(A.N: Sorry this chapter is on shorter side TT)
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Yukihiro appeared in front of the Jonin with the highest chakra among the enemy ranks. Knowing he didn't have much time, he went straight for the kill with his trusted sword.
However, the Jonin Yukihiro attacked was also a sensor ninja. Sensing the danger, he predicted the attack. Feeling the immense chakra emanating from the sword, he didn't even attempt to block it; instead, he quickly evaded and left a Rock Clone behind to attack Yukihiro with taijutsu.
Earth clones, unlike other clones, are very hard and excel in close combat. Although Yukihiro managed to slash the clone in half with his fire-coated chakra blade, the sword was so hot that it cut through the clone effortlessly.
'Damn it, why is my luck so bad? This was supposed to be an easy mission, but now I have to fight *Fire Sword* all by myself. I'm 100% sure that in one-on-one combat, I'll die. I need to stall for time. Once my subordinates finish off those brats, we can take on Yukihiro together,' the Jonin thought as he quickly used an earth spike jutsu to attack Yukihiro.
Sensing chakra from the ground, Yukihiro jumped and retaliated with a fire breath jutsu aimed at the Jonin. Both attacks missed their marks as the two shinobi continued their deadly dance, each trying to gain the upper hand.
Yukihiro kept trying to close the distance to use his kenjutsu, intending to finish the fight quickly. The Jonin knew that the moment Yukihiro got close, he would die. Yukihiro's kenjutsu skills were infamous, considered S-rank by many. The Jonin fought desperately to maintain distance, using advanced earth-style techniques that altered the terrain, making the ground slippery or sandy to hinder Yukihiro's movements.
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'Damn, this guy is as resilient as a cockroach, and his movement jutsu is not only helping him escape but also hindering me. I have to end this fast, or those three will be in danger,' Yukihiro thought.
For five continuous minutes, they exchanged blows, the Jonin managing to maintain his distance and keep Yukihiro at bay. But the Jonin made a critical error when he became momentarily distracted after sensing his subordinate summoning a beast.
Yukihiro seized this golden opportunity. He poured as much chakra as he could into his legs, boosting his speed, and went straight for the Jonin's head.
Realizing his mistake, the Jonin cursed himself. He knew he couldn't dodge or block the attack in time. He shifted the direction of the attack using his iron skin-hardened hand, sacrificing it to save his life. Though he managed to deflect the attack, he lost his right hand—his dominant hand.
Knowing that completing the mission was now impossible, the Jonin used a red smoke bomb to signal retreat and prepared to stall Yukihiro to buy time for his subordinates to escape. In a last-ditch effort, he created 40 earth clones to stop Yukihiro, while he used his movement jutsu to flee. Yukihiro expected this and fired several wind blades at the clones, dispelling most of them. The remaining clones were easily dealt with by another barrage of wind blades. Yukihiro then pursued the Jonin.
After a 2-kilometer chase, Yukihiro confronted the Jonin again. The Jonin, exhausted from using so many jutsus back-to-back, was quickly killed with a simple slash to the neck.
'Huh, he was a tough one. I hope my students were able to hold on until now. Let's hope I'm not too late,' Yukihiro thought.
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**(At the start of the fight…)**
The Jonin Kaida was about to face was on high alert. His leader had warned him that there were two individuals with Jonin-level chakra among the enemy ranks. Even though he was a sensor ninja, his abilities in this area were limited, giving him a smaller sensing range.
Fully alert due to the warning, the Jonin sensed a chakra-enhanced kunai heading toward him. Thanks to his heightened awareness, he easily dodged the kunai. However, in the split second it took him to regain his footing, a sword came toward his neck from behind. With no time to react, he activated his iron skin jutsu and body flicker jutsu simultaneously.
If it had been a normal sword attack, iron skin jutsu would have been sufficient. But the Jonin could sense chakra flowing through the sword, and every instinct told him he would die if he took that attack, even with iron skin. The fear for his life pushed him to achieve a speed he had never reached before, allowing him to barely dodge the sword with the help of body flicker jutsu.
*Slash*
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**(A.N: Thank you for reading ^.^)**