Whoosh!
Just as Kakashi and his team were sprinting northward with all their might, a figure with lightning flashing from his feet caught up to them.
Bakuri's speed was incredibly fast, and every time Obito turned his head, he saw him getting closer.
Swish swish swish!!
Obito and Kakashi simultaneously pulled out shuriken from their ninja tool pouches and threw them at Bakuri.
Bakuri quickly drew the sword from his back, slashing away all the incoming shuriken, and then with a Lightning Body Flicker, he leaped over the three of them, appearing in front of them.
"Be careful with this guy, he might be a Jonin," Kakashi said, drawing his White Fang short blade with a grave expression.
Although the evaluation of a ninja's rank isn't solely based on strength, normally higher-ranked ninjas have the power to easily overpower lower-ranked ones.
Of course, this is under normal circumstances. Special cases like Obito and Guy, who are just trainee ninjas and not even Genin, already have strength surpassing many Chunin.
If it were seven or eight Chunin coming, Kakashi wouldn't be too worried. But a Jonin is different. Every ninja who can advance to Jonin is one in a hundred, the backbone of any ninja village. It's no exaggeration to say that a normal Jonin can slaughter a normal Chunin like chickens, leaving them almost no chance to resist.
Jonin have mastery in ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu, with no obvious weaknesses. They have extensive mission and combat experience, and every Jonin can be considered elite.
"Heh heh, I am indeed a Jonin from the Hidden Cloud Village. If you know what's good for you, surrender quickly. Otherwise, being cut by my Lightning Sword will be very painful," Bakuri laughed, not taking Kakashi and the others seriously.
Although Kakashi and his team used Transformation Jutsu, they only changed their appearance and outfits to avoid easy detection, not the height, still looking like nine-year-old children.
Obito and Guy silently entered a state of Breathing Technique. Surrendering was out of the question; since they couldn't escape, they would fight!
Due to Bakuri blocking the road, the Hidden Cloud Chunin quickly caught up, surrounding Kakashi and his team from both sides.
Kakashi's mind raced, and he quickly spoke in a low voice:
"Guy, you handle the Hidden Cloud ninja behind us. Obito and I will deal with this stronger one. Do your best to swiftly take down your opponent and come help us."
Although they hadn't fought yet, judging by the speed of the pursuit, Kakashi guessed that the one behind was slightly weaker.
Kakashi's plan was for the strongest among them, Guy, to quickly eliminate one enemy, and then the three of them would gang up on the Hidden Cloud Jonin.
"Conserve your chakra and stamina. Just stall for time, and wait for Guy to finish his opponent so we can all strike together," Kakashi immediately said to Obito in a low voice.
Even Obito had no objections to Kakashi's orders, as Kakashi indeed had much more experience in being a ninja.
"It seems you've chosen a painful death. Attack!" Bakuri shouted as he raised his sword and instantly charged forward upon seeing his subordinates arrive.
Hearing Bakuri's command, the Hidden Cloud Chunin, who had just arrived, immediately rushed towards Kakashi and the others.
Guy, Kakashi, and Obito exchanged glances and nodded. Guy charged at the Hidden Cloud Chunin, while Kakashi and Obito took on Bakuri.
"Stone Breathing, Total Concentration Breathing!" Guy instantly entered a state of Total Concentration Breathing, inhaling a large amount of air. The air, infused with chakra, circulated throughout his body, enhancing it.
"Eight Inner Gates, First Gate, Gate of Opening, Open!" Guy immediately activated the Eight Inner Gates, opening the first gate. His body's chakra surged, and he used even more chakra to enhance his body with the Breathing Technique, further strengthening himself.
In just a single breath, Guy's aura surged dramatically, even causing the charging Hidden Cloud Chunin to take notice.
"Sand Great Whirlwind!"
Guy suddenly unleashed an incredibly fast whirlwind kick, the force of his leg movement causing leaves to rustle loudly.
The Hidden Cloud Chunin burst forth with chakra meeting Guy's whirlwind kick with a punch.
Bang!
A dull sound of flesh colliding resounded. The Hidden Cloud Chunin stepped back two and a half steps, while Guy retreated two steps.
"To have this level of strength at such a young age, you're truly a genius," the Hidden Cloud Chunin said, excitement evident on his face. A genius was more worthy of defeating.
"Damn, the enemy is stronger than I imagined," Guy's expression grew increasingly serious.
Although that kick wasn't his full strength, the Hidden Cloud Ninja hadn't used any special techniques either.
While Guy had confidence in his ability to defeat the opponent, Kakashi needed him to quickly win and provide support.
Guy glanced at Obito and Kakashi out of the corner of his eye. Despite being two against one, the two were being pushed back by Bakuri, completely suppressed.
Guy felt the heavy burden on his shoulders. If he couldn't quickly deal with the enemy on his side, Obito and Kakashi would soon be injured; their opponent was too strong.
Guy focused his breathing, concentrating more and more. His eyes were extremely determined as he started running at full speed, channeling all his strength into his legs.
At this moment, the task he carried was far greater than before, so he had to show corresponding strength.
"Ultra Sand Strong Whirlwind!"
Guy roared, glaring at the Hidden Cloud Chunin, concentrating all his power into one point. This attack was even stronger than the kick that had defeated Kakashi!
"Thunderbolt Kick!"
The Hidden Cloud Chunin gathered a large amount of chakra in his leg, using lightning nature transformation to enhance his kick, and then kicked out forcefully.
Bang!!
The two powerful kicks collided, creating a strong storm. The nearby trees were bent slightly from the force.
With that strike, both of them retreated four steps.
Guy clenched his fists tightly. The worst-case scenario had occurred: his opponent was not weak at all, making it impossible to resolve the fight quickly.
The situation on Obito and Kakashi's side was already very unfavorable. While Guy and the Hidden Cloud Chunin were evenly matched, the battle on their side was completely one-sided.
Kakashi's sword skills were no match for Bakuri, as Bakuri's movements were much faster. If it weren't for Obito, who had entered the Total Concentration Breathing state, helping him, Kakashi wouldn't have been able to face Bakuri head-on.
Kakashi and Obito wanted to stall, but Bakuri's nintaijutsu was too fast, leaving them no choice but to hold on with all their might.
After barely defending against a wave of attacks, Kakashi quickly glanced at Guy's situation from the corner of his eye. What he saw made him feel a bit desperate—Guy's opponent was also strong, and Guy couldn't quickly defeat him.
"How can we possibly win?" Kakashi couldn't help but wonder.
But just as this thought appeared in his mind, he didn't have the energy to think further, as Bakuri's sword thrust towards him again.
"Is this what a Jonin is like?" Obito felt the immense pressure emanating from Bakuri, gaining a deeper understanding of Mutsuki's strength.
He and Kakashi, working together, were being completely overwhelmed by an opponent Mutsuki had previously taken down with a single ninjutsu.
Then Obito started worrying about Mutsuki again. How strong must the opponent be to make Yumi-sensei look so serious?
The immense pressure from Bakuri snapped Obito out of his thoughts. Facing a Jonin head-on, he finally understood how overwhelming a Jonin's strength truly was.
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