Chapter 3
Mission & Companions?
Maki, an elite Jonin of Sunagakure, a confidant of the Fourth and Fifth Kazekage, and a future high-ranking member of Sunagakure.
In the original work, Hayate Gekko, jokingly referred to as the protagonist of Shippuden, died at his hands. Maki's strength at the time amazed many viewers, but he subsequently faded into obscurity.
Even so, it is enough to prove that his strength is far beyond what Matsumoto Ryohei, a special Jonin, can match.
With this in mind, Uchiha Mo dodged the attacks of the Chunin in front of him while keeping an eye on the battlefield around him.
Sure enough, the situation changed in less than half a minute.
……
"Kunai... It seems the opponent is a taijutsu-type ninja."
Matsumoto Ryohei made this judgment upon seeing that Maki was holding a pair of kunai.
"In that case, let's use Water Release ninjutsu to gain a distance advantage."
"Why are the ninjas of Konoha attacking us?"
Maki, with a somber face, raised his hands, holding them in reverse, to his chest.
"Tell me about the Kazekage's current situation, and we'll retreat immediately!"
"Kazekage..." Maki's expression turned cold. "Kazekage-sama has been doing very well lately. You may leave."
"It seems we can't reach an agreement."
Matsumoto Ryohei snorted coldly, his hands rapidly forming hand seals, "Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
The water suddenly rose into the air, swirling back into the shape of a dragon and rushing towards Maki.
"court death!"
A cold, sharp smile curled at the corner of Maki's lips. He suddenly threw two kunai to the ground, then pointed his right hand like a sword and hissed:
"Wind Release: Wind Blade!"
"Buzz~"
Ripples spread from his fingertips, and then a buzzing, round, thin wind blade condensed and appeared. Maki flicked his right hand, raised his left hand and condensed another one, which he also swiftly flung out!
Wind Release: Wind Blade, an A-rank ninjutsu. Moonlight Hayate died from this move. It has powerful cutting force and is so fast that the official guidebook states that it is "absolutely impossible to dodge".
"Buzz~ Pfft—!"
The first sharp wind blade sliced through the water dragon in an instant, cleaving it in two. The water dragon disintegrated into a stream of water that fell away, and the wind blade vanished into thin air.
But then a second wind blade shot towards Matsumoto Ryohei with a buzzing sound like the flapping of bee wings! And, Maki's hands continued to fling out a third, fourth, and fifth wind blade!
"How is that possible?!"
Matsumoto Ryohei's pupils contracted, revealing a look of horror, and he hurriedly formed hand seals again.
"Water Release·Water Formation Wall!"
The wind blade was extremely fast, covering a distance of more than ten meters in the blink of an eye, and arrived in front of Matsumoto Ryohei.
Fortunately, the water barrier rose successfully just before the attack arrived...
"thump!"
The wind blade pierced the water wall, splashing water. Matsumoto Ryohei, hiding behind it, breathed a sigh of relief, while also reassessing the opponent's strength in his mind.
However, what he didn't see was the cruel expression on Maki's face...
"thump!"
Water splashed as another wind blade pierced through the water. Before the water flow could subside, a third wind blade shot down towards the same spot!
The fourth one... the fifth one!
Suddenly, a narrow, transparent hole appeared in the wall of water due to the violent splashing. Before Matsumoto Ryohei could see it clearly, a wind blade pierced through the hole and slashed fiercely towards his neck!
An expression of disbelief crossed Matsumoto Ryohei's face. He raised his hand as if to touch his neck, only to find that his body had already lost control...
"thump!"
The head slid off the neck and fell to the ground, kicking up smoke, and Maki's cruel smile deepened.
"Oh dear~ kids, it seems you're in a pretty bad situation..."
Uchiha Mo withdrew his gaze, showing no surprise whatsoever.
Although in this world, Jonin are considered the top combat force of a ninja village in the conventional sense, from a macro perspective, if we classify ninjas as athletes, then reaching the level of Jonin is only the beginning.
