Deadlocked

After estimating the approximate distance to the three enemies, Yuun proposed that they needed a minute to discuss things. Kakashi readily agreed. With his strength, escaping alone would have been no trouble at all, but protecting Kazahana Koyuki at the same time was more than he could handle. With three fairly capable companions, things became much easier for him.

Tempted by the A-rank Mission and threatened by the approaching enemies, the three quickly reached an agreement. They decisively accepted Kakashi's invitation and signed their names on the mission document. That way, even if they died in battle, as long as the document made it back, the village would still provide compensation to their families.

Since they had decided to fight the enemies who were coming after them, they could not simply stand on the deck and wait for them to arrive. As close-combat fighters facing ninjutsu-focused enemies, staying clustered together would practically be inviting attacks.

After quickly assigning their opponents, the three set out with Kakashi to take the initiative, leaving Kazahana Koyuki in Sandayu's care. As for the passenger ship, it promptly turned around. With Itachi, a Genjutsu prodigy, aboard, convincing the captain to return was hardly difficult.

Itachi, skilled in throwing ninja tools as well as long-range ninjutsu and Genjutsu, naturally took on the flying woman. With his strength and intelligence, even if he could not defeat her, he could certainly keep her occupied. The weakest of the three enemies, a man, was left to Hana. Small and swift, Hana would have no trouble holding him off. The remaining Jonin-level enemy was naturally handled by Yuun and Kakashi together.

This might have been the enemy's home ground, but after chasing Kakashi across such a distance and then facing three fresh opponents like Yuun and the others, the outcome was still uncertain.

"Ice Release: Swallow Snowstorm." The two sides closed in quickly. Seeing Yuun's group together with Kakashi, the enemy immediately went for the kill. Countless swallows made of ice and snow flew out of the sea and rushed toward them.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique." Itachi's hand signs were still astonishingly fast. Before Kakashi or Yuun could act, he opened his mouth and spat out a massive fireball, which swallowed the incoming ice swallows in the blink of an eye.

Both sides knew perfectly well why the other was there, so there was no pointless conversation. Each found an opponent and began fighting immediately. Yuun had never worked with Kakashi before, but with Kakashi's years of battlefield experience, the moment he saw Yuun charge toward Nadare Rōga, Kakashi began using ninjutsu to restrain the enemy and create an opening for Yuun.

"Ice Release: Dragon-Breaking Tiger!" Almost at the same instant, Kakashi and Nadare Rōga attacked together. Two ice-and-snow beasts burst from the water and collided, sending shattered ice flying everywhere.

Under Kakashi's cover, Yuun had already rushed to Nadare Rōga's side. With his Byakugan active, he immediately found the spot where Nadare Rōga's chakra was most concentrated. "Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams: Mountain-Breaking Strike!" A palm strike containing nearly forty percent of Yuun's chakra slammed into Nadare Rōga's chest. With a crisp crack, the device bearing a taiji pattern on his chest split apart.

"That's impossible!" Nadare Rōga cried out. Having only recently acquired the Chakra Armor, he had not completely abandoned taijutsu and immediately threw a kick.

"Hmph, too late." Yuun smiled after tricking Nadare Rōga with his child's body. Trying to fight the Hyuga Clan in close combat? "Rotation!" Having spent forty percent of his chakra in one go, Yuun had no intention of tangling with Nadare Rōga. Honestly, that armor gave him quite a headache. Aside from Mountain-Breaking Strike, his strongest attack, Yuun feared he would not be able to break through its defenses even if Nadare Rōga simply stood there.

The destruction of the device on his chest only affected Nadare Rōga's ability to use Ice Release; it had little effect on the armor's defensive power. So after being knocked away by Yuun's Rotation, Nadare Rōga got straight back to his feet.

Although the Gentle Fist could penetrate ordinary armor and directly attack the enemy inside, a huge amount of chakra flowed through the Snow Ninja's armor. Even if Yuun sent chakra through his Gentle Fist, it would be disrupted, making it impossible to attack the enemy directly. Fortunately, Yuun's strongest move, Mountain-Breaking Strike, did not rely on striking chakra points. Though its principle was similar, Mountain-Breaking Strike used chakra compressed to the extreme to forcibly shatter an enemy's defenses. That was why Yuun had damaged the Chakra Armor in a single blow.

Nadare Rōga now had to pay for his moment of carelessness. With his Chakra Armor damaged, he could no longer use Ice Release freely. Though the armor itself still possessed formidable defenses, with his strength he could only remain deadlocked against Yuun and Kakashi. The key to victory had now shifted to Itachi and Hana.

Hana was practically crushing her opponent. With her incredible speed against an enemy who was pitifully slow, she was simply bullying him. Unfortunately, Hana's attacks were too weak to do anything to the Chakra Armor. Even without the burly man's thick Chakra Armor, defeating him with Hana's attack power would not have been easy.

Thus, both sides shifted their attention to the duel between Itachi and the woman. If Itachi won, Yuun's side could defeat or even kill the enemy without losses. If the woman won, Yuun's side would suffer the same fate.

Both Itachi and the woman carried their companions' greatest hopes, but the two locked in combat each had their own unspoken grievances. Itachi excelled in Fire Release, Genjutsu, and ninja tool throwing, while his taijutsu and Water Release were also excellent. With the Sharingan, he should have held a massive advantage. Unfortunately, they were fighting at sea, where Fire Release and Water Release were inherently countered by her Ice Release. His ninja tool throwing and taijutsu repeatedly failed against the Chakra Armor, while even his strongest Genjutsu was resisted because of it. The Sharingan was still usable, but it had only one tomoe, leaving him unable to copy ninjutsu or cast Genjutsu with real combat value. As for taijutsu, she simply refused to fight at close range.

Itachi might have been fighting miserably, but the woman named Heyi Chuixue was no better off. With Chakra Armor and the ability to fly, she could largely ignore Itachi's taijutsu. Yet once airborne, she had to stay constantly on guard against Itachi's ninja tool throws. If she were knocked down and forced into a stationary exchange of ninjutsu, she did not think she could beat that little brat whose hand signs were frighteningly fast. As for close combat, while Chakra Armor strengthened their defenses, it also reduced their agility. If they really fought up close, what if he attacked her face? The Chakra Armor did not protect the face.

As the battle went back and forth, more than ten minutes passed. Kakashi, who had been chased all night, and Nadare Rōga's group, who had pursued him all night, began running low on chakra. Itachi, who had been fighting continuously, was the first to notice the enemy's dwindling chakra. More than happy to finish her off while he was at it, he immediately intensified his attacks, seeking only to exhaust her chakra as quickly as possible.