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"Chakra Armor?"
Kakashi's eyes widened in shock as his earlier Raikiri struck Nadare yet failed to deliver a fatal blow. However, the surrounding enemy ninja gave them no time to process this, pressing their assault relentlessly.
Midorima knew exactly what these suits of chakra armor were and how they functioned—but he couldn't just say it outright.
After all, how would he explain why he was so familiar with them?
Yet, staying silent wasn't an option either. The situation demanded action, so he had to drop hints instead.
"It seems ninjutsu attacks are being weakened," Midorima muttered, shielding Koyuki behind him. "What about taijutsu? Will that work?"
"Taijutsu?" Kakashi barely dodged an incoming strike, his expression strained. "There are too many of them. Can we really rely on hand-to-hand combat?"
"We don't have a choice. Against this many enemies wearing chakra armor, do you really have enough chakra to spare?" Midorima shot back.
Chakra armor amplified the power of ninjutsu while also providing resistance against ninjutsu and genjutsu attacks.
It was like magic defense in a game.
Even without penetration, magic damage could still hurt an enemy with high resistance—but what normally took 50 units of chakra to defeat might now require 60 or even 70. The consumption rate was incomparable.
However, against physical attacks, that magic defense would be far less effective.
"Taijutsu? That's my specialty." Zabuza's eyes gleamed with killing intent.
Many Kirigakure shinobi excelled in swordplay, and the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist were the pinnacle of that art. Of course, they still relied on chakra to maximize their blades' potential—but wielding a sword was, in itself, a form of taijutsu. Just not as pure as Might Guy's style.
As a future member of the Seven, Zabuza's skill with a blade was nothing to scoff at.
Following Midorima's lead, Zabuza shifted tactics. His sword cleaved through a Snow ninja's armor, and in the next instant, a flash of steel sent the man's head rolling.
"Zabuza! You dare cause havoc here?!" A voice roared from behind him, followed by a torrent of water surging toward his back.
A sudden "Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu!" intercepted the attack.
Midorima's Water Dragon blocked the assault, but the move instantly made him a target. Forced to defend Koyuki with his sword, he barely had room to counterattack.
The young princess trembled like a frightened kitten, clinging to Midorima's back.
The two water techniques collided, crashing down like a waterfall—but Zabuza burst through the cascading water, his blade aimed straight for the attacker's throat.
Kunai met sword in a shower of sparks.
"A Kirigakure shinobi, siding with Konoha?" The rogue ninja snarled. "How can you face the souls of those who died for our village?!"
"A deserter like you dares lecture me about loyalty?" Zabuza's arms flexed, driving his sword deeper into the man's shoulder.
"What do you know, you arrogant brat?!" The rogue ninja's veins bulged, his face flushing red. "That battle was a disgrace from the start! Who could've expected them to bring the Three-Tails?!"
Kakashi, locked in combat with Nadare, was struck by an ice pillar and sent skidding back several meters. Instead of retaliating, he whipped his head toward the rogue ninja, eyes blazing.
"What are you talking about?!"
"You wanna know? Too bad! I'm not telling you!" The rogue ninja poured all his strength into his kunai. If Zabuza's blade sank even a few centimeters deeper, he was dead.
"Zabuza, let him speak!" Kakashi barked.
"Who the hell do you think you are?" Zabuza didn't hesitate. His sword plunged into the rogue ninja's body, killing him instantly.
As a Kirigakure shinobi, Zabuza did want to know what had truly happened during that battle with Konoha. But his instincts screamed that the truth would bring no honor to his village—otherwise, this man wouldn't have become a rogue ninja in the first place.
If it were just him and Midorima, he'd have tortured every last word out of the traitor. But with Konoha present? Kirigakure's dirty laundry had no place being aired in front of outsiders—especially Konoha.
Kakashi's frustration burned, but before he could demand answers, an ice spear pierced his shoulder.
"Friendly reminder: Don't get distracted in battle."
In an instant, Nadare closed the distance, slamming a kick into Kakashi's ribs and sending him flying. Just as he moved in for the kill, Midorima intercepted, blocking the fatal strike.
"Kakashi, protect the princess. I'll handle this."
Kakashi couldn't die here.
Not when he'd be such a crucial asset in the battles against Akatsuki later on.
What a waste that would be.
Kakashi nodded, turning toward Koyuki—only to find six Snow ninja already lying unconscious around her.
"What the—?"
He glanced back at Midorima, a hundred questions flashing through his mind.
'This guy fights like this… and he's a medic?'
Midorima had no time to dwell on Kakashi's shock. He charged straight at Nadare.
To him, Nadare was the epitome of wasted potential.
Not weak—even Kakashi would struggle against him, especially with the chakra armor boosting his stats.
But the Hyōton (Ice Release) he relied on? Worthless.
Because Nadare's ice techniques weren't a Kekkei Genkai like Haku's. They depended entirely on Snow Country's frigid climate.
In other words, outside this frozen wasteland, his Hyōton would probably just be Suiton (Water Release).
And water? Everyone could use that.
Bottom line? "Not worth keeping, but a shame to throw away."
But in battle, mediocrity was useless. There was no time to weigh pros and cons.
The outcome was simple: victory or defeat.
And everything Midorima did was for victory.
Seeing his new opponent, Nadare smirked and swiftly formed hand signs. "Hyōton: Kōri Ōkami!" (Ice Release: Ice Wolf)
A massive wolf of ice lunged at Midorima.
Midorima hurled his sword at Nadare, hands already weaving another set of seals. "Suiton: Suigadan no Jutsu!" (Water Release: Water Fang Bullet)
The water pillar clashed with the ice wolf, shattering it into frozen shards. Midorima dashed through the falling debris, closing the gap in an instant.
"Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu!" (Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique)
He spat a condensed sphere of water straight at Nadare.
"You think you can kill me? Dream on!" Nadare leaped back, hands flying through another sequence.
Midorima pursued relentlessly.
"I said—you can't kill me! Hyōton: Haryū Mōko!" (Ice Release: Breaking Dragon Fierce Tiger)
A tiger sculpted from chakra-infused ice materialized, charging at Midorima.
The Water Dragon and Fierce Tiger collided, the shockwave forcing Midorima back—but Nadare seized the opening, thrusting his kunai at Midorima's throat.
Midorima caught Nadare's wrist mid-strike, using the momentum to hurl him into a nearby wall. Before Nadare could recover, Midorima drove a fist into his gut with everything he had.
"You really thought you could win a taijutsu fight?"
After six months of brutal sparring with Zabuza and Mangetsu Hōzuki?
Please.
Midorima stared down at Nadare, now twitching on the ground, eyes rolled back.
He sighed.
What a waste of effort.