Chapter 172: Unfavorable Situation
"Yumi-sensei, there's movement over there," the sound was not small, and Obito also noticed the commotion not far from the big tree.
After saying that, Obito was about to go up and check, but was stopped by Mutsuki.
"Fool, don't act recklessly before understanding the situation. This is an escort mission," Kakashi stared at the big tree in the distance and said.
After saying that, Kakashi quickly threw a shuriken towards the big tree.
Swish! Swish! Swish!!!
The shuriken continuously pierced through the air towards the big tree.
The next moment, a figure wearing a gray combat suit with one arm exposed jumped down from the tree.
"Hey hey, are all you Konoha ninjas so timid? You don't even dare to come forward and check the situation," the gray-clothed ninja said.
Due to the dim light, Kakashi did not see the forehead protector on the gray-clothed ninja, but judging by the attire, he could determine which village's ninja it was, as the attire of ninjas from each village differs.
"Yumi-sensei, it seems like ninjas from Iwagakure," Kakashi voiced his assessment.
Currently, Hidden Rock Village and Konoha are in a hostile state, so if it's Iwagakure, they are definitely enemies.
Kakashi really hadn't expected to encounter ninjas during a C-Rank mission; Obito's pessimism had surprisingly hit the mark.
Along with one Iwa ninja descending, with a swooshing sound, soon several ninjas wearing similar combat suits appeared beside him.
"One, two... six," Kakashi's brows furrowed. Even for a B-Rank mission, encountering six ninjas in one go would be considered quite difficult.
Those ninjas didn't seem like Genin at all.
[Name: Toroi]
[Chakra: 20,000]
[Skills: Magnet Release (Mastery 20/15,000), Lightning Chakra Nature Transformation...]
[Name: Oka Nozomi]
[Chakra: 6,200]
[Skills: Lightning Chakra Nature Transformation (Proficient 2500/3000)...]
[Name: Rokubi]
[Chakra: 3,600]
[Skills: Lightning...]
"Two Jonin, six Chunin." Using an Identification Jutsu on all enemies, Mutsuki understood the approximate strength of the enemy.
To be honest, Mutsuki was somewhat surprised by the enemy's strength; Toroi could easily be considered an elite Jonin. An elite Jonin leading another Jonin along with six Chunin, such a lineup would have no problem executing an S-Rank mission.
Moreover, what's eerie is that although these individuals were dressed in Iwagakure attire and wore Iwagakure forehead protectors, all their skills were related to lightning attributes, with each of them proficient in Lightning Chakra Nature Transformation.
Without a doubt, these few were Hidden Cloud ninjas disguised in Iwagakure attire.
Mutsuki speculated that Hidden Cloud, in order to exacerbate the conflict between Konoha and Iwagakure, deliberately sent out an elite squad disguised as Iwagakure ninjas to hunt down Konoha ninjas, and Mutsuki's team just happened to encounter them.
Hidden Cloud might be a brash village, but if one truly believed that everyone in Hidden Cloud was just hot-headed and only good for brawling, they'd be sorely mistaken. The Raikage might act brashly himself, but he also has subordinates who can strategize and plan.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!" Obito swiftly formed hand seals and then spewed out a fireball over three meters high towards the six Hidden Cloud ninjas.
"You Iwagakure cowards, if you've got the guts, come and fight me!" Obito shouted.
"The guy who just insulted Konoha, leave him to me," Obito said to Kakashi and Guy.
"Be careful, the enemy's strength is not weak," Mutsuki reminded. Obito had chosen Rokubi as his opponent.
In terms of chakra quantity, Obito was significantly inferior to Rokubi, but Mutsuki didn't think Obito didn't have a chance to win.
A ninja's strength isn't solely determined by chakra; it also depends on Nature Transformation and the ninjutsu and taijutsu they've mastered.
If Obito could effectively utilize the explosive power of his fully concentrated effort, he could defeat Rokubi.
Boom!
The speed of the six Hidden Cloud ninjas was very fast; they dodged directly, and the huge fireball destroyed the trees beside them.
The loud noise woke up the already resting Numata Yoshiokai family.
"Stay in the tent and don't come out. We'll handle the situation," Mutsuki quickly said.
"Then, please take care," Numata Yoshiokai knew that his family would only cause trouble if they went out, so he carried the child to prevent her from running around and went back into the tent.
As the group was scattered, Kakashi immediately sprang into action, drawing his White Fang short blade and slashing towards the nearest Hidden Cloud ninja.
Swish! Swish! Swish!!
Just as Kakashi moved, a large number of shuriken were thrown from the dense forest at him.
Kakashi noticed it and swiftly retreated, waving his White Fang short blade to knock down all the incoming shuriken.
Cautious, he never charged recklessly without reservation.
"There are seven. Are there any more ninjas hiding in the shadows?" Kakashi cautiously looked around.
"Haha, Konoha ninjas, your lives are already over," the Hidden Cloud ninja laughed out loud when he saw Kakashi daring to directly intercept Toroi's shuriken.
That attack from their leader can only be dodged, not directly intercepted, otherwise, death is the only outcome.
Kakashi suddenly found himself unable to move, a powerful suction force immobilizing him.
"The shuriken from earlier!" Kakashi's face looked grim.
