"The strongest on their side should be that shark-faced guy, who is very proficient in Water Release. Your Fire Release will be countered by him, so leave him to me. As for the remaining two, try testing them out a few times. If it's really difficult, let Rin help you. Don't overdo it." Kakashi swiftly arranged the battle plan and said to Obito.
Although Nara Shiomizu and others are severely injured, the frontal battle is equally important. If they don't win, then everyone will die together.
"Understood." Obito nodded and turned his gaze to Zabuza and Kurozawa.
Kurozawa had a short Taijutsu exchange and judged that the opponent's Taijutsu was inferior to his. As for Zabuza, he seemed to be quite proficient with a sword.
Although Kakashi wanted to go against Kisame, Zabuza seemed to be provoked by Kakashi's words and charged at him with swords, paying no attention to Obito.
Kakashi's expression remained unchanged. The battle arrangement was just a rough plan; actual combat required improvisation. In this situation, he and Obito's cooperation was crucial to turning the tide in their favor.
Clang!
Kakashi swiftly drew his White Fang Short Blade to clash with the incoming Zabuza.
Kakashi wore a black mask, and Zabuza covered his lower face with a bandage. Every attack they launched was aimed at a critical point, giving a traditional ninja battle aesthetic.
Both Kakashi and Zabuza demonstrated great skill, always deflecting attacks cleverly and counterattacking.
Just when Zabuza thought Kakashi's strength matched his own, Kakashi, after assessing the situation, increased his Concentrated Breathing of Thunder, boosting his speed and strength, suddenly intensifying the pressure on Zabuza.
Under Kakashi's sudden burst, Zabuza's arm bore a cut that kept bleeding.
However, this small achievement did not satisfy Kakashi because, while he was comfortable, Obito was struggling, as both Kisame and Kurozawa were on Obito's side.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
Obito quickly formed seals and gathered Chakra in his throat, ejecting a massive fireball composed of flames.
With little knowledge of the opponent's details, the low-consumption yet powerful Great Fireball was undoubtedly the best choice.
"Water Release: Bursting Water Wave!"
Kisame gently leaped forward, forming seals to gather a large amount of Chakra in his mouth, then unleashed a huge tidal wave towards Obito.
The over three-meter-high Great Fireball from Obito was instantly extinguished by the massive water volume of Kisame's Bursting Water Wave, affecting even Nohara Rin and others.
Fortunately, this jutsu was not powerful, merely a large amount of water, soaking Obito and his team's clothing.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bomb Jutsu!" Simultaneously, while Kisame was using his jutsu, Kurozawa also formed seals due to the high number of seals required, just as the large water flow landed when he executed it.
Taking advantage of the huge water flow from Kisame's Bursting Water Wave, Kurozawa launched a very large Water Dragon Bomb, which roared towards Obito.
Obito, seeing the Earth Flow Wall used by Kakashi earlier, hid behind it. Although he could use Breath of Flame augmented Fire Dragon Flame Bomb to evaporate the Water Dragon, it would consume a lot of his Chakra.
Hiding behind the Earth Flow Wall was different; against Chakra techniques, water overcomes fire, but earth overcomes water.
Boom!!
The large Water Dragon crashed into the Earth Flow Wall, only causing cracks but not breaking through its defense.
Bam!
Kisame used the Water Instant Body Jutsu to appear immediately in front of the cracked Earth Flow Wall, breaking it, while Kurozawa used ninja tools to block Obito's position.
Even though Obito was prepared, he struggled to cope with the joint attack from the two.
"This shark-faced guy is really strong, probably only Guy can surpass him in strength." Obito was a bit shocked internally.
Because of the Breathing Technique augmentation, Obito's strength was much greater than ordinary ninjas; thus, he hadn't paid much attention to the information concerning Kisame's immense strength. Only upon fighting did Obito realize this shark-faced man's strength was truly monstrous.
All his Fire Release was countered by their Water Release, and he couldn't gain an advantage in Taijutsu. Moreover, both Kisame and Kurozawa aimed to kill, putting Obito under immense pressure.
In this perilous situation, Obito couldn't afford to hide any longer, gathering Chakra and activating the Two-Tomoe Sharingan.
He managed to defeat Kakashi back then due to using Sharingan. Without it, he might not have been able to overpower Kakashi.
Once his eyes turned blood red, Obito's perception of the world changed, becoming clearer. He could see things ordinary eyes couldn't, and Kisame and Kurozawa's movements appeared slower to him.
With the activation of the Sharingan, Obito's pressure was significantly relieved. Despite Kisame's formidable attacks, if they couldn't hit him, they were pointless.
However, Obito could only maintain his safety and avoid defeat. Organizing an effective attack was beyond him, being both countered and overwhelmed.
"So, he has already activated his Sharingan." Watching the surveillance footage of Obito using his Sharingan, Sarutobi Hiruzen was a bit surprised. If he remembered correctly, Obito was only nine this year, a remarkable age to activate the Sharingan.
Sarutobi Hiruzen congratulated himself for his foresight; having such an excellent Uchiha taught by Minato, a successor of the Will of Fire, was indeed the best outcome.
