A Barely Decent Opponent

Kakashi glanced around and indeed saw twelve corpses on the ground, all of them rogue ninja from the Land of Grass.

He was once again deeply shaken.

This means that Lin Yan was right; he wasn't wrong. There were indeed twelve enemies lying in ambush here, waiting to ambush them.

"Does your insight also come from the ' Six Powers '?"

Itachi couldn't help but ask.

"Six Powers?"

Kakashi's heart skipped a beat, but he observed the two of them discreetly.

At this moment, Lin Yan shook her head and smiled, "No, this is another kind of power called ' Haki '."

"Much more powerful than the Six Powers."

He wouldn't mind telling Kakashi and Itachi about this.

Anyway, they might not be able to control it.

Moreover, given Lin Yan's current strength, even if Kakashi and Itachi knew her secret, it wouldn't have any impact on her.

They struggled to handle even a single Six Powers weapon.

When using the Three-Color Haki, combined with the Six Powers, one can basically handle even Kage-level opponents with ease, unless encountering Six Paths level - Shadow Level powerhouse.

"Isn't that Haki...?"

Itachi silently kept in mind what Lin Yan had just said.

Kakashi also keenly sensed that Itachi was intentionally gathering information about Lin Yan.

He remained calm and, after a while, seeing that neither of them was speaking, he said, "Let's go. Once we cross the border, we'll be in the territory of the Land of Hot Water in a little while."

"But we still cannot let our guard down."

"Even after entering the Land of Hot Water, there is still a possibility of encountering enemies."

Kakashi reminded the other two.

"Then let them give it a try."

Lin Yan shrugged indifferently.

Let's keep moving forward.

In fact, Lin Yan's Observation Haki can perceive even further distances.

By this time, he already knew that there were still enemies lying in ambush ahead.

However, Lin Yan chose not to say it again.

"That would make them think I'm a monster..."

Lin Yan chuckled inwardly.

The three men escorted Rocky, and they quickly crossed the border area.

They successfully entered the territory of the Land of Hot Water.

The scenery here has begun to change; the trees lining the roads are no longer the tall, primeval forests found in the Land of Fire.

The Land of Hot Water is a very leisurely little country.

The maple leaves here are beautiful.

The maple trees rustling along the roadside were making a sound.

It sounds as if countless enemies are lurking within.

The commotion created by the wind sweeping through the trees is a good form of camouflage.

The sounds that allow enemies to approach are perfectly concealed within, making them impossible to guard against.

"You need to be careful."

Lin Yan suddenly reminded her at this moment.

Kakashi's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this, and his eyes instantly darkened.

Because he did indeed sense a trace of murderous intent spreading outwards.

Itachi was ready to strike at any moment.

"This enemy's aura is considerably stronger than the previous ones..."

"Looks like he's about your level, Captain Kakashi. A barely worthy opponent."

Lin Yan then smiled again.

Kakashi frowned slightly upon hearing this.

About the same as me?

Is he a barely passable opponent?

Thank you so much!

Is there only one enemy?

"Itachi asked."

He now knew that Lin Yan's insight was extraordinary, far surpassing that of ordinary people.

Since Lin Yan said there were enemies, it must be true.

"There's more than one, but only one has an aura at roughly the same level as yours."

"The other dozen or so were about the same as those I had taken care of before."

Lin Yan said.

He had barely finished speaking when he suddenly hummed in confusion.

At this moment, Kakashi and Itachi also noticed something.

At this moment, the enemy launched an attack, surrounding them from all sides.

"Battle formation..."

Before Kakashi could give the order, Lin Yan had already disappeared.

Immediately afterwards, screams of agony echoed from all around.

One after another, figures flew backwards out of the woods.

Each enemy coughed up blood and died the moment they hit the ground.

Such fierce and domineering physical skills were something I had witnessed for the third time.

However, Kakashi was still deeply impressed by Lin Yan's performance.

Itachi also wore a serious expression.

"Is what he used the ability called ' Six Powers '?"

Kakashi asked.

"Yes, it's a martial art, combining offense and defense."

"But it requires a very high level of physical fitness."

Itachi understood this all too well.

He has also mastered the Six Powers, but even now he cannot unleash the power of this physical technique as easily and freely as Lin Yan.

"Physical skills, huh...?"

Kakashi muttered to himself again.

A figure appeared in my mind.

His rival and best friend, Matt Kay.

That guy was also a master of physical combat, and his obsession with it was even more exaggerated than a pervert seeing a beautiful woman.

"Judging from her performance, Lin Yan's taijutsu power is now almost equivalent to the power of Might Guy's Eight Gates after opening the third gate..."

Kakashi thought to himself, deeply amazed.

The thought had just surfaced in my mind.

At this moment, the hidden Jonin also made his move.

The opponent was enormous, appearing to be at least two meters tall. He was not only physically imposing but also incredibly fast.

After bursting out of his ambush position in the woods, he threw a powerful punch at Lin Yan.

Moreover, Kakashi and Itachi clearly saw that their opponent's fists and arms were covered with powerful Earth Release techniques.

So much so that his opponent's entire arm and fist appeared to have turned the color of rock.

Lin Yan had just finished off the other enemies and turned around.

It seems they hadn't had time to retaliate and could only hastily raise their fists to fight.

"A rogue ninja from Iwagakure?"

Kakashi narrowed his eyes.

Judging from the opponent's headband, he/she is from Iwagakure (Iwagakure Village) in the Land of Earth.

However, he was a rogue ninja.

"Kakashi- senpai, he's a Rank A rogue ninja wanted by Iwagakure for murdering the Daimyo of the Land of Earth. His Darudo."

"This guy is extremely skilled in Earth Release ninjutsu and once served as the captain of a special assassination squad in the Iwagakure ANBU! He's very strong, at the level of an elite Jonin!"

Itachi recognized his opponent at a glance.

After all, rogue ninjas who are wanted by various countries for committing serious crimes and who possess great strength are the focus of attention for the ANBU intelligence departments of various ninja villages.

Just as Itachi and Kakashi were talking, Darudo's fist collided with Lin Yan's.

In an instant, a deafening roar, as if the heavens and earth were collapsing, erupted.

"Rumble, rumble..."

The moment Darudo's fist struck Lin Yan, the surrounding earth cracked open.

The billowing smoke and dust obscured everyone's vision, making it impossible to see who had hit whom.