It was the first time he encountered such a strange jutsu; just touching the shuriken rendered him unable to move.
Just as Kakashi was exerting his chakra to try to break free from the control, the Hidden Cloud ninja moved.
"Die!" The Hidden Cloud Chunin immediately seized the opportunity to draw his long sword and stab towards Kakashi's heart.
"Blade of Wind!"
As the Hidden Cloud Chunin thrust his sword, Kakashi's mind quickly flashed through memories of his entire life.
"If there really is an afterlife, Father would probably be very surprised to see me," Kakashi thought, even though he was only eight years old this year.
As the Hidden Cloud ninja stabbed, a large amount of blood gushed out, but it wasn't Kakashi's blood, it was his own.
In an instant, a swiftly moving wind blade directly severed the head of the Hidden Cloud ninja in front of Kakashi, spraying blood onto his face, making him particularly alert.
Kakashi turned to look, under the cold moonlight, Mutsuki's smile still radiated warmth as he slowly retracted his outstretched right hand.
Without a doubt, it was Mutsuki who had intervened.
"His Wind Release is also so powerful!" Kakashi was deeply surprised.
He had thought Mutsuki only knew Fire Release and Lightning Release, but he didn't expect Mutsuki to also master such advanced Wind Release ninjutsu.
"It looks like we've caught a big fish," Toroi slowly emerged from the shadows, wearing a smile.
Just based on Mutsuki's recent display of Wind Release, he could be considered competent among Konoha Jonin.
"Lightning Release: False Darkness!" Mutsuki swiftly formed hand seals and spewed out a massive lightning spear.
Sensing the power emanating from Mutsuki, Toroi immediately shifted positions.
However, Mutsuki's attack wasn't aimed at him, but at the other Hidden Cloud Chunin.
Under Mutsuki's control, the discharged lightning spear rapidly split into pieces, instantly killing three of the Hidden Cloud Chunin it covered.
Including the Chunin who had just been taken out by Mutsuki's Blade of Wind, the number of Hidden Cloud individuals was greatly reduced.
The sudden turn of events surprised Rokubi, so he was caught off guard by Obito's opportunity and staggered back two meters.
"Haha, running into us, consider it bad luck for your Iwagakure," Obito's heart swelled with excitement when he saw Mutsuki instantly eliminate four enemies.
"It's just a desperate struggle, the ones who will lose are definitely you Konoha," Rokubi quickly adjusted his stance.
Although some teammates had died, Rokubi didn't believe their mission would fail; after all, they were led by Toroi-sama this time.
Rokubi didn't believe that Konoha Jonin had the strength to defeat Toroi.
"Interesting, you're not trying to train them using us, are you?" Toroi looked at the remaining two Hidden Cloud Chunin.
As he spoke, suddenly a sound of breaking air rang out, a Kunai wrapped in lightning flew towards the immobilized Kakashi.
Having observed beforehand, Mutsuki instantly threw a flaming Kunai.
Boom!
The collision of the two Kunai instantly triggered a massive explosion, toppling the nearby trees.
"Sir, this person is not easy to deal with, let's attack together," Oka Nozomi appeared next to Toroi and said.
Mutsuki had only intervened three times from start to finish, but two of those times resulted in kills, and once, he intercepted her ambush with pinpoint accuracy.
Toroi nodded. He didn't have any inclination for one-on-one battles; any means to kill the enemy was acceptable to him.
"There's one more." Oka Nozomi's appearance made Kakashi's heart sink completely.
The person who had been hiding until now, he didn't believe was an ordinary ninja; it was possible they were also a Jonin.
Although it was four against four on the field, the enemy might have two Jonin, and he was currently immobilized by the unknown ninjutsu. Kakashi could no longer see any hope of victory.
"Yumi-sensei, you should go. Take the client and leave. We'll stay behind to cover you," Kakashi said.
Since there was no hope of winning anymore, it was better to let the one with the best chance of survival leave and complete the escort mission.
Kakashi believed that if they fought desperately and Mutsuki used his full strength to break through with one person, it wouldn't be a problem.
"Kakashi, are you joking? How could Yumi-sensei become the kind of person who abandons their comrades!" Obito shouted angrily, throwing a punch engulfed in flames.
His dissatisfaction made Obito lose his composure, gradually being suppressed by Rokubi.
"This is the best choice for now," Kakashi replied calmly.
The gap in strength between the two sides was too great. The opponents were two Jonin and two Chunin, all experienced. On their side, Guy and Obito both lacked experience. Kakashi didn't expect them to win against any of the enemies.
"Yumi-sensei's youth is not just limited to this," Guy said as he kicked the Hidden Cloud ninja away. At this moment, he also disagreed with Kakashi's words.
Firstly, he believed that Mutsuki hadn't used his full power yet. Secondly, he believed that Mutsuki wouldn't abandon his disciples and escape with the client.
"I'm being underestimated" Mutsuki said with a slight smile, adjusting his glasses.
"Kakashi, perhaps you can trust your sensei more,"
Kakashi looked at Mutsuki, seeing his warm smile unchanged as usual, showing no sign of worry.
"Could Yumi-sensei really pull it off?" A thought emerged in Kakashi's mind.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
A large number of shuriken attacked once again.
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