Rock Iron was a veteran who had spent over twenty years at war.
From taking the battlefield at sixteen until today, he had fought no fewer than eight hundred battles, if not a thousand. He had seen everything, from massive frontal engagements to assassinations in dark alleys.
But he had never seen anyone like this.
One person—a young man who had even removed his ANBU mask—stood at the center of an encirclement of one hundred and thirty-seven ninja. He had been hit by dozens of ninjutsu attacks, yet he looked as though nothing had happened.
What was that black stuff?
It was not Earth Release hardening. He recognized the chakra fluctuations of Earth Release hardening. That was not it.
It was not Iron Armor Technique, either. Iron Armor Technique used Lightning Release conductors and was grayish white, not this pure black.
Then what was it?
"Don't just stand there!" Rock Iron roared. "Keep attacking! Tighten the mid-range encirclement; don't give him time to catch his breath! Jonin squad, prepare the second-stage combination ninjutsu!"
He had not spent twenty years as a soldier for nothing. If something would not die, increase the firepower. It was the simplest principle.
The jonin in the second row began forming hand seals at the same time.
But Yan did not give them the chance to finish.
He moved.
The black figure that had stood completely still a second earlier vanished from everyone's sight the next.
It was not the Body Flicker Technique. Body Flicker had chakra fluctuations as a tell before activation. But this man's movement had no tell at all.
He had simply—run.
Relying purely on his physical prowess and the explosive force enhanced by Armament Haki, he crossed more than ten meters in a single step.
The nearest three-man squad did not even