa-nin Jonin and sticking to his entire body.
The Explosive Tags glowed with a blinding red light, radiating a chakra pressure that made the blood run cold.
The Iwa-nin Jonin's eyes widened. The contempt on his face finally gave way to terror. "Are you insane?! If you set them off at this range, you'll get caught in the—"
"Explode!"
Uchiha Jun roared. His chakra surged around him in a raging current, forming a buffer, and every Explosive Tag detonated at once!
"BOOM—!!!"
A deafening explosion thundered through the outpost, and flames instantly swallowed the narrow passage.
The scorching shock wave brought down most of the surrounding walls. Stone and dust shot into the air, and the entire outpost shuddered violently.
Yamazaki Kengo, who was locked in combat with Gari, was startled by the sudden blast. He caught sight of flames surging above the passage and felt his heart sink. "Jun!!"
Gari seized the opportunity to punch Yamazaki Kengo back, grinning. "Looks like that kid's done for. Now it's your—"
Before he could finish, a figure suddenly shot out of the smoke.
Uchiha Jun flew backward out of the thick smoke, clutching Mofang, whose fur had been scorched black. He slammed into the ground and rolled several times before coming to a stop.
His combat uniform was in tatters, a bloody gash marked his arm, and his face was caked in dust.
The instant Mofang was flung clear of the blast zone, he turned into a cloud of smoke and disappeared.
"Fuck... That hurt like hell."
Uchiha Jun spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, his voice as hoarse as if he'd just swallowed a mouthful of sand.
At the instant the tags detonated, he'd used Mofang as a living shield in front of himself.
Summoning Animals might not die, but they could still feel pain.
Before disappearing, Mofang had shot him a furious glare. Translated, it meant: Jun, are you seriously doing this to me?!
Mofang had blocked most of the blast's direct force, and the vitality of Uchiha Jun's Senju Bloodline had helped him tough out the rest of the shock wave.
He looked like a complete mess, but his internal organs and bones had escaped serious injury.
The Iwa-nin Jonin, however, hadn't been so lucky.
As the smoke cleared, the Iwa-nin Jonin came back into view.
He was charred from head to toe, his combat uniform blown to shreds. One arm dangled at an unnatural angle, and burns and lacerations from the Explosive Tags covered his body.
The Rock Fist on his right arm had been blasted apart, and the rocks protecting him had fallen away like a shattered eggshell.
But he was still standing!
Damn, he'd taken a full-on ultimate move to the face and survived.
That's too good to be true.
"Cough, cough..."
The Iwa-nin Jonin hacked up mouthfuls of black smoke. Blood had sealed his right eye shut, but his left burned with towering fury.
"You bastard... You actually tricked me?!"
He was a Jonin, for crying out loud, and a Konoha Genin had blasted him point-blank with Explosive Tags until he looked like this!
If word got back to Iwagakure, he'd never live it down.
Uchiha Jun leaned against the trunk of a large tree, gasping for breath.
Hearing this, Uchiha Jun grinned.
"If you suck, practice more. If you can't take a loss, don't play!"
"If a Genin can trick you, is that giant tumor on your shoulders just there to make you taller? Ahahaha!"
The veins bulged on the Iwa-nin Jonin's face. He raised a hand to deliver a finishing blow.
But just then, a cold wind swept across the battlefield.