Kaida was ready for the fight, certain that it couldn't be avoided, but his instructions to Yomi were clear:
"During the fight, if you feel that your life is in danger, use the Body Flicker Jutsu and run. Don't even think about continuing the fight. I'll follow you after that, OK?"
Yomi just nodded her head, mentally preparing herself for the fight. All of them took Soldier Pills to maximize their efficiency.
…
Twenty ninjas were running toward the carriage. They were ninjas from Iwagakure, only rogue in name. They mostly did the work that villages didn't want their name associated with. This time, they were hired to kill a Konoha council member who was about to make a deal with the Land of Noodles, as the client didn't want Konoha's financial condition to stabilize.
Since they had to attack a council member, the group included two Jonin, seven Chunin, and the remaining eleven were Genin. Knowing that a Jonin would likely be guarding the council members, they planned to sneak attack them, staying 500 meters away to catch them off guard. The main goal of the surprise attack was to kill the Jonin or at least injure him, making the fight easier.
As they ran toward the location, a firewall suddenly appeared in front of them. The Genin couldn't react in time, but the Chunin, being veterans, quickly created an earth wall to protect themselves. However, the fire was so strong that it burned them even around the wall's edges.
All the Chunin and Jonin used the Body Flicker Jutsu to evade the firewall. Though some were slightly burned, they could still fight, while the Jonin were relatively unharmed as they reacted faster than the Chunin. The Genin, however, took the most damage. Most were either critically injured or dead. Just as they were recovering from the shock of the attack, a barrage of ranged attacks—fireballs, wind blades, earth bullets, and water bullets—came at them.
Sensing the danger, the Jonin quickly erected earth walls around the team. Unfortunately, one of the Chunin was out of range of the wall. Before he could move or do anything, a wind blade sliced through his head, and his body was then riddled with bullets.
The rest of his teammates didn't have time to mourn his death, as they were too busy trying to protect themselves. One of the Jonin commanded, "Disperse in pairs and search for the enemy," as it was too difficult to fight while protecting everyone.
…
(Ten minutes earlier…)
All four members of Team 13 were hidden among the trees.
Yukihiro looked at Kaida and said, "Kaida, make three clones and have them use the Fire Stream Jutsu—the most powerful one you can manage."
"Okay, Sensei."
Kaida created three clones. He and his clones stood side by side, ready to use the Fire Stream Jutsu on command.
"Sensei, they're 100 meters away from us," Ryota reported.
Yukihiro nodded at Kaida, who took the cue. All four of them unleashed the Fire Breath Jutsu in the direction of the approaching ninjas. Yukihiro appeared behind Kaida and used the Wind Release: Infinite Breakthrough Jutsu.
*Fwoosh*
The fire, initially 80 meters wide and reaching 40 meters ahead of Kaida, was empowered by the strong wind, increasing its range to more than 200 meters and its width to 100 meters.
All the enemy ninjas were nearly engulfed in the attack. Their blood-curdling screams were audible to Team 13, distracting the three Genin as they heard the ninjas being burned alive.
"Focus! They're not going to die from just this," Yukihiro reminded them.
Just as he said that, multiple earth walls appeared within the fiery ocean. Yukihiro pointed in a direction, knowing that this attack wouldn't kill all of them. Many enemy ninjas had used long-range travel jutsu to evade the attack.
Soon after, the enemy ninjas dispersed in different directions. Yukihiro looked at his team and said, "There are only Chunin and Jonin left in their ranks. Ryota and Yomi, you will handle the Chunin. Try to stall them, but don't take any unnecessary risks. Since they're dispersed, take one batch at a time. I'll finish my fight as quickly as I can and come to your aid.
Kaida, you'll face a Jonin-level ninja. Don't do anything reckless—just stall for as long as you can. And most importantly, DO NOT DIE."
They all nodded. Yukihiro then pointed in the direction where the enemy ninjas were. Ryota and Yomi used the Body Flicker Jutsu and went after the Chunin, while Kaida headed toward the Jonin.
…
Ryota and Yomi both knew they were still Genin, even though they had killed Chunin before—usually in a 2-on-1 situation with Yukihiro always ready to protect them if they made a mistake. But this time was different. The fight would be 2-on-2, and a single mistake could cost them their lives.
They looked at each other, understanding that they had to prioritize each other's safety, or they would both die.
"Yomi, I'll focus more on close combat, but I'm not sure I can stall two Chunin alone for long. Try to deal with one of them from a distance as quickly as you can," Ryota said.
"Okay, but don't be reckless. If you feel you can't handle them alone, fall back. We only need to stall for time, remember?" Yomi replied.
"Okay. Are you ready, buddy?" Ryota asked, looking at Kiba.
*Bark* Kiba, too, understood the gravity of the situation.
They used the Body Flicker Jutsu and appeared on the tree Yukihiro had pointed to. Two Chunin were on the ground, fully alert. Ryota and Kiba silently jumped toward them, each holding a kunai. The Chunin on the ground sensed danger and evaded in the nick of time. It seemed Ryota's attack had failed, but as the Chunin dodged, Ryota threw his kunai at them.
Both Chunin deflected the kunai, but Ryota wasn't the only one attacking. Yomi had charged her shuriken while Ryota made his first surprise attack. When the Chunin evaded, she threw her shuriken at their legs.
She could have aimed for their heads, but Yukihiro had taught them that experienced ninjas develop a sixth sense for detecting fatal attacks. So, in every surprise attack, they were to aim for small but critical damage. In fast-paced fights, minor hindrances could prove fatal.
When the Chunin blocked Ryota's kunai, the shuriken embedded itself in their legs.
*Buzz buzz*
The shuriken, charged with lightning chakra, paralyzed them for a fraction of a second. Ryota didn't waste the opportunity and fired a barrage of earth bullets at them.
Within just a minute, both enemy Chunin were critically injured. Their hands were useless from the earth and water bullets, and their legs were in critical condition from the shuriken.
Not wanting to give them a chance to recover, Yomi used the Body Flicker Jutsu, appearing behind them. With one clean slash, their heads were on the ground.
Ryota and Yomi breathed a sigh of relief, but Kiba suddenly started barking. Ryota turned to Yomi, and they both used the Body Flicker Jutsu to escape.
Just as they vanished, the spot where they had been standing was bombarded with kunai, shuriken, and even some earth bullets.
"Shit, all four of them are on our backs! We don't stand a chance now. Let's keep running until Kaida and Yukihiro-sensei finish their fights. We'll handle these four if we get the chance," Ryota said.
"Okay," Yomi agreed, but she was already thinking of running away, as Kaida had instructed. The only thing stopping her was that she didn't want to leave Ryota and Kiba alone.
Still, the situation wasn't that bad. They had already killed two Chunin, and now they only had to stall for time, which was doable since they had spent a month practicing the Body Flicker Jutsu to use it as efficiently as possible.
---
(A.N: Thanks for reading ^~^)