Chapter 309 A Last-Ditch Effort (4k)

“Is the Hidden Mist trying to start a war with us, daring to do something like this!” Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was monitoring the battle, frowned deeply.

Although the event was co-hosted by two villages, Konoha was the main organizer, and the Hidden Mist side needed to provide Konoha with basic data on their participating Ninja. Therefore, Hiruzen Sarutobi knew that the black-clothed Hidden Mist Ninja who suddenly appeared was not an examinee.

“Do they have your Flying Thunder God Technique mark on them?” Hiruzen Sarutobi looked toward Minato Namikaze.

The actions of the Hidden Mist were utterly baffling and infuriated Hiruzen Sarutobi, but he knew that the most important thing right now was ensuring the safety of the examinees before dealing with the Hidden Mist.

If gifted Ninja like Kakashi and the others grew normally, they would certainly become renowned powerhouses. If they died because of this, Konoha’s loss would be immense.

“No.” Minato shook his head. If there had been, he would have instantly flashed over.

During the mission where he encountered the Fourth Raikage, Minato had given Kakashi and the others a Flying Thunder God Kunai for their protection, but that Kunai had been used up in the fight. Because the situation was critical, it was not recovered, and since no further dangerous situations arose afterward, Minato had not specifically given Kakashi and the others another Flying Thunder God Kunai.

After all, a Flying Thunder God Kunai was essentially a locator, and due to various considerations, Minato generally wouldn’t hand them out casually.

Who would have thought that something like this could happen while participating in the Chunin Exams right in their own village?

“It’s fine, if I remember correctly, my main body is patrolling nearby and should have noticed the situation there by now.” Muzuki said at this moment.

Even after using his appraisal technique to check all the examinees’ information, Muzuki was still uneasy, as the Chunin Exams, in his memory, were prone to accidents. Therefore, the one in the monitoring room was a Shadow Clone, while his main body had been patrolling near Obito and the others.

Minato swallowed the words he was about to say. He had originally planned to say that if he rushed over now at full speed, he should still make it in time, as based on Might Guy’s performance, he wouldn’t collapse in just a few minutes. However, it was even better if Muzuki could get there faster.

“However, to prevent any unforeseen circumstances, I should let my main body receive the memory now.” Muzuki continued.

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded and said, “Muzuki, as the chief examiner, go resolve that Mist Village Jonin. Minato, go notify Jiraiya now and have him go to the inn where the Hidden Mist are staying and control all the Hidden Mist personnel inside.”

Having Muzuki resolve this issue was the best choice, as Muzuki was the chief examiner for the second phase of the exams and was responsible if problems arose during the test.

Next, Hiruzen Sarutobi issued a command to summon the Anbu, gathering a portion of them. Finally, Hiruzen Sarutobi used the Telescope Technique to confirm that Genshi, the Hidden Mist Village Elder, was still in Konoha, and he personally led the Anbu to find him.

This matter seemed genuinely strange to Hiruzen Sarutobi. Judging by the performance of those Mist Ninja, they had some excellent talents. It couldn’t be that the Hidden Mist felt strong enough to cause a ruckus in Konoha and still manage to leave with those Ninja, could it?

If they weren’t that arrogant, then the Hidden Mist’s actions seemed even stupider and more illogical. If Konoha’s Chunin Exams hadn’t featured many gifted individuals this time, wouldn’t the Hidden Mist have suffered a huge loss?

Hiruzen Sarutobi suppressed the doubts in his heart. Whether it was stupidity or arrogance, he would find out once he met Genshi.

On the other side, Muzuki, who was quietly watching Obito and the others fight nearby, received the memory from his clone.

However, he was not in a hurry to intervene and eliminate Akami Hideyuki. Instead, he focused more attention on the surroundings, meticulously observing the area using his Byakugan.

Because he could kill Akami Hideyuki whenever he wanted, the person who made Akami Hideyuki appear here was the existence Muzuki truly valued.

The Death Forest was not a place where people could just come and go freely. To prevent accidents during this exam, Konoha had set up a barrier around the Death Forest.

If the Hidden Mist wanted to enter the Death Forest, they could only do so as examinees. However, Muzuki had used his appraisal technique to check all examinees before the test began, and the Transformation Technique could not deceive the appraisal. Thus, there was no situation where someone disguised as an examinee infiltrated the Death Forest.

Since he was not an examinee, he must have used a special method to bypass the barrier and sneak in.

Muzuki guessed that this might not be the arrangement of the Hidden Mist, but rather Uchiha Madara and Black Zetsu causing trouble.

Because if the Hidden Mist were causing trouble, it wouldn’t make sense. While a few Genin might not matter, the Hidden Mist had also brought heavyweight figures like Elder Genshi of the Hidden Mist Village, as well as several Mist Village Jonin.

