https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-447-A-Predicament-on-the-Battlefield/12558595/
Chapter 448: When Did You Get the Illusion That You're Immune to Genjutsu?
Chapter 448: When Did You Get the Illusion That You're Immune to Genjutsu?
"Itachi, don't worry about us. Just retreat quickly," Takaki Shinji said as he fended off the Kirigakure ninja.
There were too many enemies, and whether or not Itachi stayed, it wouldn't change the eventual outcome of the battle. The only difference was that if Itachi stayed, he could inflict more casualties on the enemy.
However, Takaki believed that Itachi would be more valuable alive.
Unlike them, who were ordinary people, Itachi was a true genius, and if he continued to develop his talents, he would undoubtedly become a powerful shinobi.
If possible, Takaki even wanted the other disciples to retreat with them, but he knew that was impossible.
The number of Kirigakure ninja was several times their own, and Takaki couldn't hold off so many enemies. His disciples would only die faster if they tried to escape, and only Itachi, with his superior strength, had a chance to break through the encirclement and successfully retreat.
"If you can retreat in time, you might be able to find reinforcements to save us. If you don't leave now, we'll all die," Takaki said, telling a white lie. Unless the reinforcements were very close, they wouldn't make it in time.
Unmoved, Itachi continued to fight. Like Kakashi, he was a well-rounded shinobi with exceptional ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu skills, making it difficult for the Kirigakure ninja to gain the upper hand against him.
Although Itachi was young, he had read extensively, and Takaki's outrageous lie naturally didn't fool him.
If Itachi left, Takaki's squad wouldn't last more than three minutes.
After all, they were facing three Kirigakure jonin and nine genin and chunin.
"Itachi, you're indeed a genius, but just this once, let me take the lead," said Uesugi Toru as he tried to locate Itachi's position in the thick fog.
He wanted to use his fire-style jutsu to create an opportunity for Itachi to escape.
Kobayashi Kenji, who was closest to Itachi, endured his injuries and tried his best to help Itachi fight, alleviating some of the pressure on him.
Itachi sighed inwardly, and his desire for strength grew stronger.
In fact, they hadn't known each other for long, only about a month.
But perhaps because they were on the battlefield together, executing missions and facing life-and-death situations daily, they had quickly become close and recognized each other as comrades.
Itachi believed that if it weren't for the thick fog, the others would have been willing to cover his retreat, even at the cost of their own injuries.
"This is war..." Itachi's heart could no longer remain calm.
This time, the trap they had encountered was even more cruel than when they had stumbled upon the Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
The last time, most of his teammates had been Mu Yue's disciples, each with extraordinary burst abilities. Even when facing strong opponents like the Ninja Swordsmen, they could still defeat them after reaching their peak power.
This time was different. None of his current teammates had mastered the Eight Inner Gates, nor could they enter the Transparent World. Even if they performed exceptionally well, they wouldn't be much stronger than usual.
Therefore, even though their opponents weren't famous strong shinobi, they were still in a desperate situation.
"Then let me be their pillar of support!" Itachi clenched his fists, and a flame ignited within his heart.
Itachi wasn't an arrogant person, but he also didn't underestimate himself. He was a genius, and not just an ordinary one—he was a genius of the Uchiha clan. At the age of eight, he had already awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan.
He had an excellent and reliable teacher who had imparted many powerful secret techniques and ninjutsu to him.
With so many advantages, he should have the qualifications to become a pillar of support for others.
With this thought, Itachi's heart was finally at peace, and he could no longer bear to take the escape opportunity that his teammates were risking their lives to create for him.
Instead of retreating, Itachi wanted to save his teammates, just like Might Guy.
As this thought occurred to him, memories of Mu Yue teaching him the Fire Breathing Chakra Mode flashed through his mind, and his breathing changed.
"So this is the Fire Breathing Chakra Mode," Itachi murmured, his face regaining its usual calm expression as he felt the surge of power within his body.
The Fire Breathing Chakra Mode gave Itachi a strange and indescribable feeling, as if his body were burning like a furnace, and the energy produced by the burning was transformed into strength that flowed into his limbs and bones.
Breaking through a critical secret technique was certainly a cause for celebration, but at this moment, Itachi was more pleased that he now had the power to turn the tide of the battle.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Just as Itachi was about to test the improvements brought about by the Fire Breathing Chakra Mode against the Kirigakure ninja, a violent hurricane blew up.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The leaves on the trees rustled loudly, and the dust and small stones on the ground were swept up by the hurricane.
