Neji clashed with Tōkuma. With the protection and amplification of his Chakra Armor, Tōkuma kept Neji pinned down.
Yuhan and Tenten kept using Water Release and ninja tools to stall Nadare Rōga.
Rock Lee chased after Hongshi, who dangled in the sky.
Atop the cabin, Hieimon stared at the Chakra Armor, his eyes gleaming as his pen raced across the page. "(´•౪•`) Chakra Armor! This is exactly the inspiration I was looking for!"
Nadare Rōga laughed. "Hahaha! It's useless! My Ice Release counters your Water Release. Hand over the princess!"
Yuhan remained completely calm and told Tenten, "Tenten, get everyone aboard! It's too dangerous here!"
Then he whispered a few more words into Tenten's ear.
Tenten nodded, stopped attacking, and directed everyone aboard, but the director shouted excitedly at the sight. "Keep filming, even if it costs us our lives! Show them what professional filmmaking is!"
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"
"Ice Release: Black Dragon Blizzard!"
With Nadare Rōga's Chakra Armor amplifying his power and his Ice Release countering Water Release, his opponent was completely pinned down for the moment.
The director exclaimed, "Ohohoho! What a gift from the god of cinema! Quick, quick, quick! Film over here!"
"Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm: Lightning!"
"Useless, useless! Ice Release: Ice Fist!"
Things were hardly looking good on Neji's side either. Fuyukuma Mizore's Chakra Armor emphasized defense, with a transparent, sturdy chakra barrier covering his body. The chakra of the Gentle Fist could not penetrate it, and Neji could only hold him off a little.
After several exchanges, ice covered almost all of Neji's body, slowing his movements.
Meanwhile, seemingly unafraid of death, the director sat on a vehicle with several crew members and continued filming.
"We've gotten so many excellent shots!"
Seeing Hongshi dragged away from the battlefield, Nadare Rōga kept unleashing Ice Release ninjutsu at Yuhan. With Yuhan holding back considerably, he gradually began losing ground.
Nadare Rōga suddenly stopped and pointed behind Yuhan. "Stop resisting. Look what's behind you."
Yuhan suddenly sensed that something really was wrong behind him. Turning around, he saw a fifty-meter-long black iron ship come into view, moving fast. At its bow stood a man made of black iron with a large sword on his back.
"Hehehe! Princess Gale, you Konoha genin, welcome to the League of Leg... oh, no, welcome to the Land of Snow! Did you bring the Hexagonal Crystal?"
"Z... Mr. Zabuza?" One look at the statue gave Yuhan a pretty good idea of what was happening. "Ah! Got it, got it."
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
Bound in steel cables, Hongshi dangled in the sky like cargo. "Ohohoho!!! This feels amazing! Urgh!!!"
Looking at Rock Lee chasing after him, he waved. "Lee! I'm flying!"
Snap! Perhaps because Hongshi was too heavy, one of the seven steel cables broke, jolting his body.
"So heavy!" Fubuki Kakuyoku glanced at the ground. This place was already some distance from Nadare Rōga's position. "Down you go!"
"No! I'm afraid of heights!"
"Ice Release: Swallow Snowstorm!" After dropping Hongshi, Fubuki Kakuyoku immediately used ninjutsu.
A large number of ice swallows flew out of her armor, striking Hongshi from every direction.
"Eight Gates Released Formation: Fourth Gate, Gate of Pain, open!" Powerful energy erupted throughout Rock Lee's body. He leaped high and reached Hongshi's side almost instantly.
Hongshi nodded at Rock Lee. "Don't worry about me. Catch her!"
"All right!" Rock Lee did not hesitate. He stepped on Hongshi and pushed off again, leaping toward Fubuki Kakuyoku. "Eight Gates Released Formation: Fifth Gate, Gate of Limit, open!"
"What?!" Before Fubuki Kakuyoku could react, Rock Lee was already behind her. "He's too fast! Ice Release: Ice Breakthrough!"
She formed hand seals, and a powerful gust carrying a mass of shattered ice appeared, striking Rock Lee head-on.
"Uwah!" The gust sent Rock Lee flying backward, while the shards of ice cut numerous wounds into him.
"Huh?" Fubuki Kakuyoku suddenly noticed that the bandages on Rock Lee's arms had somehow come undone, with both ends wrapped around her waist. "When did you..."
