"Does Mist Village really want to go to war with us? How dare they do something like this!" Hiruzen's brows furrowed as he monitored the situation.
Although it was a joint event between two villages, Konoha was the host. Mist Village was required to provide basic information about their participating ninjas to Konoha, so Hiruzen knew that the suddenly appearing black-clad Mist ninjas were not candidates.
"Do they have your Flying Thunder God Mark on them?" Hiruzen looked at Minato Namikaze.
The actions of Mist Village were both puzzling and infuriating to Hiruzen, but he knew that the most important thing now was to ensure the safety of the participants before dealing with Mist Village's trouble. If Kakashi and the other talented ninjas were to die because of this, Konoha would suffer a great loss.
"No." Minato shook his head. If he had one, he would have just teleported there directly.
During the mission involving the Fourth Raikage, Minato had given a Flying Thunder God Kunai to protect Kakashi and the others, but that Kunai was used up in battle and was not recovered due to the urgency of the situation. Since there were no further dangerous situations, Minato did not specifically give another Flying Thunder God Kunai to Kakashi and the others.
After all, the Flying Thunder God Kunai is essentially a locator, and for various reasons, Minato generally does not give it out casually.
Who would have thought that something like this would happen during the Chunin Exams in their own village?
"It's okay. If I'm not mistaken, my real body is patrolling the area nearby and should have noticed the situation over there." At this moment, Mutsuki spoke up.
Even after reviewing all the candidates' information with his identification, Mutsuki was still uneasy, as Chunin Exams had a reputation for being prone to accidents in his experience. Thus, Mutsuki's real body was patrolling near Obito and the others, while his Shadow Clone was in the monitoring room.
Minato swallowed his words. He had initially intended to say that he could still make it in time if he rushed with all his might, given Guy's performance, but it would be even better if Mutsuki could get there faster.
"However, to prevent any accidents, let's have the real body acquire the memory," Mutsuki continued.
Hiruzen nodded and said, "Mutsuki, as the examiner, you should deal with that Mist Jonin. Minato, go inform Jiraiya and have him go to the Mist Village's inn to control all the Mist ninjas inside."
It was the best choice for Mutsuki to handle the situation because, as the chief examiner for the second round, he was responsible for any issues that arose during the exam.
Hiruzen then issued a command to assemble some of the ANBU. Finally, he used Telescope Jutsu to confirm that Genji, the Hidden Mist Village Elder, was still in Konoha and personally led the ANBU to find him.
Hiruzen found this situation quite strange. Based on the performance of those Mist ninjas, there were some very talented individuals among them. It seemed improbable that Mist Village would think they had the strength to cause chaos in Konoha and leave with those ninjas.
If they weren't so arrogant, Mist Village's actions would seem even more foolish and unreasonable. If Konoha's Chunin Exams didn't have any talented participants, Mist Village would be suffering a huge loss.
Hiruzen suppressed his doubts. Whether it was foolishness or arrogance, he would know once he met Genji.
Meanwhile, Mutsuki, who was observing Obito and the others from a distance, received the memory from his Clone.
However, he did not rush to deal with Akutami Hideyuki but instead focused more on the surroundings, using Byakugan to carefully observe the area.
Mutsuki could kill Akutami Hideyuki at any time if he wanted, but it was the person who brought Akutami Hideyuki here that Mutsuki was paying more attention to.
The Forest of Death was not a place one could enter and leave casually. To prevent any incidents during the exam, Konoha had set up a barrier in the Forest of Death.
Mist Village could only enter the Forest of Death as participants. Mutsuki had checked all the participants before the exam began, and Transformation Jutsu could not fool the identification, so there was no case of someone disguising as a participant to infiltrate the Forest of Death.
Since it wasn't through the participant identity, it must have been through some special method to bypass the barrier. Mutsuki speculated that this might not be Mist Village's arrangement but rather something orchestrated by Uchiha Madara and Black Zetsu.
If Mist Village were behind this, it wouldn't make sense. Some Genin might be insignificant, but Mist Village also sent Genji, a heavyweight Hidden Mist Village Elder, along with several Mist Jonin.
