Boom.
"Kill!"
The sounds of explosions, clashing steel, screams, and wails intertwined chaotically across the battlefield, making one's heart pound.
Lock had already vanished from sight again. Keeping low to the ground, he moved carefully, observing the chaotic situation.
Iwa's forces had launched a full assault — the war had become brutally intense. Though less than an hour had passed since the battle began, the ground was already littered with bodies — Konoha and Iwa alike — the number staggering.
Not far away, Yamanaka Inoichi suddenly sensed a familiar chakra, and his eyes lit up.
"Lord Jiraiya! I've found Lock's chakra — and it doesn't look like he's badly hurt."
Jiraiya, who had been observing from the command post, immediately brightened. "Really?"
"Yes. He's still near his previous position, cloaked and steady. His chakra flow is stable — no signs of major injury," Inoichi replied, still baffled. Surviving such a massive explosion unharmed was hard to believe.
Jiraiya exhaled deeply. "Good… I knew that kid's got the luck of the Sage himself. He wouldn't go down that easily. Still, —made me worry for nothing."
"Inoichi, can you link me to him directly?"
"No problem at this range, Lord Jiraiya. What message do you want to send?"
"You tell him—"
Before Jiraiya could finish, Lock lay prone under camouflage, still catching his breath. The last encounter had reminded him of an important truth — he'd been too high-profile. Even in war, drawing too much attention could get him killed. From now on, he'd move quietly, strike quietly.
But before he could act on that thought, Inoichi's voice echoed in his mind, carrying Jiraiya's orders.
Lock blinked. "I barely survived that blast, and now he wants me to take on something more dangerous? Either he trusts me too much… or he's trying to get me killed."
Jiraiya's command was clear — infiltrate Iwa's ranks and strike their commander. And Lock knew exactly who that was: the Third Tsuchikage's son, Loess. Taking him down would be a devastating blow to Iwagakure's army.
Lock sighed, then melted into the shadows and began to move.
When he reached the position Jiraiya described, he spotted Loess easily — towering over others, barking orders as he smashed through Konoha's lines. Without hesitation, Lock used his flicker technique, vanishing from the ground and reappearing above his target, palm descending from midair.
Loess had just knocked aside a Konoha jonin when a chill ran up his spine. He looked up — Lock was already diving at him.
"Earth Release: Earthquake Core!"
Loess slammed his palms to the ground. The earth beneath him split and sank, buying him a heartbeat. Then, from below, his fist turned to solid stone as he countered upward.
Boom!
Their blows collided, a deafening impact shaking the field. Lock's strike was precise and fierce, driving Loess back — but even then, Lock felt his arm go numb. The man's strength was monstrous.
Twisting his body midair, Lock kicked down onto Loess's shoulders, forcing the man's feet deep into the soft ground before flipping away to safer terrain.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"
As soon as Loess pulled free, a massive water dragon crashed down from above. Loess quickly raised an earth wall in defense.
"Smokescreen."
Lock used a smoke bomb to flood the area with thick gray haze.
Loess burst from the ground again—only for Lock to strike from behind, blade flashing. A surge of chakra briefly paralyzed Loess, his body locking up mid-motion before he crashed down hard.
"What—!?"
Loess's eyes widened. He recognized the slowing technique from previous intelligence — Lock's unique ability to stall movement for crucial seconds.
In that instant, Lock was already behind him again. The kunai in his hand drove forward, piercing Loess's armor, but the blade sank only partway — the man's defenses were like solid rock.
Loess grunted and swung an enormous hand toward Lock's head, intending to crush it like a melon.
But Lock had already leapt back, evading with ease. The man's movements were powerful, but slowed and heavy.
Lock darted around him, landing quick, precise strikes — testing for an opening. But Loess's defense was unyielding; even Lock couldn't easily break through.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Seeing brute force wouldn't work, Lock formed seals and split into two clones. The three of them moved in unison.
"Water Release: Water Fang Bullet!"
Together, they unleashed spinning jets of pressurized water from multiple angles — front, back, sides, above, and below. The water drills whirled with deadly precision, striking all at once.
One of the jets hit with far more force than the others, bursting through the dust and stone like a hammer.
Loess barely had time to cross his arms in defense before the water slammed into him, tearing through his armor and sending him stumbling back into the shattered earth.
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A/N: Advanced Chapters Have Been Uploaded On My Patreon
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