A could no longer contain his desire for battle. The recent draw with Shamon had left him extremely displeased.
"Hurry up and start!"
Kagami didn't pay much attention to A's urging, still proceeding with the formalities at his own pace. This action, however, instantly angered A. Just as he was about to swear, a leisurely voice drifted from nearby. "That's someone from the Uchiha clan; you big oaf, it's best not to provoke him."
A looked around but couldn't spot the speaker, though the Uchiha clan's name did make him slightly wary, but only slightly. "Hmph!" All his furious rage ultimately dissolved into a soft snort.
Finally, with Kagami's announcement, the mixed sparring match officially began. Shamon, A, and Mū, as if they had already agreed, directly charged towards Getsuji! Getsuji nimbly dodged their taijutsu attacks, then countered with a Water Release: Water Hail Bullet!
A sky full of tiny water spheres swept across the entire field like machine gun fire, targeting all three except Torifū! However, this technique was easily neutralized by Mū's Earth Release.
"Are you all ganging up on me? Wouldn't it be better if we teamed up to defeat the Kumogakure ninja?" Getsuji's tone was normal; he had already anticipated being targeted.
"Among us, you're the only one who hasn't fought yet. We don't know your capabilities, so we can't let you be!"
"Wind Release: Wind Scythe!"
A fierce gale burst from Shamon's mouth! Like a sharp blade, it cut directly towards Getsuji! But Getsuji made no attempt to dodge, standing still in place. Just as the wind blade was about to hit Getsuji, several thick crystal spikes emerged from the ground, directly scattering the gale.
Everyone immediately realized that this guy had actually pulled that seven-year-old kid, Torifū, into an alliance?
"Why are you on his side?" Mū asked.
Torifū spread his hands with a hint of helplessness, "If he's out, you'll definitely team up against me, so of course we have to cooperate."
Since they were confirmed enemies, there was no need for idle chatter. A unleashed a powerful lightning thrust towards Torifū! It went straight for Torifū's throat! But Torifū merely did a backflip, and suddenly a crystal mirror appeared. Torifū phased into it and vanished.
"Damn it! He keeps phasing in and out, so annoying!" A complained loudly, and Mū reminded him, "It's not too late to defeat Getsuji first, then deal with Kumotsuru Torifū."
Getsuji realized his teammate seemed to have vanished, and the enemies were planning to take his life, so he quickly made his escape. But Shamon immediately spotted him: "Wind Release: Flowing Sand!"
A massive gust of wind stirred up all the sand on the training ground, gathering it into a shape that coiled like a long snake, crawling towards Getsuji. Its speed was something Getsuji's two legs simply couldn't match. He decided to stop running, knowing he had a teammate anyway.
"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"
Chakra gathered in his throat, then a massive sphere of water erupted from his mouth, charging towards the flowing sand! The water sphere and flowing sand collided, bursting instantly. The immense volume of water completely soaked the sand, preventing it from being manipulated by the wind. And the widespread water on the ground made it easier for Getsuji to cast ninjutsu. His hands continuously formed seals, and countless water needles shot out from the puddles on the ground, but their power was weak, easily blocked by a simple earth wall.
A watched for a long time, getting no results, and couldn't stand it. He plunged his hand into the water, furiously releasing lightning! But no one expected that this attack would actually work. Getsuji's feet went numb from the water's conductive properties. His movement speed drastically slowed.
Mū seized the opportunity, unleashing several Earth Release ninjutsu that Getsuji couldn't avoid, forcing him to counter with his own jutsu. Just as Shamon was about to step in and add some damage, a mirror appeared behind him. Torifū silently emerged from it: "Crystal Release: Whip slash!"
He manifested a crystal vine in his hand and lashed it fiercely across Shamon's back! This strike caught Shamon completely by surprise; he didn't even know what was happening before he was sent flying several meters! Then came the burning pain in his back. He touched it and found blood seeping out. "Damn it, I didn't even notice him get behind me!" Shamon complained about himself and also about his 'teammates,' but everyone's attention was focused on Getsuji, so they naturally overlooked Torifū's presence. So he could only endure it.
Mū saw Shamon's condition and knew he had been ambushed, so he told A to be careful. But A was still focused on increasing his lightning output and didn't hear everything. Shamon got up from the ground, quickly recovered, and joined Mū in pursuing Getsuji. Just then, a mirror appeared again. This time it was behind A. Torifū formed hand signs, and then, around A, several crystal vines burst from the ground, firmly binding A and dragging him into the water.
"Lightning Release: Lightning Ball." Five golden-yellow spherical lightning bolts formed in mid-air. They then plunged into the water, and the severe electric shock made A cry out in pain! He hadn't expected to be injured like this by a Lightning Release ninjutsu! But mostly, he felt insulted! A let out an enraged roar; half of Konoha could hear his voice. He then forcefully pulled, snapping all the crystal vines! But where the crystal snapped in his hands, countless tiny crystal spikes burst forth. The sharp crystal spikes easily pierced through A's palms.
The continuous injuries further fueled the anger in A's heart, but he still restrained his fury, trying his best to clear his head. He endured the intense pain, pulled the crystal spikes from his palms, and threw them aside. He then lunged fiercely at Torifū, but unfortunately, Torifū was no longer there, and the mirror had vanished as well.
"Damn it! Don't let me catch you!"
A's situation wasn't going smoothly, and Mū wasn't having much success either. He and Shamon had been chasing Getsuji, but Getsuji's Water Release techniques were almost as annoying as Torifū's mirrors. Every time they were about to catch him, he would submerge into the water and disappear. After several such instances, even Mū, who was usually able to control his emotions, was getting quite angry!
"Fire Release: Heavenly Fire!"
A gigantic fire ball formed in Mū's hand, then flowed like water from the sky to the ground. All the water in its path was completely evaporated, and Getsuji was forced to reveal himself. This level of flame couldn't be avoided by Water Release: Hidden Mist Technique. However, playing with fire against a Kirigakure ninja was quite interesting.
"Water Release: Raging Current!"
A torrent of water, like a raging river, erupted from his mouth, constantly washing over the ground. Mū's Heavenly Fire couldn't withstand Getsuji's ninjutsu and was quickly extinguished, but his objective was achieved: to force Getsuji into the open.
"Being too hasty isn't good, you know."
Torifū appeared behind Shamon, delivering another whip slash! It sent Shamon flying several meters! The force of this blow was extremely heavy; even Shamon's mouth began to bleed, clearly having suffered internal injuries.