Ryuuji's eyes burned with determination as he roared, "I'll make you regret having underestimated me!"
The wind charging his fist was like razor blades, slicing through the air as he aimed a devastating blow at Tadao.
But the jonin barely reacted.
"Underestimating you?" Tadao muttered lazily as he effortlessly sidestepped Ryuuji's attack. "That would mean you have some strength I don't know about, but..."
Before Ryuuji could even register what was happening, Tadao's hand shot out, grabbing the very arm he had used to attack. In a swift motion, he twisted it at an agonizing angle, nearly snapping the bone and immobilizing him entirely.
Ryuuji gasped, pain shooting through his arm as his body was forced to the ground.
"Where is this strength?" Tadao asked, his voice still as indifferent as ever.
Shin's eyes sharpened with focus as he whispered, "Ayaka, go behind him... I have a plan."
"Yes, Shin." Ayaka nodded without hesitation, trusting his words completely as she silently slipped into action.
But before she could even get into position—
"Hey..." Tadao suddenly spoke, his lazy gaze shifting toward Shin. "Did you really think I wouldn't notice you and that girl muttering over between yourselves?"
Without warning, he pulled out a handful of kunai and flicked them behind him with a casual motion.
"Your enemy won't let you develop plans in peace during a real battle!"
A sharp cry rang out as one of the kunai struck Ayaka's leg, embedding itself deep into her flesh. She stumbled, pain shooting through her body as blood began to seep from the wound.
"Ayaka!" Shin shouted without hesitation, his voice sharp with urgency.
In the same instant, his hands moved in a blur, drawing three kunai at once and hurling them toward Tadao. "Kunai Clone Jutsu!" he muttered, his fingers weaving through a rapid sequence of hand seals.
The three kunai multiplied mid-air, expanding into twelve—though only three were real.
Tadao raised an eyebrow, a chuckle escaping him. "Huh? Weren't you a medical ninja?"
But as he prepared to dodge, something felt off.
The kunai weren't flying toward him.
They were headed straight for Ayaka.
Shin's expression twisted into one of cold fury. "I've always wanted to do this, you bitch! Die!"
Ayaka's face turned pale, her eyes widening in sheer horror as she let out a shriek.
"Damn it!" Tadao cursed internally. "Why did I have to end up with crazy-ass kids?"
In an instant, he blurred forward, appearing in front of Ayaka just as the kunai were about to hit. His hands moved like lightning, snatching all twelve from the air. The moment his fingers touched the fakes, they vanished in a cloud of smoke.
His gaze snapped to Shin, irritation flickering in his usually lazy eyes. "Hey, Shin. What do you think you're doing? Attacking your own teammates is—"
But he abruptly stopped mid-sentence.
His instincts screamed.
A blur of movement from behind.
Ayaka.
A kunai streaking toward his back.
Tadao's body reacted before his mind could fully process it, spinning in a blur and catching Ayaka's wrist just as the kunai was about to pierce him.
"What?" His eyes widened. "What's happen—"
Then realization struck.
"Those kids... they knew I wouldn't let any of them die, so they used that to their advantage."
His grip tightened slightly as his gaze flickered to Ayaka. "But for her to let herself be almost killed by her own teammate just for this... it means she trusts Shin completely."
With a swift motion, Tadao hurled Ayaka away, sending her skidding across the dirt.
Tadao let out a low chuckle, shaking his head in amusement.
"Heh... your plan was quite good," he admitted. "It would have worked... if I wasn't a jonin."
Then, in an instant, his entire demeanor shifted.
His once lazy eyes sharpened, a serious intensity overtaking his usual indifferent gaze. His body, which had seemed so relaxed before, tensed with controlled power.
"We've been through countless wars. We've seen tricks like this hundreds of times."
Before Shin or Ayaka could react, Tadao vanished.
A gust of wind followed in his wake as he rushed toward Shin with terrifying speed, his presence overwhelming.
Tadao's hands moved in a blur, forming a rapid sequence of seals.
"Water Release..."
His chakra surged.
"Serpent Stream."
Out of nowhere, the air around him twisted.
More than thirty or even forty serpents—each made entirely of swirling, high-pressure water—materialized in an instant.
With a single sweeping motion of his arm, Tadao hurled them forward.
The serpents flew through the air, their liquid bodies writhing and coiling as they shot toward Shin like unleashed predators, their gaping maws seeking to bite down.
Shin's eyes widened in admiration.
"Wow... this jutsu is majestic..."
He couldn't help but marvel at the elegant yet deadly technique.
"I'll have to ask him to teach me that."
But there was no time to waste. His hands flew into a blur of seals before he slammed his palm against the ground.
"Earth Release: Earthen Bump!"
A small mound of earth rose just in front of him. As the serpents closed in, their watery bodies twisting with lethal intent, Shin pushed off the bump, launching himself into the air, flying over them.
"That's a clever move, but..." Tadao muttered, his voice laced with amusement.
Without warning, the serpents twisted mid-air, their liquid forms adjusting unnaturally to follow Shin's trajectory.
Shin's eyes widened in realization.
"Crap—!"
Still airborne, with no way to dodge, he was completely exposed.
Shin's mind raced as the serpents closed in. He had to counter—that was the only option.
His hands blurred through a rapid sequence of hand signs.
"Lightning Release: Static Spark!"
A faint crackling sound filled the air as small sparks of electricity danced across Shin's hands.
The Static Spark Jutsu, one of the jutsu he had learned during his time at the Tree Leaf Library, was the weakest Lightning Release jutsu, something even academy students could perform if they had the patience to learn it. But right now, it was exactly what he needed.
"This jutsu may be weak... but against something like this, it's perfect!"
He clenched his fists and punched forward, his electrified hands meeting the first two serpents head-on.
The moment his fists made contact, electricity surged through their liquid bodies, disrupting their chakra structure. The serpents trembled for a split second before bursting apart into harmless puddles of water.
Tadao's brows rose slightly, a flicker of amusement crossing his face.
"Knowing three different elemental jutsus right after leaving the academy?" he muttered, his voice carrying a tinge of approval. "You're quite something..."
But then his smirk widened.
"But that weak jutsu alone won't be enough."
Before Shin could even process what was happening, the puddles of water on the ground began shifting, rippling unnaturally.
And then—they reformed.
The serpents rose once more, their liquid bodies twisting back into shape, and with a violent lurch, they rushed toward Shin once again.
"Fuck!" Shin cursed inwardly, his mind racing.
He had barely taken down two serpents, and now they were back like nothing happened. His body was still midair, leaving him completely vulnerable.
"Damn it, what do I do now? I'll just waste chakra if I continue taking them down like this!"
To be continued...
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Also, sorry for not having posted those days, but I was on a trip with my school so I really didn't have the time to write. Please forgive me.
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