Chapter 50: The Perfect Teamwork

Chapter 50: The Perfect Teamwork

"Such astonishing Wind Release chakra, truly worthy of the creation of the founder of the Artisan Village!"

Chiba took a deep breath.

If it weren't for her unique weapon, he could take on ten of her kind!

A series of flexible swords lashed out like serpents, closing in from behind.

Chiba and Kakashi leaped backward to evade.

Though their primary target was Kakashi, it did not mean they had let down their guard against Chiba. After all, this boy had personally slain a samurai comparable to a jounin.

Although samurai had obvious shortcomings in comprehensive combat and could not be entirely equated to a full-fledged jounin in such situations, the fact remained that Chiba was a formidable trouble.

Therefore, he received considerable attention—

While the majority of the assault was directed at Kakashi, a full third of the attacks still targeted him.

Even with Chiba operating in his limit state, under such a dense barrage of attacks, mere evasion required his utmost effort, leaving no room to even think about a counterattack.

"Chiba, go!"

With that, Kakashi's hands suddenly flared with blinding white light.

The next instant, his figure vanished from the spot.

Raikiri!

The flashing white light resembled lightning splitting the night sky.

As it vanished in a flash, it claimed a life—

Kakashi's hand had pierced directly through Peacock's chest.

The Four Heavenly Symbols had spread out to encircle Kakashi and Chiba, but even with the Infinite Armor capable of absorbing chakra, it was of no use.

They were simply too far away to make it in time.

Moreover.

Kakashi's speed was terrifyingly fast.

The target hadn't even had time to react.

"How is this possible! You clearly... No, gather!"

The three surviving members realized something was terribly wrong.

Kakashi still had plenty of combat strength left; they had been deceived by his feigned exhaustion.

As for Tenten, Kazuha, and Yuuichi who had arrived later, they hadn't paid them any mind. The two young girls possessed only average strength and could not turn the tide even if they arrived.

As for the latter, a samurai skilled in swordsmanship was entirely useless in this kind of battle.

Of course.

That assumed they could retrieve the Peacock Twin Swords.

"Lord Hisan, that brat..."

"Hn."

The leader of the Four Heavenly Symbols channeled his chakra, attempting to summon the weapons using other ninja tools. Initially, he had sensed the movement of the Peacock Twin Swords, but soon after...

The connection was lost.

Hisan's expression turned ashen.

"Done?"

Kakashi tilted his head.

"Yeah. It was tricky at first, but then I sealed it by treating it like a living creature, and it finally worked."

Before the seal was undone, they were no different from ordinary weapons.

Chiba looked excitedly at the one wearing the armor.

"Kakashi-sensei, if all these weapons share a 'living' characteristic, then since the armor has a mouth, its ability is likely to absorb chakra."

"Hn."

Kakashi nodded.

"Dobashi, deal with Kakashi."

"Understood!"

The remaining three members of the Four Heavenly Symbols wore grim expressions as they exchanged glances, and then—

Charged together toward Chiba.

They had already considered themselves to be overestimating Chiba's abilities, but they hadn't expected the kid to be this tenacious.

Not only was his swordsmanship exceptional and his mastery of bizarre sealing arrays profound, but he had also managed to analyze the structure of the Peacock Twin Swords and seal them away in a short span of time, while even correctly guessing the ability of the Infinite Armor.

This brat had to die!

The Fangs of Darkness whipped through the air like a swarm of angry serpents, while beams of light shot relentlessly toward Chiba.

Chiba's speed instantly reached its absolute peak.

Boom!

An explosive sound echoed from beneath his feet. Propelled by the detonation of chakra, Chiba's speed increased by several folds, carrying him more than a dozen paces away in the blink of an eye.

However...

Screech!

One of the Fangs of Darkness grazed right through Chiba's shoulder, sending blood spurting out in a steady stream.

He gritted his teeth and endured the pain.

"Chiba-kun!"

Tenten's voice rang out.

Following her cry, numerous steel wires shot out from the forest canopy, rapidly entangling the extending Fangs of Darkness.

Bound by the steel wires, the elongating blade contracted with a piercing, screeching metallic noise.

At that exact moment, Chiba formed hand seals with both hands, pressing five clusters of chakra into the blade.

