"Who's there?!"
The sudden voice startled Kyuushin, who instinctively drew a kunai in defense. Minato and Nawaki quickly joined him, forming a tight defensive formation. A masked ninja emerged from behind a tree. He was clad in an earth-gray combat uniform, similar to a Konoha ninja's but with additional shoulder pads.
Kyuushin became even more vigilant when he saw the Hidden Sand Village symbol on the mask.
"A member of the Sand's assassination squad?" he asked, though his tone suggested certainty.
"Oh? Judging by your age, you must still be genin, yet you're quite knowledgeable," a muffled voice came from beneath the mask. He slowly walked towards them, and the atmosphere grew tense. Kyuushin, with his other hand behind his back, gestured to Minato and Nawaki, signaling them to find an opportunity to hide.
"This man is a rogue ninja from our village," the Sand ninja said, his voice strangely conversational. "Konoha and we have always been on good terms, so I presume you won't object to me taking him."
"I apologize, but he is also our mission target," Kyuushin replied, his own voice sincere, as if he were truly negotiating. "If the Hidden Sand Village wishes for his return, they can go through the proper diplomatic channels. Given the relationship between our two villages, I believe our leaders would not refuse."
"Is that so?" The Sand ninja stopped, seemingly pondering for a moment, then casually said, "That's too much trouble. I'll just kill all of you. That seems more convenient." As soon as he finished speaking, he charged.
However, Kyuushin was already prepared. He quickly pulled a scroll from his pouch, threw it to the ground, and clapped his hands together.
"Sealing Jutsu: Earth Binding Seal!"
The scroll instantly unfurled a barrier, binding the Sand ninja within a five-meter radius.
"Quick, take the mission target and go! This is a Jonin!" Kyuushin shouted.
Minato and Nawaki immediately sprang into action. In just a breath or two, they had taken the target and swiftly departed.
"Oh? Your companions have left. Are you the only one staying behind to cover their retreat?" Trapped within the barrier, the Sand ninja seemed entirely unconcerned.
Kyuushin did not reply. His expression was grim. Although he had often anticipated encountering a Jonin on a mission, he hadn't expected this day to arrive so soon. The barrier would only hold for a short time, and it required a continuous input of chakra. Because of the Jonin's sudden appearance, they had no time to prepare. In the wild, three unprepared Chunin-level genin encountering a Jonin with full strength usually meant preparing for their demise. However, for Kyuushin, after all his training, he still held several trump cards. While defeating a Jonin might be out of reach, delaying him shouldn't be a problem.
But then, something unexpected happened: Nawaki and Minato, who had just left, suddenly returned.
"Are you two idiots? Didn't I tell you to retreat immediately?" Kyuushin said, annoyed.
Upon hearing this, Nawaki flashed a bright smile. "Minato and I discussed it, and we decided we couldn't let you face a Jonin alone. With us, no matter what, we shouldn't be defeated so quickly, right?"
Minato, beside him, also added, "That's right. We've already sent a signal to Konoha. I believe if we can just stall for a while, Konoha's Jonin will arrive."
The Sand ninja within the barrier burst into laughter. "Hahaha, if you had run, I would have had to put in more effort. I didn't expect you two brats to come back. Now, I can relax a bit."
At this point, it was too late to make them leave. Kyuushin could only say urgently, "Quickly hide! Be extremely careful. This isn't like our usual sparring."
No sooner had he spoken than the barrier shattered, and the Sand ninja charged directly at Kyuushin. Facing the rapidly approaching Jonin, Kyuushin closed his eyes, and when he reopened them, his gaze was utterly blank.
*Gene Lock, activate!*
The Sand ninja, whose movements were originally swift, now appeared to slow down in Kyuushin's eyes, and countless combat instincts erupted in his mind.
"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!" Without forming any hand signs, a massive storm generated, rushing directly towards the Sand ninja.
The Jonin was also startled. Without time to think, he crossed his arms, taking the ninjutsu head-on, and slid back seven or eight meters before stopping.
*Thick calluses on his fists, agile movements, capable of taking a C-Rank ninjutsu head-on. It seems this ninja primarily practices taijutsu. This is troublesome,* Kyuushin quickly thought. His current ninjutsu reserves would have difficulty harming a taijutsu specialist.
"Earth Release: Earth Rock Spikes!" While the Sand ninja was still off balance, Nawaki, hidden in the shadows, quickly formed hand signs. Numerous rock spikes instantly sprouted from the ground, thrusting towards him. However, a Jonin is still a Jonin. Even in such a situation, he was able to react, stomping his foot to launch himself into the air and dodge all the spikes. Minato, on the other side, threw out a dozen shuriken, but they posed little threat and were easily blocked.
"Ha! You brats!" The Sand ninja, having landed, roared, clearly enraged by the trio's continuous attacks. He charged directly at Nawaki, who was closest, his speed having doubled from before. Clearly, seeing three genin, he hadn't used his full power at first.
Without thinking, Kyuushin instantly used the Body Flicker Technique, quickly appearing beside the Sand ninja. But to his surprise, the charging ninja quickly stopped, as if he had anticipated the move. He exploited the brief opening in the Body Flicker technique, throwing a punch directly at Kyuushin's face.
The punch hadn't landed yet, but the force of the wind from it already stung Kyuushin's face, indicating the power behind the blow. His danger sense was magnified, and countless combat instincts surged in his mind. The 0.1-second stiffness of his technique felt like an eternity. Kyuushin felt a swelling sensation in his body, but he had no time to examine it. The instant his body recovered, he could only raise his arms, attempting to block the powerful punch.
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