Chapter 309: A Last-Ditch Effort
"Is the Hidden Mist trying to start a war with us, daring to pull something like this?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was monitoring the battle, frowned deeply. Although this exam was jointly hosted by the two villages, Konoha was the main organizer, and the Hidden Mist side had been required to submit basic data for all their participating ninja.
Because of that, Hiruzen knew very clearly that the black clothed Mist ninja who had suddenly appeared on the field was not an examinee.
"Do you have your Flying Thunder God Technique marker on any of them?" Hiruzen turned to Minato Namikaze.
The actions of the Hidden Mist were completely baffling, and Hiruzen was furious, but he understood that the most important thing right now was the safety of the examinees. Settling accounts with the Hidden Mist would come after.
If gifted ninja like Kakashi and the others grew up normally, they would all become powerful, famous shinobi. If they died here because of this incident, Konoha's loss would be enormous.
"No," Minato shook his head. If he had, he would already have teleported over.
During the mission when he had encountered the Fourth Raikage, Minato had given Kakashi and the others a special kunai with his Flying Thunder God mark on it, for their protection. However, that kunai had been used up in the fight. Because the situation then was critical, no one had retrieved it. After that, since no similar crisis had arisen, 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. For many reasons, Minato would not casually hand them out.
Who would have thought something like this would happen during a Chunin Exam held right in their own village?
"It is fine. If I remember correctly, my main body is patrolling nearby. He should already have noticed what is happening over there," Mugetsu said at this moment.
Even after using his appraisal technique to check every examinee's information, Mugetsu had still felt uneasy. In his memory, the Chunin Exams were very prone to sudden accidents. That was why the one sitting here in the monitoring room was only a Shadow Clone, while his real body had remained near Obito and the others, silently patrolling.
Minato swallowed the words he had been about to say. Originally, he had planned to say that if he rushed over at full speed, he should still be able to make it in time. Judging by Might Guy's performance, he would not collapse in just a few minutes.
But if Mugetsu could arrive even faster, that was naturally better.
"However, to prevent any accidents, I should let my main body receive this memory now," Muzuki added.
Hiruzen nodded. "Mugetsu, as the chief examiner, you go and deal with that Mist Village jonin. Minato, go notify Jiraiya and have him head to the inn where the Hidden Mist are staying. He is to bring everyone from the Mist side there under control."
Letting Mugetsu resolve this situation was the best choice. As the chief examiner for the second phase of the exam, he bore direct responsibility if something happened during the test.
Next, Hiruzen gave orders to summon the Anbu and gathered part of the force. Finally, he used the Telescope Technique to confirm that Genshi, the Elder of the Hidden Mist, was still in Konoha. With Anbu in tow, Hiruzen personally set out to find him.
This incident felt extremely strange to Hiruzen. Judging from the performance of those Mist ninja so far, they had some excellent talents among them. Could it be that the Hidden Mist believed themselves strong enough to start trouble in Konoha and still take those young elites back home afterward?
If they were not that arrogant, then the Hidden Mist's actions looked even more foolish and utterly irrational. If Konoha had not had so many gifted examinees this time, then would the Hidden Mist have suffered such a massive loss for nothing?
Hiruzen suppressed the doubts in his heart. Whether it was stupidity or arrogance, he would find out once he met with Genshi.
On the other side, Mugetsu, who had been quietly watching the fight near Obito and the others, received the memory from his clone.
However, he did not rush out immediately to kill Akami Hideyuki. Instead, he turned more of his attention to the surroundings, using his Byakugan to carefully scan the entire area.
He could kill Akami Hideyuki whenever he wanted. The person he truly cared about finding was the one who had arranged for Akami Hideyuki to appear here.
The Forest of Death was not a place ordinary people could enter or leave at will. To prevent accidents during the exam, Konoha had erected a barrier around the forest. If someone from the Hidden Mist wanted to enter, they could only do so as an examinee.
But Muzuki had already used his appraisal technique on every examinee before the test started. Transformation Technique could not fool his appraisal. That meant there was no possibility of someone sneaking in disguised as a candidate.
Since he was not an examinee, that jonin must have used some special method to bypass the barrier and infiltrate the forest.
Mugetsu suspected that this might not be the doing of the Hidden Mist at all, but instead Uchiha Madara and Black Zetsu making trouble from the shadows.
Because if this really were the Hidden Mist's plot, it simply did not make sense.
A few genin might not matter much, but the Hidden Mist had also brought heavyweights with them this time, such as Elder Genshi and several Mist jonin. To throw away that much fighting power just for the sake of killing a few genin… the Mizukage would not just have to be crazy, their head would have to be filled with water.
The gap between the price paid and the potential gain was far too large.
But if it was Uchiha Madara and Black Zetsu stirring up chaos, then everything became much more reasonable. They had both the power and the motive.