"Got you! Taijutsu Secret Technique: Reverse Front Lotus!" A triumphant smile appeared on Rock Lee's face as he gripped the bandages. "Burn, my youth!"
Fubuki Kakuyoku cried, "Y-you, you, you! Stay away from me!!!"
Boom, boom...
Like a bird trapped in a cage, Fubuki Kakuyoku was surrounded by Rock Lee as he darted around her, his swift, fierce attacks hammering her protective barrier.
The friction from Rock Lee's high-speed attacks heated the air until wisps of white smoke rose. Under the constant barrage, Fubuki Kakuyoku could not use ninjutsu and could only channel chakra into her armor to strengthen the barrier.
Although Chakra Armor boasted formidable defenses, her set was built for speed. Before long, a crack rang out as the transparent barrier around Fubuki Kakuyoku shattered, and the Chakra Armor core on her chest cracked as well.
"No!" Fubuki Kakuyoku shouted.
"Final stage!" Seeing the barrier fail, Rock Lee yanked the bandages and pulled Fubuki Kakuyoku in front of him. Both hanging upside down, they began spinning rapidly.
Hongshi had just climbed out of the ice crater when he saw Rock Lee attacking Kakuyoku with a combination of Reverse Lotus and Front Lotus. "=͟͟͞͞(꒪ᗜ꒪‧̣̥̇) Holy shit! Are you actually trying to kill that woman?!"
Fubuki Kakuyoku had relied a little too heavily on her Chakra Armor. Once it failed, she could not even beat an ordinary chunin. "No, no! I surrender!"
"Burn, my youth!" Rock Lee showed no intention of stopping.
Just then, a figure flew out from the other side of the iceberg. He too wore Chakra Armor, though his was black, and carried an enormous sword on his back. "Water Release: Water Formation Pillar!"
Rumble! The newcomer rapidly formed hand seals. The iceberg beneath Fubuki Kakuyoku and Rock Lee split open, and an enormous pillar of water surged into the sky, striking the two of them, dissipating the impact of Front Lotus, and successfully separating them.
Hongshi looked at the newcomer. "Oh! Zanzan, you're here! You look pretty handsome in Chakra Armor!"
The newcomer was none other than Zabuza. He stared at Hongshi. "Shut up! My name is Jack!"
Hongshi said, "(≖_≖) Jack???"
Zabuza swung the Kubikiribōchō in his hand. "That's right! My name is Jack Sparrow!"
Just as they were about to exchange a few more words, Zabuza leaped high and caught Fubuki Kakuyoku in his arms. "This woman works for Kazahana Dōtō, and the Titanic Pirates, which I lead, are currently the Land of Snow's maritime defense force."
"Pfft, hahahaha! The Titanic! Sp... Sparrow, hahaha..."
The sparrow said, "Why are you hitting me?!"
Rock Lee stood behind Hongshi. "Hongshi-kun, what are you laughing at?"
"N-nothing!" Hongshi collected himself. "What are you after?"
Zabuza pointed toward the battlefield where Yuhan was. "My twenty crew members are already wearing Chakra Armor and have captured Kazahana Koyuki. She has the Hexagonal Crystal that Kazahana Dōtō needs."
"What?!" Rock Lee was shocked. Looking toward Yuhan and the others, he saw that an enormous iron pirate ship had already begun towing away the ship carrying Kazahana Koyuki. "Let them go, or you'll taste the power of Konoha-style taijutsu!"
While Rock Lee was distracted, Hongshi lowered his voice and asked Zabuza a question.
Hongshi said, "Hey, hey, hey, didn't you have thirty men before?"
"...They became fish food."
"I see!"
Zabuza laughed. "Hehehehe... You should worry about those two brats first."
With that, he pointed into the distance. Yuhan and Neji lay unconscious on the ground, blood pouring from their bodies and staining the ice red.
"Neji! Yuhan! You bastard!" Rock Lee shouted and charged straight at Zabuza. "Konoha Gale!"
"Hehehe, we'll be waiting for you in the Land of Snow! But you don't even have a ship. How will you get there?" Zabuza paid no heed to Rock Lee's attack. "Water Release: Water Body Flicker."
Splash! Zabuza turned into a puddle of water and vanished, leaving Rock Lee's strike to hit empty air.
Hongshi looked at the two ships in the distance. "Rock Lee, save them first!"