Boar—Dog—Rooster—Monkey—Sheep!
I have to catch up!
"Ninja Art: Summoning Jutsu!"
With a sudden burst of white smoke, a massive black iron shield emerged from the ground.
The flying water daggers clashed against the impenetrable shield, ricocheting off and embedding themselves into the earth nearby.
Before the Genin could even process what had happened, a figure grabbed him by the collar and yanked him up from the ground.
"Don't just stand there! Run!"
"Captain Tetsuya!" the Genin gasped.
Oh, so this Jonin was called Tetsuya.
Hidden in the mist, Yagura observed as the lucky Genin was saved by his superior, who then hurriedly ordered him to retreat.
As expected from a village of Artisansmen, even their names reflected their trade—eight out of ten had something to do with metal.
Having infiltrated under the cover of the Hidden Mist Jutsu, Yagura's first target was naturally this Jonin.
But being a Jonin meant he wasn't easy prey. The moment Tetsuya sensed the mist, he immediately realized that Kirigakure ninja were attacking.
Yagura's Water Coral Cannon technique had been deflected by the Jonin, who relied on his keen sense of sound and his specialized ninja tools to block the attack.
Rather than engaging in a prolonged fight, Yagura wisely faded back into the mist, shifting his focus to eliminating the weaker Artisansmen-nin first.
...
Within minutes, all the Chunin and Genin outside the mine had been dealt with.
Tetsuya, unable to match Yagura's speed, could only watch helplessly as his comrades fell one after another, his vision further obstructed by the thick mist.
Clang! Clang!! Clang!!!
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack! Enemy attack!! Everyone, grab your weapons!"
Finally, the Artisansmen-nin inside the mine realized what was happening. The warning bell rang out loudly!
This bell was originally used by the Tsuchimikado group to signal laborers when to enter and exit the mines. Now, the Artisansmen-nin were using it for a far more urgent purpose.
Those inside the mine, upon hearing the alarm, dropped their tools and seized their weapons, ready to charge out.
"I've been waiting for this!" Tetsuya muttered under his breath.
Boom!!!
The massive shield he had summoned earlier was now slammed against the mine's entrance, completely sealing it off!
From outside, Tetsuya's voice roared, "No one comes out!!!"
This Kirigakure ninja was a Jonin—and a formidable one at that!
If the Chunin and Genin rushed out, they'd only be throwing their lives away!
Tetsuya raised his shield once more, deflecting another volley of water daggers. With his back pressed firmly against the massive iron shield blocking the mine's entrance, he reduced his exposed flanks, ensuring he only had to defend from one direction.
By eliminating the risk of a rear attack, the effectiveness of any ambush was greatly diminished.
If Yagura wanted to get through, he would have to do it head-on.
...
Bang!!!
From less than ten meters away, a high-pressure water cannon blasted directly against Tetsuya's massive iron shield!
The sheer force of the attack transmitted through the shield, making Tetsuya's feet carve deep trenches into the ground as he was pushed back violently, slamming into the shield behind him!
Before he could even recover, a sharp crack echoed in the air.
Tetsuya's eyes widened in shock.
His father's meticulously crafted iron shield—his trusted ninja tool—had cracked!
How could this be?!
That Kirigakure Jonin's Water Release technique was strong enough to break his father's shield!
This wasn't just any Jonin—this was someone far beyond the norm!
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Tetsuya's expression turned resolute. "Haaah!!!"
Pouring his chakra into the shield, he activated its augmentation ability. A golden-bronze glow enveloped the iron, forming an additional layer of chakra protection.
The more chakra he infused, the stronger the defensive shield became, standing firm against the relentless water cannon assault.
...
Yagura narrowed his eyes as he observed the impenetrable barrier that now stood before him.
A chakra-enhanced defensive ninja tool? So the Artisansmen village had already developed such advanced technology.
"I won't be able to break through this with a direct hit."
Weaving hand seals, Yagura smirked. "Then how about this?"
A water clone separated from his body, and in the next instant, a powerful water vortex began to rise beneath him.
Tetsuya's chakra shield had expanded into a massive barrier—two meters wide, three and a half meters tall.
With the mine entrance sealed behind him, there was no room for him to escape.
Yagura planned to use that to his advantage.
"Water Release: Exploding Water Colliding Wave!"
A towering column of water surged upwards more than ten meters into the sky, resembling a raging storm at sea. The monstrous wave roared like an oceanic beast, crashing down with overwhelming force.
—Crush him!
The deafening roar of the surging water filled the air. The rising wall of water grew taller and taller, reaching heights that forced one to tilt their head back just to see the peak.
The sheer scale of this attack made it clear—the force of this wave could annihilate anything in its path.
Tetsuya's heart pounded. "This level of power..."
He glanced back at the mine entrance, where the iron shield sealed off the tunnel. Dozens of Chunin and Genin were inside.
If he dodged, the tsunami-like surge would obliterate the mine's defenses and flood the tunnel, dooming everyone inside!
He couldn't retreat.
He couldn't evade.
With a loud thud, he slammed the shield's edge into the ground.
Gritting his teeth, he funneled even more chakra into his shield—pushing it to its absolute limit!
The golden-bronze glow intensified, expanding outward from the shield's core. Instead of just a singular barrier, additional chakra shields layered over it, forming a lattice-like defensive formation—seven horizontal, seven vertical—a fortress of energy.
Tetsuya's expression hardened.
This was the strongest defensive ninja tool of their village.
It was called Absolute Defense!!!
...
BOOM!!!
The sea beast roared, the towering wave crashed, and the unstoppable force collided with the immovable object!
The impact was so immense that even the mountain itself seemed to groan in protest.
The ground trembled violently. Inside the mine, Artisansmen-nin struggled to keep their footing, some collapsing from the sheer force of the quake.
Outside, Tetsuya stood his ground, bearing the full brunt of the raging tsunami.
One by one, his chakra shields shattered under the force of the water.
Crack!
A second shield broke.
Crack! Crack!!
More fragments of chakra dispersed into the air.
Could he hold on?
Would Absolute Defense truly be absolute?
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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