To invest so much military strength just to kill a few Genin would mean that Mizukage must be completely irrational, with the cost far outweighing the gain.
If Uchiha Madara and Black Zetsu were involved, it would make sense. They have both the capability and the motive.
This would benefit Uchiha Madara in many ways: Mist Village and Konoha would come into conflict, potentially leading to war, which would further destabilize the ninja world and provide Uchiha Madara with more opportunities.
"However, if we don't provoke Obito, it might go more smoothly. Is the intention to test Obito's strength?" Mutsuki pondered Uchiha Madara's motives.
Merely instigating a war between Mist Village and Konoha, and creating chaos among the other candidates, would also be effective.
After carefully scanning the surroundings with Byakugan, Mutsuki did not detect any suspicious figures.
This was within Mutsuki's expectations; neither Uchiha Madara nor Black Zetsu were easy to handle.
As Guy and the others' battles grew increasingly difficult, Mutsuki focused most of his attention on his disciples. If any of them faced a life-threatening situation, he would immediately step in to kill Akutami Hideyuki.
Conversely, if there were no life-threatening risks, Mutsuki would not reveal himself.
This might seem harsh to the disciples—getting injured without dying is still painful—but Mutsuki had no other choice. This is the harsh ninja world, and while he could protect his disciples this time because they were in Konoha and he had made extra preparations, he wouldn't always be able to protect them.
What if they encountered danger outside Konoha next time? What if they faced threats in different places?
Even with Minato's Flying Thunder God, he couldn't perfectly arrive in time to save them, let alone someone who only runs a bit faster.
Improving the strength of his disciples is the best solution. Strengthening their own abilities means that even if they can't defeat the enemy, they can hold on longer until he arrives.
"Konoha Strong Whirlwind!"
The knife wounds on Guy's body did not make him show any sign of fear. With Kakashi's assistance, he launched another attack on Akutami Hideyuki.
"Water Release: Great Waterfall Jutsu!"
Akutami Hideyuki calmly performed the Water Release Ninjutsu and spat out a huge water ball.
While water itself might not cause much damage, the impact of a large volume of water is considerable.
The massive wave-like volume of water struck Kakashi and Guy. Exhausted, Kakashi was swept away by the water flow, while Guy could endure the water but moved much slower.
Akutami Hideyuki swiftly swam through the water, evading Guy's attacks, and his swift blade left a new cut on Guy's body.
"Guy." Kakashi, who had been swept away and was lying on the ground, gasped heavily. He no longer had the strength to maintain Total Concentration Breathing, and despite his anxiousness, he couldn't help Guy in the battle.
Genma and Ebisu were already significantly weaker and now injured. Although they still had some stamina, they were unable to participate in the battle between Guy and Akutami Hideyuki and were swept away by the Great Waterfall Jutsu.
Injured Rin was using her last bit of Chakra to heal Obito. Rather than healing herself, Rin chose to trust Obito.
"Noon Leopard!"
With more and more wounds on his body, Guy ultimately used his strongest Taijutsu technique. He could use it a maximum of two times in a short period, and this was his last opportunity. If he delayed further, he wouldn't be able to use it again.
Guy poured all his strength into his legs. The powerful Chakra erupted to withstand the impact of the water flow, and Guy began running again.
"Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu!"
Akutami Hideyuki immediately formed hand signs to use Ninjutsu, utilizing the surrounding water. This was a common battle tactic of Mist Village: first creating a favorable environment with supportive Water Release, and then using offensive Water Release.
A massive flow of water swirled around Akutami Hideyuki, eventually forming an enormous water dragon that charged towards Guy.
In front of the gigantic water dragon, the 1.3-meter-tall Guy seemed exceptionally small; just the dragon's head was several times larger than him.
But Guy's steps never faltered. He charged forward like a leopard, his Chakra flames vaguely forming the shape of a leopard's head.
Boom!!
A tremendous roar erupted, with tiny water droplets splashing in all directions. The dragon's head began to collapse, its teeth shattered, horns broken, and its head deformed.
"This guy is a real monster," Kisame marveled at Guy's performance, noting that such power could be unleashed even after a fight with him.
