Toroi's face darkened.
He hadn't expected to be struck by the same move twice.
Feeling his blood and chakra surge violently inside his body, Toroi realized that the enemy had coated those senbon with poison again. Gritting his teeth through the searing pain, he flung a pile of magnetically controlled shuriken in a burst of frustration—then dropped to his knees.
"Retreat, now!"
Seeing Toroi fall, Takeshi immediately called out to Obito and the others.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
Obito had just turned to leave after receiving the order, but after a moment of thought, he couldn't resist turning back toward Toroi's direction and spitting out a massive fireball before fleeing at Kakashi's urging.
"You guys go after them! I'll bring Toroi-sama back!"
A Kumo shinobi used Lightning Style to neutralize Obito's fireball, then glanced grimly in the direction Takeshi and the others had fled. He ordered his comrades to pursue while dragging the now completely black-faced Toroi back toward the main camp.
...
"They lost a Jōnin and still have the nerve to come after us?"
Noticing movement behind them, Takeshi, who had assumed the enemy would retreat entirely, caught sight of Kumo shinobi in pursuit from the corner of his eye.
He stopped running and motioned for Obito and the others to keep retreating. Then he formed a hand seal and slammed both hands onto the ground.
Several razor-sharp ice lances burst from the earth, skewering multiple Kumo shinobi from below. The tips of the ice spears erupted from their throats, pinning them on the spot.
"Damn it... No wonder they call him the White Reaper!"
Watching his comrades fall one after another, the remaining Kumo shinobi quickly reorganized into an attack formation.
White Reaper? What the hell is that?
Takeshi was briefly stunned by the bizarre nickname.
"Lightning Style: Lightning Illusion – Pillar of Light!"
A dazzling flash of light burst from one Kumo shinobi, blinding Takeshi's vision momentarily.
"Damn... if I'm not mistaken, that technique is—"
Blinded, Takeshi instantly activated the Flying Thunder God Technique to flee the scene and reappeared beside Obito.
"What happened?"
Seeing Takeshi with his eyes tightly shut, Obito sensed something was wrong and immediately pulled him along as they ran.
"I got caught in a genjutsu. It's fine. Release!"
Takeshi shook his head, telling Obito not to panic. He gathered chakra and dispelled the illusion, regaining his vision.
Can't get close again recklessly.
"Let's use a smoke bomb."
Kakashi, standing nearby, had an idea and shot a meaningful look at Takeshi.
"Sounds good."
Understanding Kakashi's message, Takeshi nodded in agreement.
As Kakashi threw the smoke bomb, a thick cloud enveloped the area, cutting off the Kumo shinobi from Takeshi's team.
"Wind-style shinobi, step up!"
The lead Kumo ninja shouted, signaling his wind-style teammates to disperse the smoke.
"Wind Style: Breakthrough!"
As the smoke cleared, the Kumo shinobi immediately began searching for Takeshi and the others—and spotted Nohara Rin running away in the distance.
"Over there!"
Spotting Rin, the Kumo shinobi immediately prepared to give chase, but their leader noticed something off.
"Wait a second—where are the other three?!"
"Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu!"
Before he could finish, one Kumo shinobi was yanked underground by Kakashi, leaving only his head sticking out of the ground.
On the other side, Obito leaped out from a bush, dodging a sword slash with his Sharingan and driving a kunai into the enemy's abdomen before retreating out of range.
"Secret Technique: Crystal Ice Mirrors!"
As the two landed clean hits and quickly pulled back, Takeshi completed his setup.
Countless ice mirrors materialized, forming a massive cage that trapped the remaining Kumo shinobi. As Takeshi vanished into one of the mirrors, every single one reflected his image in the eyes of the enemy.
"You've entered my domain."
Striking a combat stance, Takeshi declared judgment on the remaining Kumo shinobi.
...
"Ouch, ouch, ouch..."
With a goofy grin on his face, Obito stretched out his arm, squinting at Rin as she healed him.
Hearing Obito complain about the pain, Takeshi—who was treating Kakashi nearby—slammed his fist on Obito's head.
"You've got the nerve to complain?! If it weren't for you, how would a chase mission end with us being the ones chased?!"
"Ugh... I'm sorry, Takeshi! Please forgive me!"
Feeling the not-too-light but not-too-heavy punch to his head, Obito quickly wiped off his smirk and looked up at Takeshi with a sheepish expression.
"Hmph. Who knows what you've learned from Minato-san while I wasn't around."
Takeshi snorted. Seeing Obito admit fault, he didn't press the issue and continued treating Kakashi.
"Hehe, you guys are really close."
Rin giggled behind her hand, amused by the interaction between the two.
"Of course! Takeshi is my best—ouch!"
Puffing out his chest proudly, Obito forgot that his arm was still injured and immediately cried out as he accidentally moved it.
"Best?"
Rolling his eyes, Takeshi replied with clear irritation. Once he saw that Kakashi's wounds were mostly healed, he slapped the area hard.
"All done."
Kakashi: "..."
With a resentful look, Kakashi sighed.
"You know it was Obito who pissed you off. Why are you taking it out on me?"
...
"Well, who told you not to properly discipline him when you two are on the same team?"
Seeing Kakashi talk back, Takeshi lectured him self-righteously.
"It's not like anyone on our squad uses Water Style..."
When he saw Takeshi furrow his pretty brows, Kakashi swallowed the rest of his sentence.
"In any case, I'm your captain now. All tactical decisions will follow my orders. Got it?!"
Hands on his hips, Takeshi stood in front of the team, signaling the two boys (excluding Rin) to sit up straight and face him.
"Y-Yes, sir..." x2
"Louder! I didn't hear you!"
"YES, SIR!"
Satisfied with the enthusiastic response, Takeshi finally nodded, relaxing his eyebrows.
"Good. That's the spirit. Dismissed!"
...
"Feels like Takeshi's temper has gotten worse since the last time we saw him..."
Watching Takeshi hum a tune as he walked off, Obito wiped his cold sweat and muttered, still feeling nervous.
"Only because a certain idiot made him mad in the first place."
Kakashi shot back irritably, glaring at the one who got him caught in the crossfire.
"Kakashi! You called me an idiot again!"
Obito puffed up in anger at Kakashi's repeated insult.
"So what? Takeshi calls you that all the time."
"Yeah, well it's fine when Takeshi says it—not you!"
"Well then. Idiot, idiot, idiot Obito."
"Kakashi!! That's it! I'm coming for you!!"
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
+100 chapters and support me on Patreon(.)com/Jixo