Chapter 305: No Time to Mourn for Zabuza, the Future Mizukage Mei Terumi Arrives on the Battlefield Next
Noticing Kakashi closing in, Kurosawa burst out with a sudden surge of chakra and forced Rin back several steps, trying to slip away before Kakashi could reach him.
But Kakashi was moving at full power. With the element of surprise on his side, Kurosawa had no room to escape in that panicked retreat.
A sharp flash of steel skimmed Kurosawa's left arm, carving a long, thin gash that bled instantly.
"Damn it… losing this fast. Useless," Kurosawa cursed through gritted teeth, clutching his arm.
What had been a favorable situation for him had flipped in seconds. Now that he was injured, even if Kakashi walked away, Kurosawa no longer had confidence he could beat Rin.
"You blame your teammates instead of yourself. That's a tragedy for anyone stuck fighting beside you," Kakashi said, brows drawn tight at Kurosawa's words.
"What a joke. You're the one who injured me. Do you expect me to praise him?" Kurosawa sneered, stalling while he tried to bandage the wound.
Kakashi didn't buy it. He answered, but he didn't let the pressure drop for even a heartbeat. He charged again.
Whoosh!
With Thunder Breathing pushed to the edge, Kakashi was far faster than Kurosawa. Kurosawa stabbed forward with his short blade, only to find Kakashi vanish from his front.
Bang!
Kakashi appeared at Kurosawa's side and drove a spinning kick into him. Kurosawa flew backward, and the short blade slipped from his right hand and clattered away.
Boom!
He slammed into a thick tree. The trunk shuddered violently, swaying as leaves rattled down.
"Instead of spreading poison with your mouth, train your own weakness. People who only blame teammates never earn anyone reliable," Kakashi said coldly.
Even though they had just met, Kirigakure had already left Kakashi with the worst impression. For the first time, he wanted to crush an enemy's beliefs as thoroughly as he crushed their body.
"Haha. Fine, you're stronger than me, and your team is stronger than ours. You're all genius shinobi." Kurosawa forced himself upright, a mocking smile twisting on his face. "But that's it. What beat me wasn't your childish ideals. It was your strength."
He hated the idea of being defeated by someone younger who kept talking like a naive hero, so no matter what Kakashi said, Kurosawa snapped back. If he had already lost in power, then he would at least spit out contempt on the way down.
Kakashi walked toward him, calm and steady. After everything he had lived through, his resolve wasn't something a few bitter words could shake.
He didn't plan to kill Kurosawa. But he would leave him unable to move. Whether Kurosawa survived the poisonous insects and fierce beasts of the Death Forest after that was not Kakashi's concern.
"It looks like I arrived at a bad time," a girl's voice said suddenly, strange and clear.
Kakashi stopped at once and scanned the shadows.
A long haired redhead stepped out from the east. Two boys with bandaged lower faces followed behind her.
Kakashi sighed inwardly. The one thing he feared most had happened. Another team had been drawn here.
That was why he had fought Zabuza so carefully, trying to win with as little stamina as possible. The black smoke rising over the treetops was too obvious, and the clash of ninjutsu and taijutsu had been loud enough to pull in anyone nearby.
When Kakashi saw the Kirigakure forehead protector on the red haired girl, his stomach sank even further. He could only hope this new squad was not another monster team.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Without hesitation, Kakashi hurled two kunai. They pierced Kurosawa's thighs cleanly.
Kurosawa, already wobbling, collapsed with a sharp gasp.
As Mei Terumi approached, she swept her eyes over the battlefield. Water stains still pooled across the ground. Shiosui, Midori, Nao, and the small dog were huddled by a tree, badly injured. Zabuza and Kurosawa lay on the earth, and nearby Obito was still locked in a brutal fight with Kisame.
A major battle had erupted here, clearly involving three teams.
It looked like the Mist team had been ganged up on two against one and was already close to losing.
"So they're actually targeting us Mist shinobi together. How despicable," Mei's teammates thought, their glare sharpening with the same conclusion.
"Mei, what should we do?" one of them asked.
Their relationship was ordinary, but Mei was the strongest among them. Without a jonin leading, she was naturally the captain.
Mei didn't answer right away. She watched, thinking.
"The fight is for scrolls." Kakashi spoke calmly after a quick calculation. "Which scroll are you missing? We can provide either Heaven or Earth to help you pass."
He wanted to avoid another fight. His team and Kisame's were already near a decisive point, but if another Mist squad joined in, Kakashi couldn't guarantee anything.
Because of how Zabuza and Kurosawa acted, Kakashi guessed that Kirigakure's atmosphere made shinobi value self interest over comrades. That was why he gambled on this offer.
