https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-302-Uchiha-Madara-s-Understanding-of-Obito/12558373/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-304-A-Sword-Drawn-for-Protection/12558375/
Chapter 303: Team Minato vs. Kirigakure's Strongest Squad
Chapter 303: Team Minato vs. Kirigakure's Strongest Squad
"Shadow Imitation Technique!"
Nara Saline swiftly performed hand seals, and the shadow beneath his feet rushed towards the nearest opponent, Black Pond, merging with his shadow.
In the instant their shadows overlapped, Black Pond sensed something amiss with his body, and he lost control of it.
Shush!
Nara Saline controlled Black Pond's body and threw a short blade at Momochi Zabuza.
Zabuza, who had never trusted his teammates, immediately noticed Black Pond's attack and swung his longsword to knock the blade away.
"Insect Whirlwind!"
Aburame Moto used chakra to control a swarm of insects, forming a bug tornado that rushed towards Black Pond.
The Shadow Imitation Technique made the opponent's body stiff, and it wasn't a good strategy to keep controlling them for attacks. The best option was to control one person and then focus all their attacks on that individual, taking them out instantly.
"Fang Passing Fang!"
Inuzuka Green burst into a chakra-enhanced spin and charged at Black Pond.
"Damn," Black Pond's face twisted as he saw the black insect whirlwind and the human-shaped mini-tornado bearing down on him. He hadn't expected this timid-looking Konoha squad to be not only strong but also exceptionally decisive in their actions.
"Water Prison Technique!"
Just then, Kisame Hoshigaki intervened. Thick torrents of water swirled around Black Pond, forming a spherical prison of water with no blind spots, shielding him from the first wave of attacks.
Unfazed, Nara Saline controlled Black Pond's body to walk forward, intending to drown him within the water prison.
Although Zabuza had no love for his teammates, he didn't want to fight three-on-one. Taking advantage of the opening created by Inuzuka Green and Aburame Moto's attacks on Black Pond, he used the Body Flicker Technique to appear before Nara Saline and slash at him with his longsword.
Nara Saline had no choice but to abandon his control over Black Pond and quickly blocked Zabuza's strike with a kunai.
Clang!
The sound of metal clashing rang out as Zabuza's longsword met the kunai, creating a crisp, sharp noise.
Swish! Swish!
Zabuza moved like an emotionless killing machine, his longsword slashes devoid of any unnecessary flourishes. Each strike was aimed at Nara Saline's vital points, forcing him back steadily.
With a sidelong glance, Nara Saline assessed his teammates' situations. Without prior trap setups, his one-on-one combat ability was average, and he needed his teammates to break the stalemate.
However, they were also struggling. Inuzuka Green and her ninken could barely hold their own against Kisame, and Aburame Moto was hard-pressed to defend against the furious Black Pond.
Although they didn't seem to be at a significant disadvantage at the moment, Nara Saline knew that if this situation continued, it was only a matter of time before they were defeated. Each of them was weaker than their respective opponents.
"As a ninja, I'm still too impulsive," Nara Saline sighed inwardly. "I should have avoided this abnormal situation by taking a different route when we saw the black smoke."
Boom!
A dull thud reverberated as Inuzuka Green's body was sent flying, crashing violently into a tree and snapping it in half.
White Fang, seeing his partner in danger, abandoned his attack and sprinted to her side, guarding her protectively.
"Is this guy, Shark Face, using some kind of advanced animal imitation jutsu to look like this? How can he be so strong?" Inuzuka Green wondered, a bit dismayed.
Although she was a girl, her training in animal imitation jutsu and physical conditioning since childhood had made her the strongest among her peers when it came to physical strength. Yet, in her taijutsu battle with Kisame, her strength was completely overwhelmed.
This led Inuzuka Green to suspect that Kisame might have mastered an advanced shark-based animal imitation jutsu, reaching an incredibly high level of mastery. He didn't even look entirely human anymore.
Nara Saline and Aburame Moto were both occupied with defending against their opponents' relentless assaults. Although they were aware of Inuzuka Green's perilous situation, they couldn't spare the moment to assist her.
Kisame, unfazed by Inuzuka Green's comment, continued striding towards her as she lay on the ground. He was long accustomed to the strange looks he received, as his appearance was indeed a little unusual compared to most people.
As Kisame drew closer, White Fang bared his teeth, his tail stiff with tension, and let out low growls filled with warning. It was as if he were saying, "Come any nearer, and I'll take a bite out of you."
When Kisame came within three meters of Inuzuka Green, White Fang couldn't hold back any longer. He lunged at Kisame, ready to tear into him with tooth and claw.
Boom!
Kisame's powerful punch connected with White Fang's body, sending the ninken flying like a cannonball. White Fang slammed into the ground, his once pristine white fur now stained with dirt and dust, and the fur where Kisame's punch had landed was matted with blood.
"White Fang!" Inuzuka Green wanted to continue fighting alongside her ninken, but her own body had sustained multiple fractures during her battle with Kisame, and she could barely stand.
This touching display of the deep bond between shinobi and ninken didn't move Kisame in the slightest. He drew the longsword from his back and aimed straight for Inuzuka Green's heart.
"Secret Technique: Insect Cocoon!"
Faced with this dire situation, Aburame Moto ignored the damage to his body and channeled all his chakra into accelerating the hatching of his insects, producing a massive number of parasitic insects that simultaneously restrained Momochi Zabuza and Black Pond.
"Shadow Imitation Technique!"
Nara Saline immediately used his shadow secret technique again, this time controlling the shadow beneath him to rush towards Kisame.
Having experienced the technique once already, Kisame was on guard against Nara Saline's shadow secret technique. As the shadow rushed towards him, he swiftly evaded it.
