The rain drummed on the tent stretched between the tree trunks, under which our heroes decided to take shelter and rest a little. Thick dark gray endless clouds were crawling across the sky, visible through the foliage and needles closing over the heads of travelers. Inclement weather caught team number seven by surprise halfway to their destination, the Land of Birds. It was a small country located between the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth. Naruto and his comrades, who first got out of Konoha, knew little about her. It can be said that today they saw the world for the first time outside the walls that protected them all this time.
On the way to the border of the Land of Fire, in which the native village of travelers was located, Kakashi and his students managed to visit several settlements, and in one of them even had a snack and a little rest. The Genins were surprised to note that these villages are not as big as the Village of the Hidden Leaf, and there are much fewer people in them. The houses were much more modest, as a rule, they did not exceed the height of two floors, and the streets seemed small, dirty, and uncomfortable. But the prices of the products were significantly lower than the number seven team could not help but take advantage of.
By evening, they crossed the border and found themselves in a neighboring country, the capital of which was the Village of Hidden Grass. It was from there, as Naruto remembered, that the criminal who killed Sakura was born. Fortunately, the path of our heroes did not run through this place. They walked through fields with grass taller than a man, and sparse forests, crossed several rivers, and then ended up in a neighboring state, where they made a halt.
—There's an Amegakure nearby," Kakashi said when it was decided to stop in a small undergrowth and set up camp. — Hidden Rain Village.
— This explains why this rain does not stop, — Mikoto muttered, sitting on a camping foam, thoughtfully looking at the sky from under the awning, pushing her bangs sideways, falling on the protector on her forehead.
The girl was still wearing the same black tank top, and dark gray shorts to mid-thigh. Because of the cold, stockings were added to them, rising just above the knee, and sandals were replaced with shoes. The distance between the stocking and the shorts on the right leg was rewound with white bandages, to which a holster for kunai and shuriken was attached on a special strap. The second leg in this area was bare, as were the hands, and because of the sometimes strong wind rushing between the tree trunks and, including, under the awning, the young Uchiha was cold. She pulled her legs up to her, hugging them with her arms to somehow warm up.
— A very telling name. Fits this place.
— Maybe we should have stayed in the village? It was possible to find a hotel there," Sasuke asked, turning to Kakashi, who was also distracted by the clouds floating across the sky.
— No, I don't think that's a good idea. It just so happened that in the past we fought with this village. Although now Hanzo and I have peace, our Shinobi prefer to avoid this place," he glanced at Uchiha, who nodded understandingly.
Sasuke was not afraid of the cold. Or at least, unlike Mikoto, it wasn't noticeable on him. Uchiha was wearing a dark blue T-shirt with the clan symbol on the back, white shorts, over which a kunai holster was attached on bandages, and ninja sandals.
It seems that Genin didn't care whether to spend the night behind cozy walls or in the open air. As well as the rest, if, of course, not terrible bad weather. This was a good thing since shinobi were not supposed to be tied to warmth and comfort. Hatake once again smiled under the mask, noting that he had come across a surprisingly good team of genins.
— Are these clouds or is it getting dark? Naruto asked, sitting next to Mikoto on a camping foam and shuffling cards in his hands.
Uzumaki was the only one of the trio dressed for the weather. He was wearing black trousers, a dark green T-shirt with a yellow Konoha symbol on the chest, and a gray jacket with a red Uzumaki clan spiral on the back and shoulders, which the boy fastened only when a strong wind was raging.
—It's getting dark," Hatake said. — We have been on the road all day since the morning. I think there's no point in going any further. We'll spend the night here, and tomorrow we'll move on.
"A whole day? And I didn't notice," jinchuriki thought in surprise. — "Maybe it's because we made stops along the way?"
"Say thank you to your training. They have significantly increased your fatigue threshold," Kurama replied in a bored voice. It seems that the mood of the Nine-Tailed strongly depended on the weather. And now he was synchronized with the longing and despondency that the endless rain was catching up with.
"Not even a bonfire,— Mikoto muttered regretfully. — I wouldn't mind some hot tea.
Uzumaki smiled contentedly, as this was another great chance to show himself. Taking out a card from his pouch, he folded the seal of concentration, and a thermos filled with a hot drink appeared in front of him. In the same way, some time ago, he printed foam mats and an awning, which came in very handy.
