Just as Allen was debating whether he should find someone from the Hyuga clan to devour before his eventual defection, Kakashi and the backup team finally arrived, trailing behind.
He scanned the surroundings with a sharp, vigilant gaze. Once confirmed there were no enemy ambushes, he spoke. "What's the situation? Why the sudden stop?"
"The intel was flawed. The Iwagakure shinobi who infiltrated aren't just two squads, but three. Right beneath the soil and rock ahead, there are two squads, six people in total. Moreover, Neji noted that two of them possess staggering amounts of chakra," Might Guy explained immediately.
"Six people?" Kakashi frowned instinctively, casting a glance at his two companions.
"Let's strike directly! Didn't Guy's team just take down a squad on their own? Dealing with one more shouldn't be a problem. Once we handle the other squad, we'll move in to support them," Genma Shiranui suggested immediately.
Kurenai Yuhi nodded in agreement. "Exactly! These guys have caused significant losses to our patrol teams; we can't let them escape easily."
"Guy, can you still hold up?" Kakashi asked, his tone laced with uncertainty.
"Hahahaha! No problem, my eternal rival! The burning blood of youth never admits defeat!" Might Guy gave a firm thumbs-up.
"Sigh, then let's do it. Allen, be careful this time. We might need your Medical Ninjutsu to come into play," Kakashi specifically cautioned.
As a highly perceptive man, he had already sensed the intense thirst for battle that Allen occasionally, though unintentionally, let slip.
"Understood! I'll be careful," Allen replied, maintaining his obedient persona.
"Now then, let's flush these big rats out from underground."
With that, Kakashi's hands blurred as he wove signs with extreme speed. In the blink of an eye, the jutsu was complete.
"Earth Release: Earth Shore Return!"
Rumble!
The earth groaned as if compressed by a terrifying force, then erupted like a volcano. The six Iwa shinobi were launched directly into the air.
However, as this was not a lethal jutsu, they remained largely unharmed, though their faces showed clear signs of shock. The Iwa elites regained their composure quickly, landing firmly back on the ground.
At their head stood a tall, burly man with a red headband, a signature large nose, and a thick beard.
"Kitsuchi?!"
Kakashi, a veteran of the Third Great Ninja War, recognized him instantly. He was the son of the Third Tsuchikage and the highest front-line commander for this covert operation in the Land of Grass, Kitsuchi.
"Hmm? If it isn't Kakashi of the Sharingan! It's been a long time," Kitsuchi said, his lips curling into a playful smirk.
"What is your objective? If this was just a simple probe, it shouldn't require a commander like you to take the field personally, right?" Kakashi lifted his headband to reveal his Sharingan, testing the waters cautiously. He was well aware of his opponent's strength; his lazy demeanor vanished, replaced by a cold, razor-sharp intensity.
"Heh, I won't leak intel to the enemy so easily. If you want to know, come and take it yourself. If I recall, your Yamanaka clan can invade a corpse's brain to extract memories. If you kill me, any intel will be easy to obtain," Kitsuchi mocked with a cold sneer.
Since they were old enemies, words were redundant. Within seconds, everyone selected their opponents and vanished into the fray.
Only one person remained standing still: Allen.
He didn't even look at the Iwa ninja staring him down. Instead, he looked at Kakashi. "Can you leave this one to me?"
"Are you insane? That's Kitsuchi! The son of the Tsuchikage! Even in all of Iwagakure, he's one of the top-tier shinobi! He's not someone an average Jonin can compare to," Kakashi said sternly.
"I understand that. That's exactly why he's the right opponent. After all... I need a strong adversary to conduct more tests."
As he spoke, Allen gathered chakra in his palm to create another Thunderbird.
"Fine, I can't talk sense into you. Just be careful. I'll come to support you as soon as I finish my opponent." Kakashi sighed helplessly and charged off to engage the final remaining enemy.
Watching their figures disappear into the woods, Kitsuchi sighed. "Another boy wonder? Konoha really does mass-produce geniuses. But the greater the genius, the more necessary it is to stifle them before they grow. Sorry, kid, don't hate me."
"Stifle me? It seems you haven't grasped the situation, old man," Allen said with a smile as he released the Thunderbird.
In less than a tenth of a second, the Thunderbird, flashing with white electricity, vanished.
"What?!"
Kitsuchi was no ordinary Jonin. He realized instantly that such immense Lightning Release chakra wouldn't just vanish for no reason, and he immediately began the hand sign for a Substitution Jutsu.
But as he was halfway through the sign, the electric field surrounding his body entered the destructive discharge phase. Blinding white arcs of electricity leaped through the air at imperceptible speeds, culminating in a pillar of lightning.
When the light cleared, Kitsuchi was revealed in a wretched state. Though he had managed to complete the Substitution Jutsu and escape the center of the field, his left side was severely burned. His skin and muscle were a sickening shade of purple, emitting the distinct aroma of roasted meat.
"Oh dear, you managed to dodge it. It seems the incomplete Thunderbird still has flaws," Allen said, looking as though his suspicions were confirmed.
The transition from the electric field formation to the destructive discharge had a brief buffer, roughly half a second. To an average ninja, this was negligible, but for an elite Jonin, it was enough time to perform a single-sign Substitution.
In the Naruto world, battles between true masters were decided by who could compress their attack time further within the unit of a "second."
In Allen's original design, the transition from the Thunderbird's disappearance to the discharge should be seamless. Unfortunately, he couldn't achieve that yet.
Still, compared to the Great Fireball, Phoenix Sage Fire, or Dragon Flame Jutsu which almost never hit their targets, the Thunderbird held a massive advantage. Even an elite Jonin like Kitsuchi would inevitably be caught off guard and pay a heavy price. Half of his body was now paralyzed, and the burns would severely hinder his movement.
The Thunderbird had the power to kill an elite Jonin. Whether the opponent knew of the technique or not, the result wouldn't change...