Doing this brought many benefits to Uchiha Madara. A clash between the Hidden Mist and Konoha, possibly even war, would make the entire ninja world more chaotic and provide more opportunities for him.
"But if that is the case, then not targeting Obito at all would be simpler. Is he deliberately trying to draw out Obito's potential?" Mugetsu frowned, thinking through Madara's possible goals.
Randomly killing a few other examinees here would also be enough to push the Hidden Mist and Konoha toward conflict. If the only goal was to trigger war, there was no need to focus on Obito.
After his Byakugan carefully swept the area, Mugetsu found no suspicious figures. This result was within his expectations. Neither Uchiha Madara nor Black Zetsu were the kind of enemies that could be easily found.
As the battle became more and more dangerous for Might Guy and the others, Mugetsu slowly shifted most of his attention back to his disciples. If any one of them encountered true mortal danger, he would intervene immediately and kill Akami Hideyuki on the spot.
If their lives were not at risk, though, Mugetsu would not reveal himself.
That might seem cruel to his disciples. Even if they did not die, injuries hurt. But Mugetsu had no better choice. This was the brutal ninja world.
He could protect his disciples once, but not forever.
This time, because they were in Konoha, he had made multiple layers of preparation, allowing him to guard them from the shadows. But what about next time, somewhere outside Konoha? What if his disciples encountered danger in some far off place?
Even Minato, with his Flying Thunder God Technique, could not absolutely guarantee that he would arrive in time to save them. Mugetsu did not have that kind of instantaneous movement at all. He was simply a little faster at running than most.
In the end, the best solution was still to increase his disciples' strength.
If they grew strong enough, then even if they could not defeat the enemy, they could endure longer, survive longer, and hold out until he arrived.
"Leaf Strong Whirlwind!"
The wounds on his body did not make Might Guy flinch in the slightest. With Kakashi's support, he once again launched a powerful attack straight at Akami Hideyuki.
"Water Release, Great Waterfall Technique."
Akami Hideyuki calmly formed hand seals and unleashed a Water Release jutsu, spitting out an enormous mass of water.
Water by itself was not necessarily dangerous to touch, but when it reached a powerful flow, the impact force it created was terrifying. The massive surge of water crashed down on Kakashi and Might Guy like a tidal wave.
Kakashi, running low on stamina, was swept up by the torrent and hurled far away almost instantly. He no longer had the strength to maintain his Total Concentration Breathing.
Might Guy managed to withstand the current and push forward, but his speed dropped sharply.
Akami Hideyuki swam through the swirling water with incredible agility. He slipped past Might Guy's attack, and his swift blade left yet another bloody gash across Might Guy's body.
"Guy…"
Kakashi, washed away by the wave, lay sprawled on the ground, panting heavily. He did not even have enough strength left to stand, much less reenter a high intensity battle. Even though he burned with anxiety, he could not provide any effective support anymore.
Shiranui Genma and Ebisu, already much weaker to begin with, had also been injured. While they still had some stamina, they were nowhere near strong enough to intervene in a battle of this level. Akami Hideyuki's Great Waterfall Technique had swept them away in an instant as well.
The injured Rin Nohara was using her last remaining Chakra to heal Obito. Instead of choosing to treat her own wounds, Rin chose to place all her hopes on Obito.
"Noon Leopard!"
With more and more bloody marks appearing on his body, Might Guy finally unleashed the strongest taijutsu he could currently use.
Right now, he could use this technique at most twice in a short time, and this was his last chance. But he had no choice. If he delayed any longer, he would not even be able to use it once more.
Might Guy poured all his remaining strength into his legs. A powerful shock of Chakra burst out of him, resisting the force of the water flow, and he began to run again.
"Water Dragon Bullet Technique."
Akami Hideyuki immediately formed hand seals, drawing on the water around him to launch another ninjutsu.
This was the standard combat pattern of many Hidden Mist ninja. First, they used auxiliary Water Release to change the terrain into an environment that favored them. Then, they followed up with Water Release attacks that took full advantage of that field.
A huge volume of water swirled around Akami Hideyuki, finally condensing into an enormous Water Dragon that roared forward at Might Guy.
Might Guy, only one meter three in height, looked pitifully small in front of the vast dragon. The head of the Water Dragon alone was several times larger than his entire body.
But Might Guy's steps never faltered. He charged forward like a leopard, the Chakra aura around him faintly forming the shape of a leopard's head.
Boom.
A thunderous roar rang out as countless droplets exploded outward. The Water Dragon's head began to cave in under Guy's kick. Its teeth shattered, its horns snapped, and its face twisted out of shape.
"This Guy really is a monster in the truest sense," Kisame sighed from where he lay, stunned by what he saw. That Might Guy could still unleash this much power after fighting him earlier was shocking.
"Can he actually do it?"
Kakashi planted his hands on the ground and struggled to force himself upright, his eyes locked on Might Guy and Akami Hideyuki.