Most of the so-called Chunin and Genin are just weaklings who only know a few ninjutsu and don't know how to run away in the face of war.
The gap between Jonin is not much smaller than that between a human and a dog. For example, Kakashi and Kurenai before the Fourth Shinobi World War, as the strongest group below the Kage level, Kakashi could deal with ordinary Jonin and Chunin with almost no difference.
The quality of their chakra is not on the same level, and the power of their ninjutsu is also vastly different, not to mention their combat awareness and other hard skills.
And so it was naturally the same for Maki and Matsumoto Ryohei, one an elite Jonin and the other a special Jonin.
Uchiha Mo was preparing to kill the weaklings in front of him with a single blow before facing Maki, but Kakashi made an unexpected move.
He forced the Chunin in front of him aside with a single slash, then turned and charged at Maki, leaving Inoue Shoji standing there in astonishment.
"Mo! Quickly catch someone who's trying to escape, I'll hold this one off!"
White Fang slashed diagonally, unleashing a sharp blade of light. Maki dodged to the side and threw a kunai at Kakashi's forehead.
"Kakashi? Then this sword must be White Fang, right? I'll take you back; Granny Chiyo will surely be very happy."
Upon seeing the iconic white hair and short sword, Maki instantly recognized Kakashi. Although Kakashi's reputation was only beginning to emerge at this time, his image was not unfamiliar to the Sand Village because the White Fang was quite special to them.
Before he could finish speaking, a piercing scream suddenly rang out from the side. Uchiha Mo glanced sideways and saw the Chunin with a cruel smile plunging a kunai into Inoue Shoji's neck...
"Bang!"
He threw Inoue Shoji's body to the ground, picked up a kunai, and rushed towards Uchiha Mo.
……
Kakashi knew he was no match for this man, so he could only keep wielding his short sword to maintain control of the situation.
Maki's gaze sharpened as he swiftly dodged Kakashi's attacks. The White Fang's reputation was too formidable; Maki dared not use two small kunai to directly clash with this ninja sword.
Nearly ten seconds passed, and Maki's body had some small knife marks. However, Kakashi's stamina was already running out in his all-out attack mode.
Maki narrowed his eyes and, seeing Kakashi's breathing becoming increasingly rapid, realized that his opportunity had arrived.
He suddenly raised his kunai to block White Fang's downward strike. Kakashi's pupils contracted before he could react, and he saw Maki's cheeks puff out, and then he suddenly exhaled a cloud of purple smoke.
"Poison Smoke Technique!"
In a moment of desperation, Kakashi quickly closed his eyes, bent his knees, and retreated rapidly, but the battle-hardened Maki would not miss this opportunity.
He raised his hands again, and thin, cicada-wing-like wind blades condensed at his fingertips.
"Wind Release: Wind Blade!"
"Buzz~ Pfft!"
The first wind blade grazed Kakashi's shoulder, exploding into a huge spray of blood! Kakashi staggered, and just as the second wind blade was about to slice his head open, a bolt of lightning suddenly burst into the battlefield!
Uchiha Mo kicked Kakashi away, and the second wind blade grazed his neck before flying away, followed by three more wind blades.
Mo's expression hardened slightly, his eyes turning crimson as two tomoe appeared, spinning around him. With a flick of his wrist, the blade burst forth with intense flames and swept forward!
"boom--!"
The giant flames surged backward, and the wind blades swept through the flames even more fiercely before being instantly swallowed up.
Kakashi sat on the ground, panting heavily, a look of fear still on his face. He turned his head and saw a headless corpse and an unconscious Sand Ninja lying there quietly.
He gritted his teeth, looked up at the expressionless boy, and instead of thanking him, angrily rebuked him:
"Why did you save me! Didn't I tell you to take your men and escape? Why are you all like this?! Don't you know..."
Before he could finish speaking, Uchiha Mo suddenly interrupted him calmly.
"Don't get me wrong, I saved you only because I'm strong enough. Only the weak are caught in difficult choices; the strong can choose the right thing no matter what. Since you value the mission so much, then you can run away with that Sand Ninja like a stray dog. I'll kill Maki!"
