CHAPTER 264: CHAPTER 264: KILL THEM ALL? YOU?

"You... who are you people?! Outsiders like you aren’t welcome here!"

Tazuna mustered up his courage and stepped forward to confront them.

However...

As Gato and his gang of thugs closed in, he immediately backed off several steps, fear creeping across his face.

"Who are you? We’re shinobi from Konoha, hired to protect this village. We won’t allow you to cause trouble here," said Shiranui Genma, stepping forward.

Even though the enemy appeared to have hired Kirigakure ninja, Genma knew this was no time to show weakness. No matter what, he couldn’t back down.

As for Might Guy...

He was currently being firmly held back by Ebisu.

The enemy were Kirigakure ninja!

And the leader—he recognized him—was from the Hōzuki clan, someone who had previously been captured by Kyoichi-sensei.

To Kyoichi, the Hōzuki were hardly a threat—he could easily take one down any day—but for newly promoted chūnin like them, the Hōzuki were on a whole other level.

So...

If they let Guy speak now, he’d probably start a fight on the spot.

"Konoha’s all out of shinobi, huh? Sending a bunch of kids to handle missions? What a joke. Brats like you should just get lost. This job’s ours now."

Hōzuki Chikage’s face was cold, but his tone was smooth and composed. "This mission involves combat between shinobi, so it’s classified as B-rank or higher. For a fresh chūnin team like yours, withdrawing is entirely justified."

What he said followed certain unspoken rules of the ninja world.

Once a mission escalated to involve combat between shinobi, its rank automatically rose. And given the state of Guy’s squad, it was completely reasonable for them to withdraw without penalty.

After all...

The fact Konoha had sent such a team in the first place meant the clients probably only paid for a C-rank assignment—not B or higher.

Since the difficulty changed, withdrawing wouldn’t count as a breach of contract.

Genma could tell—Chikage might appear arrogant and strong, but at his core, he feared Konoha. He clearly didn’t want a direct confrontation.

He hesitated, unsure how to proceed.

Then Obito stepped forward and said, "We Konoha shinobi don’t know the meaning of ’give up’—and we’ll never abandon a mission because of scum like you!"

"That’s right! This is the fire of youth!" Guy shouted, blood boiling, breaking free from Ebisu and standing at the front, eyes full of unwavering resolve—

Even if he had to open the Eight Gates, he would protect his comrades and the villagers.

To protect—that’s what this moment called for.

Mei Terumi wasn’t even sure how to respond.

These four...

Were they all mentally unstable or something?

Their strength clearly wasn’t on the same level, so why were they acting so cocky?

She truly didn’t understand.

Hōzuki Chikage’s patience had worn thin.

"In that case, don’t blame me for bullying a few juniors."

...

"If I didn’t already know what they were like, I’d think they were deliberately acting just to bait the Kiri shinobi into making a mistake," Kakashi muttered under his breath.

Shisui’s lips twitched.

That harsh... even toward his own teammates?

But...

He had to admit, Guy’s squad’s responses were flawless. Even Kirigakure couldn’t say anything if they lost.

Withdraw from the mission?

Kirigakure had no authority to force a Konoha team to abandon their assignment.

So...

Everything would be decided by combat—and that was exactly what Kyoichi wanted.

"That guy... I think he’s the Hōzuki ninja Sensei captured before. Obito and the others could really be in danger. And even with us, I don’t think we’re a match," Kurenai said with concern.

Hydrification Technique...

No one on their team could effectively counter it. Even Kakashi, at best, could manage a partial counter using Lightning Release and the Raikiri.

But—

Their opponent was a jōnin, and Kakashi at best was on the level of an elite chūnin. The gap in power was still vast, and no advantage in technique could bridge that completely.

Especially against a secret technique like Hydrification.

"Don’t worry. We have our own role to play. Whether we can win or not... isn’t our concern," Kakashi said vaguely.

But everyone here was sharp—they immediately got the hint.

Even Rin.

There was no way a mission like this would be assigned only to a bunch of chūnin.

Someone else had to be backing them up.

Was it Kyoichi-sensei... or Minato-sensei?

She pondered quietly.

But at that moment—

The battle up ahead had already broken out.

Guy directly opened the Eight Gates. But those familiar with Hydrification knew full well—taijutsu like that had almost no effect on it.

"Should we engage?"

"Wait just a bit longer..."

