Critical Support

He swung, blocked, then swung again, pressing the attack.

Blades clashed, sending sparks flying.

Kakashi's breathing was ragged. The hand gripping his blade had gone completely numb, and his whole body ached.

The enemy before him was strong. With his size and strength, he forced Kakashi to put everything he had into every swing. After just a few dozen exchanges, every cell in Kakashi's body seemed to be telling him he was running out of strength.

Worse than his body's exhaustion was the strain on his mind.

His enemy wasn't just the one in front of him. Two Sand Ninja were lurking nearby, waiting for him to leave an opening so they could strike like lightning.

So with every attack and every defense, he had to calculate his moves over and over, carefully adjusting his position to keep the enemy from finding an opening.

The grueling fight was draining both his physical and mental strength at an alarming rate. His body felt heavy, his eyelids drooping. Only the threat of death kept him desperately alert.

Judging by Kakashi's breathing, his movements, and the changes in the force behind his blade, the Sand Hidden Jonin noticed his deteriorating condition and sneered.

"You're about to give out, brat!"

As he spoke, he sped up his attacks, swinging with even greater force.

The sudden change caught Kakashi off guard, and he hurriedly swung his short blade.

Clang!

The massive force sent Kakashi skidding backward. His feet carved two shallow furrows in the ground, and he didn't stop until he crashed into a tree.

Thud!

The impact made his back burn with pain. His whole body felt as if it were falling apart, his breathing thrown into disarray as a suffocating sensation swept over him.

But he had no time to recover. The Sand Hidden Jonin wouldn't let such a perfect opportunity pass.

His Ninja Blade swept through the air in a graceful arc, chopping down toward Kakashi's neck.

Kakashi ducked, narrowly avoiding the lethal blow.

The long blade sank all the way into the tree behind him, as if it had gotten stuck.

But the Sand Hidden Jonin reacted quickly. Giving Kakashi no chance to catch his breath, he kicked out.

Kakashi dropped into a half-crouch and quickly raised an arm to block.

Thump!

The powerful blow smashed into his arm, driving it into his body. His fist slammed uncontrollably into his own face.

The force distorted his features, and his head rang. He was sent flying, then rolled across the ground in a heap.

The threat of death made him get back up at once. By then, the Sand Hidden Jonin had pulled out his long blade and was swinging again.

Clang!

Kakashi raised his blade to block once more, but the tremendous force made him stumble, ruining his stance.

The Sand Hidden Jonin followed up with another attack.

A leg shot up from below, too fast for Kakashi to react.

Thump!

A heavy knee strike sent Kakashi hurtling into the air, his body curled like a shrimp.

The force tore through him. Kakashi felt as though his organs were about to be crushed. His eyes bulged, and blood mixed with saliva sprayed from his mouth. He flew several yards before crashing hard to the ground.

The relentless blows blurred Kakashi's vision. He forced himself to his feet and turned to see the Sand Hidden Jonin charging toward him with a sneer.

"You're finished, Konoha brat!"

The Sand Ninja raised his blade, but Kakashi could no longer fight back.

Run!

At the thought, Kakashi reached into his ninja pouch, pulled out several Shuriken, and hurled them at the Sand Hidden Jonin.

"Cheap tricks like that won't save you." The Sand Hidden Jonin sneered and casually knocked the Shuriken aside. Grinning smugly, he kept charging at Kakashi without slowing down.

The next moment, he abruptly stopped and darted to the side.

Boom!

A huge fireball grazed past him.

Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!

Kakashi had used the Shuriken to draw his attention, then forced him to stop with the Great Fireball Technique. Taking advantage of the opening, Kakashi jumped backward to create some distance, then turned and ran.

As a ninja, there was no reason to fight to the death. Kakashi was stubborn, but he wasn't stupid. He still had his wits about him.

But he had barely taken two steps when a fierce gust of wind slammed into him, accompanied by several Kunai.

He'd been so focused on the Sand Hidden Jonin during their earlier exchanges that he'd lost track of the other two enemies.

The wind blew him backward. The moment he hit the ground, he turned his head to dodge the Kunai.

From the corner of his eye, Kakashi caught sight of something tied to the Kunai.

His pupils contracted. A chill shot through him.

They were several lit Explosive Tags!

Boom!

The Explosive Tags detonated in an instant, blasting apart the ground and kicking up clouds of dust.

Through the smoke, Kakashi staggered out with a desperate sideways leap. He hit the ground hard and slid several yards.

He'd reacted at the last moment, but still hadn't managed to dodge completely. The explosion had caught him, burning one side of his body and badly damaging his muscles and bones.

Ignoring the pain, Kakashi struggled back to his feet.

A shadow fell over him.

Kakashi stiffened and slowly looked up. The Sand Hidden Jonin stood before him, grinning as he raised his blade.

"Now you're dead for sure. You should've known better than to attack us alone, Konoha ninja."

The Sand Ninja's eyes were vicious, and his smile was full of excitement.

This Konoha ninja was no ordinary opponent. He was young, yet already this strong. If he were allowed to grow up, he'd become another difficult enemy to deal with.

Fortunately, he was too arrogant, bold enough to come after them alone.

Konoha really was a cradle of geniuses. The way they trained and raised their younger generation was enough to make anyone jealous.

That was why he loved killing geniuses.

"Go to hell with your regrets, white-haired brat!" The Sand Hidden Jonin raised his long blade, then brought it down hard.

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

He had already placed Flying Thunder God Marks on Kakashi and the others. At his speed, the distance was no problem at all.

But Sen Chisato pressed a hand to his shoulder, stopping him. "Don't worry. The crucial support is here."

Namikaze Minato looked in the direction he indicated and finally relaxed, a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

On the battlefield, the Sand Ninja's long blade fell, just about to strike Kakashi, when several whistles cut through the air.

From the corner of his eye, he saw three Kunai flying toward them in a triangular formation. More importantly, several Explosive Tags were tied to them!

"Damn it!"

The Sand Hidden Jonin cursed under his breath. Reluctantly abandoning his chance to kill Kakashi, he hurriedly sprang back.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The three Kunai struck a tree. The Explosive Tags tied to them fluttered down, showing no signs of detonating.

He'd been tricked!

The Sand Hidden Jonin's face darkened as he turned toward the direction the Kunai had come from. The place that had been empty a moment ago now held a young girl in her teens, the Konoha Headband on her forehead impossible to miss.

"Rin!" Kakashi seized the chance to get away and made it back to Nohara Rin's side. His legs gave out, and he nearly collapsed.

He was alive!

Only then did he finally breathe a sigh of relief, overwhelmed by the feeling of having escaped death.

"Kakashi, are you all right?" Nohara Rin hurried to support him, worry and concern written all over her face.

She'd rushed over as fast as she could, but she'd still almost arrived too late.

Thank goodness she'd made it in time and saved Kakashi at the last moment.

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

"Rin, wait for me!" came a loud, flustered shout from the woods. Uchiha Obito came running after her, gasping for breath.

When he reached them, he immediately noticed Kakashi's miserable state and burst into laughter.

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

"Idiot!" Kakashi kept his eyes on the Sand Ninja and muttered the insult without turning around.

"Obito!" Nohara Rin scolded him. "Stop laughing. There are still enemies right in front of us. Focus!"

Only then did Obito notice the Sand Ninja.

His eyes lit up. He didn't show the slightest fear. Instead, he swiped his thumb beneath his nose, planted his hands on his hips, and laughed. "No problem! I'll take care of these guys myself!"

With that, he charged straight at the three Sand Ninja.