In the original work, Hayate Gekko, jokingly referred to as the protagonist of Shippuden, died at his hands. Maki's strength at the time amazed many viewers, but he subsequently faded into obscurity.
Even so, it is enough to prove that his strength is far beyond what Matsumoto Ryohei, a special Jonin, can match.
With this in mind, Uchiha Mo dodged the attacks of the Chunin in front of him while keeping an eye on the battlefield around him.
Sure enough, the situation changed in less than half a minute.
……
"Kunai... It seems the opponent is a taijutsu-type ninja."
Matsumoto Ryohei made this judgment upon seeing that Maki was holding a pair of kunai.
"In that case, let's use Water Release ninjutsu to gain a distance advantage."
"Why are the ninjas of Konoha attacking us?"
Maki, with a somber face, raised his hands, holding them in reverse, to his chest.
"Tell me about the Kazekage's current situation, and we'll retreat immediately!"
"Kazekage..." Maki's expression turned cold. "Kazekage-sama has been doing very well lately. You may leave."
"It seems we can't reach an agreement."
Matsumoto Ryohei snorted coldly, his hands rapidly forming hand seals, "Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
The water suddenly rose into the air, swirling back into the shape of a dragon and rushing towards Maki.
"court death!"
A cold, sharp smile curled at the corner of Maki's lips. He suddenly threw two kunai to the ground, then pointed his right hand like a sword and hissed:
"Wind Release: Wind Blade!"
"Buzz~"
Ripples spread from his fingertips, and then a buzzing, round, thin wind blade condensed and appeared. Maki flicked his right hand, raised his left hand and condensed another one, which he also swiftly flung out!
Wind Release: Wind Blade, an A-rank ninjutsu. Moonlight Hayate died from this move. It has powerful cutting force and is so fast that the official guidebook states that it is "absolutely impossible to dodge".
"Buzz~ Pfft—!"
The first sharp wind blade sliced through the water dragon in an instant, cleaving it in two. The water dragon disintegrated into a stream of water that fell away, and the wind blade vanished into thin air.
But then a second wind blade shot towards Matsumoto Ryohei with a buzzing sound like the flapping of bee wings! And, Maki's hands continued to fling out a third, fourth, and fifth wind blade!
"How is that possible?!"
Matsumoto Ryohei's pupils contracted, revealing a look of horror, and he hurriedly formed hand seals again.
"Water Release·Water Formation Wall!"
The wind blade was extremely fast, covering a distance of more than ten meters in the blink of an eye, and arrived in front of Matsumoto Ryohei.
Fortunately, the water barrier rose successfully just before the attack arrived...
"thump!"
The wind blade pierced the water wall, splashing water. Matsumoto Ryohei, hiding behind it, breathed a sigh of relief, while also reassessing the opponent's strength in his mind.
However, what he didn't see was the cruel expression on Maki's face...
"thump!"
Water splashed as another wind blade pierced through the water. Before the water flow could subside, a third wind blade shot down towards the same spot!
The fourth one... the fifth one!
Suddenly, a narrow, transparent hole appeared in the wall of water due to the violent splashing. Before Matsumoto Ryohei could see it clearly, a wind blade pierced through the hole and slashed fiercely towards his neck!
An expression of disbelief crossed Matsumoto Ryohei's face. He raised his hand as if to touch his neck, only to find that his body had already lost control...
"thump!"
The head slid off the neck and fell to the ground, kicking up smoke, and Maki's cruel smile deepened.
"Oh dear~ kids, it seems you're in a pretty bad situation..."
Uchiha Mo withdrew his gaze, showing no surprise whatsoever.
Although in this world, Jonin are considered the top combat force of a ninja village in the conventional sense, from a macro perspective, if we classify ninjas as athletes, then reaching the level of Jonin is only the beginning.
Most of the so-called Chunin and Genin are just weaklings who only know a few ninjutsu and don't know how to run away in the face of war.
