First Battle Victorious!
"Wood Leaf Dragon God!"
Just at this critical moment, Shirō and the others arrived! Teacher Chen stepped forward without hesitation, shielding Xiao Guang from the Cloud Ninja's deadly strike.
At the same time, the Jōnin who attacked Takeda and Miyue were intercepted. One of the attackers targeting Miyue was even killed in an instant!
Simultaneously, Taiyi and Shirō charged forward, intercepting A (the future Fourth Raikage) and Killer Bee respectively.
Taiyi confronted A, while Shirō faced Killer Bee.
However, though both managed to block the initial attacks, the difference in power was obvious. Shirō held his ground, but Taiyi was forced backward, his sword arm trembling slightly from the impact.
"Taiyi, are you alright?" Shirō called out, his eyes narrowing.
"Hah… I'm fine. Sorry, Pingyi-senpai, we arrived late."
Though Taiyi apologized, his gaze never wavered from A. Shirō was the same—on the battlefield, a moment's distraction could mean death.
A quickly scanned the situation. His subordinates were locked in combat with Konoha's shinobi, and their target was still in Cloud's possession. With that reassurance, he shouted coldly:
"What's the meaning of this, Konoha?! Do you want to start a war?"
"Hmph! You're the ones who attacked us first! That's our line!" Pingyi shot back.
"Nonsense! Killer Bee!"
"Yo! Big bro! Time to go!"
With a rap-like shout, Bee joined the fray again. But this time, the brothers swapped opponents—Killer Bee went for Taiyi, while A charged toward Shirō.
Though hot-headed, A was no fool. In their first exchange, he had noticed Taiyi's swordsmanship—a fluid and precise style reminiscent of the Uchiha clan. Combined with the fan emblem on his back, it was clear he wasn't an imposter.
Given the strength and coordination of the Konoha reinforcements, A concluded that Taiyi likely possessed the Sharingan. Since he himself wasn't skilled with Genjutsu, he might be at a disadvantage.
Thus, he swapped targets with Bee. After all, there was no one better than a Jinchūriki to counter Genjutsu.
Shirō's side reached the same conclusion. Taiyi's odds against A weren't great—Lightning Release Armor provided both incredible speed and natural resistance to Genjutsu. Furthermore, both A and Taiyi used Lightning-style Taijutsu, and in their earlier clash, Taiyi had clearly been overpowered.
It made more sense for Shirō—who possessed Reinforcement Magic and Magic Power Emission—to take on the brute force of the Raikage.
Even if Genjutsu was ineffective against Killer Bee, at least Bee wasn't as absurdly fast or durable as his brother.
Thus, both sides found the switch advantageous.
At this point, however, information about Killer Bee's status as the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki had not yet spread widely. Taiyi had no idea of his opponent's true nature. He merely assumed Shirō was better suited for A, and prepared to fight seriously.
Shirō subtly warned him.
"Taiyi, when I first analyzed him, I couldn't read his chakra properly—just like the Seven-Tails Jinchūriki. Even if it's just a hunch, avoid using Genjutsu on him!"
"Understood."
With that brief exchange, they both surged forward once again—clashing head-on with A and Killer Bee!
---
Meanwhile, Teacher Chen was locked in battle with the Cloud search team's leader.
"Old man, you only know Taijutsu and still dare to fight? Aren't you afraid of dying?" the Cloud Jōnin taunted.
"That's none of your concern. But if I remember correctly, Hirata, you never mastered Genjutsu either, did you? Then why the big talk?"
"Hmph! The times have changed! I'm a Jōnin now—and you're still just a washed-up Chūnin! How do you plan to fight me?"
"Lightning Release: Grateful Wave!"
As Hirata mocked him, he launched a sudden Lightning-style attack, hoping to catch Teacher Chen off guard.
Chen sneered.
Indeed, it was rare for a purely Taijutsu specialist to reach Jōnin rank—but rare didn't mean impossible.
After all, who was he?
Konoha's strongest Taijutsu user!
Through sheer will and sweat, he had climbed to Jōnin rank.
"Konoha Hurricane!"
He deflected the Lightning Release with a sharp spinning kick, then shifted into a stance that radiated power.
"Hmph! Ignorant fool. Let me show you—Konoha's strongest Taijutsu! Wood Leaf Dragon God!"
"Tch! Still bluffing!"
Despite his words, Hirata quickly began forming hand seals.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Armor!"
Crackling energy enveloped him—a lesser variant of the Raikage's Lightning Release Armor. While it lacked the immense power and speed of the true version, its defensive capabilities were formidable.
Hirata braced himself, arms crossed over his chest, ready to tank the blow head-on. The Lightning Armor flared, augmenting his chakra reserves.
A roaring wind surged around Teacher Chen as a colossal dragon of air pressure spiraled upward. It coiled once in the sky—then dove down with ferocious speed!
The impact thundered through the field—but even the Wood Leaf Dragon God couldn't pierce the Lightning Armor's defense.
"You lose!"
Hirata smirked, muscles tensing as he unleashed the built-up chakra from his armor, amplifying his strength for a devastating counterattack.
But in midair, Teacher Chen's lips curved into a calm smile.
Hirata's expression changed—too late.
A green blur shot toward him like a cannonball.
"Konoha Hurricane!"
The newcomer—Might Dai—crashed in with a perfectly timed kick, deflecting Hirata's strike.
From the start, Dai had been watching Chen's fight closely. Though Dai's Taijutsu rivaled his, Dai was still a Genin, while Chen was a seasoned Jōnin—proof that Dai still had much to learn.
Even Teacher Chen was surprised by Dai's sudden appearance. But that surprise quickly turned into a grin.
This was his true trump card.
"Konoha Style: Dance of the Crescent Moon!"
Three afterimages flashed past in an instant.
Hirata's guard was down—his old strength spent, his defense shattered. The Wind Release chakra coating the blades sliced through the weakened Lightning Armor effortlessly.
A final slash connected.
Hirata fell, defeated.
---
Victory!
Konoha's reinforcements had turned the tide.
Their first true battle together—and they stood victorious.
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