— Catch it, — he threw the thermos to the girl, and she deftly caught it, unscrewing the lid and pouring tea into it.
After taking a sip, Uchiha grimaced, but noticing that Naruto was looking at her, she smiled.
- thanks. Very convenient," she said.
"Ha ha ha. It seems that not everyone liked your tea," Kurama grinned when Sasuke, who was given a thermos, choked on the drink because it was too strong.
"What can I do. Never drank tea. Plain water — that's for me. If it wasn't for your advice, I wouldn't be doing this at all," Uzumaki replied, remembering that the Nine-Tailed Man had helped him with the fees, advising him what was better to take with him and seal in cards.
When the thermos passed in a circle and reached Kakashi, the students looked closely at sensei, expecting that he would lower the mask, and they would finally see his face. But Hatake refused, returning the vessel to the owner and, in order to quickly change the subject of conversation, looked with interest at the blond boy.
"Interesting technique,— he remarked, watching Naruto using the same Mito technique to seal the thermos back into the card.
—Oh, this is my trump card up my sleeve," Uzumaki smiled, showing Kakashi a card on the back of which, after the thermos disappeared, a seal flashed for a moment in clouds of white smoke. — A universal technique that helps to seal and print things and equipment.
— How does it work? Kakashi asked.
— With things everything is simple, but with techniques, it is more curious, there are two variations of their sealing. Or I use the technique myself, after which I continue it with a sealing combination of hand seals," jinchuriki explained with some pride. — Or I complete the combination of seals a little differently, and then the card seals the technique that it "sees".
By the way, it was in the second way that Genin borrowed the smoke curtain technique from the training Chunins. They were a little surprised that some part of this jutsu was suddenly sucked into the bushes. Naruto was still smiling, remembering their faces.
"After the technique has been sealed, I can use it an unlimited number of times, just the concentration seal is enough," Naruto finished, his eyes fairly flashing when even Sasuke looked at him with some respect. — You can say that the card does not seal the technique, but rather remembers it.
"Interesting. In some ways, this technique is very similar to sharingan," Hatake thought.
— Can people be sealed in it? Sasuke asked, sitting on the second foam with Sensei and looking with interest at the six spades in the teammate's hand.
— Do you want to check it out? — Naruto answered the question with a question, not for the first time in their way joking in this way. Sasuke looked away with annoyance. Mikoto laughed. It seems even Kakashi smiled again under the mask.
Our heroes spent the night in the same place, sitting on mats and putting backpacks and other things under their heads. Naruto, lying on the edge, did not fall asleep for a long time. His eyes, accustomed to the darkness, watched the drops falling down from the edge of the tent. Slipping and falling, they crashed into burdock leaves, exploding with many even smaller droplets. This seemingly simple and unremarkable sight so fascinated our hero that when he looked up from his occupation, everyone else was already asleep.
He got up quietly and, buttoning his jacket, went out from under the canopy into the rain, after which he pushed off the ground and soared up towards the cold drops. Jump after jump, from branch to branch, and finally he was at the top of a tall spruce. He climbed up here, hoping that at least somewhere the clouds thinned, and he would be able to see the stars. Naruto wondered if they were the same here and in Konoha. Looking at the night sky in his native village, Uzumaki roughly knew the location of the night lights and thought that here at the same time it might be slightly different. But our hero was only disappointed because the stars were hidden behind an impenetrable haze. But Uzumaki looked around the neighborhood, remembering which side they came from, and saw in the distance a cluster of lights with towers as tall as trees. This was probably the same Amegakure that Kakashi was talking about.
The rain increased. Somewhere in the distance, electric lightning bolts flashed in the sky, then a couple of moments later, thunder rang out, from which the boy almost fell from his vantage point. Sensing that he would soon get completely wet in pursuit of his strange ideas, Uzumaki went back down.
— Why aren't you sleeping? — asked the sensitive Kakashi, dozing reclining, leaning back against a stump. As soon as Naruto returned, he opened his eye.
— Yes, I just wanted to see something, - Naruto replied, returning to his mat. He glanced at Sasuke sleeping on his back with his hands behind his head, then at Mikoto curled up on her rug. — It doesn't matter.