"Mokgetsu, Minato, do you think Obito and Kakashi can defeat this Hidden Mist Squad?" Sarutobi Hiruzen turned to Minato to inquire.
As the Hokage, he didn't have the time to keep track of children under ten, unaware of their specific abilities.
"There's no problem, barring unexpected occurrences," Mokgetsu thought for a moment before responding.
The battle at this moment was already indicative. Just Obito and Kakashi could hold back the three of them, and once Nohara Rin joined the fray, Kisame and his team would definitely lose.
"My thoughts are the same as Mokgetsu's, I think they can do it," Minato replied with a smile.
Sarutobi Hiruzen showed a thoughtful expression, then continued to look at the monitoring screen.
At this moment, Nohara Rin had to stop treating and join the battle because Kisame, after realizing that Obito was merely stalling them, shifted his attack strategy to target the wounded on Nohara Rin's side.
Bang!
When Kisame's fist, carrying immense force, collided with Nohara Rin's Monster Strength Fist, a terrifying explosion sounded, and their hair was pushed back by the force of the impact.
Kisame was knocked back three steps, his face showing utter surprise. He never considered his strength unparalleled, but the fact that the seemingly frail Nohara Rin could unleash more power than him was astonishing to him.
"Is it some kind of ninjutsu?" Kisame didn't think this was the kind of strength Nohara Rin should possess.
Noticing Obito approaching, Kisame used Water Instant Body Jutsu to retreat swiftly.
"Rin, are you okay?" Obito, having quickly shaken off Kurozawa, returned to defend and asked.
"I'm fine. Let me help relieve some of the pressure so you can focus on dealing with that shark face," Nohara Rin shook her head and said.
"Sorry, I have to go fight. I'll treat you guys later," Nohara Rin then turned and said to Nara Shiomizu and the others.
Nara Shiomizu had already recovered somewhat. He nodded and said, "We should be the ones thanking you. Just focus on the battle."
Once Nohara Rin joined the battlefield, Obito found it much easier. While defeating Kisame was not possible, Kisame also could not deal with Obito.
"Basic Breathing, Full Concentration!"
Nohara Rin changed her breathing rhythm to enhance her physical abilities and engaged in Taijutsu combat with Kurozawa.
No matter the combat experience or sheer strength, Nohara Rin was at a disadvantage compared to Kurozawa. However, Kurozawa had already gone through two battles and had consumed a lot of energy, so the situation was not too bad for Nohara Rin, although she was still on the losing side.
Yet, Nohara Rin never intended to defeat Kurozawa alone. She couldn't afford to use her Monster Strength Fist freely — her Chakra was already limited, and after the punch to Kisame, she had to conserve Chakra for Medical Ninjutsu.
All she needed to do was hold Kurozawa off until Kakashi or Obito could assist her.
"Why did it suddenly get so fast?" Zabuza sensed the scratches on his body and his expression grew increasingly grim.
After Kakashi increased the output of the Breath of Thunder, Zabuza immediately fell into a disadvantage. Despite using all his strength to defend, the injuries on his body continued to multiply.
"You wouldn't understand this power; it represents my resolve to protect my comrades," Kakashi said coldly.
Seeing Zabuza in worsening condition, Kakashi further increased the output of the Breath of Thunder, pushing it to the limit.
Kakashi hadn't unleashed his full power from the start because he wanted to conserve energy, worried that another team might arrive. If it were a team from Konoha, it would be fine, but not if it were from Hidden Mist.
There was too much chaos here, with rising smoke and ninjutsu clashes.
As Kakashi pushed the Concentrated Breathing of the Breath of Thunder to its current limit, yellow electric arcs began to appear on his leg.
Sizzle!!
With Chakra gathering, more yellow arcs formed, coursing through Kakashi's lower body, activating the cells in his leg.
Kakashi took a deep breath, exhaling white mist, and arcs of electricity appeared on the wrist holding the White Fang Short Blade.
"Half-flash!"
Kakashi fully unleashed the power of the Breath of Thunder, charging towards Zabuza like a yellow lightning bolt.
This strike caught Zabuza completely off guard; he hadn't expected Kakashi to be even faster. He tried to raise his sword to block, but the moment he lifted the blade, Kakashi had already appeared behind him.
Crack.
A yellow electric slash flashed by; Zabuza's longsword split in two, and blood blossomed from his chest.
Thud!
Zabuza fell, collapsing onto the muddy ground that had been churned by a violent wave.
"Why don't you kill me? You could have," Zabuza asked, looking up at the sky.
Although he was severely wounded, it wasn't fatal. He was sure that Kakashi's slash was capable of killing him.
"Because we're different. My sword is not for killing but for protecting. I could kill you, but there's no need," Kakashi said calmly.
Kakashi was not naïve; on the contrary, he was decisively ruthless in battles with enemies.
Zabuza viewed them as sheltered, inexperienced in the true nature of the world, while Kakashi intended to show Zabuza that being this way wasn't due to ignorance of the world's cruelty, but because they chose to be this way.
Instead of killing Zabuza, Kakashi aimed to shatter his conviction.
After speaking, Kakashi wasted no time in providing support to Nohara Rin.