CH_40

The steam from the water-fire clash hadn't even dissipated yet, and the Iwa-nin and Rawari were already locked in combat.

The Iwa-nin followed the traditional Iwa style—【Earth Release: Hardening Technique】 coating both arms, holding a kunai in each hand, sticking to a taijutsu-focused approach.

Rawari, on the other hand, wielded a special dagger over twenty centimeters long in one hand and a kunai in the other, clashing with his opponent in a rapid clang-clang-clang exchange.

Rawari was short and stocky, and every strike carried heavy power. The Iwa-nin, lean by the standards of Iwa's typically bulky fighters, would've been unable to withstand Rawari's slashing force if not for the 【Hardening Technique】 protecting his arms.

The other fight was more precarious. That Iwa jōnin could use both Water Release and Earth Release, while the injured Konoha jōnin had Earth Release and Fire Release.

Because both his arms were injured, the Konoha jōnin avoided close combat entirely, trading jutsu volleys with his opponent from a distance.

The sole surviving Konoha chūnin could only offer occasional support to the wounded jōnin.

『Don't fall apart on us!』 At this rate, things wouldn't end well. But the genin on that side hadn't made any moves, so Tōji didn't want to stick his neck out—he could only inwardly fret.

Over here, Rawari only had Water Release—which was weak against Earth Release. He had only a slight edge in taijutsu, plus a couple of low-level genjutsu he wasn't very skilled at. The fight had quickly turned into a stalemate.

『Can't help over there—but can I intervene here with Rawari…』 Tōji was calculating how he could be useful while keeping himself safe. Sitting around waiting for death wasn't his style either.

"Over there… that jōnin-senpai looks like he's losing. What should we do?" Natchi asked Tōji, as if he'd gotten used to relying on his opinion in situations like this.

"Let's focus on how we can help Rawari first. There's already a chūnin over there helping out." Tōji wasn't optimistic about that side. Purely rationally speaking, it was best to leave that alone for now.

As long as Rawari could take down his opponent here, things would still be stable.

"Ah!" Just a few exchanges later, a cry of pain came from the other side. The other Konoha jōnin had a kunai stuck in his left arm!

『Did he get caught off guard in the jutsu exchange?』

Tōji wanted to help too—but his actual combat ability was around chūnin level, and on the weaker side in terms of total chakra reserves.

He put the other fight out of his mind. In his hand, he'd quietly readied a kunai—and coated it with a bit of poison he'd collected from the front lines over the past few days. He focused, searching for an opening to catch Rawari's opponent off guard.

"Ah!" Another scream from the other jōnin…

『Now!』 Tōji seized the moment as Rawari's opponent momentarily glanced away—and threw several kunai in quick succession, one of which was the poisoned one!

Thunk! Thunk! Under Tōji's watchful gaze, two of his kunai struck Rawari's opponent. One of them was the poisoned one.

『Got him!』 This poison's main effect was paralysis—only lethal in large doses. But Tōji figured the problem was mostly solved.

When he looked back at the other fight, though, he saw that things had gone very wrong.

The other Konoha jōnin was coughing up blood. He'd clearly been closed in on by his Iwa opponent and struck in the chest with a "Rock Fist"!

"He can't hold on much longer!" Tōji muttered. What came to mind wasn't how to save his comrade—but how much longer that comrade could hold the enemy off for everyone else…

That jōnin, clearly on the verge of collapse, was now spamming jutsu recklessly to force his opponent back…