"Wait a moment." Iroka waved his hand to make the two teammates stop.
"What's wrong?" Beroka asked, puzzled.
"Look over there." Iroka pointed in a direction.
Beroka looked and saw a ninja about eight or nine years old wearing a Konoha ninja uniform questioning residents with two peers.
"There are actually Konoha ninjas here, but why is only one wearing a forehead protector and uniform?" Beroka felt a bit puzzled.
Either they all don't wear them to hide their identity, or they agree to wear them together. What's the meaning of one wearing and two not wearing?
Noticing the gaze, Kakashi looked towards Beroka and the others, and seeing their skin color, he became instantly alert. This wasn't just a tan.
"Be careful, we might have encountered the ninjas who injured the giant eagle. They're not wearing forehead protectors." Kakashi warned Might Guy and Obito in a low voice.
"So dark, could these people be from the Hidden Cloud ninja we met last time?" Although Kakashi didn't specify the direction, the three with different skin tones were quickly noticed by Obito.
"That's likely the case." Kakashi replied.
He didn't speak too assuredly; last time, the Hidden Cloud initially disguised themselves as Hidden Rock, so this time it might be Hidden Rock disguised as Hidden Cloud.
Seeing that Kakashi and the others had noticed, Iroka directly drew the sharp sword from his back. As the Land of Thunder and the Land of Fire were at war, seeing the ninjas from an enemy village, especially those who didn't look very strong, naturally called for action.
"Let's lead them to the mountain over there to fight; fighting here could affect the residents." Obito suggested after glancing around.
These are all wooden houses; if any were hit by his Fire Release, they would surely burn down.
"Obito makes sense." Might Guy agreed, giving a thumbs up.
"Yes, fighting on the mountain would make the activities of ninjutsu more noticeable, which might alert Teacher Mokgetsu." Kakashi thought for a moment and nodded, accepting Obito's strategy.
If the opponents were too strong and a Fire Release burned the mountain, Mokgetsu would surely realize something was wrong.
The three hesitated not, kicked forcefully with their legs, and leaped to the rooftops, making their way towards the mountain.
"Chase!" Iroka immediately ordered, then also jumped onto the nearby rooftop to pursue Obito and the others.
During the chase, both sides engaged in a ninja tool throwing skirmish on the rooftops. However, the three from Hidden Cloud were quite average, not as skilled as Kakashi and Obito, requiring them to dodge incoming shurikens as they chased.
Upon reaching halfway up the mountain, Obito, Kakashi, and Might Guy all halted.
"Run, why did you stop?" Beroka clenched his fist, feeling the blood mark left by the shuriken on his face and his expression turned somewhat fierce.
He was very upset to be injured by a group of kids who hadn't grown up yet.
"I'll deal with the one with the sword, Guy will handle the brawnier Hidden Cloud, and Obito, you stop the remaining one." Kakashi quickly assigned calmly.
Iroka, holding the sword, seemed like the leader and possibly the strongest. Originally, the strongest among them, Might Guy, should have dealt with him, but since the opponent appeared proficient in swordplay, Kakashi, skilled in blade techniques himself, decided to handle it.
"Why does it feel like I'm dealing with the weakest one?" Obito couldn't help but complain, but his eyes were already fixed on Hairo.
The enemy's strength was unknown; it was all the same to him whom he faced.
"At their age, they probably haven't graduated for more than two years. Let's settle this quickly; there might be a stronger Konoha ninja nearby." Iroka said, gripping his sword tightly.
Usually, in such a small squad, there would be an experienced ninja leading them, possibly acting separately.
"How long could it take to deal with a bunch of kids? Three minutes to finish them and then surround and kill the team leader." Beroka boasted fiercely.
Iroka nodded slightly and charged first with his sharp sword.
As Iroka moved, his two teammates charged in as well.
Kakashi quickly drew the White Fang Short Blade to clash with Iroka.
Obito swiftly threw several shurikens to restrict Hairo's movements.
Meanwhile, Might Guy directly entered the Breath of Rock state and charged towards Beroka.
"Leaf Whirlwind!"
Might Guy exhibited a speed that exceeded Beroka's expectations. Caught off guard, Beroka was viciously kicked into a tree by Might Guy.
"What are you doing, Beroka? Don't get careless!" Iroka admonished angrily, seeing his teammate getting kicked into a tree in an instant.
However, Iroka quickly had no time to worry about his teammate because he found that the swordplay of this child under ten was sharp and not as easy to deal with as he had imagined, requiring his full effort.
"Damn, so fast." Beroka cursed with a flushed face.
He was not shy, but blushing with anger. He had put on a tough facade yet was kicked before making contact, an embarrassment indeed.
"Is this fast? My youth is just beginning to burn!" Might Guy laughed loudly, charging fiercely towards Beroka.
Don't mention the Eight Gates; he hadn't even used Full Concentration Breathing yet.
After suffering once, Beroka realized that the Konoha ninja before him was not simple and couldn't be judged by age.
Bam bam bam!!
The two engaged in a fierce close-quarters combat, exchanging blows relentlessly.
Though Beroka seemed taller and more muscular, Might Guy, with his extensive physical training and cultivation of the body-boosting Breath of Rock, matched him evenly for a time.
"Was this person training from the womb? His physique is incredibly strong!" Beroka thought, astonished.
Regularly practicing Lightning Release Nin-Taijutsu, he was originally stronger than normal Taijutsu ninjas, yet couldn't suppress a child under ten.
Beroka couldn't remain calm any longer, bursting with Chakra to use Lightning Attribute Nature Transformation, and striking with lightning-charged fists towards Might Guy.
Might Guy saw Beroka still had a hidden move, not panicking, but becoming even more excited.
Stronger opponents were more worthwhile to defeat, igniting his youth to burn even brighter.
Whoosh!
Might Guy used Soru to dodge Beroka's Lightning Release Nin-Taijutsu.
BOOM!!
Beroka's lightning-charged fist smashed into a tree, shattering it completely.
"Breath of Rock, Full Concentration Breathing! Eight Gates, Opening Gate, Open!"
After gauging his opponent's strength, Might Guy directly entered his full power state, vastly enhancing his physical abilities, ready to defeat the enemy in one strike.