Chapter 97

However, I had to divert my attention further, as first one of my clones dispersed, and then the second. While the death of the first from a powerful blow to the head could still be understood, the instant incineration of the second made me wary—unfortunately, everything happened too quickly to understand what killed the copy, but it certainly wasn't fire, as there was no flash of light, and Iwagakure isn't particularly fond of fire, preferring Doton.

But then, thoughts had to abruptly cease, as not far from me there was a surge of chakra. Only at the last moment did I move away, abandoning the technique and attempting to dodge the attack. Yet, I only managed to move slightly aside from the trajectory of the flying projectile... which grazed my back, leaving behind a trail of scorched clothing and charred skin!

Ignoring the blinding pain and the smell of burning flesh, I evaded the next projectile of molten lava just in time and cursed inwardly—of course, it had to be the only one who escaped the enemy's trap, to also possess Lava Kekkei Genkai, and even be a sensor!

Disabling nerve sensitivity in the damaged part of my back and quietly appreciating the reflex to constantly infuse my body with chakra, which allowed only the top layer of muscle fibers and burnt skin to suffer, I swiftly discarded the useless cloak, designed for much weaker attacks, and pulled out a couple of kunai from the hip pouch, immediately sending them towards the jonin. Naturally, I missed, but that was not my goal. I formed the snake seal with my right hand.

'Exploding Clay: C4!'

The explosive tags attached to the ends of the projectiles gave me enough time to move behind a large rock, using it as cover from techniques, and for a moment I glanced towards my partner, confirming my own sensations. Ichiya managed to eliminate two jonin with certainty, but he had to fight the last one without the cheating ability of the Nara. Holding out until the very end, ignoring the obvious danger, wasn't in vain—I would now be dealing with two strong shinobi each, instead of just one.

But my opponent didn't wait for me to check on my partner's condition and switched to heavier artillery—noticing my chosen rock, a wave of lava surged towards it, forcing me to quickly retreat.

'Substitution Technique!'

Replacing myself with a prepared stone, I immediately threw more kunai with exploding clay and, under the cover of explosions, attempted to catch the opponent in the shadows. Attempted being the key word—despite my speed advantage, this bastard was incredibly agile and almost managed to escape the blast radius, simultaneously noticing a dark streak heading towards him.

Dodging a barrage of lava spit, I was forced to worry about my own skin's safety, interrupting the hizutsu and diving into the nearest cover. Damn it, I'm low on chakra and further use of techniques won't help! This bastard is faster than many of our jonin, and without chakra enhancement, he could easily get to me.

Moving behind another rocky outcrop to avoid the scorching splashes that covered the position from above, I mentally recalculated my remaining arsenal and grimaced—I still had plenty of regular kunai in my seals, but I had only about a dozen C4, and a few barrier and paralysis tags. It's fortunate that my opponent also lacks a weapon reserve, preferring to spend chakra rather than bombard me with iron, which would have had the same effect but without depleting his reserves.

However, soon he'll have problems using something costly, like the recent wave. I just need to hold out until then (if our reinforcements don't arrive from camp by then, since my partner managed to warn them about the new enemies), and trap the Iwagakure ninja in taijutsu, using my superiority in raw strength and endurance.

There's just one problem—getting into melee range without turning into a crispy treat. And despite my advantage, I don't particularly want to get closer—this lava user executes his techniques almost without seals or automatic name pronunciations (self-training and reflexes are key!), meaning there's a high chance of getting a lump of lava in the face in full contact, as I love to do with Suiton: Teppodama. Plus, this bastard uses the terrain better for cover!"

I've got more interesting stuff on patreon (up to 180 chapter)

patreon.com/Chill76