Chapter 304: Swinging the Sword for Protection

“The strongest one on their side should be that shark-faced Guy. He’s powerful and uses Water Release, which will counter your Fire Release, so I’ll deal with him. For the other two, you can try a few probing attacks first. If it really doesn’t work, let Rin help, don’t be reckless.” Kakashi quickly arranged the battle plan for Obito.

Although Nara Shiosui and the others were severely injured, the frontal battle was equally important. If they couldn’t win, everyone would die together.

“I understand.” Obito nodded, shifting his gaze to Zabuza and Kurosawa.

Kurosawa, after a brief taijutsu exchange, Obito judged that his taijutsu was not as good as his own, while Zabuza seemed very skilled with a sword.

Although Kakashi wanted to fight Kisame, Zabuza seemed to have been angered by Kakashi’s words. He completely ignored Obito and charged at Kakashi with his sword.

Kakashi’s expression remained unchanged. The battle plan was just a general outline; actual combat required improvisation. In this situation, he and Obito would have to cooperate to turn the tide of the battle in their favor.

Clang!

Kakashi swiftly drew his White Fang Short Blade and parried Zabuza’s incoming strike.

Kakashi wore a black mask, and Zabuza had the lower half of his face covered with bandages. Both of them aimed for vital points with every attack, displaying a certain traditional Ninja combat aesthetic.

Both Kakashi and Zabuza demonstrated strong technique, always skillfully deflecting attacks and counter-attacking.

Just when Zabuza thought Kakashi’s strength was comparable to his own, Kakashi, having finished his probing, increased the concentration of his Thunder Breathing, boosting his speed and strength, instantly putting Zabuza under immense pressure.

Under Kakashi’s sudden burst, a constantly bleeding gash appeared on Zabuza’s arm.

This small achievement did not satisfy Kakashi, because while he was fighting comfortably, Obito was having a hard time, as both Kisame and Kurosawa were facing Obito.

“Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!”

Obito quickly formed hand signs, condensed Chakra in his throat, and expelled a large amount of flames to form a massive fireball.

Without clear intelligence on the enemy, the Great Fireball Technique, with its low consumption and high power, was undoubtedly the best choice.

“Water Release: Exploding Water Colliding Wave!”

Kisame lightly leaped up, formed hand signs, condensed a large amount of Chakra in his mouth, and then spewed out a massive wave of water towards Obito.

Obito’s over three-meter-tall Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique was instantly extinguished by the immense volume of Kisame’s Exploding Water Colliding Wave. The sheer amount of water even affected Rin and the others.

Fortunately, this Ninjutsu didn’t have much power; it was just a lot of water, which only got Obito and the others’ clothes wet.

“Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!” As Kisame used his Ninjutsu, Kurosawa also immediately formed hand signs to use his Ninjutsu. Due to the many hand signs, it was cast just as the large volume of water hit the ground.

Utilizing the massive water flow from Kisame’s Exploding Water Colliding Wave, Kurosawa unleashed a very thick and long Water Dragon Bullet. The water dragon roared and charged towards Obito.

Obito saw the Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall Kakashi had used earlier and directly hid behind it. Although he could use Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet with the Flame Breathing enhancement to evaporate the water dragon, it would consume a lot of his Chakra.

Hiding behind the Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall was different. When it came to Chakra, water beats fire, but earth beats water.

Rumble!!!

The thick water dragon crashed into the Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall, only causing cracks all over the wall but failing to break through its defense.

Bang!

Kisame used Water Instant Body and immediately appeared in front of the Earth Release: Earth Flow Wall, shattering the spiderweb-cracked wall. Kurosawa used Ninja tools to restrict Obito’s movement.

Even though Obito was well-prepared, he struggled greatly against the combined attack of the two.

“This shark-faced Guy’s strength is really immense. Perhaps only Might Guy can surpass him in strength.” Obito was somewhat surprised.

Due to the Breathing Technique enhancement, Obito’s strength was considerably greater than that of an average Ninja, so Obito initially didn’t pay too much attention to the intelligence about Kisame’s immense strength. It was only after truly engaging in battle that Obito realized how abnormal this shark-faced Guy’s strength was.

His Fire Release was countered by their Water Release, and he couldn’t gain an advantage in taijutsu. Furthermore, both Kisame and Kurosawa were aiming to kill their enemies, which put Obito under immense pressure.

In this dangerous situation, Obito could no longer hide his abilities. He condensed Chakra and activated his two-tomoe Sharingan.

The reason he was able to defeat Kakashi back then was also because of his Sharingan. Without his Sharingan, he might not even be able to beat Kakashi.

When his eyes turned crimson, the world in Obito’s eyes changed, becoming clearer. He could see many things that ordinary eyes couldn’t observe, and Kisame and Kurosawa’s movements also slowed down in his perception.

With the Sharingan activated, Obito’s pressure instantly decreased significantly. Although Kisame’s attacks were powerful, they were useless if they couldn’t hit him.

Of course, Obito could only protect himself and maintain an undefeated stance; he couldn’t launch effective attacks. Being countered and ganged up on, he was having a very hard time.

“He’s already activated his Sharingan.” Hiruzen Sarutobi was somewhat surprised looking at Obito using his Sharingan on the monitor. If he remembered correctly, Obito was only nine years old this year. Activating the Sharingan at that age was considered very talented.