"Guy, come on…" Obito maintained his Breathing Technique and prayed for Might Guy in his heart.
Finally, under everyone's gaze, in this clash of dragon versus leopard, the leopard shattered the dragon's head completely. The Water Dragon's head dispersed and collapsed.
However, Might Guy had burned through nearly all his remaining strength. Struck by the crashing body of the dragon, he was blasted backward, tumbling through the forest until he smashed through eight trees before finally coming to a stop.
"Since you are going to die anyway, why not choose an easier way to go? Do you still delusionally think you can defeat me?" Akami Hideyuki asked mockingly.
Faced with his ridicule, Might Guy stood up again.
Right now, his green jumpsuit had been dyed completely crimson by the blood pouring from his many wounds.
"The words 'give up' do not exist in my youth!" Might Guy shouted, clenching his fists.
His comrades were either gravely wounded or completely exhausted. Might Guy knew better than anyone that he could not fall here. If he did, there would be no one left who could stand face to face with Akami Hideyuki.
Might Guy took a deep breath. He was going to attempt opening the fourth of the Eight Gates, the Gate of Pain.
Under normal circumstances, with his current level of training, he was nowhere close to being ready to open the Gate of Pain.
But previously, during their battle against a jonin from Kumogakure, he had used his Breathing Technique to forcibly open the second gate even though he had not trained enough.
He wanted to repeat that feat now, only this time, targeting the fourth gate.
"Open!"
Might Guy's eyes widened. He clenched his fists so tight the veins bulged on his arms, and with all his strength he slammed against the Gate of Pain inside his body.
Whether it was because the difficulty was too great, or because this kind of forced breakthrough simply could not be done beyond the third gate, Might Guy did not succeed.
Bang.
Akami Hideyuki used the Water Body Flicker to appear at Might Guy's side and kicked the unprepared Might Guy away.
"Whether you give up or persist, the result will not change," Akami Hideyuki said flatly.
He continued his pursuit, casually knocking Shiranui Genma and Ebisu aside as they tried to intercept him.
At this moment, Shiranui Genma's heart was filled with frustration and unwillingness. It felt as if victory or defeat here had nothing to do with him at all. His strength lagged far too much behind Kakashi and the others.
Ebisu felt exactly the same. This was the first time he desired strength for something other than status, power, or money. He had never felt so powerless before, forced to watch his comrades bleed while being unable to do anything meaningful.
Might Guy stood up yet again, gritting his teeth as he did his best to maintain his Rock Breathing and continue fighting Akami Hideyuki.
But the gap in strength could not be bridged by willpower alone. While desperately trying to keep up, Might Guy was knocked down once more.
Watching Might Guy fall and stand again and again, watching Akami Hideyuki mock that stubborn persistence, the flame in Obito's heart burned hotter and hotter.
Without realizing it, his breathing began to change.
"Flame Breathing, Total Concentration."
Once he had recovered enough to move, Obito immediately activated his Sharingan. His power exploded, and he charged in, hurling a fist wrapped in furious flames straight at Akami Hideyuki.
Whether it was because he was too angry to feel pain, or for some other reason, Obito's fist was completely wreathed in intense flame, yet he had not used Chakra to isolate himself from the heat. Even so, he felt no burning at all.
However, Obito was the main target Akami Hideyuki had been keeping an eye on all along, so he instantly noticed Obito's charge. He twisted aside to avoid Obito's punch and swung his short blade at the same time, slashing toward Obito.
Obito's Sharingan clearly tracked Akami Hideyuki's movement. This strike would not kill him.
So he did not dodge. He let the blade cut across his chest, while his left hand burst into even fiercer flames and drove a punch straight into Akami Hideyuki's abdomen.
Akami Hideyuki staggered back a few steps. Feeling the intense burn on his body, his brow furrowed. Water Release Chakra surged from his hand, releasing a stream of water that doused the flames on his clothes.
But the pain from the burns did not vanish so easily.
Even after landing a solid hit, Obito did not feel the slightest bit of pride. Instead, his mind spun rapidly, trying to think of a strategy. If he continued fighting like this, trading injury for injury, he would be the first one to fall.
But Akami Hideyuki gave him no time to think. He immediately pressed the attack, and in just a few exchanges, new wounds were carved into Obito's body.
"They are still trying…"
Nara Shiosui, unable to move because of his injuries, watched the scene unfolding in front of him, and a bold idea suddenly formed in his mind.
As a fellow Konoha ninja, Nara Shiosui did not want to fall too far behind in this kind of determination.
He spoke quietly to Inuzuka Midori and Aburame Nao about his plan. Both of them listened, then nodded, agreeing to make one last attempt.
"Even if I die, Midori wants to die with a little backbone," Inuzuka Midori muttered as she endured the pain and used Medical Ninjutsu, placing herself prone on the ground.
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