Uzumaki lay down and fell asleep very soon. Kakashi sighed, thoughtfully looking at the almost finished book lying next to him on the grass, and also decided to plunge into the arms of Morpheus. Then the pair of amber eyes that had been watching the camp of team number seven from the darkness went out.
— I'll continue tomorrow. I've learned enough," a quiet voice hissed.
A long-haired man in black pants and a gray kimono tied with a purple belt, who was the mysterious observer, turned into several snakes that immediately crawled away into the darkness.
***
A gloomy figure in a black cloak with red clouds stood on the head of a huge gargoyle, a statue adorning the highest tower in the village. The drops shooting out of the night sky, in which thick clouds had dissolved, did not bother the red-haired man at all, whose pale face was decorated or, rather, disfigured by a multitude of chakra receivers. Two purple lights lit up in the darkness. Akatsuki opened his eyes, which saw everything that was happening in the village and, thanks to the rain, felt everything and everyone outside it.
He saw him, a blond boy with stripes on his cheeks. Jinchuriki was not alone, probably with the team. Jonin, and a very strong one, accompanied the boy. He wasn't a serious obstacle, but now it was very inappropriate. Payne didn't want to draw Konoha's attention to the Hidden Rain Village. And the disappearance of the team from the Hidden Leaf on the way through Amegakure could attract him. The illusion that Hanzo was still in charge of the village allowed Amegakura to flourish and allowed him to carry out all his plans without any difficulty.
— Nine-tailed... — the man said, looking at the empty dark streets stretching below.
—Did you feel something, Payne?" — another figure in the same cloak appeared from behind, this blue-haired girl with a beautiful but sad face and amber eyes came out onto the balcony from which the statue grew.
— Kuby. He's here," he said without turning around.
"Should I go after him?" the girl asked.
—No, it's not worth it, Conan," Payne replied, feeling that the chakra of the Nine-Tailed, which he felt, had disappeared from the omnipresent rain. — I have another task for you. Contact Itachi, I have business with him.
— But how...
— Let Amaya and Konoji do it, — said Akatsuki in a voice that warns of all further objections. He closed his eyes again to recall in detail what he had felt a few moments ago. — Do not touch anyone except jinchuriki. However, let them do everything so that they are not recognized as ninja from Ame.
***
Hatake roused the students early in the morning. Team number seven had to pack up quickly and, without breakfast, set off again. The closer the travelers got to the border of the Land of Birds, the weaker the rain became. Blue gaps appeared ahead, through which the bright rays of the sun penetrated.
—Finally," Mikoto said with delight in her voice, smiling when the rain and clouds were completely left behind, and the sky cleared.
The world around, it would seem, instantly transformed, turning from dirty and gloomy landscapes into something beautiful. Ahead lay rice fields, forests with bright green foliage and hills completely covered with wonderful flowers.
Naruto looked at her and involuntarily smiled, feeling that his soul also becomes lighter when he sees this blissful face. He glanced at Sasuke, who turned out to be indifferent to the change of scenery. Uchiha walked with the same sullen face as before. Uzumaki thought about teasing his friend again with a joke, but in the end decided not to play on his nerves.
— Here is the Country of Birds. Very soon we will be there," Kakashi delighted his students.
— By the way, Kakashi-sensei, what exactly is our mission? Naruto asked, thinking that he was a little late with such a question.
— It's very simple. To deliver this to the client," Hatake explained, taking out a scroll tied with a red ribbon, which testified to the special importance of the information hidden inside.
"And what's in the scroll?" Sasuke asked, casting an indifferent glance at a flock of birds flying through the sky, which were chirping loudly, rejoicing in the wonderful morning.
"I don't know," Kakashi replied. — Perhaps a personal correspondence. Maybe secret information about some people. Maybe some techniques.
— So let's see! Mikoto suggested and immediately earned a mocking and at the same time reproachful look from the teacher.
— You can't. Another rule that Shinobi should follow. We're just couriers," he said. — By the way, in the chunin exam, in which you will take part sooner or later, there will certainly be a similar test. You need to get a scroll in addition to the one you will have and deliver it to the right place. Many fail this stage because of their curiosity.
The girl sighed, taking note of this.
— Exam? How soon? Sasuke asked, looking at the Copying Ninja with interest.
— It usually takes place once a year. I don't think you should participate in it this year, although we'll see. In any case, we still have time. Don't worry, I'll prepare you," Jonin replied. — In addition to missions, Shinobi's life is constant training. You will also need to be ready for this when we return to Konoha.