Kakashi gripped the hilt of his blade, sweat beginning to bead on his forehead.

It was a real test of nerves.

If they moved too late, Guy’s squad could suffer serious injuries—or worse. But move too early, and it would look staged and suspicious. Even if Kyoichi didn’t care about appearances, Kakashi had to take that into account.

Fog rolled across the battlefield.

Genma struck first, flicking his sleeves—countless shuriken burst out, filling the air.

Then he formed hand seals.

One became two, two became four...

In an instant, a hail of shuriken filled the sky.

Obito was beyond tense. During the war, their fights had been brutal, but they always had jōnin watching their backs. He’d never truly felt the fear of death.

But now...

He knew how bad things were.

One misstep—

They’d all die!

"You’re fools. And foolish people only end up one way—dead."

A hollow voice echoed.

Zabuza held his blade at the ready, hidden in the mist, waiting for the right moment—and goading them with words.

Chikage appeared beside Guy in a flash.

Guy struck back immediately.

But—

SPLASH!

Water flew everywhere.

In the next moment...

Guy was sent flying.

Then a fireball soared through the air.

Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!

Obito’s casting and positioning weren’t bad. Unfortunately, Fire Release barely worked against Hydrification.

It was completely one-sided.

Hydrification rendered their attacks useless.

In just a few short moments, Guy’s squad was overwhelmed with injuries. Yet they refused to give in. Guy even kept pushing with the Eight Gates.

But...

Water techniques combined with swordplay made it impossible. He was already coughing blood.

"Guy!"

Obito’s voice rang out. He immediately stepped in front of Guy, raising earthen walls to protect him.

Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!

He wasn’t good at the jutsu, but under pressure, he managed to cast it smoothly. It blocked Chikage’s next strike—but he couldn’t sense any response from Guy.

Was Guy...

His heart twisted with anger. A dark, vengeful feeling bubbled up—and pain flared in his eyes.

Zzzzt!

A shrill screech of lightning pierced the air.

Chikage had been preparing to smash through the wall, but suddenly felt electricity surge behind him.

At that moment—

Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!

A violent wind scattered the fog, revealing the battlefield.

Kakashi had arrived.

"Oh? Another Konoha squad?"

Chikage hoisted his blade.

"May I ask what exactly you intend to do to our Konoha comrades?"

Kakashi raised his Lightning Blade.

Electricity danced and sparked around him.

Ringo Ameyuri narrowed her eyes.

The Blade of the Thunder God—Kiba!

"This is a mission conflict. We can’t abandon our own objective. Konoha, if you’re smart, back off. Even with your team..."

In the blink of an eye—

Chikage appeared beside Kakashi.

But—

A surge of lightning exploded from Kakashi’s body.

Chidori Current!

Damn that Lightning Release!

Chikage cursed as he retreated—only for another blade, crackling with electricity, to come slashing from behind.

Another lightning user!

This wasn’t looking good.

"Attack!" he ordered.

"Yes!"

Ringo immediately struck, launching her Lightning Release assault at Kakashi.

Obito dropped the earth wall. Seeing Kakashi and the others, he was stunned. Then he turned to see Guy lying weakly nearby.

"Rin! Kurenai! Help Guy, quick!"

"Got it!"

He didn’t even need to say it—Rin and Kurenai were already moving.

Kurenai bit her thumb.

Summoning Jutsu!

A slug appeared.

It wasn’t large, but it did the job—and even blocked a sneak attack from Zabuza.

Rin flash-stepped to Guy’s side.

He had a hole in his abdomen.

It was serious, but not fatal—as long as treatment was timely.

Genma and Ebisu moved to intercept Zabuza and Mei Terumi.

Chikage’s expression turned cold.

"You forced me into this! Fine... I’ll just kill all of you!"

In an instant—

He appeared beside Kurenai.

His blade swung down.

He knew about the Slug Technique.

Take her out first!

Mei began forming hand seals to trap Kakashi and Shisui.

But just as her seals completed, a thunderous crash erupted.

Dust filled the air.

What the...?

She froze in shock—Chikage had been slammed into the ground, half-buried in rubble, parts of his body warped and discolored. It didn’t even look like he’d successfully turned to water.

And then—

"I believe you were trying to hurt my students? If I’m not mistaken, your name is... Hōzuki Chikage, right?"

"You! W-we didn’t mean to! It was just... a mission conflict! We had no choice—our deepest apologies!" Chikage instantly folded.

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