Killed Right After Reaching the Battlefield?

Just then, Fugaku's Sharingan caught the movement of the Iwa chunin whom Akimichi Yoshihisa had knocked back first.

The Sharingan saw through the hand seal sequence—Tiger, Dragon, Goat. It was the Earth Release: Rock Iron Cannon Technique.

Unfortunately, the Sharingan could see through an opponent's movements, but seeing through them did not mean he could evade them. Fugaku's body reacted before his mind, but he only had time to turn sideways.

"Fugaku!"

Minato's voice came from the right flank.

The rock did not hit Fugaku. Minato had already arrived.

Wind Release chakra wrapped around his body, pushing his speed to its limit. His yellow hair nearly became a streak of light as he threw himself into the gap between Fugaku and the rock, crossing his arms before him.

The rock struck Minato's right arm. Bai Ye heard only a soft sound, like a branch snapping. Bone.

Minato's right arm bent at an unnatural angle. The impact sent him flying into Fugaku, and the two of them crashed to the ground three meters away.

"Minato!" Bai Ye forced the word out of his throat. Minato did not answer. He knelt on the ground, his right arm hanging at his side as blood seeped from his sleeve and dripped from the back of his hand onto the earth. His left knee supported him as he tried to stand again.

Bai Ye rushed toward Minato.

He did not notice that the Iwa chunin Yamashiro had forced to the edge of the rock wall had thrown a kunai between him and Minato. An explosive tag was tied to it.

The explosive tag detonated less than five meters to his left. The shockwave flung him away, and shrapnel struck his left arm and the left side of his waist and abdomen at the same time. He spun once in midair as pain spread from his left shoulder through the entire left side of his body.

His left hand would not move.

Bai Ye gritted his teeth, braced himself on the ground with one hand, and stood.

He looked around. Minato's right arm was fractured, and he could not stand. Fugaku supported him, his Sharingan still spinning, but his chakra was nearing the warning line. Yamashiro's left leg had been struck by debris in the recent explosion, blood staining his pant leg dark. Akimichi Yoshihisa's right cheek had also been cut by shrapnel from an explosive tag.

All five of them were injured, while four Iwa shinobi could still fight—the two genin Minato had suppressed and knocked down had risen again, the leading Iwa shinobi had returned from the edge of the rock wall with a kunai in hand and blood at the corner of his mouth, and there was also a lightly injured chunin.

Bai Ye lowered his head and looked at his right hand, feeling the less-than-half of his chakra remaining.

When he raised his head, the Iwa shinobi opposite them were closing in again. Four enemies: two chunin and two genin, all lightly injured. On their side, only Akimichi Yoshihisa retained relatively intact fighting strength. Yamashiro, like him, specialized in taijutsu, but his injured left leg had reduced his combat ability by more than a third. As for the remaining three, Minato had nearly lost all combat ability, Fugaku was almost out of chakra, and half of Bai Ye's body had been injured in the explosion.

"Fugaku," Bai Ye said in a low voice, "can you still form hand seals?"

Fugaku's fingers twitched, then he slowly nodded. "Not much chakra left. At most... two Great Fireballs."

"Minato."

Minato raised his head and tugged at the corner of his mouth as if to say he was fine, but the cold sweat constantly beading on his forehead gave him away.

"Can you run?"

Minato fell silent for a moment. "Yes, but not fast."

Bai Ye nodded. If they could not run fast, they could not break through. If they could not break through, they could not find reinforcements. And if they could not find reinforcements, the five of them could only fight to the death.

"Then we hold." Bai Ye said.

Minato froze for a moment, then the curve of his lips grew slightly wider than before. "Alright."

The Iwa shinobi across from them moved.

It was one of the genin. Under his companion's cover, he circled around from the side, targeting Fugaku. He could tell that Fugaku's chakra was nearly depleted. Minato was protected at the rear, making Fugaku his best target now.

Fugaku turned sideways. Three shuriken slipped from his ninja tool pouch. After a brief hesitation, without chakra enhancement, the Iwa shinobi knocked two aside with his kunai. The third grazed his left shoulder, leaving a shallow bloody mark.

But the Iwa shinobi did not stop.

His kunai stabbed toward Fugaku's chest.

"Partial Expansion Technique!"

Akimichi Yoshihisa's right arm smashed down from the side. The Iwa shinobi was forced to withdraw and retreat, his kunai leaving a white mark across the expanded fist.

"Thanks," Fugaku said.

"Don't thank me." Akimichi Yoshihisa's voice was lower than usual. "How much longer can you hold?"

Fugaku did not answer, because he did not know either.

On the left flank, Yamashiro caught an Iwa chunin's attack. In the collision, the Iwa shinobi's kunai flew from his hand, and Yamashiro's blade followed through toward his opponent's right shoulder.

It hit.

But after landing the strike, Yamashiro's left leg gave out. His knee buckled, and he staggered half a step forward. Seizing the opening, the Iwa shinobi pulled a second kunai from his ninja tool pouch with his left hand and stabbed at Yamashiro. Yamashiro barely twisted aside, but the kunai sliced across his waist, leaving a shallow yet long wound.

Trading injury for injury!

That Iwa shinobi knew very well that Yamashiro's wounds were worse than his. Fighting this way, Yamashiro would be the first to fall.

Yamashiro gritted his teeth and swept his blade horizontally, forcing the Iwa shinobi back, but he himself retreated another half step. Blood from his left leg spread down his pant leg to his shoe. Every step left a bloody print on the ground. A taijutsu specialist's legs were his foundation; with an unstable foundation, even the finest swordsmanship would be weakened.

Bai Ye activated his Instant Step.

His body shot forward, his blade cutting from the side toward the Iwa shinobi attacking Yamashiro. But the Iwa shinobi reacted faster than Bai Ye had expected. The instant the blade swung toward him, he leaped back and thrust his kunai at Bai Ye.

Bai Ye did not dodge. It was not that he did not want to, but the left half of his body was half a beat too slow to react. The explosive tag injuries had left that side somewhat numb, and the kunai grazed his right abdomen, leaving a searing pain.

"Watch out!"

Minato's voice came from behind him. Bai Ye turned and saw that the leading Iwa chunin had already completed his hand seals.

Earth Release: Rock Iron Cannon Technique. A boulder the size of a human head shot from his hand. Its target was not Bai Ye, but Akimichi Yoshihisa.

Akimichi Yoshihisa activated his Expansion Technique. The rock slammed into the arm before him, and the shockwave pushed his body back two meters, his feet plowing two deep furrows into the ground.

At that moment, the genin who had been moving around the edge of the battlefield held his kunai low and kept his body even lower, as though gliding along the ground. His target was—Minato.

Bai Ye's heart skipped a beat.

Minato had nearly lost all combat ability. Against a genin, he would not last three exchanges. Bai Ye did not hesitate. Instant Step—he rushed toward Minato.

But...

The instant he started, his left foot exerted force just a little later than his right. Just that little delay caused the direction of his Instant Step to veer off. He should have charged straight toward the position in front of Minato, but instead he veered to Minato's side.

Too late...

Instant Step!

Pfft!

The sound of a kunai piercing flesh.

Bai Ye dropped to one knee in front of Minato.