Chapter 15: Enemy Ninjas (3)

Kenji fought on valiantly. The students picked the three genin apart like a well-oiled machine, but there was a problem. The ninjas they faced –while on the weaker side of the scale– were still leagues above them in terms of chakra reserves. The students had managed to catch them off guard with their teamwork but they lacked the strength to deal a decisive blow to any one of them. Now their chakra was flagging and their main spearhead in this attack was feeling the effects of whatever this newfound power was.

He dodged another kunai before returning with a slash of his own. Kenji liked to think he was brave, but things were starting to look really bad. They had been fighting and holding on for what felt like hours at this point and their teacher still hadn't come to rescue them.

Haruka, one of the guerilla students, slid next to him after delivering a blow, her own breaths short and choppy. "Kenji, our chakra... it's almost drained," she gasped, wiping sweat from her brow.

Takumi, a front liner, grimaced as he clutched a wound on his arm. "We need a new plan," he said, desperation creeping into his tone. "We're outmatched here."

Kenji nodded, feeling the weight of leadership heavy on his shoulders. "Listen up," he called out. "We've trained for this. Remember what Mukai-sensei taught us about teamwork and strategy. We can't outfight them, but we can delay them."

“Only focus on defense.”

"But Kenji, what if sensei doesn't make it in time?" Another said, voicing the dread they all felt.

Kenji clenched his fists, the green glow around him waning. "Then we'll make sure we can hold on until he does. He's counting on us as much as we're counting on him. We won't let Mukai-sensei down."

‘Tch’ He flinched, he could still feel the slashes that decorated his body as he moved. He observed the green glow that laced his body start to fade and flicker. He had no idea how he hadn't bled out yet but if this green glow had anything to do with it he didn't have very long left before it was almost gone. “Just where are you teacher Mukai” He mumbled through grit teeth as they fought on.

–

In the expanse of the forest, Mukai flickered through the trees without regard for his chakra expenditure. Usually, he left barely a whisper of sound as he moved, however, for the sake of his students he crashed and boomed through the forest. The world around him blurred into streaks of green and brown as he accelerated, his focus locked on. His chakra flowed unimpeded, adhering his feet to the bark as he leaped from one giant trunk to another. He grimaced as he thoughts drifted to what his students might be going through.

As Mukai rounded a particularly dense thicket, his senses suddenly screamed a warning. Time seemed to slow as he spotted the object laying on the ground. It was a spherical object wrapped in chakra, pulsating with a faint but menacing energy. The genins must have thrown it in his path, an attempt to further separate them.

Mukai's eyes widened with realization ‘Is that a!-’ 

But his body was already committed to the forward momentum. With split-second decision-making, he attempted to alter his trajectory, trying to twist his body away from the impending collision. But it was too late. The object exploded into a blinding array of light and energy, expanding into a solid fuinjutsu barrier right in front of him.

The impact was sudden and unforgiving. Mukai's body slammed into the chakra-infused barrier with a force that knocked the wind out of him. The world spun wildly as he rebounded off the formation, his body contorting unnaturally as he struggled to regain control. Pain lanced through him as he crashed through branches and foliage, the forest itself seeming to turn against him as he tumbled uncontrollably.

For a moment, he lay dazed on the forest floor, his breath coming in ragged gasps. Above him, the canopy swayed gently, a stark contrast to the chaos of his descent. His mind raced, analyzing the situation even as he fought to steady his breathing. The genins had outsmarted him, a fact that stung his pride as much as his body ached from the fall.

Mukai shook his head to clear it. He dusted himself off as he stood, his gaze locked onto the vast structure before him. The barrier was colossal, stretching endlessly from left to right, dominating the landscape. He had never seen a barrier seal artifact in person. His brows furrowed as he pondered the situation.

‘How were a group of some upstart genin able to afford such a thing.’ He clenched his fist ‘Just what is Danzo playing at…’

Mukai's mind raced as he evaluated the barrier. Its sheer size was overwhelming, a testament to the power and skill of its creators. It was said only fuinjutsu Grandmasters were able to create artifacts.

Undeterred, Mukai decided to test the barrier's strength. Focusing his chakra, he performed the hand seals for the Fireball Jutsu. A massive orb of flame erupted from his mouth, hurtling towards the barrier with destructive intent. The fireball collided with the wall of energy, illuminating the forest with its bright light. But the barrier held firm, the flames dissipating upon impact without leaving so much as a mark.

Frustrated but not defeated, Mukai then tried a different approach. He gathered his chakra, focusing it into his legs before unleashing the Leaf Hurricane. With incredible speed, he launched himself towards the barrier, his body spinning with lethal force. He was a blur of motion, a vortex of energy aimed directly at the seemingly impenetrable wall.