To sacrifice so much fighting power just to kill a few Genin, the Mizukage wouldn’t just be crazy; their head would be nothing but water. The difference between the input and the gain was too vast.

If Uchiha Madara and Black Zetsu were causing trouble, it made sense. They had both the capability and the motive.

Doing this brought many benefits to Uchiha Madara. The Hidden Mist and Konoha would clash, potentially leading to war, making the situation in the Ninja World more chaotic and giving Uchiha Madara more opportunities.

“But in that case, not targeting Obito would be smoother. Is he trying to stimulate Obito’s strength?” Muzuki pondered Uchiha Madara’s objective.

Simply causing a war between the Hidden Mist and Konoha by randomly killing other examinees would also achieve the same effect.

After meticulously scanning the surroundings with his Byakugan, Muzuki found no suspicious figures.

This was within Muzuki’s expectations; neither Uchiha Madara nor Black Zetsu were easy opponents to deal with.

As the fight grew increasingly difficult for Might Guy and the others, Muzuki shifted most of his attention to his disciples. If any disciple faced mortal danger, he would immediately intervene and kill Akami Hideyuki.

Conversely, if there was no danger to life, Muzuki would not reveal himself.

This might seem cruel to his disciples—even if they didn’t die, being injured would be painful—but Muzuki had no choice. This was the cruel Ninja World. He could protect his disciples once, but he couldn’t protect them forever.

This time, because they were in Konoha, he had made multiple preparations, allowing him to protect his disciples from the shadows. But what about the next time, outside of Konoha? What if his disciples encountered danger in different places?

Even Minato, who possessed the Flying Thunder God, couldn’t perfectly arrive in time to save them, let alone him, who was just a little faster at running.

Improving his disciples’ strength was the optimal solution. If they became powerful themselves, even if they couldn’t defeat the enemy, they could hold out longer until he arrived.

“Leaf Strong Whirlwind!”

The blade wounds on his body did not cause Might Guy to show any fear. With Kakashi’s assistance, he once again launched an attack against Akami Hideyuki.

“Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!”

Akami Hideyuki calmly performed a Water Release Ninjutsu, spitting out an incredibly huge sphere of water.

Water itself is not difficult to encounter without causing damage, but if there is a massive flow of water, the resulting impact force is considerable.

This enormous volume of water, like a tidal wave, slammed into Kakashi and Might Guy. Kakashi, who had little stamina left, was immediately swept away by the current. Although Might Guy managed to withstand the water flow and move forward, his speed was greatly reduced.

Akami Hideyuki swam rapidly through the water, dodging Might Guy’s attack while his swift blade added another bloody mark to Might Guy’s body.

“Guy.” Kakashi, having been swept away, lay on the ground gasping heavily. He no longer had the strength to maintain Total Concentration Breathing. Even though he was burning with anxiety, he couldn’t help Might Guy fight.

Shiranui Genma and Ebisu were already significantly weaker, and now they were injured. Although they still had some stamina, they were unable to participate in the fight between Might Guy and Akami Hideyuki, and they were instantly swept away by the Great Waterfall Technique.

The injured Rin Nohara was using her last bit of Chakra to treat Obito. Rather than healing herself, Rin Nohara chose to put her faith in Obito.

“Noon Leopard!”

With more and more wounds appearing on his body, Might Guy finally unleashed the strongest Taijutsu he was currently capable of using.

Currently, he could use it at most twice in a short period, and this was his last chance. But he had no choice; if he delayed any longer, he wouldn’t even be able to use it this final time.

Might Guy poured all his strength into his legs. A powerful burst of Chakra resisted the water current’s impact, and Might Guy started running again.

“Water Dragon Bullet Technique!”

Akami Hideyuki immediately formed hand signs and used Ninjutsu, utilizing the surrounding water. This was a common combat habit for the Hidden Mist: first using auxiliary Water Release to create a favorable environment, then following up with offensive Water Release.

A massive volume of water swirled around Akami Hideyuki, finally forming an enormous Water Dragon that charged toward Might Guy.

Might Guy, who was only 1.3 meters tall, seemed incredibly tiny in front of the huge Water Dragon; the Water Dragon’s head alone was several times larger than him.

But Might Guy’s steps never paused. He charged forward like a leopard, the Chakra aura surrounding him vaguely forming the shape of a leopard’s head.

Boom!!

A huge roar sounded. Tiny droplets of water splashed everywhere. The Water Dragon’s head was collapsing, its teeth shattering, horns snapping, and its face deforming.

“This Guy is a monster in the true sense of the word.” Kisame sighed when he saw Might Guy’s performance, marveling that he could still unleash such power after fighting him.