They crossed the paddy fields, walking along a winding path that soon went back into the forest. When our heroes, drying out in the sun, were again hidden by the shadow of the crowns that appeared on the sides of the trees, Mikoto sighed in disappointment.
— Can we practice right now? Naruto suggested. — Show us a couple of tricks.
Hatake looked around and shook his head.
"We'd better get this over with and do it on the way back," he replied. — They're probably waiting for us. Let's hurry up.
They accelerated into a run, and for a while there was silence, broken only by the chirping of birds, the rustle of leaves and the patter of feet.
— Kakashi-sensei, why did Hokage-sama hesitate before giving us this mission? Mikoto asked.
— It seems to be nothing complicated. It's the same as chasing a cat, only longer," Sasuke supported her.
Hatake smiled behind his mask.
— Depending on the level of importance and danger to the performer, the missions are divided into ranks D, C, B, A and S. The missions inside the village that you performed are D-rank missions, elementary tasks that any genin team is quite capable of coping with. Tasks outside the village are more difficult than it seems at first glance. Even a simple delivery of scrolls like this. Our mission would have rank C if we had gone to one of the neighboring villages. But our path stretches much further and runs through, one might say, enemy territory. The chance of collision with other ninjas is quite high, therefore, the mission is quite dangerous. If I were you, I'd just be glad that we haven't run into anyone yet.
— So we have a B—rank mission? - said Naruto.
"That's right. From this we can conclude that our scroll does not contain important political information, otherwise the rank of the mission would be even higher. And you wouldn't have been allowed to see it. It so happens that the missions of rank B are performed by Shinobi who have received the rank of chunin. An exception has been made for you. And the missions of rank A and S are usually performed by the Jonins," the teacher replied, stopping. — Well...
the Genins stopped too.
— What is it? Mikoto was surprised.
— I remember this tree. We've already run through here," Sasuke said, squinting at a willow tree leaning over the road.
— This can't be, the road goes straight, — Naruto was surprised.
"This is genjutsu, genius. You're caught," Kurama growled. - "Get ready to fight. It seems that someone is very interested to know what you have in the scroll!"
As soon as the Nine-Tailed turned to his jinchuriki, Kakashi snatched out the kunai and folded the seal of concentration.
— Damn it... I got too carried away with the story. Develop! — he said, freeing himself from the power of genjutsu.
The students repeated after him, and in the next moment everything around changed. They found themselves in a clearing surrounded by tall pines. The tree leaning over the missing road disappeared, and instead of it, two figures appeared on the path of our heroes. It was a man and a girl.
The man was quite tall and broad-shouldered, with an unpleasant appearance: a stern oval face, a scar crossing the lips on the right side of a large nose, deep-set gray eyes. The shinobi's short brown hair fell over the protector on his forehead, on which there was a crossed-out symbol resembling an unfinished arrow. The stranger was wearing blue trousers and a military vest like Kakashi's, only black, worn over a blue T-shirt. On the ninja's left shoulder was a tattoo in the shape of a compass. In addition to the standard ninja equipment, a sheath with a kukri was attached to the stranger's belt. In appearance, this Shinobi could be given thirty years, if not forty. The few shallow wrinkles on his face were misleading.
The man's green-haired companion, on the contrary, seemed very fragile, no older than twenty. She was short, in a tight black suit, with a square haircut. She had expressive eyes of an unusual yellow color, elegant facial features, and thin lips, which were emphasized by purple lipstick. There was a protector on kunoichi's forehead with the same crossed-out symbol.
— Nukenins from Takigakure? You guys got a little far," Kakashi said, tossing the kunai and taking it with a reverse grip.
For some reason, the gaze of the two strangers was fixed on Naruto, who swallowed, feeling uncomfortable. For the first time since the incident in the park, he felt a tremor in his legs again. The fear that Uzumaki seemed to have gotten rid of has returned. It seems that Sasuke and Mikoto, having met a serious enemy for the first time, felt the same way.
Then the green-haired girl, tearing her gaze away from Uzumaki, looked at Kakashi standing in front and saw a scroll sticking out of his pocket.
— The scroll. Give it to us," she said, holding out her hand in a demanding manner.
—Dreaming,— Hatake grinned, slapping his pocket.
