"Lord Hokage has worked hard. It's only right to see it through in person, especially for the final stretch."
Without another word, the figure disappeared into the shadows.
The Third Hokage and the other elders were left speechless.
This kid…
Reality.
When there's a mission, everyone has the right attitude. But the moment it becomes inconvenient, they vanish like mist.
The others didn't linger they quickly followed suit.
Soon, everyone arrived at the predetermined rendezvous point "Point A" in the Forest of Death.
This wasn't a game.
There was no real-time map sharing, so jingyi had marked two key spots ahead of time. Point A was designated as the final clash zone.
Now, the two factions stood face to face.
On one side those who had just suffered defeat.
On the other a reorganized team, riding high after victory, armed with all the supplies and gear taken from Asuma's squad.
Soldiers' pills were consumed in one gulp. Ninja tools and weapons were fully equipped.
This wasn't an even match anymore.
Shiranui Genma readied a shuriken and prepared to launch a jutsu only to be interrupted by a hail of shuriken from the other side, thrown recklessly and in great numbers.
He froze for a moment.
Then, turning to Might Guy, he muttered under his breath, "Guy, we can't beat them."
"Huh?"
Might Guy blinked, confused.
Couldn't beat them?
Then shouldn't they at least go out with a bang?
"Cough... Listen, top five get to pass, right? Go give them a kick or two…"
Genma cleared his throat awkwardly.
There was no winning here.
Only a backstab could protect their spot.
Because truth be told Nara Shikaku (you likely meant "Oval") wasn't taking the front line, and Guy, with his recklessness, was bound to charge first and probably get eliminated.
So
Better to take out the biggest threat on their own team first.
"Is that... okay?" Nohara Rin hesitated.
They had agreed to team up just moments ago.
And now they were betraying that alliance?
Guy didn't respond to Rin.
He trusted Genma's judgment more in that moment, so
Shikaku dodged the shuriken.
But at that instant, Might Guy activated his Shadow of the Dancing Leaf technique, closed the gap, and launched a kick.
Shikaku was sent flying into the middle of the battlefield.
Immediately, attacks from both sides rained down on him. No one had time to react.
He was swiftly carried off the field by Minato Namikaze himself.
"Shikaku's kid is clever, but still too idealistic," jingyi said with mock regret.
"I can't blame him. There weren't many options." Shikaku's father, Nara Lujiu, chuckled bitterly.
Their side was the weakest. Even without betrayal, they would've been the first to go.
Teamwork sounded nice in theory, but with so many different agendas, unity was always going to be an illusion.
Kakashi stood quietly, deep in thought.
He thought of Yahiko and his philosophy.
How were things going with Hōki and the others now?
Small ninja villages forming alliances… but with only three slots and four teams, someone had to go.
No one could be trusted to always act in your interest.
Jingyi's words echoed in his mind:
"Trash. Trash isn't even worth pity."
But then another memory surged forward
"Comrades come first. That's what my father believed."
His fists clenched.
Sakumo Hatake had chosen his comrades over the mission and was disgraced for it.
Kakashi felt the old weight of guilt begin to return.
Jingyi noticed, but said nothing. It wasn't the time or place.
With Shikaku's team out, only three remained.
Ties between Shisui's group and Yūhi Kurenai's team fractured almost immediately.
It was every team for themselves now.
Might Guy had not yet opened the Eight Gates only using basic enhancements and breathing control taught by his father, Might Duy. Even so, his taijutsu was formidable.
His target: Ebisu from Kurenai's team.
Ebisu didn't stand a chance.
Shiranui Genma and Rin moved at the same time not against Kurenai, but against Shisui, trying to corner him.
Guy's blow hit home.
But even as he turned to follow up, the world tilted strangely.
The space, the environment the distances were all wrong.
Genjutsu.
"Damn it!"
Guy snapped himself free.
But as the haze cleared, the last thing he saw was
Kurenai.
Up close.
Her leg raised high.
BOOM!
The ground split open under the force of her kick.
Guy was launched across the field.
A green blur caught him in mid-air.
"Father? I'm okay, I"
"Gut! You idiot!"
Might Duy smashed a fist down on his son's head, tears streaming.
"You did great, Kai! You gave it your all!"
Morning mist Anko (you may have meant Morino Ibiki or someone like Baiyun Asuma if that's a translation confusion) covered his face.
So that's why guy acts like that…
Like father, like son.
Everyone else was stunned.
No one had expected Yūhi Kurenai the quiet genjutsu specialist to know Tsunade's "Painful Sky Leg."
But that wasn't the worst of it.
Jingyi had told her to combine it with genjutsu.
Even a half-second delay from an illusion made it deadly.
"jingyi's being reckless," the Third Hokage muttered.
Had that kick hit guy's head directly, he'd be dead.
And Kurenai didn't have Tsunade's physiology.
This was clearly a forbidden technique for her body.
He was about to step in
But then saw Ebisu limping to Kurenai's side, while Kurenai began treatment with the Mystic Palm Technique.
A clear seal formed in her hand precise chakra control.
She knew her limits.
"Lord Hokage," jingyi said, calmly, "it's not about banning forbidden techniques it's about knowing when and how to use them."
The Third Hokage fell silent.
Kurenai had used a devastating move at the perfect moment, but now she was healing herself, then tending to Ebisu.
It was a high-risk, high-reward gambit.
And it worked.
Yes, overuse would cripple her.
But used once it changed the battlefield.
And on the battlefield, that's what mattered.