Three days later, just as expected, a third group arrived. As the Chunin had said, there was one Jonin and five Chunin. It seemed this matter had indeed caught the attention of Honey Flower Village's higher-ups.
Guy charged out first and engaged the Jonin. Rock Lee was the second to go, and the two master and student immediately launched into a flurry of punches and kicks. Neji joined them as well. It was three against five: Guy took on the Jonin, while Neji and Rock Lee each fought two Chunin.
One Chunin remained, interfering with Guy from the sidelines.
"Tenten, stay in the cave." After saying that, Yin Xiang charged out too, leaving only Shikaku and Tenten inside.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!" Yin Xiang ran forward, forming Hand Seals as he went. A gust of wind sent the Chunin harassing Guy flying. "Nice one, Yin Xiang!" Guy kicked the Jonin back and gave Yin Xiang a thumbs-up.
"No big deal." Yin Xiang smiled, then ran over to fight the Chunin.
Rock Lee and Neji were both strong, well beyond the average Genin, but they were still having a hard time against Honey Flower Village's two Chunin. Yin Xiang needed to finish off this Chunin quickly and go help them.
"Rasengan!" The Chunin had only just gotten to his feet when a huge ball slammed into his face, leaving him a bloody mess. His head nearly burst open. This was nothing like the anime: the Rasengan spun so fast that, when it hit someone in the face, it could peel the skin right off.
"Ah!!" The Chunin was sent flying by the Rasengan. He crashed into a tree and lay motionless.
"Teacher Shikaku, aren't you going to help?" Tenten asked, watching the fight outside.
"They can handle it." Shikaku smiled as he watched, making no move to intervene.
"Rock Lee, I'll help you." Seeing that the Chunin had collapsed and couldn't get back up, Yin Xiang went to help Rock Lee. Neji was holding his own, but Rock Lee was having a somewhat harder time fighting two opponents at once.
"No need!" Rock Lee still had a smile on his face as he fought the two men to a standstill. "Leaf Whirlwind!" He planted both hands on the ground and spun his legs around, knocking the two Chunin back.
"I'm just getting warmed up." Rock Lee landed with one hand behind his back and the other extended toward the two Chunin.
"What about Neji?" Yin Xiang looked over at him. "Rotation!" Neji was using Rotation to deflect several Kunai the enemy had thrown. Yin Xiang hadn't expected Neji to have figured out Rotation on his own already.
"I'm fine too. Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms!" After answering, Neji struck one of the Chunin in front of him with Thirty-Two Palms, driving him back step by step. The Chunin behind him watched the flurry of blows and didn't dare approach.
"All right." Yin Xiang nodded, then glanced back at the cave. Shikaku had been acting strange throughout the journey, and this time he hadn't helped either. He was smiling more than usual, too. Yin Xiang couldn't shake the odd feeling he was giving him.
"Leaf Great Whirlwind!" Guy spun in midair and kicked at the Jonin. "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!" The Jonin jumped back and sent a huge fireball flying at Guy. Guy's kick scattered it outright.
The Jonin was stunned. He hadn't expected Guy to kick apart a Great Fireball Technique with Taijutsu. "Leaf Strong Whirlwind!"
Before he could recover from the shock, Guy was already in front of him. He kicked the Jonin in the face and sent him flying, blood streaming from his nose as he traced an arc through the air.
"Dynamic Entry!" Before the Jonin even hit the ground, Guy chased after him and kicked him again.
Bang!
The Jonin slammed into a tree, his eyes unfocused. He nearly blacked out.
"Don't bother struggling. Teacher Guy hasn't even gotten serious yet." Yin Xiang smiled as he walked over and tied the Jonin up tightly with rope.
"He's so weak. I didn't even get to fight properly." Guy stood off to the side with a helpless look. The ninjas from this small country were far too weak.
Hearing Guy say that, Yin Xiang felt an inexplicable shiver, but he didn't pay it much mind. He tied up the Jonin and brought him into the cave.
"Shadow Leaf Dance!" Rock Lee had already taken down one Chunin. Now he moved at a speed too fast for the eye to follow, appearing in front of the other and kicking him into the air before landing another heavy blow. The two Chunin crashed into each other and passed out.
"Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!" Neji used Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms as well, sending both Chunin flying. They coughed up blood and collapsed unconscious.
"That takes care of all five." Yin Xiang smiled. "Hey, I thought you were a Jonin. How are you this weak?" He squatted beside the Jonin and spoke to him.
The man looked middle-aged. As Yin Xiang crouched beside him, he only glanced at the boy. That kid had taken down the Chunin in just two moves, defeating him in an instant. Were all Konoha ninjas monsters?
"Lee, come help with the bodies." Neji dragged the two bodies on the ground and called to Rock Lee. "Okay." Rock Lee grabbed the two men by their legs and walked over to the tree, while Yin Xiang dragged the Chunin he had killed with his other hand. The two of them headed toward the cliff together.
"What are you Konoha ninjas doing here?" the Jonin asked as Guy walked back.
"Carrying out a mission," Guy replied directly.
"A mission?" The Jonin was dumbfounded. What kind of mission was this? Why had they killed so many ninjas from the Land of Filling?
"The mission we took is to end the war between your two countries. It's an S-rank mission," Yin Xiang said with a smile.
"You're just telling me your mission like that?" The Jonin was bewildered again. A mission like that had to be confidential, didn't it? Why tell him so casually?
"You're going to die anyway. It makes no difference whether we tell you or not." Yin Xiang narrowed his eyes and smiled at him. The Jonin shuddered at the sight of the boy's smile. Why was it so terrifying?
"This child..." Behind Yin Xiang, Shikaku listened to his tone and recalled the spine-chilling smile he had given the Chunin earlier. He silently repeated the words to himself.
Rock Lee and Neji soon returned as well, and they carried the Jonin to the back. When he saw Yamashin, Miji, and the other two Chunin there, his face fell.
But as Yin Xiang and the others headed back to the cave, several figures appeared from the woods.
"Konoha ninjas. I knew something was fishy." A middle-aged man stood at the front, with two masked ninjas behind him.
"Go back and bring reinforcements. I'll guard the entrance and kill them all," the middle-aged man continued.
"Yes," one of the ninjas behind him replied, then disappeared.
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