Natsuro, reflecting on his condition, felt a surge of exhilaration.
What delighted him was not just the power of his ninja sword, but also the fact that, after dealing with these Mist Ninjas, he still had a small fraction of chakra left.
Previously, he would have had to use multiple Rasengans to swiftly deal with chunin, consuming a significant amount of chakra and likely requiring the use of soldier pills for replenishment.
Now, Natsuro hadn't used any soldier pills and still had chakra left, which was surprising. This was despite the fact that he had wasted quite a bit of chakra due to his inexperience with the ninja sword.
It was clear that the ninja sword consumed far less chakra compared to Rasengan! And in most situations, its power was sufficient.
With this in mind, he felt reassured that Rasengan could remain as a trump card. After all, he doubted he'd ever use Rasengan as frequently as Naruto.
Feeling energized, Natsuro silently consumed a soldier pill to replenish his chakra. He wasn't being wasteful; he needed to be in top condition for the upcoming battlefield where Tenzo was fighting.
With a battle involving jōnin, and he couldn't afford any slip-ups. He had to arrive in the best possible condition.
...
Tenzo faced off against a Mist Village jōnin and found the opponent's survival skills quite troublesome.
However, he wasn't in a hurry. He continued to use Wood Release to gradually limit the opponent's space. With this advantage, it was clear that he would eventually corner the Mist Village jōnin.
For Tenzo, defeating a jōnin wasn't too difficult with Wood Release, but killing one was another story. Today, however, he had a chance.
Tenzo also appreciated the importance of having a powerful teammate. Before Natsuro joined, Tenzo would have used more aggressive tactics, which could defeat the opponent more quickly but would also increase the risk of the opponent escaping. To avoid this, he would have to abandon the chase.
Now, with Natsuro's assistance, he didn't need to be in such a rush. He could steadily push the enemy, sealing off their escape routes.
Otherwise, a regular jōnin wouldn't make him waste so much time with Wood Release.
At that moment, Tenzo noticed a familiar figure and smiled.
After spending days with Natsuro, Tenzo knew that his presence meant that the other enemies had been dealt with. It seemed that he had been slowing down the mission's progress.
Tenzo took a deep breath, focused his mind, and began forming hand signs. In the next moment, a more violent Wood Release attack surged from all directions towards the Mist Ninja.
"This guy must be out of his mind! Why the sudden…" The jōnin under attack gritted his teeth, struggling to dodge. Their goal had been that large chunk of meteorite ore. Why did they end up facing a Konoha ninja? And not just any ninja, but one with the legendary Wood Release?!
Even though the opponent hadn't shown a forehead protector, Wood Release could only be from Konoha!
The jōnin felt he must be extremely unlucky. From the start, he had known he was outmatched and had been on the defensive, trying to escape. But the opponent remained unyielding, giving him no chance.
It was like a cat playing with a mouse. Now that the game was over, was it time to finish him off?
The Mist jōnin continued to evade with growing despair. He couldn't even make a desperate charge. Wood Release was too overwhelming and left him with no way to counter. Evading alone had drained most of his energy.
However, it seemed that the violent Wood Release had created a small gap in the blockade. Perhaps there was a chance for survival? The jōnin's eyes rekindled with hope.
At the top, Natsuro observed the battle below, watching the intense Wood Release and was slightly amazed. If he were in the jōnin's position, he would probably have to use Flying Thunder God to escape.
Tenzo knew his Flying Thunder God technique, so Natsuro's kunai wouldn't have had a chance to get close. Wood Release would have blocked it completely.
Natsuro admired Tenzo's strength, knowing he could temporarily replace Kakashi in the Seventh Squad. His power was indeed formidable.
After appreciating the scene, he focused on the jōnin who had indeed spotted the gap. A smile curled at his lips.
As expected of a jōnin, good observational skills. But unfortunately for him, he was unaware of his presence. This was a trap!
Natsuro held a kunai charged with lightning, arcs of electricity crackling around it. Even though he hadn't fully developed the Raikiri kunai, the process had yielded some results.
The next moment, he threw the kunai with all his might.
The sound of lightning accompanied the kunai's flight, but it was too fast for the sound to keep up. As he had anticipated, as long as the speed was sufficient, most problems, including sound, could be avoided.
But a jōnin, being a jōnin, was highly alert. Even though the jōnin was focused on evading the Wood Release, he quickly noticed the kunai.
Despite the kunai's speed and power being alarming, evasion was still possible. The jōnin tilted his body, avoiding the kunai, and glanced towards its direction, trying to locate its owner.
Based on the jōnin's judgment, the attacker should still be in the vicinity, unable to escape in time. However, he couldn't see the figure.
In the next moment, a chilling sensation surged up his back, making the hairs on his body stand on end. When had the enemy appeared behind him? Why?
The jōnin couldn't figure it out, but there was no time for pondering. As he quickly formed hand signs and tried to turn around, Natsuro, who never expected a single kunai to kill a jōnin, used Flying Thunder God to appear behind him.
And accompanying him was—
"Rasengan!!"
He decisively slammed the Rasengan into the unprepared jōnin's back. To expedite the formation, he used the basic Rasengan without applying the Wind Release attribute.
"Ugh!!"
The jōnin's scream echoed as the Rasengan's spinning force inflicted excruciating pain!
The jōnin's hands, which hadn't finished forming the last hand sign, dropped as the Rasengan shattered his internal organs.
In the end, the jōnin couldn't even turn around to see Natsuro's figure.
"Boom!!"
Natsuro watched as the jōnin was slammed into the ground with tremendous force and saw the destruction caused to his internal organs. The jōnin was dead beyond any doubt.
Panting heavily, even though only a few seconds had passed since he started, his burst of power had drained most of his chakra.
But it was all worth it. Despite the jōnin's poor condition and Tenzo's assistance, this was a genuine jōnin!
In this era, jōnin were still highly valuable! And he had, for the first time, successfully killed one!
Despite various factors, it was undisputable.
At that moment, Natsuro, catching his breath, let his tense nerves relax and smiled.
His first jōnin kill was accomplished!
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