Chapter 13 — Outwitting a Jonin
Deep within the Devil's Forest, the air hung heavy with the smell of damp soil and crushed leaves.
Leaning weakly against the trunk of a massive tree, Rin Nohara struggled to remain standing. Her legs trembled uncontrollably, barely able to support her weight. Each breath came in shallow, uneven gasps.
Her face was pale as paper, drained of all color. A streak of blood clung to the corner of her lips, slowly trailing down her chin. Her clothes were torn in several places, exposing shallow cuts and bruises beneath. Dirt and blood had mixed into a grimy paste across her skin.
She had long since exhausted her strength. Even remaining upright felt like a battle she was losing.
Escape was no longer an option.
Around her, jagged stone pillars jutted up from the ground in a crude ring—an Earth Spear Formation that sealed off every possible path of retreat. The uneven spikes formed a cage of stone, trapping her completely.
Nearly a hundred paces away stood a man with green markings smeared across his face.
Tōki.
He watched her with a faint, almost lazy smile, as though observing prey that had already stopped struggling.
"You reckless girl…" he said calmly. "Killing you won't bring me any satisfaction."
His voice carried easily through the still forest.
"But since you happened to see something you shouldn't have…"
He raised one hand slowly and began forming hand seals.
"I have no choice but to send you on your way."
---
Despair settled over Rin like a suffocating fog.
Her fingers twitched weakly, but she didn't even have the strength to raise her arms anymore.
Slowly, she closed her eyes.
Kakashi… Obito... Obuya…
Her thoughts drifted like falling leaves.
...We're about to part forever.
A faint sadness tugged at her heart.
If there is a next life… may we remain comrades.
There were so many things she didn't want to leave behind.
But facing an enemy she couldn't possibly defeat, Rin knew there was no escape today.
---
"Huh?"
Tōki suddenly stopped mid–hand seal.
His expression shifted slightly.
"What a brat… my clone was just ambushed."
The surprise on his face quickly turned into amusement. He wasn't angry. Only intrigued.
The Konoha ninja he had chased earlier hadn't seen anything important. Even if that one escaped, it wouldn't affect his plans in the slightest.
But the fact that someone had destroyed his clone… That was unexpected.
"Little girl," Tōki said casually, lowering his hands. "It seems today you won't be walking alone."
He smirked faintly.
"Someone will be accompanying you."
He tilted his head slightly.
"Today, I'll show some rare mercy and find you a companion."
---
The death Rin had been waiting for didn't come.
Slowly, she opened her eyes. Confusion flickered across her face.
Then—
"Rin! Where are you?!"
A voice echoed through the forest.
It was distant, but unmistakable.
And getting closer.
Rin's face turned even paler than before.
She recognized that voice instantly.
"Obuya… run!"
She forced the words out with what little strength she had left.
Her voice trembled with urgency.
She knew exactly how strong the man in front of her was.
Even if Obuya arrived…
It would only mean one more corpse.
---
Obuya raced through the forest like a bolt of lightning.
Electric sparks burst beneath his feet with every step, propelling him forward at blistering speed.
When he heard Rin's voice, the tight knot in his chest loosened slightly.
She was alive.
He pushed himself faster.
In the next instant, he broke through the trees and saw a figure standing ahead.
Tōki's back.
Sizzle—
Electric-blue sparks erupted along Obuya's right arm.
Without hesitation, he struck.
The electricity twisted violently, shaping itself into the head of a monstrous beast. Its jaws opened wide, crackling with power as it lunged forward.
The Lightning Beast slammed toward Tōki's back.
But Tōki didn't move. Didn't dodge.
Didn't even turn around.
Sizzle!!
The attack connected.
But the moment it landed—
Obuya's heart sank.
This didn't feel like striking flesh.
Boom.
Tōki's body shattered instantly into a heap of broken stone.
A substitution.
At that same moment—
A sharp gust of wind sliced through the air behind him.
Obuya barely had time to react.
He raised his arm instinctively to protect his head.
Too late.
Tōki's Whirlwind Kick struck him with overwhelming force. The impact lifted him clear off the ground.
His organs jolted violently inside his body, pain exploding through his chest as the world spun around him.
He was hurled through the air like a ragdoll, smashing straight through part of the Earth Spear Formation before crashing to the ground beside Rin.
---
"Obuya!"
