Dule Jiong jumped down and first glanced at the battered Ibiki Morino.
"Hey, Ibiki, how did you end up in such a sorry state?"
Ibiki Morino looked at Dule Jiong's relaxed expression and said gravely, "Not everyone's as lucky as you, with teammates like Anko and Ling."
He pulled the kunai out of his arm and began stopping the bleeding.
With Anko's squad here, he should be safe enough to tend to his wounds without worrying.
Dule Jiong's scalp prickled as he watched Ibiki stick his fingers into the bloody hole in his arm to search for a blood vessel.
Everyone had been pretty normal back at school. How had they all turned into freaks after graduating?
Mitaraishi Anko called out, "Jiong! We're starting!"
Dule Jiong hurriedly formed hand seals and unleashed his ninjutsu.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
"Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique!"
Ibiki Morino watched Anko and Dule Jiong unleash their ninjutsu simultaneously.
A beam of fire shot out, occasionally spitting flames to either side. Those flames resembled a dragon's limbs or dorsal fins as it hurtled straight toward the Stone Ninja.
At the same time, Dule Jiong's Wind Release joined in. The powerful wind pressure propelled the dragon fire, concentrating the Dragon Fire Technique's power while increasing its speed and range.
The fire dragon, several meters thick, hurtled at astonishing speed toward a Stone Ninja Squad perched on a tree trunk.
Of the four Stone Ninja, two actually failed to dodge and screamed inside the fire dragon.
The two who leaped aside fared little better. Flames burned on their bodies, and large patches of their clothes were charred black.
No one had expected two Genin to unleash a combination ninjutsu on such a scale.
Ibiki Morino's face fell at once.
He had never understood why his father was