—My name is Amaya," the girl's eyes narrowed. She added for some reason. — Amaya from the Waterfall. Does that name mean anything to you?
Kakashi shrugged his shoulders, making it clear that the girl's celebrity had bypassed him.
—We'll smear them, Konoji," Amaya hissed, nodding to her partner and jumping back.
— Element of Water: Sticky Trap! he exclaimed, folding the seals and spewing water from his mouth, which flowed in a wave over the grass, covering it with some kind of white slime.
— Everyone back up! Kakashi commanded.
The Genins came to their senses abruptly, jumping back to a safe distance. Mikoto armed herself with shurikens, Sasuke got into a fighting stance, and Naruto was ready to snatch a card at any moment. Kakashi stayed where he was and folded the seals with lightning speed, after which he hit the ground with his palm.
— Earth Element: Stone Wall!
The ground cracked, and a three-meter barrier moved out of it, which met a wave of sticky water and prevented it from flowing further. The wave, crashing into the wall, solidified on it in the form of something resembling mounting foam. Kakashi jumped back to his students, covering them with his back and waiting for the enemies to overcome this obstacle.
"This is your chance, Naruto. Replenish your deck with new equipment," Kurama growled.
"You're right," Uzumaki folded a combination of hand seals and took out a map, pointing it at the stone wall. But just at that moment, a girl in a tight black suit landed on the fence and hit it with her hand.
— Secret compression technique! Amaya exclaimed, and the next moment the wall from which she immediately jumped turned into a small pebble that fell on the grass.
Konoji, running straight through the white sticky slime and not experiencing any discomfort due to the chakra passed through the soles, realized that there was no obstacle between him and the enemies anymore, and prepared to use the new technique. Amaya at this time dived into the pouch with her hand and pulled out several shurikens, immediately throwing them at Kakashi and his students.
"Go ahead, Naruto!" — The Nine-tailed one again pulled Uzumaki out of a stupor caused by surprise at the demonstrated technique.
Jinchuriki nodded, fortunately, no one noticed. He put his hand in his pocket, replacing the card with a new technique with several new cards. When Kakashi, reflecting all the shurikens with kunai, moved a little sideways, freeing the way, Uzumaki, impregnating the cards with chakra, threw them at the enemies. Illuminated in purple, the cards rushed to Amaya, who did not come up with anything better than to jump aside. Konoji, interrupting the combination of seals, snatched out the kukri and was about to reflect or cut the projectiles flying at him with a weapon, but then Naruto folded the seal of concentration. Nukenin managed to take a step back before the cards exploded at the behest of the owner, stunning the enemy for a few moments, and slightly burned him. This was enough for Sasuke and Mikoto to fight.
— Element of Fire: The Great Fireball! Uchiha exclaimed, exhaling a huge fiery sphere into the enemy.
As soon as the enemy disappeared into it, Mikoto, remembering where the enemy was standing, threw shurikens. When the equipment went out, the genins saw Konoji, who jumped back a few steps. His clothes were slightly blackened, and shurikens were sticking out of his military vest, hitting exactly on target, but causing absolutely no damage.
Amaya, in turn, snatched a new batch of shurikens and was ready to send them to the shinobi from Konoha, but then Naruto saved the situation by throwing a six of diamonds towards her and reactivating the card with the seal of concentration.
— Element of Fire: A curtain of smoke! — he said, and black smoke burst out of the map, filling everything around Amaya and not allowing her to see and making it difficult to breathe.
Kakashi nodded approvingly and rushed towards the coughing victim, diving straight into a cloud of black smoke, which was not such a problem for him thanks to the mask hiding his face. It looks like the opponent managed to arm herself with a kunai. There was a ringing, but our heroes could not intervene, because Konoji, who threw the kukri into the ground so that the knife plunged into it with the blade, folded the seals again.
— The element of Water: The fin of a sea monster!
A new wave, which appeared directly from the white slime that stained the clearing, rushed straight to Sasuke in the form of a fin, the edge of which was sharp as a razor. Naruto and Mikoto looked with horror at the technique, which moved with lightning speed and did not give them a chance to intervene. Uchiha should have been cut in half and seems to have resigned himself to his fate by closing his eyes, but no. It turned out not to be so. When he opened them again, there was a sharingan with two tomoes burning in his eyes. At the last moment, having instantly calculated the time remaining before the collision with the equipment, Uchiha jumped aside, and the sharp ridge did not touch him.