Hiruzen Sarutobi praised his own foresight. Such an excellent Uchiha being taught by a inheritor of The Will of Fire like Minato was simply perfect.

“Muzuki, Minato, do you think Obito and Kakashi can defeat this Hidden Mist squad?” Hiruzen Sarutobi turned to Minato and asked.

As the Hokage, he naturally didn’t have time to pay attention to a few children under ten and was unaware of their specific abilities.

“If nothing unexpected happens, there shouldn’t be a problem.” Muzuki thought for a moment and replied.

The current battle already made the situation clear. Just Obito and Kakashi alone could block the attacks of the three of them. As soon as Rin joined the battlefield, Kisame and the others would surely lose.

“My thoughts are the same as Muzuki’s. I think they can do it.” Minato replied with a smile.

Hiruzen Sarutobi showed a thoughtful expression, then continued to watch the monitor screen.

At this moment, Rin had no choice but to stop healing and join the battle, because Kisame, realizing that Obito was merely stalling them, changed his offensive strategy and began attacking the injured near Rin.

Bang!

When Kisame’s powerful fist collided with Rin’s Strength of a Hundred Technique, a terrifying roar erupted. The hair of both individuals was pushed back by the residual force of the punch.

Kisame was pushed back three steps, a look of extreme surprise on his face. He didn’t go so far as to believe his strength was the best in the world, but he was very surprised that the frail-looking Rin could unleash strength even greater than his own.

“Is it some kind of Ninjutsu?” Kisame didn’t believe this was Rin’s natural strength.

Sensing Obito approaching, Kisame used Water Instant Body to quickly retreat.

“Rin, are you okay?” Obito quickly shook off Kurosawa and rushed back to ask.

“I’m fine. Let me help you alleviate some pressure, so you can focus on dealing with that shark-faced Guy.” Rin shook her head and said.

“Sorry, I have to go fight now. I’ll treat you all later.” Then Rin turned to Nara Shiosui and the other two.

At this point, Nara Shiosui had recovered a bit. He nodded and said, “It’s us who should be thanking you. Just focus on fighting.”

With Rin joining the battlefield, Obito immediately felt much more relaxed. Although he couldn’t defeat Kisame, Kisame also couldn’t do anything to Obito.

“Basic Breathing, Full Concentration!”

Rin changed her breathing rhythm to enhance her physical abilities and engaged Kurosawa in a taijutsu struggle.

Rin was a distance away from Kurosawa in both combat experience and raw strength, but Kurosawa had already gone through two battles and expended a lot of energy. So, although Rin was still at a disadvantage, the situation wasn’t too bad.

However, Rin never intended to defeat Kurosawa by herself. She was reluctant to use her Strength of a Hundred Technique. Her Chakra was already limited, and after punching Kisame earlier, she still needed to conserve Chakra for Medical Ninjutsu.

She only needed to stall Kurosawa until Kakashi or Obito could provide support.

“Why did he suddenly become so fast?” Zabuza’s expression grew increasingly grim as he felt the numerous cuts on his body.

After Kakashi increased the output of his Thunder Breathing, he instantly fell into a disadvantage. Despite exerting all his strength to resist, the injuries on his body continued to increase.

“You wouldn’t understand this power. It represents my resolve to protect my comrades.” Kakashi said coldly.

Seeing Zabuza’s condition worsen, Kakashi further increased the output of his Thunder Breathing, pushing it to its limits.

The reason he didn’t unleash his full power from the beginning was that Kakashi wanted to conserve some stamina. He was worried that other teams might arrive. If it was a Konoha team, it would be fine, but if it was Hidden Mist, it would be bad.

The commotion here was too great, with towering black smoke and their Ninjutsu collisions.

When Kakashi pushed the concentrated breathing of Thunder Breathing to its current limit, yellow electrical arcs began to appear on his legs.

Sizzle!!

As Kakashi condensed Chakra, more yellow electrical arcs appeared, constantly moving around his lower body, activating the cells in his legs.

Kakashi took a deep breath, exhaling white mist from his mouth. Electrical arcs also began to appear on the wrist of the hand holding the White Fang Short Blade.

“Half-Flash!”

Kakashi fully unleashed the power of Thunder Breathing, rushing towards Zabuza like a yellow bolt of lightning.

This attack caught Zabuza by surprise. He hadn’t expected Kakashi to be able to move even faster. He tried to raise his sword to block, but found that in the instant he raised his blade, Kakashi had already appeared behind him.

Splat.

A yellow lightning slash flashed, and the long sword in Zabuza’s hand split into two, with blood blossoming from his chest.

Thud!

Zabuza fell down, collapsing onto the muddy ground that had become saturated from the intense impact of the water waves.

“Why didn’t you kill me? You could have.” Zabuza asked, looking up at the sky.

Although he was severely wounded at this moment, it wasn’t fatal. He was certain that Kakashi’s last strike had the power to kill him.

“Because we are different. My blade is not for killing, but for protecting. I could kill you, but there’s no need.” Kakashi said calmly.

Kakashi was not a bleeding heart; on the contrary, he was always decisive in battle against enemies.

Zabuza believed they were hothouse flowers who hadn’t experienced hardships, while Kakashi wanted to tell Zabuza that it wasn’t because they didn’t know the wickedness of human hearts, but because they chose to be such people.

Rather than killing Zabuza, Kakashi preferred to strike at Zabuza’s beliefs.

After speaking, Kakashi wasted no time and immediately went to support Rin.