As Kakashi gathered chakra in his eyes, they once again transformed into a blood-red color.
"What the hell? How did the wind pick up so strongly without any warning?" The Kirigakure jonin muttered to himself as he prepared to continue his assault on Kakashi, only to be met with those blood-red eyes.
The jonin's outstretched hand froze, and he fell into a daze.
"It's Sharingan genjutsu! Quick, disrupt his chakra flow!" another Kirigakure jonin shouted.
While most jonin knew some methods to dispel genjutsu, Sharingan genjutsu was different from ordinary illusions, and it was challenging to break free from them alone. The simplest and fastest way was to have a companion intervene.
The Kirigakure jonin under the influence of the genjutsu was quickly supported by a nearby Kirigakure genin, who stepped forward to help.
But faster than the genin was Kakashi.
With a swish, Kakashi silently appeared near the jonin, and two throwing knives pierced the jonin's body.
"As I thought, what I lacked was an explosive technique like the Fire Breathing Chakra Mode," Kakashi thought to himself as he witnessed the handiwork.
Before entering the Fire Breathing Chakra Mode, Kakashi would likely not have been able to kill the jonin in time. The mode's overall boost to his abilities was immense.
While the Armed Color Energy enhanced the power of his techniques significantly, the boost it provided was singular in nature.
So, why would Kakashi, a master of the Armed Color, say that he lacked an explosive technique?
The answer lies in the monotony of the Armed Color's boost—it only enhanced Kakashi's defense and the power of his techniques.
However, enemies might opt for a more strategic approach, especially when they had numerical superiority, which could lead to a war of attrition.
The Fire Breathing Chakra Mode, on the other hand, provided a multifaceted enhancement.
Although it wasn't as pure as the Rock Breathing in augmenting the body, the Fire Breathing Chakra Mode still provided a substantial boost to Kakashi's physical capabilities, far surpassing the average focused breathing technique.
Additionally, the most prominent feature of the Fire Breathing Chakra Mode was its enhancement of fire-attribute chakra control, which amplified the power of fire-style jutsu.
Casting attribute jutsu required converting chakra into the corresponding attribute, and this process took time, albeit very little. However, the Fire Breathing Chakra Mode shortened this conversion process, resulting in faster casting speeds.
The combination of increased movement and casting speed, along with the cumulative enhancements, allowed Kakashi to take down the Kirigakure jonin.
"What's going on? He's even faster than before!" The remaining Kirigakure jonin's pupils shrunk as he witnessed the gruesome fate of his comrade.
"Kirishima, forget about that guy! Kill Uchiha Kakashi first!" the jonin shouted to the ninja fighting Takaki Shinji.
Initially, he thought that a single jonin would be enough to hold off Kakashi, and the remaining ninja could then surround and eliminate him.
However, Kakashi's displayed strength contradicted the intelligence he had, and they would likely be picked off one by one if they didn't take him out first.
A jonin named Kirishima had no choice but to abandon the injured Takaki, leaving two genin to hold him off while he joined the assault on Kakashi.
Kakashi's Sharingan scanned the battlefield. Takaki was now engaging two Kirigakure ninja, Uesugi was holding off two others, and Kobayashi and Miyashita were each facing one opponent. That left him with two jonin and three genin or chunin to deal with.
"Phantom Body Technique!"
In the Kirigakure ninja's field of vision, dozens of Kakashis suddenly appeared, surrounding them as if multiple Shadow Clones had been created.
A Kirigakure genin threw a kunai at the nearest Kakashi but was met with an odd sensation as the weapon passed through as if it were a phantom, encountering only the resistance of the air.
"These clones are all illusions!" the genin shouted to his companions.
In the next moment, another Kirigakure genin was pierced through the heart by Kakashi's kunai.
The two Kirigakure jonin glared coldly at the genin who had spoken, causing him to break out in a cold sweat.
The jonin frowned as he looked at the multitude of Kakashis; it was too bizarre. They seemed like phantom clones, yet some of them felt solid.
Kakashi seemed to be everywhere and nowhere at the same time, attacking them with throwing knives, kunai, and taijutsu.
The two jonin shared a glance and immediately performed hand seals, preparing to cast a wide-area jutsu to take out all the Kakashis at once.
A massive amount of water was spewed out by the Kirigakure jonin, crashing into the ground and engulfing every one of the Stop-Water clones. Even the Kirigakure genin trying to locate the real Stop-Water were caught in the torrent.