His team only had a Heaven scroll. But Kisame's squad had an Earth scroll. By logic, Mei's squad should have the other.
Mei rested her right hand under her chin, looking tempted. "That does sound reasonable. We're missing the Earth scroll."
Her team's luck had been average at best. From the start of the exam until now, this was their first real encounter, and they came straight here after spotting the smoke.
"We have the Earth scroll too." Kurosawa's eyes lit up. "Help us kill these Leaf brats, and we'll give you any scroll you want."
He desperately needed fresh strength to tip the outcome back.
"We're all Mist shinobi. You know who's more trustworthy."
Mei glanced at Kurosawa's group, then at the Leaf shinobi.
She naturally leaned toward her own village, but Kurosawa's tone irritated her. It sounded like he was ordering her around.
Then she recognized Obito's face clearly.
Her hesitation vanished.
She was going to avenge her strawberry ice cream.
"Take down those Konoha shinobi," Mei ordered her two teammates, then sprinted toward Obito.
When she reached Kisame and Obito's area, she didn't attack immediately. Instead, she looked at Kisame and said, "Go deal with the others. I'm taking this guy myself."
Kisame slammed Obito back with sheer force, then stared at Mei in confusion.
In all his time as a shinobi, it was the first time he had seen someone insist on making a fight one on one.
"If you don't leave, I won't move." Mei crossed her arms stubbornly.
She wanted to settle this with her own strength.
Kisame found it odd, but he wasn't about to throw away a new ally.
"I hope your strength matches that confidence. This one isn't weak." With that, Kisame turned and charged toward Kakashi.
"You're the Mist shinobi who bought sweets that day," Obito said, eyeing her waist length red hair and recalling their earlier street encounter.
"What do you mean bought sweets? I was gathering intelligence," Mei corrected sharply. "I only bought the ice cream after the mission was done."
"What kind of intelligence is there in a sweets shop?" Obito asked, baffled. "That Hidden Mist doesn't have those flavors?"
"Of course…" Mei almost started listing the treats her village lacked, then caught herself. Her face stiffened. "Anyway, I was gathering intelligence. And even if I don't want to bully a foolish looking guy like you, I have to avenge the strawberry ice cream."
"You're the foolish one," Obito muttered, deciding this girl was at least a little unhinged.
They both moved at once.
Taijutsu collided.
Mei wasn't weak in hand to hand combat, but she was facing Obito, who had both the Breathing Technique and the Sharingan. His higher perception let him read her attacks cleanly, and his boosted strength and speed let him parry and counter with force.
In less than half a minute, Mei fell into a disadvantage. Obito caught an opening and drove a punch into her abdomen. She stumbled back five or six steps.
"This guy's taijutsu is insane… and that eye, is it the legendary Sharingan?" Mei retreated fast, hands snapping into seals. She was going to answer with her strongest ninjutsu.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Obito fired four shuriken to cut off her angles, then chased hard.
If her taijutsu was weaker, he would keep the fight there and pressure her until she cracked.
"Boil Release: Skilled Mist Technique!"
Thick white mist poured from Mei's mouth like a living wave, rushing toward Obito.
Obito had already seen Mist shinobi use Hidden Mist before, so at first he didn't care much. But then he saw the shuriken that touched the mist corrode and crumble.
A chill ran through him.
He used Shave instantly, creating distance.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Even while retreating, Obito gathered chakra and unleashed a fireball toward the white mist.
But the mist swallowed it.
The flames vanished completely. Mei's mist thinned a little, but it remained dominant.
"This girl's ninjutsu is strong," Obito judged quickly.
That was bad news.
If Mei's taijutsu and ninjutsu were on the same level, Obito was sure he could finish her within two minutes. But now, the fight dragged into dangerous territory.
Not because Obito only had two minutes of stamina.
But because Kakashi and Rin were already in trouble.
Through his Sharingan, Obito could see Kakashi getting hammered. One Mist shinobi was pinning Rin down, while another Mist shinobi and Kisame were ganging up on Kakashi together.
"I'll have to go all out." Obito drew a deep breath and pulled a huge surge of chakra into his lungs, pushing Flame Breathing to its limit.
He was about to use the strongest Fire Release he could manage right now.
Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet.
P@treon Christmas Discount: 20% OFF
<><><><><>
[Check Out My Patreon For +40 Advance Chapters On All My Fanfics!]
[[email protected]/FanficLord03]
[Every 100 Power Stones = +1 Bonus Chapter]
[Join Our Discord Community For Updates & Events]
[https://discord.gg/MntqcdpRZ9]