"Damn it!"
Chiba didn't have time to think. He cursed, pivoted sharply on his waist, and one foot skidded to a stop right on the chasm's crumbling edge.
Shiiiing!
Regrouping with Kosuke would have to wait. His toes tapped the ground, his body swiveling, and he shot off in the opposite direction, dodging the expanding fissure and the barrage of falling logs.
Kosuke, across the way, was doing the same—darting like an ape between the leaning, collapsing Metasequoia trees, constantly trying to close the distance.
"Earth Style: Rock Shaft!"
But then, four Iwa-nin erupted from the earth between them. One immediately unleashed a jutsu at Kosuke.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Sharp stone pillars shot forward. The impact force was terrifying. Kosuke dared not block. He was forced to change course, the gap between them widening.
The four Iwa-nin split. Two chased Kosuke. Two came after Chiba.
"Chiba! Watch yourself! They're trying to split us up!" Kosuke's voice echoed from a distance.
Chiba's face was grim. He didn't reply. He'd already figured that out.
He could feel it. These two Iwa-nin on his tail were strong. He needed to focus completely.
Should I try Yellow Spring Swamp to slow them… Hmm, no good. They're earth specialists. Poison it is.
"Fire Style: Flame Bullet!"
The pursuers were closing in. Chiba stomped the ground, his body briefly airborne. He spun, hurled a poison sac backward, and blasted it with a stream of fire.
BOOM!
The sac exploded. The half-meter wide fireball suddenly swelled into a rolling inferno. Scorching heat waves, laced with purple poison mist, surged toward the two Iwa-nin.
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
One Iwa-nin halted, cheeks puffing, and expelled a howling gale. An invisible "wind wall" held back the flames and toxin.
But when the fire and mist cleared, the distance between them had widened again.
"Kōsuchi! Use that move! Don't let this moron get away!" one Iwa-nin growled.
"Then get clear! Earth Style: Earth Flow River!"
The Iwa-nin named Kōsuchi formed seals. As his partner leaped aside, he drove his fist into the ground.
Crrrrunch!
Solid earth shattered into countless grains of sand. Under Kōsuchi's chakra, it rose like a golden tidal wave, morphing into a massive hand that clawed for Chiba.
"Earth Style: Earth-Style Wall!"
Chiba didn't even look back. As the sandy hand was about to grab him, his hands formed a seal and his foot stamped down. A thick earthen wall erupted behind him.
THUMP!
The sandy hand smashed against the wall, disintegrating back into harmless grains that pattered to the forest floor.
"The hell, Tetsusai?! Did that brat just… kick an Earth Style jutsu into existence mid-sprint?!"
Kōsuchi's eyes widened. If he hadn't read the intel, he'd swear the kid was from Iwa. What kind of insane control over Earth Style was that?
"His bounty's definitely too low. Don't get careless. We don't wanna drown in a ditch," the one named Tetsusai warned.
"Then we go all out. Forget chakra conservation. Pin him down first," Kōsuchi muttered.
"Earth Style: Earth Pillar Explosion!"
Facing this slippery target, both Iwa-nin formed seals in unison.
A jagged fissure snaked from their feet, crawling across the ground with a mind of its own, hunting Chiba.
"The hell? It tracks? That's just nasty."
Chiba felt it behind him. He shifted with his Shadow Dance Step once, twice—the fissure adjusted instantly, mirroring his path. This was bullshit!
BOOM!
Ten paces away, the fissure surged. It caught up in a flash and detonated.
CRACK!
The ground erupted. The shockwave hit like a physical wall. Even with his evasive leap, the concussive blast caught him, knocking him off balance.
By the time he steadied himself, the two Iwa-nin were on him, charging from left and right.
"Tch. Looks like it's head-on, then."
His plan to shake them and regroup was dead.
"Earth Style: Rock Lodging Spears!"
"Earth Style: Earth-Style Spears!"
Kōsuchi and Tetsusai unleashed their jutsu simultaneously. Stone lances stabbed up from beneath Chiba's feet and behind him, cutting off all escape routes.
"Shadow Dance Step!"
Already in combat mode, Chiba blurred. He weaved past the spears and charged at Kōsuchi and Tetsusai.
"Earth Style: Earth-Style Dragon!"
Tetsusai's seals finished. A dragon of rock and soil roared to life, maw gaping, and tore into Chiba's path.
"Earth Style: Earth-Style Wall!"
Chiba repeated the trick. A stomp. A wall. The dragon crashed and shattered against it.
But in the instant of impact, as dust and debris filled the air, a figure shot through the cloud.
"Earth Style: Rock Fist Technique!"
Kōsuchi's low shout preceded a rock-hardened right fist, already smashing toward Chiba's ribs.
"Fast!"
Cold sweat broke out. Chiba twisted, trying to evade, while simultaneously dropping his shoulder and raising his elbow to guard.
THUD.
The sound was sickening. It felt like being hit by a wagon. A brutal force punched through his guarding arm and straight into his organs.
"Hurk!"
The metallic taste of blood filled his mouth. He spat crimson, using the impact to fuel a desperate Shadow Dance retreat—just dodging Tetsusai's strike from the other flank.
"Konoha-Style: Hazy Moonlit Night!"
One arm numb, Chiba drew his katana mid-retreat with his other hand and slashed at Tetsusai as they passed.
"Earth Style: Hardening Technique!"
Tetsusai didn't dodge. He even brought his arms up, palms slapping toward the blade, aiming to grab Chiba.
Skkkrtch—
The katana scraped across Tetsusai's forearms. The sound was stone grinding on metal. The blade left only two white lines. It didn't even break the skin.
Shing!
Chiba abandoned the katana without hesitation, putting more distance between himself and the pincer attack.
The first round was over. Chiba had gained no advantage. If anything, he was being pressed.
These guys are hard. And not slow. Chiba flexed his tingling arm, mind racing.
Then again, most who dared join this exam—aside from idiots like Ryohei—had real skills. These two Iwa-nin had excellent ninjutsu and taijutsu. At least Special Jōnin level. No wonder they dared to hunt him and Kosuke.
Clatter.
Tetsusai tossed the discarded katana aside. He eyed the silent Chiba, a smirk forming.
"What's wrong, Leaf brat? Didn't get your breakfast? Can't even swing a blade properly. Your arm's soft as noodles."
"Heh."
Chiba snorted. "You two burning chakra like this… so sure you've got me? Not worried someone will skewer you both like kebabs later?"
"Ha! Hahaha!"
The two Iwa-nin exchanged a look, roaring with laughter. "By who? By a brat whose balls haven't even dropped?"
"What a limp bitch. Bet what's down south is just as soft as your arms. You probably can't even get it up."
"Yeah, my eighty-year-old granny hits harder than you, you soft piece of shit!"
Kōsuchi and Tetsusai hurled insults, inching closer. With the gap this small, ninjutsu was risky and taxing. In a 2v1, taijutsu was the clear choice.
"Heh. You bastards really think you've got me?"
Chiba's smirk returned. He knew they were trying to piss him off. And it was working. A fiery anger now simmered inside him.
What man could take that kind of talk lying down?
He was still missing an Iwa scroll anyway. Time to flip a card. Kill these two pricks. Call it village pride.
"You want hard? I'll show you hard. I'll show you what a real man is."
Chiba crossed his arms before his chest. The chakra within him roared like a torrential river, violently crashing against the body's first great gate.
"Eight Gates: Gate of Opening… OPEN!"
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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