Chapter 172 Unfavorable Situation (3k)

“Muzuki-sensei, there’s some movement over there.” The noise wasn’t small, and Obito also noticed the commotion in the large tree not far away.

After speaking, Obito was about to go check it out, but Muzuki held him back.

“Idiot, don’t act rashly before you know the situation. This is an escort mission,” Kakashi said, staring at the distant tree.

After speaking, Kakashi quickly threw a Shuriken at the large tree.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!!!

The Shuriken continuously cut through the air, heading towards the tree.

The next moment, a figure wearing a gray combat uniform with one arm exposed jumped down from the tree.

“Hey, hey, are all you Konoha Ninja so timid? You don’t even dare to go forward and check the situation,” the gray-clad Ninja said.

Due to the dim light, Kakashi didn’t see the gray-clad Ninja’s forehead protector, but based on their attire, he could tell which Village they were from, as the Ninja attire of each Village was distinct.

“Muzuki-sensei, it seems to be a Ninja from Iwagakure,” Kakashi stated his judgment.

Currently, Iwagakure and Konoha are in a hostile state, so if they’re from Iwagakure, they’re 100% enemies.

Kakashi really hadn’t expected to encounter Ninja on a C-Rank Mission; it seemed Obito’s ominous prediction had come true.

As one Iwagakure Ninja came down, with a few whooshes, several more Ninja wearing similar combat uniforms soon appeared beside him.

“One, two… six.” Kakashi frowned slightly. Not to mention a C-Rank Mission, encountering six Ninja at once on a B-Rank Mission would be considered one of the more difficult ones.

Those Ninja didn’t look like Genin at all.

【Name: Troy】

【Chakra: 20000】

【Skills: Magnet Release (Proficient 20/15000), Lightning Release Chakra Nature Transformation…】

【Name: Gang Ximei】

【Chakra: 6200】

【Skills: Lightning Release Chakra Nature Transformation (Skilled 2500/3000)…】

【Name: Locke Bee】

【Chakra: 3600】

【Skills: Lightning Release…】

“Two Jonin, six Chunin.” After using Appraisal Technique on all the enemies, Muzuki understood the approximate strength of the opposing force.

To be honest, the enemy’s strength was surprisingly high for Muzuki. That Troy could definitely be called an Elite Jonin. An Elite Jonin leading one Jonin and six Chunin—this kind of configuration would be fine even for an S-rank Mission.

What was even more bizarre was that, although these individuals wore Iwagakure’s clothes and forehead protectors, all their skills were related to Lightning Release; every single one of them had mastered Lightning Release Chakra Nature Transformation.

Without a doubt, these were Cloud Ninja disguised as Iwagakure Ninja.

Muzuki speculated that Kumogakure had intentionally dispatched an elite squad, disguised as Iwagakure Ninja, to hunt Konoha Ninja in order to escalate the conflict between Konoha and Iwagakure, and Muzuki and his team had just happened to stumble upon them.

Kumogakure is a very reckless Village, but if one truly believes that everyone in Kumogakure is a reckless brute who only knows how to fight, then they are mistaken. The Raikage himself may be reckless, but he also has subordinates who can strategize.

“Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!” Obito quickly performed hand signs and then spat out a three-meter-tall Great Fireball, sending it crashing towards the six Cloud Ninja.

“You Iwagakure are the cowards! Come and fight me if you dare!” Obito shouted.

“The guy who just insulted Konoha is mine,” Obito said to Kakashi and Might Guy.

“Be careful, the enemy is not weak,” Muzuki reminded him. The opponent Obito chose was Locke Bee.

In terms of Chakra reserves, Obito was quite a bit behind Locke Bee, but Muzuki didn’t believe Obito had no chance of winning.

A Ninja’s strength isn’t determined solely by Chakra; it also depends on Nature Transformation, and the Ninjutsu and Taijutsu they’ve mastered.

If Obito could utilize the burst power of his Full Concentration Breathing well, he could defeat Locke Bee.

Boom!!

The six Cloud Ninja were all very fast and dodged directly. The giant fireball destroyed the trees next to them.

The loud noise woke Numata Yoshie and his family, who had already been resting.

“Stay in the tent and don’t come out. We’ll handle this,” Muzuki quickly said.

“Then we’ll trouble you all,” Numata Yoshie knew that his family would only cause problems if they went out, so he held his child to prevent them from running off and returned to the tent.

As the few individuals had spread out, Kakashi instantly moved, drawing his White Fang Short Blade and slashing at the closest Cloud Ninja.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!!

The moment Kakashi moved, a large number of Shuriken shot out from the dense forest, flying towards the moving Kakashi.

Upon sensing them, Kakashi immediately retreated rapidly, swinging his White Fang Short Blade to deflect all the incoming Shuriken.

Being cautious, he never charged in without reservation.

“Seven. Are there more Ninja hidden in the shadows?” Kakashi cautiously looked around.

“Haha, Konoha Ninja, your life is over!” The Cloud Ninja burst into laughter upon seeing Kakashi actually dare to directly block Troy’s Shuriken.

That Lord’s attacks could only be dodged, not blocked, otherwise, it meant certain death.

Kakashi suddenly found himself unable to move; a powerful suction force held him in place.

“The Shuriken just now!” Kakashi’s expression turned grim.

