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Tōji seized the moment to put two more Rock Cannon shots into the head of the Kiri-nin that Raimei had abandoned!

"So courteous—sacrificing a teammate right off the bat."

"Doesn't matter. Kirigakure doesn't need trash." Raimei didn't even spare his teammate a glance. He was already in a fighting stance, no longer giving Tōji any chance to ambush.

Tōji sized up Raimei, who was standing on the water's surface. This guy was most likely a close-combat type.

At Raimei's feet, the Kiri-nin—who was either dead or close to it—was bleeding into the small patch of seawater around him…

A wave pushed in, and the red thinned away…

Tap tap tap tap… Raimei, feeling he had the overwhelming advantage, pressed the attack. He leveled his hand claw and dashed across the water straight at Tōji!

『This guy's not a traditional Kiri-nin…』 Tōji was still analyzing his opponent's type.

Raimei apparently had no villainous habits—no monologuing, no posturing. He just attacked, without wasting a single word.

From Tōji's impression, the most traditional Kiri-nin were assassination types—if conditions weren't right, they'd create the conditions for an assassination.

And holding the small reef was meaningful for Tōji—the rocks would save him chakra on Earth Release jutsu. Of course, it still wasn't as "cost-effective" as fighting on land.

Though Raimei only had a few steps to cover, that time was enough for Tōji to complete the hand seals for the advanced jutsu 【Earth Release: Rock Fist Technique】.

『Captain Kenji's jutsu—first time using it in real combat!』 Tōji thought, raising his heavy arms to meet the attack.

Clang! Clang! Raimei lashed out twice in quick succession with his hand claw, but he couldn't break through the "Rock Fist" defense—only scraping off bits of rock and sparks.

Though Tōji wasn't used to his arms being so heavy, he'd done strength training, so he could handle the two "Rock Fists" with ease.

In fact, it almost looked like Tōji's wild punches were forcing Raimei back.

『B-rank jutsu really are something!』 This was Tōji's first time using a B-rank jutsu, and he was amazed by the obvious boost in power.

But he didn't have much chakra to spare—he kept just enough for his escape.

So Tōji could only swing those "Rock Fists" a few times, just enough to momentarily suppress Raimei…

"Take this!" Tōji deliberately shouted the cringey line, launching what looked like a ferocious "Rock Fist" straight at Raimei's head!

With Tōji's deliberate warning, Raimei had no choice but to dodge—tilting his head back…

Whoosh! Raimei never expected it—Tōji's attack was a feint! Tōji had already used Body Flicker!

But Tōji's target was the Kiri-nin who appeared to be dead!

Raimei was dumbfounded for a split second…

Tōji had already planned it out—he was going for the dead man's tool pouch, so he moved with practiced efficiency!

And after grabbing the goods, he didn't even use them to fight… He just dove back underwater and fled!

Raimei finally caught on—that Konoha chūnin had looked so aggressive, even pulling out what should've been his trump card B-rank jutsu, all just to put on an act!

Rage surged through him. Raimei quickly dove underwater to find Tōji's escape direction—he was still going after him!

Unfortunately for him, at the start, the two Kiri-nin together could barely keep pace with Tōji. Now, alone, he couldn't catch up at all in the short term!

『Chakra's almost bottomed out! Hope that guy isn't too stubborn.』 If Tōji had enough chakra for one more C-rank jutsu and the scavenged tool pouch checked out…

He'd have finished Raimei off right there—no loose ends!