Meanwhile, the black cloud dissipated, and Kakashi and Amaya, who were fighting blindly, saw each other, spinning in an even more fierce dance of death. When the blades collided for the last time, they bounced off in different directions. But kunoichi from the Waterfall managed to dive into the pouch with her free hand and extract a wire from there, which, having soaked it with chakra, tried to bind the enemy. Throwing her hand forward, the green-haired woman said:
— Fetters of pain!
The shuriken with the wire tied to it flew off somewhere to the side and, before Kakashi had time to understand anything, flew around him several times, pulling the metal thread tightly around his arms and legs.
Amaya's eyes sparkled with triumphant lights.
She pulled the wire on herself to cut the enemy into pieces, but at the last moment, he turned into a log. The wire turned the log into several wooden pancakes that fell to the ground, and Amaya turned around the next moment, hearing a sound resembling a chirp.
She saw Kakashi on a tree branch. In his hand, he clutched a glittering lightning bolt. The next moment, jonin took off from his place, pushing off with his feet from a branch, and flew straight towards his opponent.
If not for the amazing flexibility and agility of a girl in a tight black suit, then she would be pierced through. But the kunoichi from the Waterfall was not so simple. She leaned sideways at the last moment, spinning on one heel, letting Kakashi pass by her, and even managed to snatch the scroll from his pocket.
— Damn, — having extinguished the lightning, Hatake turned around and saw the contented face of the green-haired thief.
— Do you want your scroll? Well, go and get it! the girl deftly tossed the loot into the air, folded the familiar seals, and the next moment the scroll shrank, turning into something resembling spurs rolled into a roll, which Academy students prepare on a small piece of paper. Before Kakashi could do anything, the precious scroll fell into the girl's mouth, after which she swallowed it.
Realizing that the opponent was much stronger than he expected, Kakashi lifted the fallen protector, showing the second eye in which the activated sharingan was burning. It seems that kunoichi was very surprised, as her yellow eyes widened.
— Are you really the same Copying Ninja Kakashi? Oh, Angel-sama, you will be very pleased with me," the yellow-eyed girl purred, rushing forward.
She jumped up, and a small but surprisingly strong leg crashed into Hatake's chest, knocking him back. With her hand, Amaya folded the seal of concentration, and Kakashi heard a pop behind his back. It is his stone wall that has returned to its original size, and very inconveniently. The next moment, Jonin crashed into his own technique with his back, feeling something crack in his back. The stone wall cracked, falling apart into pebbles, and Hatake slid down it to the grass, breathing deeply to calm the pain.
— Sensei! Naruto and Mikoto exclaimed in unison, not knowing what to do, whether to help Sasuke or go to Kakashi's rescue.
Uchiha was busy with his own affairs and did not pay attention to anyone around. Jumping to his feet, Sasuke folded new seals, looking only at the enemy.
"The Element of Fire: Phoenix Flaming projectiles," he said, exhaling into Konoji this time a lot of fireballs the size of footballs. The enemy realized that it was useless to dodge, and again resorted to the help of technology.
— Element of Water: Water Wall! he spewed water out of his mouth again, which, standing in the form of a wall, absorbed the fiery blows.
This time, Mikoto, determined in her choice, entered the game, threw a kunai into the water barrier, and quickly folded hand seals.
— Lightning Element: Chain Reaction! She exclaimed, causing an electric shock to flare up on the tip of the thrown weapon. Lightning came into contact with the water, and nukenin from the Village of the Hidden Waterfall was thrown back.
The water hit the ground, turning into another puddle. Looking at the enemy sprawled on the ground, the girl grinned contentedly. Overcoming all fear, she put together a new combination of seals, and lightning enveloped her palm.
"I'll finish him." The element of Lightning: The sharp claw of a panther," she said and, forgetting everything, rushed to the enemy.
— Mikoto, no! Naruto, who was going to help Kakashi, shouted, remembering the slime covering the clearing, but it was too late.
The girl stuck her soles to the ground right in front of the enemy, while her enemy, from whose body smoke was still rising into the air, managed to successfully raise and smile triumphantly.
