Chapter 25: Grand Battle

"That's... Chidori!"

Upon hearing the sound, Kai immediately recognized it. Although he doubted that Kakashi had fully recovered his chakra, if he could fight, so much the better.

In a three-on-three situation, Kai's team shouldn't have opted for one-on-one duels.

Their best strategy should have been to combine forces to quickly kill one enemy and then handle the remaining two.

However, the lack of trust among them meant they rarely cooperated, even against strong opponents. Each preferred to fight independently.

At this moment, all three of them were in a sorry state, but none considered helping each other.

No wonder Konoha emphasized teamwork in Genin training. It's likely due to dealing with people like Kai that they made this choice.

But this had nothing to do with Kai. He, Aya, and Kenta were forced to cooperate due to mutual distrust.

If they had a choice, none would have picked this mission or team. Even if they had to do the mission, they would prefer teaming with someone more straightforward.

Thus, with no cooperation, they had to fight individually. But Kai's luck seemed better, as Kakashi had come to the rescue!

After Kai landed, Kakashi rushed towards Kitsuchi with a Chidori aimed at his chest.

Kitsuchi was forced to halt his attack, but quickly erected an Earth Wall to block the Chidori.

Kai breathed a sigh of relief and was about to take action when he saw Kakashi pull out his right hand, leap, and attack Kitsuchi again!

Seeing this, Kai was stunned. Was Kakashi trying to disrupt the fight?

Kakashi's sudden appearance disrupted Kitsuchi's attack, but his aggressive move also disrupted Kai's strategy!

The lack of coordination was fatal. Maybe Kakashi was used to others supporting him.

Kai had no choice but to try and support Kakashi, even though he wasn't Uchiha Obito.

"What a reckless guy."

Having no alternative, Kai had to try and keep up. The Chidori was a unique and deadly jutsu, with incredible piercing power and explosiveness.

But it had a critical flaw: it required space to charge and a high-speed dynamic vision.

Thanks to Obito's gift, the vision problem was solved, making the jutsu almost perfect for Uchiha clan members.

However, the need for space to charge was still an issue.

Chidori could counter Earth style, but Kitsuchi wasn't an ordinary ninja. As the Third Tsuchikage's son, he didn't rely on his father's reputation alone.

He quickly identified the strengths and weaknesses of the Chidori, and wouldn't give Kakashi space to charge. Facing Kakashi's second attack, he remained calm, knowing he could handle it.

But Kai wouldn't let Kitsuchi have it easy. He knew he had to distract Kitsuchi enough to give Kakashi a chance for a lethal strike.

He was aware that defeating Kitsuchi would mean the remaining two Iwa-nin wouldn't pose much threat.

Kitsuchi was the Tsuchikage's son and likely his only son. If anything happened to him, they'd be in serious trouble.

"We're really doing a 'good deed.'"

From a certain perspective, Kai and Kakashi's attacks could also keep the other two Iwa-nin busy.

But Kai didn't bother thinking about this now. Glancing at the others, he felt slightly relieved.

 Aya, despite being in a dire situation, proved her worth as a . Though cornered and bleeding, she could still hold her ground.

Imai Kenta, with Rin Nohara in tow, also managed to fend off another Iwa-nin. This guy, who seemed only capable of fake smiles, was indeed hiding his true strength. Surviving eight years on the battlefield was no small feat.

With this in mind, Kai charged at Kitsuchi again. Kakashi's second attack reached Kitsuchi, who dodged the Chidori calmly.

A Chidori at such close range couldn't harm Kitsuchi. Kakashi was getting anxious, understandable given his poor condition and that he wasn't the future 'Five-Fifty' Kakashi.

When Kakashi was kicked away and Kitsuchimoved to follow up, Kai intercepted.

He thrust his kunai at Kitsuchi's chest with precision, forcing Kitsuchi to halt. Annoyed, Kitsuchi dodged and countered with a punch.

Kai leaped back, but Kitsuchi, showing his ninja prowess, quickly formed seals and pressed his hands on the ground, infusing it with chakra.

Kai remained calm, his Sharingan spinning. As he landed, he pushed off the ground with his right hand, shifting to the side, avoiding the earth spikes that emerged where he was about to land.

Balancing on the ground, Kai continued to dodge, changing speed and direction, performing high-difficulty maneuvers with fluidity and ease.

No earth spikes or kunai with explosive tags from Kitsuchi could touch him.

With the Sharingan, Kai was a different level of ninja.

Kitsuchi seemed to realize that tangling with Kai wouldn't end well. He shifted his focus back to Kakashi.

(Chapter end)