"Can he really do it?" Kakashi struggled to get up, his arm propped on the ground, eyes fixed on Guy and Akutami Hideyuki.
"Guy, give it your all!" Obito, holding his breath, prayed for Guy.
In the end, under everyone's watch, the clash between the dragon and the leopard ended with the leopard shattering the dragon's head, completely destroying it.
But at this point, Guy had exhausted most of his strength. He was sent flying by the dragon's collision, crashing through eight trees before finally coming to a stop.
"Why choose a harder death when you could die more easily? Do you still fantasize about defeating me?" Akutami Hideyuki said with a mocking expression.
Despite the taunt, Guy stood up again. His green jumpsuit had turned red from excessive bleeding.
"My youth has never included the word 'give up'," Guy shouted, clenching his fists.
With his companions heavily injured or exhausted, Guy knew he couldn't fall now. If he went down, no one would be able to face Akutami Hideyuki directly.
Taking a deep breath, Guy prepared to attempt opening the Fourth Gate, the Gate of Pain. Though his current training was far from sufficient for opening the Gate of Pain, Guy had once forced himself to open the Second Gate under less favorable conditions during a battle with a Hidden Cloud Jonin. He aimed to replicate that feat, but this time he needed to forcibly open the Fourth Gate.
"Open!" Guy's eyes widened, his fists clenched, and the veins on his arms bulged as he used all his strength to attempt to open the Fourth Gate of the Eight Inner Gates.
Whether it was due to the difficulty or the inability to continue after the Third Gate, Guy failed.
Bang!
Akutami Hideyuki used Water Body Flicker to appear beside Guy and kicked him away without warning.
"Your decision won't change the outcome, whether you give up or persist," Akutami Hideyuki said calmly.
Akutami Hideyuki continued to press the attack, easily defeating Genma and Ebisu, who had come to obstruct him.
Genma felt a deep sense of frustration. Whether it was victory or defeat, it seemed irrelevant to him; his strength was too lacking compared to Kakashi and the others.
Ebisu felt similarly. For the first time, he desired strength not for status, power, or money, but because he felt utterly powerless. He could only watch helplessly as his comrades were injured.
Guy stood up again, desperately maintaining Stone Breathing as he fought against Akutami Hideyuki.
But the gap in strength could not be bridged by sheer will alone. In the midst of struggling, Guy collapsed once more.
Watching Guy fall and rise again, and seeing Akutami Hideyuki mock their persistence, the flames of anger within Obito burned ever brighter. Unconsciously, his breathing began to change.
"Flame Breathing, Total Concentration!" Once Obito regained the ability to move, he immediately activated his Sharingan and burst forth with power, swinging his fist enveloped in furious flames at Akutami Hideyuki.
It was unclear whether it was due to his intense anger or another reason, but despite the fierce flames enveloping his fist without Chakra isolation, Obito did not feel any burns.
However, Akutami Hideyuki was most concerned with Obito, and he immediately noticed Obito's actions. He sidestepped Obito's attack and swung a short blade at him.
Obito's Sharingan saw through Akutami Hideyuki's movements. Knowing that this strike wouldn't kill him, Obito allowed the short blade to slash his chest while his left hand unleashed even fiercer flames, striking Akutami Hideyuki's abdomen.
Akutami Hideyuki took a few steps back, slightly frowning as he felt the intense burning sensation on his body. He unleashed a stream of water from his hand using Water Release Chakra Nature Transformation to extinguish the flames, though the pain from the burns did not immediately fade.
Having landed a successful hit, Obito did not feel triumphant but instead pondered his strategy. In this mutual destruction tactic, he would be the first to fall.
However, Akutami Hideyuki did not give Obito time to think and immediately advanced to continue the battle, leaving several new wounds on Obito.
"They are still fighting hard..." Ensui, unable to move due to his injuries, had a bold idea as he watched the scene.
As a fellow Konoha ninja, Ensui did not want to fall too far behind in this regard. He and Midori discussed their plan with Naoya, and both nodded in agreement, deciding to make a final effort.
"Even if we die, we should die with some dignity," Midori, enduring the pain, used Beast Imitating Ninja Technique to lie down on the ground.
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