Kakashi grabbed Obito's shoulder with one hand and retreated rapidly to gain distance.
"Kakashi, about the Captain..."
"Cough! Cough! The Captain stayed behind alone to deal with that troublesome guy. I came to support you first."
Gripping the kunai Kakashi handed him, Obito's Sharingan glared at Hozuki Mangetsu, his expression solemn.
"Be careful then."
"The opponent can turn into water and is immune to attacks."
"He's basically invincible!"
"Idiot, that's the Hozuki clan's Hydrification Technique."
"It's hard to imagine how the Third Lord agreed to let you graduate early with your academic scores."
"Arrogant Kakashi! Then you tell me how to deal with him!"
Kakashi took a breath, his dead-fish eyes glancing at Obito, who clearly knew nothing but was still acting tough.
"I'll use Lightning Style to counter..."
"Hey! Hey! Hey!"
Hozuki Mangetsu raised his greatsword and delivered a horizontal slash while lunging. The pale blade light heading towards them interrupted the two as they loudly plotted.
On the devastated stone-brick street, Water Style splashes flew everywhere.
The three instantly became a blur of combat.
After seeing that Obito was fine...
Motomu, who had turned around to rush to the Jonin battlefield at full speed, leaped over the last tall building.
Akimichi ninjas were at too much of a disadvantage against the Hozuki clan.
Furthermore, the battlefield was the capital of the Land of Water, a place where they couldn't cut loose at all.
Thoughts flashed through his mind.
Standing on a roof at the edge of the battlefield, Motomu looked down at the overall situation.
Akimichi Genya, dressed in red iron armor, was already tightly trapped by a Water Prison Jutsu.
The Hozuki Jonin held a single-hand seal, and several Water Clones split off from his body, holding kunai.
This guy wants to use Water Clones to stab Captain Akimichi to death while he's unable to resist!
The Mist Ninja are truly cruel.
Seeing this, Motomu had an idea.
With hand signs completed, he slammed both palms onto the ground and shouted.
"Lightning Style: Ground Flicker!"
'Lightning Style, huh?'
The Hozuki Jonin didn't have time to weave signs. After releasing the Water Prison, he and his clones scattered to dodge.
Amidst a rumble, an earth wall broke through the street tiles, firmly blocking the Hozuki Jonin's line of sight as he retreated.
Seeing that Captain Akimichi was fine, Motomu breathed a sigh of relief while completing another set of hand signs.
One of Motomu's signature 'three tricks,' the Great Fireball, soared through the air toward the Hozuki Jonin.
The blazing fireball slammed into the ground, the air currents clashing and briefly dispersing the heavy mist created by the Hidden Mist Jutsu.
The Hozuki Jonin, dodging once more, looked at the sun-like fireball and realized something was wrong.
His previous Water Clone had been ambushed by ninja tools.
He had thought it was just the result of the opponent's good luck and didn't care much.
He hadn't expected this brat's ninjutsu prowess to be so high.
If he got hit by that Fire Style, even the Hydrification Technique would be useless.
Motomu wasn't clear on the opponent's thoughts.
But Motomu understood that he had to go all out next to end the battle quickly.
Shifting his gaze away from the coughing, soon-to-wake Captain Akimichi.
A three-foot-long sword slowly levitated in front of Motomu, its tip gleaming with a cold light, aimed directly at the Hozuki Jonin's head.
A hair-raising sensation rose in the Hozuki Jonin's heart.
It felt as if a great terror was about to descend upon him.
"What is that..."
Before he could finish his sentence.
He felt a gale-force wind pierce through his chest.
The Hozuki Jonin's liquified body was torn and stretched.
Just before he was shredded by the sword's kinetic energy, an invisible Psychokinesis enveloped him, surrounding the splashing water in layers.
While restricting the opponent with Psychokinesis.
Motomu unsealed a special jar made by Orochimaru from an object sealing scroll in his ninja tool pouch.
The transparent jar was about the same size as the Scroll of Seals, with yellow metal lids on the top and bottom.
On the bottom lid, a battery engraved with the character for 'Lightning' was embedded.
"What is this thing!"
"Who... who are you!"
"I am an elder of the Hozuki clan, you..."
With nearly a ton of Psychokinesis, Motomu easily pressed the trash-talking Hozuki Jonin into the jar.
Motomu snapped the lid shut and flipped the battery switch.
Blue electric arcs flickered, and the Hozuki Jonin, now a little man in a bottle, was instantly paralyzed and unable to move.
Looking at the person inside the bottle screaming in agony under the ample electrical charge, Motomu nodded in satisfaction.
He'd keep him for now.
It wouldn't be too late to give him to Orochimaru after interrogating him for intel.
He set the jar on the ground.
Motomu finished his hand signs, bit his finger, and slammed it onto the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Poof!
Arbok, who was in the middle of swallowing food with its mouth wide open, blankly snapped its jaws shut.
"Motomu, next time you summon me, pick a better ti—"
"Wait, what's that in your hand?"
"Don't—don't come over here! Aaaaah!!"
Despite Arbok's extreme resistance.
Motomu stuffed the jar into the snake's mouth and released the summoning.
He clapped his hands.
Ignoring Akimichi Genya, who was dazed from choking on water, Motomu jogged over to the remains of his sword worth 300,000 ryo.
The long sword he had just accelerated to five times the speed of sound had now turned into a lump of iron.
In the three-meter-wide black mud pit it had smashed into, the glowing red iron lump was evaporating the surface water.
Motomu's dream of flying swords shattered into pieces at that moment.
As a long sword made of better material than senbon, Motomu had lost control once it reached Mach 4.
The deformed flying sword had vibrated in the air.
That slight vibration had caused him to hit the opponent's chest when he was aiming for the head.
The process was a bit off, but the result was acceptable.
Motomu could only say he hit whatever he pointed at.
He stuffed the still-scalding iron lump back into a sealing scroll.
Helping up Captain Akimichi, who had finished spitting out water and regained a bit of strength.
Motomu rushed toward Obito and Kakashi.
Kakashi and Obito weren't doing too well.
The two of them together hadn't managed to take down their single opponent.
By the time Motomu arrived, that significantly shrunken Hozuki Mangetsu had already fled.
Only Kakashi was left on the ground, leaning on his sword and kneeling with his head bowed, completely burnt out, along with a nearby Obito who was unconscious.
If even one got away...
Then the news of the Mist ninjas killed just now definitely wouldn't stay hidden.
But the good news was that at least their escort mission was complete.
After discussing with the Captain for a moment.
Motomu split from the team alone to try and pursue Hozuki Mangetsu to see if he could eliminate the witness.
Meanwhile, Captain Genya would retreat first with Kakashi and Obito.
"If it really doesn't work out, just retreat."
"The Mist ninjas were the ones who made the first move in this matter anyway."
"Reason is on our side; Konoha holds the moral high ground."
Akimichi Genya patted Motomu's shoulder, hoisted Kakashi and Obito, and retreated toward the border of the Land of Water.
After watching Captain Akimichi run far away with the two on his back until they completely disappeared from sight.
Motomu vanished on the spot with a poof of smoke.
Ryuchi Cave.
Arbok's lair had been greatly expanded by it.
Many glowing plants were spread in the corners of the cave ceiling, turning the originally dark and damp underground grotto bright.
Rua!
The glass jar, stained with Arbok's unidentified stomach fluids, fell to the ground with a clatter.
Motomu frowned.
Seeing Motomu's expression, Arbok hurriedly used the tip of its tail to carefully set the jar upright.
Motomu stared at the humanoid liquid inside the jar.
How to interrogate this thing had become his new problem.
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