"Whew!"
Kyohiko panted heavily.
Whether it was the earlier large-scale Water Wall or the powerful Strength of a Hundred technique, both consumed a significant amount of chakra. At this point, his chakra reserves only allowed him to perform one more attack of similar magnitude.
It was a pity that no one in their team specialized in Lightning or Earth Release.
If only they had brought Kakashi along!
Kyohiko cursed inwardly.
He scanned the surroundings.
Minato had already taken down most of the enemies, but...
"They're coming!"
Kurenai's pupils contracted.
Then...
Crack!
The ground split open, and three figures charged at them.
She immediately formed hand seals.
Naraku Clone!
In an instant, illusions and clones filled the area, making it difficult for the enemies to discern the real targets.
Following that, the chakra exploded.
Clone Explosion!
"Ha!"
Gai kicked away one of the attackers.
However.
Bam!
The opponent blocked his kick with ease.
Immediately after, more figures emerged from the ground.
"Some of them are Earth Clones."
Kurenai, maintaining her strongest sensory abilities, quickly relayed the information.
"Gai, Kurenai, their target is us!"
Kyohiko's expression turned serious as he teleported to Kurenai's side.
He was still thinking when—
Suddenly, he sensed an unusual vibration from the ground.
Not good!
Kyohiko placed his hand on Kurenai's shoulder and instantly teleported away, leaping toward the forest behind them.
Although Gai reacted a beat slower, his body moved almost simultaneously with Kyohiko's, dodging the earth spikes and even kicking apart an Earth Clone in the process.
But.
In that moment, three or four figures shot out from beneath Kyohiko, charging at him and Kurenai with incredible speed.
Kyohiko instantly understood—
Their target was him!!
An elite jonin.
He couldn't fight head-on!
As Kyohiko was pondering, stone pillars began to rise around him, accompanied by strange noises. It was hard to tell exactly what they were, but one thing was clear—
The enemy was determined to kill him!
He had to run, fast!
"Let's go!"
He grabbed Kurenai.
At this point, Kyohiko couldn't afford to hold back.
First Gate, open!
Then...
Teleport and run!
With his Grandmaster-level Body Flicker Techniques and the enhanced physical control, performance, and speed from opening the First Gate, Kyohiko instantly covered a great distance, heading straight toward Minato's location.
So fast!
The three Iwa-nin were shocked.
How could a genin be this fast?
No wonder!
Their determination to kill him grew even stronger.
"Kyohiko, leave me and run! Their target is you!"
Kurenai was frantic.
Against Iwa jonin, her genjutsu was completely ineffective. She was nothing but a burden.
"Don't worry."
Kyohiko whispered.
Just as the three jonin were about to catch up to him...
Suddenly.
He released Kurenai on a tree branch.
Then, he teleported and drew his blade—
Swoosh!
By the time they could react, Kyohiko was already a dozen steps away.
One of the three clutched his neck, his face filled with fear and pain.
Such a fast blade!
For a moment, he thought he had seen the White Fang.
He had to die!
Otherwise, Konoha's future...
It would be terrifying!
He might become like the White Fang, dominating an era and becoming a blade hanging over everyone's heads!
"Whew—"
Kyohiko gasped for breath.
The White Fang's blade technique for ambushes and assassinations was indeed highly effective.
As long as the timing and speed were right, defeating a stronger opponent wasn't a miracle.
Facing a jonin, he didn't dare hold back. Even if the effects of the First Gate wore off, he could immediately open the Second Gate to recover temporarily.
But.
If he could avoid it, it was better...
Not to open it.
Gai was entangled by several Earth Clones and couldn't break free, but seeing Kyohiko exhausted, he suddenly increased his speed, breaking away and rushing toward Kyohiko.
At that moment.
"Minato-senpai, if you don't come soon, I'm really going to die."
"Sorry, dealing with the enemies took some time."
Minato, covered in blood, appeared beside him, his kunai dripping with blood.
He glanced at the remaining two.
"Does Iwa want to start a war with Konoha?"
"..."
The two wanted to flee, but in the next moment, Minato was already beside them. The one protecting Kyohiko was just a shadow clone.
A massive chakra sphere formed in his hand.
Giant Rasengan!
Boom!
A loud explosion.
The two were forced to leap away.
Minato moved like lightning, teleporting several times. The two looked shocked and incredulous.
So fast!
Why are Konoha ninja so strong?
Blood splattered.
The two slowly collapsed.
After continuous battles, even Minato couldn't hide his exhaustion, but he remembered what he had just seen from Kyohiko.
That speed...
It was too fast!
It almost surpassed the limits of what the body could achieve.
Could it be a forbidden technique?
He was still deep in thought.
Kyohiko stood up, exhausted.
He had recovered from the initial effects of opening the First Gate.
Gai was also panting heavily beside him.
Although he had opened the First Gate but hadn't had the chance to fight, his stamina and strength were still significantly drained, requiring some time to recover.
Minato looked at the two.
"Did you two learn the same forbidden technique?"
"Forbidden technique?"
Kurenai was slightly stunned, looking at Kyohiko and Gai.
They...
Used a forbidden technique?
"To solve the problem of uncontrollable speed, I've read many books. The Second Hokage's notes mentioned the idea of unlocking brain restrictions, pointing to the First Gate among the body's Eight Gates."
Kyohiko answered.
He was telling the truth.
In the research notes Tsunade had retrieved, there was indeed a mention of the connection between the First Gate and the brain. The Second Hokage had made conjectures but hadn't delved deeper into the research.
As for how Kyohiko mastered it, that was a "classified" matter.
"The First Gate?"
Minato's expression turned serious. "Researching such a dangerous technique on your own is too reckless! Gai, what about you?"
"Uh, my father taught me. He's been researching it for over a decade and can apparently open many gates now. I'm not too sure about the details."
"!!!"
Minato was at a loss for words.
Gai's father, if he remembered correctly, was named Might Dai, a genin who had failed to be promoted for many years.
Then there was Kyohiko, at most eight years old, who had managed to master the method of opening the First Gate based on the Second Hokage's partial notes.
Are all the genin in our village this strong?
But.
Minato wouldn't forget to give a necessary reminder.
"This is a forbidden technique."
"My father warned me to only use it when I need to protect someone."
Might Gai replied.
"I understand its drawbacks and won't use it recklessly."
Kyohiko changed the subject. "Senpai, could these people be Iwa-nin?"
"It's hard to say."
Minato looked around.
His shadow clone was using a sealing scroll to clean up the scene, and while many traces were found, he couldn't easily conclude that these people were from Iwa.
Earth Release wasn't exclusive to Iwa.
What if another village had sent people to assassinate them, hoping to incite conflict between Konoha and Iwa...
"Let's gather as much evidence as possible, erase the traces of battle, and leave the rest for sensei to judge."
Minato stopped overthinking.
Kyohiko nodded.
While helping to collect items and clean up the area, he thought to himself—
These people attacked in the Land of Hot Water, but their target was him. It wasn't necessarily Iwa behind this.
However.
With the Chunin Exams approaching and the gathering of various villages due to the Land of Waves' neutrality, it wouldn't be far-fetched to accuse Iwa of attempting to sabotage cooperation. It might even escalate into a serious diplomatic incident.
I'll discuss it with sensei later!