Kisame hopped from tree to tree, and he noticed that once he put some distance between himself and Nara Saline, the shadow couldn't keep up and fell behind.
Unfazed, Nara Saline immediately controlled the shadow to turn around and rush towards Momochi Zabuza, who was busy fending off the multitude of parasitic insects.
The Shadow Imitation Technique couldn't extend the user's shadow indefinitely, so there was a limit to how far it could reach. Beyond a certain distance, it simply couldn't connect.
The members of the Fog Hidden Village were specially trained, and the dense fog did not hinder their combat abilities, but it proved challenging for Nara Saline and Aburame Moto.
If Aburame Moto had enough insects at his disposal, the thick fog wouldn't have been much of an issue. However, he no longer had the chakra needed to accelerate their hatching.
When the fog finally dissipated, Nara Saline was in a pitiful state. His arms and thighs bore sword slashes, his clothes were soaked with blood, and he lay on the ground, completely incapacitated. Aburame Moto, on the other hand, was half-kneeling, drenched in sweat, his body pushed to its limits.
Kisame, intending to finish off the most dangerous opponent, Nara Saline, paused as a flaming shuriken flew towards him, forcing him to dodge the attack.
"Hey, you guys are too cruel," said Obito, unable to bear the sight of their comrades' plight. "They've already lost their ability to fight. Why kill them when you can just take the scroll?"
He felt there was no need for such brutality; after all, this was just an exam, not a battlefield.
"I think you don't understand at all," Kurokawa scoffed at Obito. "Before this exam even started, we signed consent forms agreeing that killing is one of the rules. Why would we spare defeated enemies and wait for them to recover and cause trouble?"
"A spoiled greenhouse flower," Zabuza commented.
"You're infuriating," Obito retorted, his tone turning sharp. "You act so superior. Do you think everyone in the ninja world is like you?"
Ignoring their taunts, Yahiko Rin tended to the nearest injured comrade, Inuzuka Green, using her Palm Mystical Healing Technique.
"Are you okay?" she asked with concern. "This is my first time treating someone so badly hurt."
"Of course, I'm not okay," Inuzuka Green replied honestly. "I have fractures all over."
"But your healing is amazing. I can feel myself getting better," she added, grateful.
Noticing the green light emanating from Yahiko Rin's hands as she healed Inuzuka Green, Kisame swung his sword, intending to finish her off. "Hurry up and take care of them," he ordered. "That squad has a medical ninja."
"That shark-faced guy is strong. Be careful," Inuzuka Green warned, shouting out loud enough for Kisame to hear.
Shwish! Shwish!!
Kakashi, having noted Inuzuka Green's warning, quickly took a handful of shuriken from his ninja tool pack and threw them at Kisame, aiming for the area near the injured Nara Saline.
While Kakashi didn't mind the intra-village battle, he couldn't stand by and watch his comrades from Konoha being brutalized by ninjas from another village.
"Breath of Fire, Full Concentration Breath!"
Kakashi's shuriken signaled the start of Obito's charge. Obito enhanced his body by maximizing his breathing and rushed towards Kurokawa with incredible speed.
"Let me teach you what a true ninja should be like," Kurokawa sneered, his face contorted with malicious glee.
"Then, bring it on!" Obito replied, closing the distance and instantly releasing the chakra he had gathered, moving so swiftly that Kurokawa could only sense a whooshing sound as Obito disappeared from view.
Without even looking, Kurokawa swung his arm back, attempting to strike Obito from behind.
However, Obito's extreme breathing technique augmented his strength, allowing him to block Kurokawa's arm with his right hand and then deliver a powerful punch that sent Kurokawa stumbling backward.
Obito immediately grabbed Aburame Moto, who was half-kneeling on the ground, and swiftly retreated.
His primary objective in this offensive wasn't to defeat Kurokawa but to rescue his comrades.
"Thanks," Aburame Moto whispered weakly, expressing his gratitude to Obito.
"It's nothing," Obito replied. "Just focus on getting treated, and watch as I take down these jerks." With that, Obito placed Aburame Moto next to Inuzuka Green.
Sensing that Obito's group intended to rescue their injured comrades, Kisame directed a Water Style attack at the prone Nara Saline.
"Earth Style: Mud Wall!"
Kakashi quickly formed the necessary hand seals, channeling his chakra to erect a thick earthen wall in front of Nara Saline, perfectly blocking the incoming Water Style attack.
Kakashi then fully unleashed his Lightning Breath, displaying incredible speed as he rushed to Yahiko Rin's side, carrying the heavily injured Nara Saline.
Nara Saline was gravely wounded and had initially wanted Kakashi and the others to retreat. However, his injuries had left him so weak that he could barely speak.
"Let's treat Saline first. He looks terrible," Inuzuka Green said, her voice filled with concern as she witnessed Nara Saline's dire condition up close.
Yahiko Rin nodded solemnly, her expression turning serious as she began to focus all her efforts on healing Nara Saline. This was a challenge for her as well, as she had only practiced medical ninjutsu on Obito and the others for minor injuries.
"What a hopelessly kind idiot," Zabuza scoffed. "Do you really think you can take on three of us with just the two of you?" he mocked, eyeing Kakashi and Obito.
Based on their earlier performance, Kakashi and Obito indeed possessed considerable skill. However, the notion of two against three was laughable.
"You call someone kind and compassionate a fool," Kakashi countered calmly. "I think it's you who's surrounded by selfish individuals, including yourself, that you view kindness as foolishness."
"What do you know?" Zabuza snarled, his grip tightening on his sword hilt as a murderous intent flashed in his eyes. "You greenhouse flowers could never understand the cruelty of the Blood Mist."
"Regardless of your village or its reputation, I won't let you kill our comrades," Obito declared, his eyes blazing with determination. "And it seems you have the Earth Scroll."
(End of Chapter)
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