Chapter 29 — Deadly Battle
Snake – Goat – Monkey – Boar – Horse – Tiger
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
A massive fireball erupted from Uchiha Shigeru's mouth, blasting toward Iruzhen.
The two were less than ten meters apart. The overwhelming heat surged forward. With his composure already shattered, Iruzhen instinctively leapt backward to evade the jutsu.
The moment he landed, he realized his body had been restrained—he couldn't move.
"Shadow Imitation Technique… successful!"
Nara Shikaku dispelled his Transformation Technique and activated his clan's secret art, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his lips.
At the same time—
"Gentle Fist: Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms!"
This was the Hyuga clan's inherited taijutsu. Gentle Fist injected one's chakra into the enemy's body, damaging their chakra pathways—the "meridian system"—and internal organs. Combined with the Hyuga clan's bloodline limit, the Byakugan, its power was fully realized. Since internal organs cannot be trained, even the strongest ninja could suffer fatal damage if struck by Gentle Fist.
Hyuga Hiashi closed in, activating his Byakugan to observe the flow of chakra. His palms struck like a torrential storm, landing blow after blow across Iruzhen's chakra points.
Iruzhen's body stiffened as blood gushed from his mouth. He could no longer hold onto Kushina—his fingers slackened, and she fell straight down.
At the same time, Namikaze Minato dispelled his Transformation Technique, his gaze turning icy. He stepped forward and kicked off the ground, appearing in an instant. With his right hand, he caught Kushina midair, spun his body, and hurled her backward. With his left hand, he flung an egg-sized stone toward Kinoshita Hikaru.
Still trapped in genjutsu, Hikaru felt a sharp pain strike him. The world shattered like broken glass, and he snapped awake instantly.
Though it seemed slow, everything happened in the blink of an eye.
Kushina had been successfully rescued. Suspended briefly in midair, tears streamed down her face. "Everyone…"
Just before she hit the ground, Senju Nawaki caught her, his expression serious as he kept his eyes fixed on the battlefield.
At the same time—
As Hiashi completed the Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms, he leaned forward, then shifted his center of gravity backward and leapt into the air, curling his body into a tight ball.
Namikaze Minato followed into the air, spinning as he delivered a kick, knocking Hyuga Hiashi out of the center of combat.
Senju Nawaki had already prepared. Moving later but arriving first, he caught Hiashi and rapidly formed hand seals to perform a B-rank ninjutsu.
Dragon – Snake – Goat
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
The ground split apart, and a towering wall of earth rose up in front of them, shielding everyone behind it.
...
Meanwhile—
With Hiashi retreating, Iruzhen's defenses were left wide open. Akimichi Chōza charged in immediately after, his body spinning like a windmill as he spiraled forward.
"Human Bullet Tank!"
Iruzhen's entire body was rigid, his chakra points sealed. He couldn't even move a finger—there was no way to resist.
In that instant, time seemed to slow. Memories flashed through Iruzhen's mind like a lantern show, finally settling on Irujie's final request.
"Sorry, Irujie… I won't be able to take care of your wife anymore."
At this moment—
Joy flashed in everyone's eyes. Another chūnin defeated. Smiles began to appear on their faces.
But the next second, their expressions froze.
Tiger – Snake – Tiger – Snake – Tiger – Snake
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
At this critical moment, Iruwa Yoshi arrived in a flash, blocking the fatal strike.
Water surged and formed a barrier, colliding with the Human Bullet Tank. The spinning force exploded outward, sending mist and spray into the air as Akimichi Chōza pressed forward with all his strength.
His plump cheeks quivered wildly, almost comical—yet his eyes burned with unwavering determination.
But the gap in strength was too great. In the split second before impact, Iruwa Yoshi lashed out with a kick, sending Chōza flying.
At that moment—
His expression twisted with fury. His face was ferocious, chakra erupting violently from his body as an overwhelming killing intent flooded the battlefield.
The oppressive aura of a jōnin descended like a bottomless abyss, threatening to swallow their very souls.
"What is this?"
Defeating a chūnin had greatly boosted their confidence. Some had even begun to think they could challenge a jōnin. But now, it felt as though a bucket of cold water had been poured over them. Their fighting spirit wavered, their legs trembling.
Fear flashed through their eyes. Oppressed by killing intent, they could barely muster the will to resist.
"Brats… I'll slaughter every last one of you."
Up until now, a proud jōnin of Kumogakure had been led around by the nose.
His figure flickered and vanished. Like lightning chasing light, he appeared in front of Namikaze Minato. His leg swept out, carrying a violent gale that made the air howl. Speed and power combined in a single strike, as if it would shatter the atmosphere itself.
Under the crushing weight of killing intent, Minato's reactions slowed. He could only cross his arms over his chest in defense—
And was sent flying with a single kick.
Iruwa Yoshi pressed the advantage mercilessly. With a savage grin that revealed his white teeth, he stepped forward to finish Minato off—
Only to be blocked by Kinoshita Hikaru.
"Gomu Gomu no Balloon!"
Hikaru inhaled deeply. His stomach inflated massively, absorbing the incoming attack.
Seeing that he could not kill Minato instantly, Iruwa Yoshi flickered back to Iruzhen's side. Kunai in hand, he scanned the surroundings vigilantly.
"Iruzhen, how are you?"
Though he had avoided a fatal blow, Iruzhen was gravely wounded and unable to continue fighting.
They were deep within the Land of Fire. Severe injury here meant death. Iruzhen carried the pride of a Kumogakure shinobi—he refused to become a burden.
"Captain… give it to me. I don't want to die like this."
Iruwa Yoshi's expression turned complicated, then hardened with resolve.
"Since you've made up your mind, then go through with it… Everything is for the village."
"Everything is for the village."
He took out a red pill and fed it to Iruzhen.
This was a secret medicine of Kumogakure—extremely violent in effect. Once consumed, it erased all pain, turning the user into a killing machine. The drug lasted five minutes.
The price was death.
Everything happened too quickly for anyone to stop it.
After swallowing the pill, Iruzhen's entire body convulsed violently. His face flushed crimson, steam rising from his skin in wisps.
His grievous injuries rapidly healed. He flipped to his feet, eyes blood-red and brimming with brutality.
"Brats… I'll tear you apart piece by piece."
His declaration rang out. The world in his vision had turned scarlet. His rationality slowly faded, replaced by raw, bloodthirsty instinct.
Dark clouds gathered overhead, swallowing the last rays of the setting sun.
Both sides stood facing one another. The first round had ended—with Kinoshita Hikaru's team successfully rescuing Kushina.
The first engagement had concluded perfectly.
Now came the second round.
A fight to the death!!!
"Brat, I have to admit—you're the smartest and boldest brats I've ever seen. To think you'd transform into shuriken just to get close to me."
As a jōnin, his combat experience was immense. Yet he had been deceived by a group of children. The sense of frustration gnawed at him—even as he was impressed by their courage.
Kinoshita Hikaru grinned brightly, his smile warm and out of place amidst the battlefield.
"Entrusting life and death to one another. Never abandoning each other. My comrades trust me—just as I trust them."
"How did you guarantee I wouldn't hit you?"
After all, Iruwa Yoshi had struck down the shuriken without pattern—yet every one of them had avoided a fatal hit.
"Don't tell me…" His face filled with shock, unable to believe his own thought.
"That's right. Because we had already calculated your attack pattern," Hikaru replied, recalling the plan they had devised moments earlier.
Time rewind three minutes.
…