Traditional Art of Grabbing the Bell (Part 2)
One hour later.
Kato Dan strolled leisurely into the training ground on the edge of the forest.
"How about it? Ready to begin?"
He spoke with his usual laid-back smile, eyes narrowed in his characteristic easygoing manner.
"Sensei, the moment you stepped into this training field, the battle had already begun."
Uchiha Mingjing mirrored his smile as he casually pulled out a kunai and flung it into the woods.
The kunai spun through the air with a sharp whistle, slicing a taut rope and embedding itself into a tree trunk with a thunk. Instantly, a barrage of sharpened bamboo stakes launched from the underbrush, flying toward Kato Dan.
"Oh? A trap? Nicely set," he said, tone light but impressed.
Though he praised the effort, his body moved with practiced ease, sidestepping the bamboo projectiles with minimal effort. For an elite jonin like Kato Dan, these kinds of traps were hardly threatening—even without resorting to his famed Spiritual Transformation Technique.
"Nami, now!"
At Mingjing's signal, he threw several shuriken attached to steel wire, attempting to entangle their sensei.
Inuzuka Ryo gave a wild yell as he lunged in, kunai in hand. As a member of the Inuzuka clan, he had solid close-combat skills despite his young age. His half-grown ninja hound, Tetsumaru, couldn't fight yet, so Ryo relied solely on his own taijutsu.
Trailing behind him was a buzzing swarm of kikaichū, unleashed by Aburame Nami.
Traps. Shuriken. Taijutsu. Insects.
In rapid succession, the Genin team launched four coordinated attacks.
From Kato Dan's perspective, their teamwork was impressive—especially considering they'd only just met the day before. Not bad, he thought, The village has high hopes for this new generation… If this is just the start, perhaps they really do have the potential to reach jonin level.
He smirked. "Is that all? No other surprises? Come on—give me something interesting."
Effortlessly, he deflected the wire-controlled shuriken and traded blows with Ryo, ultimately throwing him aside and dispersing the kikaichū swarm with a precise chakra burst.
"This isn't over, Kato-sensei!"
Bruised but undeterred, Inuzuka Ryo dropped to all fours, chakra visibly surging around his limbs with a faint blue glow.
It was the Four Legs Technique, a basic Inuzuka clan jutsu that boosts speed and physical power.
Tetsumaru wasn't yet ready for partner techniques like Fang Over Fang, so Ryo had focused on solo jutsu. He'd started training early, before even graduating from the Academy. With the technique active, he held his own against Kato Dan for a few more exchanges.
Meanwhile, Mingjing's eyes turned crimson—he'd activated his Sharingan.
Using both hands—and even his teeth—to hold the wires, he finely controlled the shuriken with dazzling precision.
"Sharingan Style: Windmill Three-Blade Technique!"
Shuriken spiraled through the air in curved, interlocking paths—classic Uchiha technique.
"Beautiful shurikenjutsu," Kato Dan muttered appreciatively. "As expected of the Uchiha clan."
When it came to shuriken mastery, no one surpassed them.
"But… still not enough."
Wanting to push them further, Kato Dan ramped up his speed. In a flash, he knocked Ryo aside with a solid kick and closed in on Mingjing to prevent another round of shuriken tricks.
Suddenly, a dense wall of insects rose in his path—Aburame Nami's kikaichū had regrouped. As Kato Dan maneuvered around them, he noticed small flickering lights approaching.
"Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu!"
Small flame bullets spread out like a fan, arcing toward him.
"So you're the first to use ninjutsu, Mingjing."
Kato Dan smiled and quickly performed hand seals.
"Wind Style: Wind Cutter!"
Normally, Wind-Style is strong against Fire-Style, but the outcome depends on chakra control.
His precision was flawless—the blades of wind dissected the flames mid-air, nullifying the technique without overextinguishing it.
But more bugs approached, flying in strange, unpredictable patterns.
He's trying to obscure my vision... planning something more.
Now genuinely intrigued, Kato Dan nodded to himself.
"It's not just a smokescreen, Kato-sensei."
Mingjing's Sharingan picked up on the ultra-thin threads trailing behind the bugs. Their erratic flight paths weren't random—they were pulling steel wires.
These special fire-resistant wires were coated in oil and trailed behind the insects.
"Fire Style: Dragon Fire Jutsu!"
A blazing stream of fire surged along the wires, creating radiant, searing lines of flame aimed at Kato Dan. The ends of the wires had protective seals to prevent the bugs from being incinerated instantly, though the kikaichū would still be sacrificed.
"Genius tactic," Kato Dan murmured, watching the flaming net close in. With so many converging wires, he had no room to dodge.
But he didn't need to.
The moment the fire made contact—POOF!—Kato Dan vanished in a puff of smoke.
Shadow Clone!
However, both Ryo and Nami had excellent tracking skills. They immediately pinpointed Kato Dan's real location hiding nearby.
Ryo signaled, and Mingjing spun on his heel, drawing his sword and rushing in to flank. A fresh swarm of kikaichū followed behind them, providing interference.
Despite their efforts, Kato Dan's jonin-level taijutsu and experience were overwhelming. After a few exchanges, he sent Mingjing flying.
This time, Nami's support made the difference. Her insects clustered together, forming an Insect Shield, cushioning Mingjing's fall.
The shield didn't hold long—it crumbled under pressure—but the few seconds it bought were enough.
Mingjing completed a string of hand seals.
"Ryo, move!"
Ryo obeyed immediately, darting aside as Mingjing inhaled.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
A massive sphere of flame erupted from Mingjing's mouth, roaring toward Kato Dan with blazing intensity.