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Twelve Chūnin in total—eight regular ones and four rogue ones—were present. Before, Akio had already captured two and killed two more, leaving eight. This morning, six more showed up, but they were taken out too. That meant only two Chūnin were left.
"Lightning Style: Chidori Current!" Akio made the first move; he couldn't just let them keep talking. Electric currents sparked around him and then surged outward in all directions. The lightning shot toward the enemy ninja, forcing them to leap away from their spots. The ground sizzled and smoked as small black craters formed wherever the lightning struck.
"Please don't kill my father, I'm begging you!" Yamashin shouted from behind.
"Eight Gates Released Formation—Fifth Gate: Gate of Limit, Open!"Guy activated the fifth gate and charged in."Leaf Whirlwind!"He launched a powerful kick at a masked ninja. The guy raised his arm and actually blocked it head-on.
"So you really are different!" Guy didn't look surprised—he grinned instead. This was going to be a good fight.
"Take them out!"Yamaba quickly ordered his men to attack Akio and the others.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu."Akio formed a hand seal and created two clones, sending them straight toward a group of Genin."TenTen, the Genin are yours."
"Got it."TenTen pulled out a scroll and went after the group. With Akio's clones leading the charge, dealing with those Genin was a breeze. They didn't even have a chance to fight back.
"Chidori."Sparks flashed around Akio's hand as he dashed toward the two remaining Chūnin. The two of them quickly raised Earth Walls to defend themselves—two thick barriers shot up right in front of Akio.
"Chidori Sharp Spear!"Akio kicked off the wall, flipped in midair, and landed smoothly. His Chidori Sharp Spear pierced through both Earth Walls like paper—and went straight through one Chūnin's heart.
"What the—?!"The other Chūnin's eyes went wide. Just then, a cold, emotionless voice spoke near his ear:"Die."He turned his head and saw a dark figure driving a kunai straight into his throat. Both Chūnin were taken out in a single move.
"Shadow Secret Technique."The Akio standing by the Earth Wall formed a hand seal and murmured the words.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"A voice shouted from behind. Akio instantly formed the seal for a Substitution Jutsu—and a wooden log took the brunt of the fireball, going up in flames.
"Secret Technique Barrier!"A purple barrier suddenly rose up around where Akio landed, trapping him inside. A masked ninja dropped down in front of him. He'd been the one who launched the fireball—and he'd even predicted where Akio would land.
"Swap."Akio glanced at him—and suddenly switched places with his shadow. In the next second, he recalled the shadow and escaped the barrier.
The masked ninja's eyes went wide under his mask. He had never seen a jutsu like that before.
"Chakra..."Akio felt the flow of chakra in his body and frowned. Chidori, Chidori Sharp Spear, Chidori Current, Shadow Secret Technique, and Shadow Clone Jutsu—all of these were powerful and chakra-hungry. Akio didn't have Naruto's kind of crazy stamina.
"Leaf Great Whirlwind!"Guy came in with another powerful kick. The masked ninja leapt up to dodge, and the ground split open from the impact.
Guy was handling both masked ninjas at once. Meanwhile, Neji and Lee were each fighting a Jōnin—and they were barely hanging in there. Their strength still didn't quite match up to Jōnin from even a small nation. The last Jōnin, Yamaba, was tied up in a fight with his own son, Yamashin.
'Hang in there, Lee—I'm coming!'Seeing that Guy had the masked ninjas handled, Akio ran to help Lee.
"Father, just surrender already!"Yamashin called out while clashing with Yamaba. Despite fighting, neither of them seemed to be going all out.
"You brought these people here, Yamashin?"Their kunai clashed. Yamaba lowered his voice.
"Yes. We accepted a mission from the Hidden Leaf."Yamashin nodded.
"You've ruined everything, Yamashin! How could you think I'd betray our country?"Yamaba growled at his son in a hushed tone.
"Huh?"Yamashin froze. What was that supposed to mean...?
"Shikaku-sensei! Help Neji out!"Akio shouted toward the cave. Inside, the Third Hokage nodded, transformed into Shikaku, and stepped out.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!"Shikaku threw three shuriken and then used the clone jutsu to multiply them mid-air. They all rained down on the Jōnin who was fighting Neji. By now, Neji was covered in injuries.
Poof!The Jōnin dodged by using the Substitution Jutsu.
"Earth Style: Great Mud River!"Shikaku didn't let up. As the Jōnin landed, the ground beneath his feet turned to flowing mud and swept him off balance.
"Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bullet!"Shikaku kept going. A dragon's head rose from the ground and spat dozens of earth bullets, slamming all over the Jōnin's face. Blood splattered as the man collapsed, unconscious.
"No wonder they call him the Third Hokage..."Watching the Jōnin who had been giving him such a hard time get taken out in just a few moves, Neji was in awe. The Third simply smiled without saying anything, keeping his eyes on Akio.
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough! Lightning Style!"Akio formed more hand signs, combining wind and lightning with a kunai. The wind pushed and the lightning surged—the kunai shot forward like a bullet and pierced straight through the Jōnin's right arm, rendering it useless.
"Front Lotus!"Lee charged in, opening the third gate of the Eight Gates. He launched the enemy Jōnin into the air, unleashed a flurry of blows mid-air, and then slammed him back into the ground.
"Ugh..."Lee's muscles flared in pain. That was the strongest move he could pull off right now.
"It's a fake."Akio shook his head. Lee looked confused—then saw the body on the ground dissolve into a mud clone.
"When did that happen?!"Lee gripped his leg and crouched. During the Chūnin Exams, that move had nearly cost him his leg because of Gaara's attack. This time, it wouldn't cripple him, but the side effects still hurt.
"Chidori."Lightning crackled in Akio's hand again. He suddenly kicked Lee aside—just as a hand burst out of the ground where Lee had just been. Akio slammed the Chidori into it, blasting the entire arm into a mess of blood and flesh.
"Aaaaah!!"A scream like a slaughtered pig came from underground. The Jōnin crawled out, his left arm mangled and his right arm already disabled by the earlier kunai strike.
"That's what you get for messing with Earth Style!"Akio raised his hand to form a Rasengan...
"....."