Crucial Support

Slash, parry, slash again, attack.

Steel clashed against steel, sending sparks flying in every direction.

Kakashi's breathing was ragged, his sword-wielding hand completely numb, and his entire body ached with exhaustion.

The enemy before him was formidable; relying on the advantage of size and raw strength, he forced Kakashi to expend every ounce of his energy with every single swing. After only a few dozen exchanges, every cell in his body was screaming with a sense of powerlessness.

Compared to the fatigue of his body, the exhaustion of his mind was far more troublesome.

His enemies were not limited to the one in front of him; two other Sand Ninja were lurking nearby, waiting for the moment he showed a flaw to launch a thunderous strike.

Therefore, with every attack and defense, he had to calculate repeatedly in his mind, carefully adjusting his positioning to prevent the enemy from seizing an opening.

This kind of overloaded combat caused him to consume a massive amount of physical and mental stamina in a very short time. At this moment, he felt as if his body were made of lead and his eyelids were growing heavier by the second; only the pressure of impending death kept him desperately clinging to consciousness.

Observing the frequency of Kakashi's breathing, the precision of his movements, and the shift in force transmitted through the long blade, the Sand Hidden jonin noticed the change in Kakashi's state and a cold sneer appeared on his face.

"You can't hold on much longer, can you, brat!"

As he spoke, he accelerated the rhythm of his assault, putting even more force into his swings.

The sudden change left Kakashi with no time to adjust, and he hurriedly swung his short blade to meet the attack.

Clang!

A massive force descended, and Kakashi was sent sliding backward by the blow, his feet carving two shallow furrows into the ground until he slammed into a tree, finally steadying himself.

Thud!

The violent impact sent a searing pain through his back, making his whole body feel as if it were falling apart. His breathing rhythm was disrupted, and a suffocating sensation washed over him.

But he had no time to recover; the Sand Hidden jonin would never let such a perfect opportunity for an attack slip by.

The ninja sword traced a graceful arc through the air, hacking down toward Kakashi's neck.

Kakashi ducked, narrowly avoiding the lethal strike.

The long blade bit deep into the tree behind him, burying itself so completely that it seemed to be stuck.

However, the Sand Hidden jonin reacted with lightning speed, giving Kakashi no chance to catch his breath as he launched a kick.

Kakashi, still in a half-crouch, hurriedly raised his arms to block.

Bang!

The tremendous force slammed into his arms, driving them into his own body, and his fist struck his face with uncontrollable force.

The heavy impact distorted his features and left his mind ringing. He was sent flying, tumbling across the ground in a pathetic heap.

The threat of death forced him to scramble to his feet, but by then, the Sand Hidden jonin had already pulled his sword free and was swinging down again.

Clang!

He raised his blade to block once more, but the overwhelming power behind the strike made him stumble, his form completely broken.

And the Sand Hidden jonin's follow-up attack arrived.

A leg shot out from below, and Kakashi had no time to react.

Bang!

A heavy knee strike sent Kakashi flying into the air, his body curling up like a shrimp.

The massive force surged into his body, and Kakashi felt as if his internal organs were being shattered. His eyes bulged, blood mixed with saliva sprayed from his mouth, and after flying two yards, he slammed heavily into the ground.

The barrage of attacks left Kakashi's vision blurred. He struggled to push himself up, and as he turned his head, he saw the Sand Hidden jonin charging toward him with a savage grin.

"Konoha brat, your time is up!"

The Sand Hidden ninja sword was raised high, but Kakashi had no strength left to resist.

Run!

As soon as that thought crossed his mind, Kakashi reached into his ninja pouch, pulled out several shuriken, and hurled them at the Sand Hidden jonin.

"Little tricks like that won't save you." The Sand Hidden jonin sneered, casually batting the shuriken aside. With a triumphant smile, he continued to charge toward Kakashi without slowing down.

The next second, he hurriedly stopped and darted to the side.

BOOM!

A massive fireball grazed his body as it flew past.

Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!

He had used the shuriken to draw attention, then the Great Fireball Technique to force the enemy to stop. Taking this opportunity, Kakashi leaped backward to create distance, then turned and fled.

As a ninja, there was no logic in fighting to the death without retreat. Although Kakashi was stubborn, he wasn't brainless, and he still maintained the necessary rationality.

