Wok Shadow Ninja

Chapter 92: One Against Three (Bonus Chapter for Alliance Leader Fantasy Town Deputy City Manager)

The ice dragon charged forward with ferocious momentum, and Haku, following closely behind, seemed to be using his high-speed dash to build up power. His next iaijutsu slash was bound to be earth-shattering.

Chojuro, who thought he was being fierce, let out a roar that sounded more like a puppy's yelp to Ino. He then drew the twin swords from his back, combining them into a massive sword resembling a flatfish. This was Kirigakure's legendary weapon, the Double Sword: Hiramekarei! Among the Seven Ninja Swordsmen's blades, Hiramekarei was the largest. By absorbing the user's chakra, it could release chakra blades and spikes, making it the only one of the seven with a ranged attack capability.

With the ice dragon leading the charge and the two Kirigakure ninja flanking from the sides, they formed a pincer movement aimed at exploiting Ino's weakness in close combat.

Using water-style techniques on an endless lake provided a significant advantage, while other elemental techniques would be at a severe disadvantage.

Facing the fierce onslaught, Ino worried that her Water Wall Jutsu might not be enough for defense. She had no choice but to create earth out of thin air.

She and her shadow clone each performed a jutsu.

"Water Style: Water Wall Jutsu!"

"Earth Style: Earth Wall Jutsu!"

A deafening crash echoed.

First, the three-meter-high Water Wall was frozen solid by the ice dragon, shattering into pieces less than a fifth of a second later. The ice crystals scattered in the air, glinting brilliantly under the sunlight.

However, the collision with the Water Wall had drained most of the ice dragon's energy. When it slammed into the Earth Wall, though it created a web of cracks, the ice dragon was already running out of steam.

The Earth Wall was left pockmarked and crumbling. Chojuro shouted, raising Hiramekarei high like a sledgehammer and smashing it into the upper third of the Earth Wall.

The earthen barrier collapsed.

Ino's two layers of defense had been breached one after the other.

Chojuro, having expended considerable energy in that strike, was pushed back by the shadow clone's "Water Style: Exploding Water Wave."

Haku, swift as lightning, continued his charge across the water's surface.

Haku's left foot stomped on the remnants of the Earth Wall, propelling him forward with even greater speed. He completely abandoned any defense, his katana glowing with a blinding white light as he unleashed a dazzling iaijutsu slash aimed at Ino's neck.

Ino responded by throwing three kunai in a triangular formation, each with an explosive tag attached to the handle.

"Huh?" Mid-flight, Ino realized something was wrong.

The kunai passed right through Haku's body without exploding, as if they had struck nothing but air.

An illusion!

"Dammit!" Ino cursed.

These Kirigakure ninja really didn't play fair! They must have had some method to bypass the genjutsu maze ahead. What appeared to be two enemies in front of Ino was actually three Ranmaru was also present. She was now fighting one against three!

Haku's blade came slashing from the diagonal rear. The two shadow clones were already at their limit holding off Chojuro and couldn't provide any further assistance. Ino had to rely on herself.

"Water Style: Water Severing Wave!"

Ino wasn't sure if Ranmaru's Kekkei Genkai could distort her vision, so she spat out a silver water line, sweeping it across the diagonal rear area.

"Crack, crack, crack!" The sound of several ice mirrors shattering echoed. Her judgment had been off, and she could only shift her body slightly at the last moment.

"Thud!" A pitch-black katana pierced through her left shoulder.

Gritting her teeth, Ino grabbed Haku's blade with her left hand, letting the sharp edge cut into her palm to prevent him from pulling the sword back.

Haku, who valued his weapon above his life, refused to let go, even if it meant risking everything.

This created a gap in their otherwise tight formation, giving Ino the opportunity she needed.

Both Ino and Haku were physically weak, but at this moment, strength didn't matter.

No longer holding back, Ino unleashed the chakra she had been gathering. She took a deep breath and exhaled a barrage of sharp wind blades toward Haku.

"Wind Style: Vacuum Bullets!"

This was a B-rank wind-style technique from the Yamanaka clan's collection. Wind-style techniques with any real lethality were rarely below B-rank in difficulty.

At such close range, Ino's Vacuum Bullets, fueled by a surge of chakra, shot out like bullets, densely packed and aimed directly at Haku.

Haku, caught in the blast, was like someone hit by a shotgun at point-blank range. He took multiple hits, and though he managed to shield his face with his left arm, the result was a deep, bone-exposing wound. His shoulder, thigh, and calf were also injured, and his white kimono was instantly stained with blood.

In a final desperate move, Haku thrust his blade forward.

Ino twisted her body using Water Body Flicker to dodge, but she was a fraction too slow. Haku's thrust left a bloody gash across her abdomen.

Ranmaru's Red Eye concealment effect completely vanished. Both Ino and Haku were low in strength and poor in taijutsu, but they were fast. They clashed on the water's surface, exchanging over twenty blows in rapid succession.

Ino's right leg gained another wound, while Haku's left arm had gone completely numb, hanging limply at his side.

Ignoring his injuries, Haku reversed his grip on the katana and lunged at Ino's left eye, as if determined to take her down with him.

Ino, now fully enraged, allowed the blade to pierce her palm before forcefully deflecting it.

"Learned a couple of sword techniques on the fly? But you're still no match for me!" Ino had noticed that Haku's sword skills were limited to downward slashes, upward thrusts, and iaijutsu likely taught by Zabuza. The rest of his techniques were mediocre at best.

Ino, despite her injuries, lifted her left foot and kicked Haku square in the chest. The impact aggravated the wound on his abdomen caused by the Vacuum Bullets, causing blood to gush out like a fountain. Haku let out a pained scream.

This kick was the final straw. Haku was sent flying seven or eight meters, landing on the water's surface, blood pouring from his body. He tried to get up twice but failed.

Ino had taken a slash to her abdomen, a wound on her right leg, and her left palm had been pierced through.

In less than five minutes of combat, she had incapacitated Haku, though she herself was severely injured.

She quickly cleaned her wounds, applied medicine, and bandaged herself while her shadow clone protected her as she retreated.

On the other side, Chojuro showed no intention of pursuing her, instead focusing on protecting Haku and creating distance.

Faced with a companion who looked more delicate than a woman, Chojuro was at a loss, unsure of what to do.

Should he help bandage the wounds? Would that require tearing off Haku's clothes? Would he end up seeing something he shouldn't?

"I'm fine," Haku said, stronger than Chojuro had expected, even showing signs of wanting to draw his sword and fight again. Chojuro couldn't let that happen if Haku fought in this condition, he might bleed to death.

Ranmaru emerged from the air, his face filled with anxiety, but he too had no idea how to treat the injuries.

Ino called out to the air, "Hey, senior, this Yuki clan member has lost the ability to fight. Let him leave."

In the next moment, Haku's figure grew hazy and soon disappeared, leaving only Ino, Chojuro, and Ranmaru on the battlefield.

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