— Element of Water: Water Prison! nukenin exclaimed, holding out his hand in front of him and creating a sphere of water that instantly swallowed Mikoto. After the red lights of the sharingan with the same two tomoes lit up in the black eyes of the trapped Uchiha, her own technique shocked her with a good current and instantly knocked her out.
—Bastard,— Sasuke muttered, taking off from his seat. Naruto didn't have time to turn his head to see his friend's face, as he was already behind the enemy, managing not to fall into the same sticky trap along the way. — Lion's...
Uchiha appeared behind nukenin's back, but did not have time to finish and, moreover, attack him with his foot, because a powerful fist crashed into his stomach. From the white slime behind Konoji, a water clone prepared in advance by nukenin appeared, meeting Sasuke face to face. When Uchiha fell to his knees, bent in half, the clone instantly finished him off with a kick to the face, instantly breaking his nose into the blood and forcing the unfortunate genin to fly back and hit the back of his head against a tree trunk.
"It seems you've lost, Kakashi," Amaya grinned, watching from the sidelines as her partner dealt with genin. — There are only two of you left.
Hatake got to his feet, gritting his teeth under a mask of pain piercing his body. He looked back at Naruto, who was trembling with rage.
"I underestimated these two. Naruto obviously won't last a minute against such an opponent," flashed through his head.
"I am your enemy. Look at me! Amaya exclaimed. As soon as Hatake turned to her, her foot met him. A blade came out of the toe of Kunoichi's shoe, and the girl's lips whispered. — The element of Wind: Aerial murder.
The blow accelerated by the push of the Wind element chakra was simply impossible to repel, even with a sharingan. The blade plunged into Kakashi's stomach, although Hatake was saved from most of the blade by a military vest. However, the sharp tip caused a very deep wound and caused bleeding. Wincing, the Copying Ninja felt blood seeping through his turtleneck.
— Sensei! Naruto shouted again, not knowing whether Hatake would recover after such a blow, but he did not come to the rescue. His own opponent was waiting for him.
Konoji's water clone burst, spreading like a puddle on the ground, and nukenin himself deactivated the technique, allowing the water and Mikoto, struck by electricity, to fall on the grass. Shinobi grinned, stepping over the girl's body and slowly moved towards the boy.
—That's what I need," he said, smiling angrily.
Uzumaki instantly armed himself with cards in both hands, and a hail of cutting cards soaked in purple chakra fell on the enemy moving towards him. But Naruto was too angry and confused to throw them accurately enough. The enemy had no trouble dodging, only one card struck him on the shoulder, but very decently.
Holding the wound with his other hand, Konoji realized that he could not feel his limb. Did the boy manage to cut his nerve?
"Naruto, finish him off now! Or he will kill you," the Nine-Tailed Man barked so loudly that Naruto pulled out another card with a bullet and threw it at the enemy. — "Let the chakra into your legs as when walking on water, so as not to stick. Act!"
— Shadow cloning technique! he exclaimed, folding the seal of concentration.
Two clones instantly appeared on the sides of nukenin. One grabbed Konoji by the arm, the other hung on to his leg. Naruto himself, not remembering himself, rushed forward, doing as Kurama said, which allowed him not to stick to the ground, picked up the kukri stuck in the ground on the move and flew at the enemy.
Naruto's blue eyes flashed with cold fury. Doubts disappeared quickly, like traces of breath on a mirror. His hand tightened on the hilt of the weapon, which seemed to serve as an extension of his hand.
It all happened again, just like that time in the park. He didn't remember how many times he hit the enemy. First, a series of stabbing blows to the stomach and chest followed, and then, as soon as the enemy, turned into a sieve, had long been killed, fell to his knees, jinchuriki swung with a loud cry and, putting all his strength into the blow, took off nukenin's head.
Separated from the body, it flew away, rolling across the grass and leaving a red trail behind it. A bloody fountain shot up into the air before the body collapsed onto the grass. And the boy with a gun in his hand, all smeared with blood, looked at what had been done without much regret. He looked up and found that Sasuke, who had regained consciousness, froze after witnessing this spectacle.
— What the... Amaya squeezed out, having torn a leg with a blade from Hatake's stomach and froze at the sight of such cruelty.
These few moments of delay were enough for Kakashi to gather all his strength and deliver the last blow. His hand was soaked with chirping lightning, and the next moment it pierced kunoichi right in the heart.