Chapter 49: Information Advantage, Solo Kill on a Jōnin!

Chapter 49: Information Advantage, Soloing a Jounin!

"Lord Kakashi, I've come to help you!"

Kiyota Shin shouted as he rushed forward.

Then, he swung his blade toward Yuuichi. Kakashi and Yuuichi were still locked in an intense clash of swordsmanship. Hearing the voice behind him, Kakashi moved even faster, as if he genuinely believed the newcomer.

But the next moment, Kiyota Shin leveled his sword and slashed at Kakashi like lightning.

However.

Swish—

His blade passed through Kakashi's shoulder, accompanied by the sound of splashing water.

What is this?

Kiyota Shin was momentarily stunned.

A water clone?

How is that possible!

How could a water clone, which possesses only a fraction of the caster's original abilities, fight evenly with Yuuichi for so long?

Did Kakashi weave hand signs to create a water clone in that split second?

Impossible.

Even if his opponent was Kakashi, he refused to believe anyone could weave hand signs that fast. That left only one possibility...

His scalp tingled with dread, and he instantly decided to flee.

But.

Clang!

"Kiyota Shin, you traitors! I am going to expose your crimes in front of Lord Mifune!"

Yuuichi shouted fiercely.

Immediately after, a blade flashed like lightning.

A diagonal slash cut from Kiyota Shin's forehead all the way down to his abdomen, and blood spewed forth.

Tenten and Kazuha were dumbfounded.

This...

What on earth is going on?

"Kakashi has gone to support your other teammates."

Yuuichi withdrew his blade and collapsed to the ground.

Having fought for days and just spent the last moments acting out a play with Kakashi, he had already reached his absolute limit.

...

"Lord Shi, this brat..."

"Pursue him! This fellow must have overheard our conversation; we have to silence him."

Whoosh!

Kiyota Shin's speed suddenly surged.

Through his sensory perception, Chiba felt the sudden change in Kiyota Shin's speed.

As expected.

This fellow had merely been baiting him earlier, deliberately slowing down. In reality, this old bastard was a Jounin.

Maintaining his state at seventy percent capacity, Chiba combined it with the Body Flicker Technique and rapidly fled in a certain direction.

At the same time, four other figures quietly approached, entering Chiba's sensory range.

However, they did not make a move. Instead, after advancing a short distance, they continued to lay low in ambush.

Indeed!

Chiba breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

He had guessed correctly!

The enemy did not view him as a threat; instead, they believed they were the ones playing the role of the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. This only strengthened their resolve to wait on the sidelines and reap the benefits.

He fled toward the direction of the Sealing Binding Formation while deliberately slowing his pace.

"As expected, a brat like you could never maintain that kind of speed indefinitely. You must have used some kind of secret technique."

"No secret technique can last forever. Brat, tell me the secret technique, and I will spare your life."

Kiyota Shin rapidly closed the distance, a glint of greed and ruthlessness flashing in his eyes.

"Hmph."

Chiba did not reply, only offering a cold smile before continuing his escape.

"This is your last chance."

Kiyota Shin spoke the words, but his chakra was secretly gathering in anticipation.

Chiba knew very well that this old ghost had no intention of letting him go; everything he said was merely meant to make him lower his guard. Yet, the old man had failed to account for one thing—

While the enemy intended to hunt Chiba down, Chiba was equally intent on killing him.

In the next instant, Kiyota Shin slashed forward with his blade.

His strike was exceptionally fast and carried immense force. Even though Chiba used his limit state to try and block it with his kunai, he still failed to withstand the blow, and the weapon was sent flying straight out of his hand.

Furthermore.

Kiyota Shin did not hesitate for a fraction of a second. After the swing, he instantly spun around, his blade tracing an arc as it swept toward Chiba.

Such lightning-fast movements!

Chiba's eyes lit up.

This style of swordsmanship bore a striking resemblance to the subtle techniques of the Iaijutsu drawing style—simple yet highly practical, representing the purest combination of raw physical strength and blade work.

Outside of the Land of Iron, it was rare to witness such swordsmanship anywhere else.

