Ch-44 Wooden Dragon.

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The Special Jonin once again saw an opportunity and used the 'Earth Release: Fist Rock Technique' to attack Nawaki from behind, attempting a sneak attack to kill him. However, Nawaki sensed the Special Jonin's attack and swiftly turned around. With incredible speed, his fist, enhanced by 'Chakra Enhanced Strength' and protected by 'Earth Style: Iron Skin,' collided with the rock-covered fist of the Special Jonin. This impact not only shattered the rock covering the Special Jonin's hand but also broke the hand itself. The force of Nawaki's attack sent the Special Jonin flying.

"Do you love using your subordinates as bait so much?" Nawaki asked as he walked toward the Special Jonin.

The Special Jonin struggled to stand and replied, "To defeat opponents like you, some sacrifices are necessary. By the way, where is your partner, Blood Demon?"

Nawaki stood in front of the Special Jonin and responded, "Ask your other teammates who were with you in hell."

The Special Jonin, shocked, inquired, "What do you mean? You know about the minister we are escorting?"

"Obviously, we know. Why else would I attack you?" Nawaki replied before knocking out the Special Jonin for information.

"Michi will definitely eliminate all those ninjas escorting the minister. At least I'll have one ninja for information extraction," Nawaki muttered as he collected the corpses of the deceased ninjas, "and I hate collecting corpses". Afterward, he picked up the unconscious Special Jonin and departed to meet with Michikatsu.

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A few minutes before Nawaki encountered the Iwa ninja team, somewhere quite distant from the location where Nawaki had fought those ninjas:

"Do not worry; nothing will happen, and you will safely reach the Rain Country," reassured one of the Jonins wearing Iwagakure attire.

"I hope so. If Konoha knows about this, they will definitely try to kill me," expressed the minister.

"One of our teams is ahead of us. If anything suspicious happens, they will alert us," the Iwa Jonin assured.

Just as the Iwa Jonin finished speaking, a red flare became visible from a distance. Seeing this red flare, the Jonin immediately became alert because it was the signal they had decided upon at the beginning of the mission. It was meant to be used only if something serious occurred.

"What is that red flare?" inquired the minister.

"Please calm down, minister. Something must have happened, so we need to stay alert," the Iwa Jonin replied.

"It seems like Nawaki has encountered one of your teams," a voice reached the ears of everyone present. The Jonin instinctively threw kunai in the direction from which the voice had come.

However, those kunai were stopped in mid-air, cut into pieces, and fell to the ground. In the darkness, six red eyes appeared, and the silhouette of a person became visible, approaching them. When the person came into view, it was Michikatsu, who had grown up and now appeared to be around 10 years old but looked more like he was 14.

The Iwa Jonin prepared for battle. "What are you doing here 'Blood Demon'?" inquired the Iwa Jonin.

"Come on, you're a Jonin. You're not that dumb, are you?" responded Michikatsu, looking in the direction of the minister, who fell to the ground in fear.

The face of the Iwa Jonin turned solemn. He had heard of Michikatsu's name but had never seen him in person. It was a well-known fact that encountering Michikatsu was akin to a death sentence unless you possessed the strength of a Kage.

"Let's not waste any more time because if he finishes before me, I'll have to listen to his boasting all day," said Michikatsu as he drew his sword.

Observing Michikatsu's readiness, the Jonin initiated the attack by employing 'Earth Release: Earth and Stone Bamboo Shoot.' In response, Michikatsu leaped high into the air, standing atop the earth spikes.

Concentrating his thunder nature chakra in his legs, Michikatsu activated 'Blood Demon Art: Speed Augmentation' and executed 'Thunder Breathing: First Form Eightfold.'

Michikatsu's speed was incredibly fast after so many boosts, and within a second, he passed through all five of the Iwa Jonin's subordinates, leaving their hair falling to the ground. Michikatsu then appeared in front of the Iwa Jonin. While the Iwa Jonin couldn't match Michikatsu's speed, he was still able to react to the attack and anticipated Michikatsu's path, using 'Earth Release: Earth and Stone Dragon.'

A dragon, formed from stone and earth, materialized and attacked Michikatsu. In response, Michikatsu halted and remarked, "If you have a dragon, I have one too. Let's see whose dragon is more powerful."

Upon Michikatsu's words, a wooden dragon appeared, roughly the same size as the stone dragon, and clashed with it. After a brief standoff, the wooden dragon emerged victorious, shattering the stone dragon.

The wooden dragon opened its mouth, unleashing a 'Sonic Scream,' but the Jonin swiftly dodged it using the 'Body Flicker Technique.' He then employed 'Earth Release: Golem Technique,'summoning a rock golem to attack the wooden dragon.

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