Five-Elements Seal!

While it couldn't completely neutralize it, it was still enough to cause a split-second disruption during the retraction.

Then, a figure burst forth from the ground.

"Kakashi, I've been guarding against you this whole time!"

From Hisan's shoulders, two beams of light erupted, but the next moment, that figure dissolved into a puddle of mud.

An earth clone?

Hisan jerked his head up, only to see a flash of white light stabbing directly toward him.

"Dobashi."

"Sir!"

Knowing his speed couldn't match Kakashi's, Dobashi's strategy was simple—

He instantly used Body Flicker to position himself in front of Hisan as a shield.

A cold glint flashed in Kakashi's eyes.

He had tested this armor earlier; it could indeed absorb chakra and render certain ninjutsu ineffective, but not all techniques.

At the very least.

It couldn't block a physical blade!

Kakashi drew his blade with his left hand, channeling all his physical strength and chakra into it.

Then, a single slash.

Clang!

The sound of ringing metal echoed through the air.

"You thought you could kill me with a sword? Naive, you... How is this possible?"

Dobashi started to sneer, preparing to wrap his arms around Kakashi to pin him down while the light blades and the Fangs of Darkness finished him off.

To his shock, the next instant, he felt a wave of intense agony.

He looked down in disbelief.

The armor's chakra defense layer had actually been breached. Furthermore, since the opponent hadn't coated the blade in chakra, the sword shattered inch by inch, piercing less than an inch into his flesh.

The Fangs of Darkness had its chakra temporarily disrupted and was plunged into chaos, unable to provide backup.

Just as Hisan was about to rush to the rescue, a rushing sound of wind came from above.

He looked up to see a "Kakashi" wielding a blade, slashing down toward him.

He immediately retaliated, only to find it was merely a clone.

The next moment, Kakashi thrust his right hand, crackling with lightning, straight into the gap in Dobashi's armor. Even as the armor frantically absorbed his chakra, his lightning-clad hand punched through to pierce Dobashi's heart.

Hidden in the shadows, Kazuha had just used a substitution technique to disrupt their vision. Seeing Hisan lose his composure, she immediately drew her blade and struck from concealment.

"Kazuha, fall back!"

Chiba's pupils constricted.

"Your opponent is me!"

The Fangs of Darkness danced once more, four or five blades weaving like serpents from all directions, with two of them lunging straight toward Tenten.

"Infinite Armor, return!"

Hisan roared.

The next instant, the armor on Dobashi's body instantly detached itself.

Swoosh—

With a soft sound, the armor left, and Kakashi's hand pierced completely through Dobashi's torso. Kakashi's expression darkened: "You bastard, you abandoned your comrade just like that!"

"Move."

Hisan didn't bother to reply. Having reclaimed the armor, he prepared to flee with his remaining comrades.

At that moment, Tenten pulled out two scrolls, unfurling them like a rising dragon.

Countless kunai, shuriken, and exploding tags flew out simultaneously, weaving a net that descended upon the three enemies.

Kakashi's eyes lit up.

Enhanced by his limit state and the Sharingan, he instantly grasped Tenten's intention.

These kunai, shuriken, and exploding tags appeared to be scattered randomly, but they were not. Interspersed among the exploding tags were specific sealing talismans, which landed with pinpoint accuracy in eight distinct directions.

This was flawless teamwork!

Chiba formed hand seals.

Sealing Barrier Formation.

Activate!

Seals and barriers erupted from all eight directions. Bound rapidly by steel wires, the formation was fully established before Hisan could absorb any chakra.

Knowing the armor's properties, Kazuha shifted her footing and slashed her blade toward another enemy.

While the Fangs of Darkness possessed formidable offensive power, its defense was practically zero.

Trapped and immobilized, a single strike claimed a life.

"A mere sealing jutsu... No! How is this possible??"

Hisan's expression shifted drastically.

He realized that his chakra armor seemed to be locked in a stalemate with the opponent's technique.

The sealing jutsu hadn't been broken.

What was happening?

Even as he pondered this, roots and branches began to sprout and spread from beneath the ground.

Maintaining the maximum output of the Sealing Barrier and absorption array, Chiba quietly let out a breath of relief.