What a pity.

Since his opponent was a Jounin, he wouldn't get the chance to witness more of this swordsmanship.

When Kiyota Shin struck for real, he wasted no breath on useless words.

His blade was forged solely for killing, devoid of any superfluous movements.

Simple, brutal, and direct.

That was Chiba's assessment of Kiyota Shin.

It was precisely this kind of swordsmanship that he found impossible to counter conventionally. Fortunately, he was not purely a traditional samurai—

Sealing Binding Formation, activate!

"Damn brat!"

"Even so, you can no longer move, and my people will be here any second. What can you do now?"

After a flash of anger, Kiyota Shin quickly regained his composure.

Through observation, he had figured out what kind of jutsu Chiba had used.

Sealing Binding Formation!

A sealing technique very commonly used by Chūnin.

His subordinates were only a dozen paces away from Chiba, and Chiba had to maintain the technique; otherwise, he would be able to break free himself.

To put it bluntly, he was simply waiting for death.

He sneered disdainfully.

Chiba also wore a faint smile, and then, he stopped weaving hand signs.

Kiyota Shin's smile was radiant, but the very next moment, his expression froze into one of utter shock and disbelief.

Even though his opponent was no longer maintaining the Sealing Binding Formation, he remained completely trapped within the seal, unable to move a muscle. When he attempted to breach the sealing technique with his chakra, it only served to make the seal even more secure.

What is going on?

His expression turned blank and dull.

The next moment, swoosh—

A kunai slashed across his throat.

An elite among samurai had met his end at the hands of a Genin.

Kakashi, who had been preparing to launch a sneak attack, halted his movements.

The kid actually pulled it off!

Although it had relied on catching the enemy off guard and utilizing a novel Sealing Binding Formation, killing an opponent comparable to an ordinary Jounin was still a remarkable achievement.

"No, there are still three more. This kid... truly is remarkable!"

Kakashi sighed inwardly.

While he did not believe those samurai could pose a genuine threat to him, Chiba's daring act of taking the risk to intercept them still deeply moved him.

This child has a bright future ahead of him!

Just as he was debating whether to reveal himself—

"Kakashi-sensei, are you there? There are still four others hiding in the shadows, and they are approaching right now."

Chiba said in a low voice.

Kakashi narrowed his eyes, then instantly burst forth from the ground, dragging one of the newly landed samurai down into the earth with him.

Immediately following that, a single sword stroke severed the enemy's head.

Earth Release: Decapitation Jutsu.

This was the complete version!

Next came a massacre of blades.

Wielding his blade, Kakashi looked as though White Fang had been reborn; his flashing fangs swiftly harvested the enemies' lives.

A dozen seconds later, Kakashi sheathed his sword, panting heavily.

He wearily walked over to Chiba and pulled his forehead protector back down to cover his Sharingan.

"I need to rest for a moment."

Kakashi leaned against a tree, looking "utterly exhausted." Chiba was in a similar state, the Transformation Technique Kazuha had applied to him having long since worn off.

Footsteps echoed.

"Clap, clap, clap."

Three slow claps rang out from a nearby treetop.

"As expected of Hatake Kakashi. Even with a massive consumption of chakra, you are still terrifyingly lethal relying solely on taijutsu and kenjutsu. If you were at your peak, we truly wouldn't dare to provoke you."

Four figures slowly materialized out of the surroundings.

Kakashi narrowed his eyes, "forced himself to steady," sat up slightly, and said, "You are the Four Heavenly People of the Village of Artisans?"

"Don't give him time to recover! Watch out for that strange sealing formation."

"Just destroy everything!"

The four of them made their move instantly, without wasting any more breath. Then...

The female among them swung her dual swords.

The next moment, a violent gale howled through the air, sending grass and broken branches flying in its wake, leaving behind a barren wasteland where no traps or explosive tags could possibly remain.

"Attack!"

This plot arc wasn't written excitingly enough; I'll push out an extra chapter to get past it. Please bear with me, everyone—three chapters today!

(End of Chapter)