The gap between Jonin is not much smaller than that between a human and a dog. For example, Kakashi and Kurenai before the Fourth Shinobi World War, as the strongest group below the Kage level, Kakashi could deal with ordinary Jonin and Chunin with almost no difference.
The quality of their chakra is not on the same level, and the power of their ninjutsu is also vastly different, not to mention their combat awareness and other hard skills.
And so it was naturally the same for Maki and Matsumoto Ryohei, one an elite Jonin and the other a special Jonin.
Uchiha Mo was preparing to kill the weaklings in front of him with a single blow before facing Maki, but Kakashi made an unexpected move.
He forced the Chunin in front of him aside with a single slash, then turned and charged at Maki, leaving Inoue Shoji standing there in astonishment.
"Mo! Quickly catch someone who's trying to escape, I'll hold this one off!"
White Fang slashed diagonally, unleashing a sharp blade of light. Maki dodged to the side and threw a kunai at Kakashi's forehead.
"Kakashi? Then this sword must be White Fang, right? I'll take you back; Granny Chiyo will surely be very happy."
Upon seeing the iconic white hair and short sword, Maki instantly recognized Kakashi. Although Kakashi's reputation was only beginning to emerge at this time, his image was not unfamiliar to the Sand Village because the White Fang was quite special to them.
Before he could finish speaking, a piercing scream suddenly rang out from the side. Uchiha Mo glanced sideways and saw the Chunin with a cruel smile plunging a kunai into Inoue Shoji's neck...
"Bang!"
He threw Inoue Shoji's body to the ground, picked up a kunai, and rushed towards Uchiha Mo.
……
Kakashi knew he was no match for this man, so he could only keep wielding his short sword to maintain control of the situation.
Maki's gaze sharpened as he swiftly dodged Kakashi's attacks. The White Fang's reputation was too formidable; Maki dared not use two small kunai to directly clash with this ninja sword.
Nearly ten seconds passed, and Maki's body had some small knife marks. However, Kakashi's stamina was already running out in his all-out attack mode.
Maki narrowed his eyes and, seeing Kakashi's breathing becoming increasingly rapid, realized that his opportunity had arrived.
He suddenly raised his kunai to block White Fang's downward strike. Kakashi's pupils contracted before he could react, and he saw Maki's cheeks puff out, and then he suddenly exhaled a cloud of purple smoke.
"Poison Smoke Technique!"
In a moment of desperation, Kakashi quickly closed his eyes, bent his knees, and retreated rapidly, but the battle-hardened Maki would not miss this opportunity.
He raised his hands again, and thin, cicada-wing-like wind blades condensed at his fingertips.
"Wind Release: Wind Blade!"
"Buzz~ Pfft!"
The first wind blade grazed Kakashi's shoulder, exploding into a huge spray of blood! Kakashi staggered, and just as the second wind blade was about to slice his head open, a bolt of lightning suddenly burst into the battlefield!
Uchiha Mo kicked Kakashi away, and the second wind blade grazed his neck before flying away, followed by three more wind blades.
Mo's expression hardened slightly, his eyes turning crimson as two tomoe appeared, spinning around him. With a flick of his wrist, the blade burst forth with intense flames and swept forward!
"boom--!"
The giant flames surged backward, and the wind blades swept through the flames even more fiercely before being instantly swallowed up.
Kakashi sat on the ground, panting heavily, a look of fear still on his face. He turned his head and saw a headless corpse and an unconscious Sand Ninja lying there quietly.
He gritted his teeth, looked up at the expressionless boy, and instead of thanking him, angrily rebuked him:
"Why did you save me! Didn't I tell you to take your men and escape? Why are you all like this?! Don't you know..."
Before he could finish speaking, Uchiha Mo suddenly interrupted him calmly.
"Don't get me wrong, I saved you only because I'm strong enough. Only the weak are caught in difficult choices; the strong can choose the right thing no matter what. Since you value the mission so much, then you can run away with that Sand Ninja like a stray dog. I'll kill Maki!"