It was his first time encountering such a strange Ninjutsu; merely touching the Shuriken had rendered him immobile.

Just as Kakashi was erupting his Chakra, desperately trying to break free from the control, the Cloud Ninja moved.

“Die!” The Cloud Chunin immediately seized the opportunity, drew his long sword, and lunged towards Kakashi’s heart.

“Wind Blade!”

The moment the Cloud Chunin thrust his sword, Kakashi’s mind rapidly replayed all the memories of his life.

“If there really is an afterlife, Father would probably be surprised to see me,” Kakashi thought, he was only eight years old this year.

The Cloud Ninja thrust his sword, and a large amount of blood gushed out, but it wasn’t Kakashi’s blood—it was his own.

A rapidly moving Wind Blade instantly severed the head of the Cloud Ninja in front of Kakashi. The gushing blood splattered onto Kakashi’s face, making him exceptionally clear-headed.

Kakashi looked back and saw Muzuki, whose smile remained as warm as ever under the cool moonlight, slowly retracting his outstretched right hand.

Without a doubt, Muzuki had made his move.

“His Wind Release is actually this powerful!” Kakashi was extremely surprised.

He had thought Muzuki only knew Fire Release and Lightning Release, but he hadn’t expected Muzuki to also master such advanced Wind Release Ninjutsu.

“Looks like we’ve caught a big fish,” Troy slowly emerged from the shadows, a smile on his face.

Just based on Muzuki’s Wind Release just now, he was not an incompetent individual among Konoha Jonin.

“Lightning Release: False Darkness!” Muzuki quickly formed hand signs and spat out a huge lightning spear.

Feeling the power erupting from Muzuki, Troy immediately flashed and repositioned himself.

However, Muzuki’s attack was not aimed at him, but at the other Cloud Chunin.

Under Muzuki’s control, the emitted lightning spear quickly split into a spread, instantly killing the three Cloud Chunin covered within it.

Including the Chunin who was instantly killed by Muzuki’s Wind Blade earlier, the Cloud Ninja’s numbers were greatly reduced.

The sudden turn of events surprised even Locke Bee, giving Obito an opportunity to land a kick that sent him staggering back two meters.

“Haha, it’s your Iwagakure’s bad luck to run into us!” Obito’s heart swelled with excitement seeing Muzuki instantly eliminate four enemies.

“This is just a dying struggle. It’s Konoha who will lose, for sure,” Locke Bee quickly adjusted his stance.

Although a few teammates had died, Locke Bee didn’t believe their mission would fail. This time, they were led by Lord Troy.

Locke Bee didn’t believe that Konoha Jonin had the strength to defeat Troy.

“Interesting. You’re not trying to use us for training, are you?” Troy said, looking at the two remaining Cloud Chunin.

As he spoke, a sudden whooshing sound echoed, and a Kunai wrapped in lightning shot towards the immobilized Kakashi.

Muzuki, who had already observed this, instantly shot out a Kunai infused with flames.

Rumble!!

The two Kunai collided, instantly causing a massive explosion that knocked down the nearby large tree.

“Lord, this person is difficult to deal with. Let’s attack together,” Gang Ximei appeared beside Troy and said.

Muzuki had only made three moves from start to finish, but two of them had killed someone, and one had precisely intercepted her sneak attack.

Troy nodded. He had no particular fondness for one-on-one combat; any means were acceptable as long as they could kill the enemy.

“There’s another one.” Gang Ximei’s appearance caused Kakashi’s heart to sink completely.

He didn’t believe that someone who had been hidden until now would be an ordinary character; it was likely another Jonin.

Although it was four against four on the field, the enemy might have two Jonin, and he was currently immobilized by an unknown Ninjutsu. Kakashi could no longer see any hope of victory.

“Muzuki-sensei, you should go. Take the client and leave. We’ll stay and cover you,” Kakashi said.

Since there was no hope of winning, it was better for the one with the most hope to escape and complete the escort mission.

Kakashi believed that if they fought to the death to tie up the enemies, with Muzuki’s strength, breaking through with one person wouldn’t be a problem.

“Kakashi, what are you talking about? You want Muzuki-sensei to become the kind of person who abandons his comrades!” Obito yelled, throwing a punch that unleashed a large amount of flames.

The frustration in his heart caused Obito’s attacks to become uncoordinated, and he was gradually suppressed by Locke Bee.

“This is the best option right now,” Kakashi replied calmly.

The difference in combat power was too great. The opponents were two Jonin and two Chunin, all experienced, while on their side, Might Guy and Obito lacked experience. Kakashi didn’t even expect them to defeat any single enemy.

“Muzuki-sensei’s youth isn’t limited to this!” Might Guy exclaimed, kicking a Cloud Ninja back with a burst of power. At this moment, he also disagreed with Kakashi’s words.

Firstly, he believed that Muzuki had not yet used his full power, and secondly, he believed that Muzuki would never abandon his disciples and flee with the client.

“I’m truly being underestimated,” Muzuki smiled slightly and adjusted his glasses.

“Kakashi, perhaps you can trust your teacher more.”

Kakashi looked at Muzuki, whose smile was still as warm as usual, showing no hint of worry.

“Maybe Muzuki-sensei can really do it?” A thought appeared in Kakashi’s mind.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

A large number of Shuriken attacked again.

There will be another chapter later, it might be quite late, so it’s recommended not to stay up late.