But he hadn't run more than two steps when a fierce gust of wind rushed toward his face, accompanied by several kunai flying through the air.

The previous continuous onslaught had kept his attention entirely on the Sand Hidden jonin, causing him to overlook the other two enemies.

The strong wind blew him backward, and the moment he landed, he tilted his head to dodge the kunai.

In his peripheral vision, Kakashi caught a glimpse of something tied to the back of the kunai.

At that moment, his pupils constricted, and a chill shot straight to the top of his head.

They were a few ignited explosive tags!

BOOM!

The explosive tags detonated instantly, shattering the ground and sending dust billowing into the air.

Amidst the smoke and dust, Kakashi leaped out horizontally in a sorry state, landing heavily and sliding several meters across the ground.

Although he had reacted at the very last moment, he still hadn't managed to dodge completely. Caught directly in the blast, half of his body was scorched, and his bones and muscles had suffered severe trauma.

Enduring the agonizing pain, Kakashi struggled to his feet.

At that moment, a dark shadow loomed over him.

Kakashi's entire body stiffened. He slowly looked up, and what met his eyes was a Sand Hidden jonin grinning hideously as he raised his blade.

"You're done for now. If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for being a Konoha ninja and daring to attack us all alone."

The Sand Ninja's eyes were vicious, his smile filled with excitement.

This Konoha ninja was no simple opponent; to possess such strength at such a young age meant that if he were allowed to grow, he would become another troublesome enemy.

It was just his misfortune that he was too arrogant, daring to strike at them by himself.

Konoha was truly a cradle for geniuses; the way they renewed and cultivated the younger generation was truly enviable.

Therefore, killing geniuses was his favorite thing to do.

"Go to hell with your regrets, you white-haired brat!" The Sand Hidden jonin raised his long blade and brought it down with force.

Namikaze Minato, who had been watching the situation from the shadows, could no longer hold back and was about to move to save Kakashi.

He had long since placed Flying Thunder God marks on Kakashi and his two teammates; with his speed, this distance was no issue at all.

However, Sen Chisato pressed a hand onto his shoulder, stopping him. "Don't worry, the key reinforcements have arrived."

Namikaze Minato looked in the direction he indicated, finally setting his heart at ease as a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

On the battlefield, the Sand Ninja's blade swung down, and just as it was about to strike Kakashi, several sounds of something piercing the air rang out.

In his peripheral vision, three kunai flew toward them in a triangular formation. Most crucially, there were several explosive tags tied to the back of the kunai!

"Damn it!"

The Sand Hidden jonin cursed under his breath. Forced to abandon his chance to kill Kakashi, he hurriedly retreated backward.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The three kunai embedded themselves into a tree, the explosive tags on them fluttering down without any sign of detonating.

He had been played!

The Sand Hidden jonin's expression turned grim as he turned his head toward the direction from which the kunai had been thrown. Where there had been no one before, a young girl in her early teens now stood, the Konoha forehead protector on her head glaringly obvious.

"Rin!" Kakashi took the opportunity to break away and return to Nohara Rin's side, his legs giving out as he nearly collapsed to the ground.

He had survived!

Only then did he let out a breath, a sense of relief from having escaped death welling up within him.

"Kakashi, are you alright?" Nohara Rin hurriedly supported Kakashi, her face filled with anxiety and concern.

She had rushed over at full speed, yet she hadn't expected to still be a step too late.

Fortunately, she had arrived at the critical moment, saving Kakashi at the very last second.

Otherwise, she would have regretted it for the rest of her life.

"Rin, wait for me!" A boisterous shout emerged from the forest as Uchiha Obito caught up, running until he was completely out of breath.

Arriving beside the two, he immediately noticed Kakashi's miserable state and burst into mockery:

"Hahaha, Kakashi, you're too pathetic! How did you end up like this?"

"Idiot!" Kakashi kept his eyes fixed on the direction of the Sand Ninjas, cursing under his breath without turning his head.

"Obito!" Nohara Rin reminded him angrily, "Stop laughing! There are still enemies in front of us, focus!"

Only then did Obito notice the few Sand Ninjas.

His eyes lit up, showing no signs of fear. He wiped his thumb across his nose, stood with his hands on his hips, and laughed loudly: "No problem, leave these guys to me!"

With that, he charged straight toward the three Sand Ninjas.