Still, to ensure everything went smoothly, Masaki sent a request to Killer Bee. "Hey, Cloud ninja. That guy's no pushover. How about we team up?"
Killer Bee thought it over for a moment and quickly agreed. He hadn't been eager to retreat earlier—he only considered it because the situation had turned unfavorable for their side.
Now that the Sand ninja were stepping in, he believed they still had a chance to win the fight.
"Alright. But that red-haired kunoichi is no joke either. One of my teammates is injured, so I'll need you to handle her."
This was the dangerous Forest of Death, after all. With Motoi still unconscious, Hiko had to stay behind to watch over him. Only then could Killer Bee focus on fighting.
"No problem," Masaki replied without hesitation. "Rindo, Haruko—you two handle the red-haired kunoichi."
These two were Masaki's teammates, and both were quite capable.
Once the arrangements were made, Masaki and Killer Bee confronted Aoshi, while Rindō and Haruko took on Kushina.
This shift also brought a momentary end to the arguments in the surveillance room.
"Now that the Sand ninja have joined in, let's see how that Konoha shinobi handles it."
Due to the earlier arguing, they had missed the scene where Aoshi used a one-handed seal. If they had seen that, they'd be far more shocked—rather than sounding smug.
"Don't worry. Masaki's no weakling. With him involved, things will go just fine."
The Sand ninja nodded in agreement with cheerful smiles.
Konoha had sat on the throne of the 'Number One Hidden Village' for far too long. So seeing one of their ninja get pushed into a corner was something both the Cloud and Sand ninja thoroughly enjoyed.
"Hmph! So what if you team up? In the end, the victory will still belong to Konoha!" Seeing the arrogant faces of the Cloud and Sand ninja, the Konoha shinobi instinctively pushed back.
But despite his words, he didn't actually feel that confident inside. Because he knew very little about Aoshi. To be more precise, he hadn't even known such a person existed in Konoha until today.
Even though Aoshi's earlier display of power had shocked him.
Now that he thought about it, maybe Aoshi had simply won because of greater combat experience, allowing him to seize the perfect moment to strike down his opponent. Not because he was truly strong.
But now that their enemies understood that, Killer Bee and Masaki were joining forces to deny him any such opportunity. Under such circumstances, he couldn't see how Aoshi could win.
He could only hope Aoshi could hold them off long enough for Kushina to finish her fight and come help.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
A series of crisp metallic clashes rang out—Kushina had already engaged in battle with the two Sand ninja.
From the very first exchange, she could tell that either of the two alone wouldn't stand a chance against her.
Unfortunately, since they were part of the same team, their coordination was flawless, giving Kushina no opening to retaliate. For the moment, she was being suppressed.
Any ordinary genin in her place would've already lost by now.
But Kushina was different. Even when surrounded and attacked in perfect unison, she didn't show any signs of backing down.
Still, she knew better than to take on multiple opponents head-on. She wasn't foolish enough to believe she could overpower them by sheer force alone.
Blocking their attacks, Kushina quickly created distance and leapt up onto the tree branches, darting through the forest canopy.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Rindō immediately threw several shuriken at her, but she dodged them all.
At the same time, Haruko finished a hand sign and released a Wind Style jutsu—blades of wind slashing through the air like sharpened knives.
The attack was so fast that Kushina couldn't fully evade and was struck.
Boom!
Before Haruko could celebrate, the hit Kushina transformed into a wooden log. At the critical moment, she had used the Substitution Jutsu.
"Damn it!" Seeing their attack fail, Haruko's face twisted with frustration.
"Watch out!" Rindō shouted.
Haruko immediately dodged.
Kushina had thrown two kunai fitted with explosive tags. She had to separate the pair if she wanted to defeat them one by one.
Their synergy was simply too strong—winning against both at once would be near impossible.
Boom! Boom! Two powerful explosions rang out one after another.
Though the explosive tags packed a punch, the chaos didn't affect the other side of the battlefield, where Aoshi was.
Facing the joined forces of Killer Bee and Masaki, Aoshi remained calm as still water. He made no move to strike first.
With his level of strength, there was no need to take the initiative. Of course, part of it was that he was intentionally holding back.
If he wanted to end the fight, he could do so in an instant. But there was no need for that.
After all, Kushina was enjoying herself. This was a rare chance to fight real opponents from other Great Ninja Villages.
With a serious expression, Killer Bee drew his second blade.
Unlike his future self, who would become a perfect jinchūriki, Killer Bee at this stage concentrated all his power into taijutsu—particularly his swordsmanship.
Watching him, a faint trace of interest appeared on Aoshi's face. He also drew his ninja blade. His own swordsmanship wasn't bad, either.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
As Killer Bee charged at Aoshi, Masaki was the first to act, flinging several shuriken.
Aoshi didn't dodge—he simply swung his sword with lightning speed, effortlessly deflecting every single shuriken.
Not only that, but he redirected them, sending them flying back even faster—directly at Masaki.
This display made Masaki's pupils shrink. Killer Bee had the same reaction.
Just this initial move was already enough to give them both a fright.
But now that the battle had begun, there was no turning back. Killer Bee was already at Aoshi's side. Clang! Clang! Clang! In just a blink, he unleashed over a dozen rapid attacks—but all were blocked by Aoshi.
"Not bad," Aoshi said, complimenting Killer Bee's swordplay.
While he wasn't quite at the level he'd one day reach when pummeling Sasuke, this fierce and explosive dual-blade style was already top-tier even among Chunin.
But instead of feeling flattered, Killer Bee's face grew even more serious. He had gone all out—but Aoshi had blocked everything with ease.
And it wasn't just swordplay; Killer Bee's physical strength was formidable as well. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to perform the Double Lariat combo with the Fourth Raikage.
While Killer Bee kept Aoshi occupied, Masaki completed his hand signs and launched another ninjutsu attack.
Unlike Killer Bee's sword skills, Masaki specialized in mid- to long-range Wind Release techniques.
Sensing the incoming jutsu, Aoshi remained calm—he continued to clash swords with Killer Bee using one hand, while simultaneously forming a one-handed seal with the other to summon the Water Formation Wall again.
Masaki's powerful jutsu was once again completely neutralized by the towering water wall.
This time, the defeat struck Masaki harder. Was his Wind Release ninjutsu really that weak? No—it wasn't that he was weak. This guy was just a monster.
Before, Masaki could still convince himself that Aoshi had fast reflexes.
But now, even while being pressed in close combat by Killer Bee, Aoshi had the composure and control to defend with high-level Water Release at the same time.
And what baffled Masaki most—did this man have infinite chakra? They were in a completely dry forest, yet he had unleashed two large-scale Water Release techniques back to back.
--
--
Show your support with Power Stones, everyone!
If we make it into the top 10 rankings at the week's end, I'll drop 5 bonus chapters as a thank-you!
P@treon/Lord IM(30+ Advanced Chapters)