With this wide-range attack, two solid Stop-Water clones were revealed. Kirigakure immediately took control of the powerful currents created by the Great Waterfall Technique and directed them towards the two tangible clones.
However, at the moment Kirigakure made his move, a kunai stabbed into the ground suddenly transformed into a Stop-Water clone.
From the very beginning, Stop-Water had used his clones to disguise himself as a kunai and threw himself near Kirigakure. He had been waiting for this opportunity.
"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
Stop-Water brought his hands together, and a large amount of chakra gathered in his throat. In an instant, it was all converted into fire-attribute chakra and then expelled from Stop-Water's mouth.
A massive amount of scorching flames erupted from Stop-Water's mouth, rapidly forming a small sea of fire that engulfed Kirigakure. Even the puddles left by the Great Waterfall Technique were completely evaporated.
Kirigakure, who was controlling the Water Dragon Bullet to attack Stop-Water's shadow clone, felt the scorching flames, and his expression changed drastically. He immediately tried to cancel his attack and dodge Stop-Water's ninjutsu.
But how could the Fire Dragon Flame Bullet, a high-damage, wide-range fire technique, be dodged at such close range?
To everyone's amazement, Kirigakure was engulfed by the sea of fire and lost all signs of life.
The Kirigakure jonin witnessed yet another of their comrades perish at the hands of Stop-Water, and a cold sweat broke out on his forehead. He was shocked to his core.
In just a few minutes, Stop-Water had killed two Kirigakure jonin.
And these weren't just any jonin; they were jonin from one of the Five Great Shinobi Villages.
Unconsciously, the remaining Kirigakure jonin took two steps back, and the thought of retreating sprang to mind.
Although they still had the advantage in numbers, with the loss of two jonin, the battle had already been decided in favor of their opponents.
The Kirigakure jonin subtly retreated towards Miyashita Yuki, a member of the Takaki squad.
"Charge and kill him!" the jonin shouted, seemingly determined to fight Stop-Water to the bitter end.
Two Kirigakure ninjas brandished their kunai and drew their longswords, rushing towards Stop-Water, while the jonin quickly created distance using the Body Flicker Technique.
The difficulty of training a jonin is far greater than that of training two chunin. If the sacrifice of these two chunin could ensure his escape, it would be the last contribution they could make to Kirigakure.
For Stop-Water, who was in the Fire Breathing Chakra Mode, killing a chunin was as easy as taking something out of a pocket. With a single glance, Stop-Water eliminated one of the Kirigakure chunin.
However, the actions of the Kirigakure jonin left Stop-Water speechless. Despite his desperate tone, he had actually abandoned his subordinates and retreated.
But Stop-Water couldn't ignore the jonin, as his retreat path would take him towards Miyashita Yuki, who was currently engaged in battle with the Kirigakure ninjas.
Ignoring the remaining Kirigakure chunin, Stop-Water pursued the jonin.
The jonin estimated Stop-Water's speed, gritted his teeth, and burst into a sprint, reaching Miyashita's side in an instant. He pressed a kunai against her neck.
"Uchiha Stop-Water, if you dare take another step closer, don't expect your teammates to leave here alive," the jonin said, avoiding Stop-Water's upper body and staring coldly at his feet.
He considered the possibility that the two chunin might not be able to hold Stop-Water off for long, so he prepared to take a hostage to facilitate his escape.
To prevent falling under the influence of Stop-Water's Sharingan genjutsu, he even dared not look directly into Stop-Water's eyes.
Stop-Water seemed unconcerned about his teammate's life, continuing his slow advance without stopping.
The Kirigakure jonin's brow furrowed, and he pressed the kunai harder against Miyashita's neck, his voice turning harsh. "Do you think I'm afraid to kill her? If I can't get away, I'll take a few Leaf ninjas with me."
"When did you get the illusion that you're immune to genjutsu?" Stop-Water's calm voice carried an underlying threat.
"When did you get the impression that you could successfully hold my companion hostage?"
"Have I fallen under a genjutsu?" The jonin's expression changed drastically as he recalled witnessing Stop-Water's Sharingan during the battle.
Just as the jonin was about to ask a nearby Kirigakure ninja to check his chakra, a pair of blood-red eyes suddenly came into view. Stop-Water had crouched down.
Normally, even if one crouched down, it would be difficult to make eye contact with someone who was looking down. But the jonin was an adult, while Stop-Water was only eight years old.
(End of Chapter)
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