Chapter 30: Resolve
On the back of the descending Wind Eagle, Kael's expression shifted rapidly.
It's rare to find a lone Jashinist Jonin. This is an opportunity!
A murderous intent surged in his heart. With a fierce glint in his eyes, he spoke quickly, "Let's do it! Fortune favors the bold!"
"Good lad!" Watanabe Musashi looked at him with a hint of admiration.
Just then, Rei, who had been watching the ground, looked up in a panic. "I think they've spotted us!"
"Hn. At this distance, it would be strange if they didn't spot us," Inoshita said calmly, showing no signs of alarm.
"Prepare for battle!" Watanabe Musashi ordered.
The faces of Kael and the others immediately turned cold, a chilling killing intent rising in their eyes. As shinobi of the Hidden Hot Water Village, encountering Jashinists was like a lion meeting a tiger—a fight to the death was inevitable. The king of the savannah and the king of the jungle were both apex predators, bound to clash on sight. This was especially true now that the Jashinist tiger was running rampant in their territory.
SHING, SHING, SHING!
Before the team could even jump off the Wind Eagle's back, the sharp sound of projectiles pierced the air.
CLING, CLANK, CLANG!
A volley of shuriken struck the Wind Eagle's belly and talons, ringing out with the sharp sound of metal on metal.
The next moment, the Wind Eagle landed.
BOOM!
A fierce gust of wind, mixed with snow and dirt, blasted outward in all directions. The Wind Eagle bent its powerful legs and used the rebound force to launch itself back into the sky. It was the king of the air, and high-speed, mobile combat was its natural talent.
Kael and the others were now on the ground.
Crunch, crunch...
The five Jashinist shinobi had already stopped their sprint and were now turning, cautiously advancing toward Kael's team through the snow. Soon, only twenty meters separated the two groups.
The enemy ninja glanced at the Hidden Hot Water forehead protectors on Watanabe's team, a look of understanding in their eyes. In the next instant, a tangible, blood-red killing aura began to rise from their bodies, swirling around them.
Kael, however, noticed the chilling calm in the eyes of the two leaders.
The stronger the Jashinist, the less of that crazed bloodlust they show. It seems the ones whose minds are truly poisoned by the cult are just the ignorant, ordinary followers. These guys... they're just using the Jashinist name as an excuse to unleash their own inner evil.
For some reason, with a major battle imminent, this thought flashed through his mind.
The tense atmosphere lasted only a few seconds. Then, as if by a silent agreement, an oppressive, murderous intent exploded from both sides, covering a hundred-meter radius. There was nothing to say. From the day the Hidden Hot Water Village was founded, it had been the natural enemy of the Jashinists. Its very existence was tied to the cult.
Watanabe Musashi struck first.
"Lightning Style: False Darkness!"
BZZZZZZT!
An ear-splitting shriek of electricity, as chaotic as a thousand radios tuned to static, filled the air. Two thick, pale blue arcs of lightning shot out, striking at the five Jashinists. The blast forced the five of them to scatter.
Watanabe's hands slowed, and a look of fatigue crossed his face. Using a B-rank jutsu at full power was a significant drain on him. He turned to Kael, a small smile on his stern face.
"Alright, it's your turn."
Kael: "..."
What do you mean, 'my turn'? My personal strength is only at the Genin level! How am I supposed to take on a Jonin?
He cursed inwardly, but the next second, he saw Watanabe's figure blur, charging toward one side of the scattered enemy. Gritting his teeth, Kael sprinted toward the other side of the battlefield, mentally summoning his beasts as he ran.
His hands were already moving.
"Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
A volley of crimson fireballs spat from his mouth, arcing through the air toward the enemy. But his hands were still moving, forming new seals.
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
A fan-shaped gale of wind blasted from his mouth, chasing after the fireballs. It was a combination jutsu! Although his follow-up was a bit slow, the fireballs still caught some of the wind, doubling in size as they hurtled toward the enemy Jonin.
"Your Fire Style is just adorable," the cold-faced Jashinist Jonin sneered, his voice carrying across the distance.
WHOOSH!
With a simple flicker of movement, he dodged the combination jutsu. He was about to finish off the overconfident brat when two other attacks arrived.
"Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bullet!"
"Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
Even as a Jonin, he couldn't ignore two Chunin-level jutsus. His brow furrowed slightly, and his hands flew through a new set of seals.
The next moment, a wall of water materialized from thin air.
BOOM!
The two ninjutsu slammed into the Water Wall, exploding with a deafening roar. The Jashinist Jonin's figure vanished from behind it.
On the other side, Inoshita and Izumi's expressions changed. Inoshita quickly turned to Kael. "Stay away from this guy! A Jonin is not someone you can handle right now. Izumi and I will keep him busy! You use your summons to find an opening!"
"Got it!" Kael wasn't too proud to listen. His two jutsus, which he had practiced for so long—one of which was his trump card combination—were nothing but a child's game in the eyes of a Jonin.
Watching the Jashinist Jonin close in, Kael narrowed his eyes and began to retreat. When the black-robed Jonin stopped, he found himself facing two Hidden Hot Water shinobi. He was completely unharmed by the previous attacks. He twirled his crimson scythe and charged at Inoshita and Izumi with a sadistic grin.
His figure blurred, and in the next second, he was upon them. He spun in mid-air, his scythe becoming a crescent moon of death that tore through the air.
CLANG!
A metallic shriek rang out. Izumi's knee buckled and slammed into the ground, shattering the frozen earth beneath it. In a single move, Izumi, a Chunin, was almost completely defeated. He held his kunai above his head with both hands, desperately holding back the scythe's blade as it pressed down, trying to split his skull. But under the immense pressure, his strength began to fail. His hands trembled, and the crimson blade inched closer to his head.
SWISH!
The Jashinist Jonin, a mocking sneer on his face, simply tilted his head, dodging a kunai strike from Inoshita. He then lashed out with his right foot, a blur of motion that connected squarely with Inoshita's chest.
"Pfft!" Inoshita spat out a mouthful of blood and was sent flying several meters, tumbling hard across the ground. He struggled for a moment before he could even get back to his feet.
"What's the matter? Is this all the Hidden Hot Water Village has left? A bunch of old, sick weaklings? Come on, show me something!" the Jonin roared, his mouth stretched in a wide grin, his thirst for blood still unquenched. He looked like a drug addict in the throes of withdrawal.
"Cough, cough! From the moment I left the village... I never planned on going back..." Izumi, still on one knee, coughed up a spray of blood. He looked up at the Jonin looming over him, a pained grimace on his face, which slowly twisted into a smile.
"Don't... underestimate us old-timers, you Jashinist bastard! After all... I came here with the resolve to die!"
The Jashinist's wild laughter froze on his face.
The next instant, a bright red light flared from beneath Izumi's flak jacket, followed by a violent surge of chakra.
"Exploding tags!" Inoshita shrieked from a distance, the color draining from his already pale face.
"You're insane!" the Jashinist's expression changed. He kicked Izumi away and his hands flew through seals. In an instant, his body vanished.
A Body Flicker Technique.