But again, the barrier stood strong. Mukai's attack, powerful as it was, seemed insignificant against the vast energy that composed the wall. He landed gracefully on the ground, his eyes never leaving the barrier, his mind working furiously to find a solution.

Realizing that brute force would not suffice, Mukai contemplated a different strategy. He would try what had quickly become his bread and butter since coming to this world.

He performed the Substitution Jutsu, aiming to swap places with the air just behind the barrier. If successful, this would allow him to bypass the physical and energetic defenses that had ended his previous attempts.

Mukai vanished, but as the smoke cleared, he found himself still on the same side of the barrier. The wall of energy, it seemed, was impervious not just to physical attacks but to more subtle techniques as well.

In that moment of repeated failure, something within Mukai stirred—a deep frustration mixed with rage at his helplessness. The safety of his students, the role he had taken upon himself as their teacher, everything was at stake. The forest around him seemed to echo his inner dialogue, the leaves rustled with a sense of urgency, and the earth beneath his feet seemed to vibrate.

His mind became a whirlpool.

‘Here I am, trying to save my students. And nobody seems to care, not Hiruzen –theirs no way he wasn't watching. Not Danzo, hell, he put them in danger with whatever plot for power this was. Not anyone! And here I am. Stuck.’

His head was in his hands now. 

‘How am I supposed to prepare my students for the eventual war if they all die from this weakness? How am I going to live with myself knowing I couldn't get to them only because I was insufficient?’

His heart thundered in his chest, not just with the exertion of his efforts but with something more profound, more potent. It was a realization, a recognition of who he was and what he meant to those who depended on him. He wasn't just a ninja; he was their teacher, their guide, their protector. They depended on him, not just for their education but at this moment for their very lives.

This realization, this acceptance of his role, ignited something within Mukai, a spark that rapidly grew into a roaring inferno. His chakra surged, responding to the unspoken command of his newfound resolve. It was as if the very essence of his being had found its true purpose, its true form. Mukai felt a shift within him, a transformation not just of power but of spirit.

A familiar beep filled his ears. The system, always observant, recognized this moment in Mukai's journey:

{ A Student has unlocked their INTENT. }

{ The first step to a DOMAIN. }

{ Intent: The Teacher }

{ Congratulations Boy…}

The words flashed through Mukai's mind. a confirmation of the change that had taken place within him. If he wasn't in a hurry he would have noticed that he could almost hear the last line of that message. But this was no time for reflection; there were students to save, a mission to complete.

He approached the barrier again, but this time, his movements were different. They were infused with a newfound strength. Mukai concentrated his chakra once again.

Then, with a cry that echoed through the forest, a manifestation of his will, he unleashed the Leaf Hurricane once more. But this time, it was different.

The Leaf Hurricane collided with the barrier, and for a moment, the world held its breath. Then, with a sound like the breaking of chains, the barrier shattered, disintegrating under the force of Mukai's attack. The fragments of energy dissipated into the air, leaving a clear path forward.

Mukai didn't pause to marvel at his success; there was no time for that. With his students' safety on the line, he burst forward, and the forest blurred around him once again.

–

As the battle waged on, Kenji and the students, driven by sheer determination and the adrenaline of conflict, clashed against the three enemy genin with all the might their young bodies could muster. They moved with a synchronicity born of desperation, their attacks a blend of learned skill and instinctive survival. But even the fiercest fire dwindles without fuel – in this case, chakra – and slowly, the vigor that propelled these young warriors began to ebb.

Kenji, his breaths coming in ragged gasps, could feel the strength draining from his limbs with each movement. The slashes and thrusts that once felt sharp and swift now seemed sluggish, his body a step behind his mind. His classmates, too, were visibly struggling, their coordinated attacks losing the crispness they had at the battle's outset.

The enemy genin, sensing the shift, pressed their advantage with renewed ferocity. They were older, more experienced, and though they too bore injuries, their reservoirs of chakra were not nearly as low.

"We can't... keep this up..." gasped one of Kenji's classmates, his face pale. Sweat and blood mixing with the dirt on his cheeks.

Kenji wanted to respond, to rally his friends once again with words of encouragement, but the pain from his wounds and the exhaustion clouding his mind made it hard to speak. He could see the growing despair in his friends' eyes, mirroring his own fear. 'Is this how it ends?' he wondered, the thought a heavy stone in his heart. 'Have we fought only to die here, in this corner of the forest?'

As the enemy closed in on the tired students, ready to deliver the final blows, a sudden, powerful gust of wind swept through the clearing, sending leaves and debris into a chaotic dance. A figure, swift as the tempest itself, descended from the canopy above.

Mukai, their teacher, had arrived.

A/N: Read ahead on P@treon: patreon.com/lorelinguist