Rin stumbled forward and tried to help him up.
Obuya coughed, pushing himself upright with shaking arms. He wiped blood from the corner of his mouth.
"Rin… are you okay?" he asked, breathing heavily. "I didn't come too late… right?"
Seeing her injured but still alive, he finally exhaled in relief.
"You didn't come late," Tōki said casually.
He stood a short distance away, watching them like a bored spectator.
"Had you been any later, you'd have died alongside her."
He smirked faintly.
"Foolish brat… Looks like you two know each other."
"That makes things simpler."
"It'll be a kindness to send you both off together."
---
At that moment, a mechanical voice echoed inside Obuya's mind.
[Special Mission: Trapped Beast Duel]
[Mission Objective]: Survive the battle against a Jonin from the Land of Earth.
[Mission Rewards]:
Escape with life: 10 Demon Points
Repel the opponent: 20 Demon Points
Defeat the opponent: 30 Demon Points
Capture alive: 40 Demon Points
[Battle Fatality Rate]: High
[Consequences of Failure]: Ultimate Demon System revoked. Training terminated.
---
Obuya's breathing slowly steadied.
"Great danger… great opportunity," he thought.
But his mind raced.
How do I fight someone like this?
A Jonin-level opponent meant overwhelming experience, superior jutsu, and refined combat instincts. In a direct fight, the gap between them was enormous.
There was no contest in raw strength.
But Obuya didn't believe killing always required brute force.
Sometimes…
All it took was the right method.
---
"Rin," Obuya whispered quietly, leaning closer.
"I remember you have Water, Fire, and Lightning chakra natures."
Rin blinked in surprise.
She had already accepted death. Her only regret had been dragging Obuya into it with her. His sudden calmness caught her off guard.
Still, she nodded.
"Yes… I do."
"Do you have a plan?" she asked softly.
"I don't know if it'll work," Obuya murmured. "But we have to try."
His lips barely moved as he explained.
The words came out in faint, threadlike whispers.
Rin listened carefully.
When he finished, she looked at him with uncertainty.
She didn't fully understand what he intended.
But she nodded anyway.
She trusted him.
---
Tōki watched the entire exchange with amusement.
Like a cat watching trapped mice.
"You two seem to be plotting something," he said lazily.
"How interesting."
He crossed his arms.
"Too bad. In the face of absolute power, your little tricks are destined to fail."
He tilted his head slightly.
"Come on. Show me."
"Let's see if your plan can surprise me."
He smirked.
"But my patience is limited."
"If I don't see something interesting within ten breaths… this farce ends."
---
"Rin," Obuya said quietly.
"Go."
Rin immediately began forming hand seals.
"Water Release: Water Cannon!"
A massive sphere of water formed in front of her and shot forward at high speed.
Tōki didn't move.
"Pathetic," he said flatly.
He formed seals casually.
The ground trembled and a wall of mud and stone surged upward, forming a solid barrier in front of him.
Boom!!
The Water Cannon slammed into the wall with explosive force.
Water splashed violently in all directions—
But the wall held firm.
Not even cracked.
---
Rin continued.
Another Water Cannon.
Then another.
And another.
She cast jutsu relentlessly, as if burning through the last of her chakra reserves.
Tōki watched with growing disappointment.
A single mud wall he had raised without effort blocked everything perfectly.
There was no threat at all... To think he held back out of caution towards what this brats could bring.
---
"Ten breaths," Tōki said calmly.
"They're over."
He dismissed the wall with a casual gesture.
The incoming water attacks didn't concern him at all. His hands formed new seals.
"Earth Release: Rock Fist!"
Sand and stone surged from the ground, spiraling around his arm.
His right hand expanded rapidly, growing larger and larger until it became a massive fist of solid rock.
It was enormous.
Dense.
And overwhelmingly powerful.
"Die!"
With a savage grin, Tōki leaped into the air.
The massive rock fist came crashing down like a falling meteor.
---
"Water Release: Water Screen!"
Rin formed one final jutsu.
A thick curtain of water surged upward, forming a protective barrier above them.
Tōki laughed.
"Pathetic!"
"You've given me no surprise at all."
"Fighting you is a waste of time."
Boom!!
The Rock Fist smashed down.
The Water Screen shattered instantly.
The hardened stone fist tore straight through the barrier without slowing—
And continued downward toward them.