“Can he actually do it?” Kakashi propped himself up on the ground with his arms, struggling to stand, his eyes fixed on Might Guy and Akami Hideyuki.

“Guy, come on!” Obito maintained his Breathing Technique, praying for Might Guy in his heart.

Finally, under everyone’s gaze, in this struggle between dragon and leopard, the leopard shattered the dragon’s head, which completely broke apart.

However, Might Guy had exhausted most of his strength by this point. Struck by the momentum of the dragon’s body, he was sent flying backward, only stopping after smashing through eight trees.

“Since you’re going to die anyway, why not choose an easier death? Do you still delusionally think you can defeat me?” Akami Hideyuki said with a mocking expression.

Facing the mockery, Might Guy stood up again. At this moment, his green jumpsuit had turned crimson due to excessive blood loss.

“The word ‘give up’ does not exist in my youth!” Might Guy shouted, clenching his fist.

His comrades were either severely injured or exhausted. Might Guy knew deeply that he could not fall now; if he did, no one would be able to fight Akami Hideyuki head-on.

Might Guy took a deep breath. He intended to attempt opening the fourth of the Eight Gates, the Gate of Pain. Normally, based on his current training, he was nowhere near ready to open the Gate of Pain. However, Might Guy had once forcibly opened the second gate using his Breathing Technique during a fight against a Kumogakure Jonin, despite insufficient training. He wanted to replicate that feat, but this time, he was forcibly opening the fourth gate.

“Open!” Might Guy’s eyes widened, his fists clenched, and the veins on his arms bulged as he used all his strength to assault the fourth gate of the Eight Gates.

Whether it was because the difficulty was too high or because this kind of maneuver could not be performed past the third gate, Might Guy failed.

Bang!

Akami Hideyuki used the Water Instant Body to appear beside Might Guy and kicked the unsuspecting Might Guy away.

“Your decision won’t change the outcome, whether you give up or persist,” Akami Hideyuki said flatly.

Akami Hideyuki continued his pursuit, effortlessly knocking down Shiranui Genma and Ebisu, who tried to intercept him.

Shiranui Genma’s heart was filled with unwillingness at this moment. It felt as if success or failure had nothing to do with him; his strength lagged too far behind Kakashi and the others.

Ebisu felt the same way. This was the first time he craved strength for reasons other than status, power, or money. He had never felt so powerless, able only to watch his comrades get hurt without being able to do anything.

Might Guy stood up again, desperately maintaining his Rock Breathing as he fought Akami Hideyuki.

But the gap in strength could not be bridged by sheer willpower alone. While struggling to cope, Might Guy fell once more.

Watching Might Guy fall and stand up again and again, and watching Akami Hideyuki mock their persistence, the flame in Obito’s heart burned brighter and brighter. Unconsciously, his breathing gradually began to change.

“Flame Breathing, Total Concentration!” After recovering enough to move, Obito immediately activated his Sharingan, burst forth with power, and charged out, throwing a fist wrapped in angry flames toward Akami Hideyuki.

Whether it was because he was too angry to feel pain or for some other reason, Obito wrapped his fist in fierce flames without using Chakra isolation, yet he felt no burning sensation.

However, Obito was Akami Hideyuki’s main focus, so he immediately noticed Obito’s movement. He sidestepped Obito’s attack, simultaneously swinging his short blade toward Obito.

Obito’s Sharingan saw through Akami Hideyuki’s movement; this strike wouldn’t kill him. So, Obito allowed the short blade to slash across his chest, while his left hand erupted with even fiercer flames, striking Akami Hideyuki in the abdomen.

Akami Hideyuki stumbled back a few steps. Feeling the intense burning sensation on his body, he frowned slightly. The Water Release Chakra Nature Transformation erupted from his hand, spraying a stream of water that extinguished the flames on his body, but the pain caused by the burning did not immediately disappear.

Having landed a successful blow, Obito did not feel complacent. Instead, he was contemplating a strategy; if he continued this mutually destructive fighting style, he would be the first to fall.

But Akami Hideyuki gave Obito no time to think. He immediately pressed forward again and engaged Obito in battle, leaving several new wounds on Obito’s body.

“They are still trying…” Nara Shiosui, unable to move due to his injuries, watched this scene and a bold idea formed in his mind.

As a fellow Konoha Ninja, Nara Shiosui did not want to fall too far behind in this regard.

Nara Shiosui told Inuzuka Midori and Aburame Nao about his plan. Both nodded, deciding to make one last effort.

“Even if I die, Midori wants to die with a little backbone.” Inuzuka Midori endured the pain and used Medical Ninjutsu to lie prone on the ground.

End of next chapter.