**Chapter 119: Hard Fight!**

As the two jutsu collided, Shisui's Fire Release combined with Nozuki's Wind Release, fueling the flames into a massive inferno. 

*Clang!* Shisui spun around, blocking an attack from behind with his short sword.

"Good reflexes," sneered the burly ninja. "But your strength is lacking, kid! This isn't a training exercise!" With a powerful swing, he sent Shisui flying backward. In a flash, he hurled a kunai at Nozuki, who was in the middle of forming a hand seal.

"Don't even think about forming seals when I'm this close!" he taunted. "You're too slow!" With a fierce punch, he knocked Nozuki back as well.

The remaining four enemy ninjas quickly closed in, surrounding Shisui and Nozuki.

Their leader sneered, dismissing the idea of dealing with Reiki and Tsunade. "Tsunade, come out! If you don't want your students to suffer, hand over the formula for that potion!"

His face was confident, unaffected by the loss of his injured comrades. The profit from acquiring even a portion of that formula would be worth more than a few lost allies.

Shisui, struggling to get up, tried to speak, "Nozuki, we need to—"

*Thud!* Before he could finish, a series of senbon pierced his limbs, pinning him to the ground. Nozuki's chakra was swiftly sealed, rendering her helpless. The gap in their experience was glaring. Against a jōnin-level ninja with extensive battle knowledge, they were quickly overpowered.

"Well, look who decided to join the party!" came a calm voice from above. Reiki perched on a tree branch, eyeing the enemy ninja.

"Coming on your own, kid? You really are just a child." The ninja laughed, pleased to have the medical ninja within reach.

Reiki sighed, "Much as I'd like to argue, I'm still just a kid. Anyway… Brother Yahiko, if you're here, now would be a good time to lend a hand. I'm low on chakra."

He turned his gaze to a spot nearby.

"Yahiko?" The enemy leader's face blanched. "From the Land of Rain, the leader of the Akatsuki?"

If a powerful force like Akatsuki was backing this, it would complicate things. Distracted, he failed to notice Reiki's movements.

"Room: Slaughterhouse!" Reiki quickly activated his jutsu, teleporting Shisui and Nozuki to safety. His shadow clone exhausted its chakra and dissipated in a puff of white mist.

"Wait… there's no one from the Land of Rain!" Realization struck the enemy leader hard. "That was Tsunade's disciple—Reiki! But how does a medical ninja know space-time jutsu?"

"Master Xin, should we keep pursuing them?" asked one of the remaining ninjas, uncertainty evident in his voice. Initially, they'd assumed their numbers were overkill, but with only four of them left, it was clear these "kids" were no ordinary Genin.

"Hmph!" Xin's face twisted in frustration, but he refused to back down. "We'll keep going. Their chakra should be nearly depleted. The moment we locate them, hit them with your strongest jutsu. Don't worry about their lives."

The team of four quickly fanned out to search.

---

Meanwhile, underground behind a large tree, Reiki, Shisui, and Nozuki hid, exhausted.

Reiki winced as he pulled the last senbon from Shisui's arm, his hands trembling from fatigue.

"Looks like I've hit my limit," Reiki admitted, leaning back, mentally and physically drained. Although his stamina and recovery potions had kept him going, the constant depletion was taking a toll.

"Rest now, Reiki," Shisui said, placing a hand on his shoulder to stop him from reaching for another potion. "Going too far will do more harm than good."

Reluctantly, Reiki nodded, settling down and closing his eyes. Shisui's calm, determined gaze made him realize he could trust his teammate.

"Alright," he replied, easing into a meditative state.

Shisui then turned to Nozuki, dispelling her chakra seal. "Until Reiki recovers, it's up to us."

"What about the six we've captured?" Nozuki asked, glancing at the unconscious ninjas.

"Leave them for now. We need to recover and come up with a plan before Xin and the others locate us. The barrier won't hold them off forever," Shisui replied, using the remaining potions Reiki had provided.

---

Outside the hiding spot, Xin's search was intensifying.

"Master Xin, it's likely they're hidden within a barrier. We've scoured the area and found no trace," one of the enemy ninjas reported.

"Brats hiding in a barrier?" Xin's anger flared. "Earth Release: Massive Collapse Technique!"

The ground rumbled as Xin unleashed a wide-range earth jutsu, ripping apart the forest floor and scattering trees and dirt. A series of booms echoed through the area as the ground turned to rubble.

In their underground hideout, Reiki's eyes snapped open. "They've found us. Move!"

Without a word, Shisui hoisted Reiki onto his back, and they took off, sprinting through the forest. Nozuki threw kunai equipped with explosive tags behind them, hoping to slow down their pursuers.

"You think you can run?" Xin shouted, giving chase. "If I let you escape, I'd be a laughingstock in the ninja world!"

He gestured to the remaining four. "Check on the others. Make sure they're still alive."

The four other ninjas hurried to inspect their fallen comrades.

"They're alive, but barely," one of them muttered, annoyed. "These Genin might be talented, but they're still kids!"

"Right," another sneered. "If they were real threats, they wouldn't have let our comrades survive. Konoha Genin or not, they're still just brats."

In their minds, only one outcome awaited these young Konoha ninjas: defeat, if not worse.