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Chapter 441 - 441: Extortion (Part 1)
With a furious roar, Nawaki didn't hesitate for a second. He flung Fourth A aside and immediately flashed away, retreating from the battlefield.
He had heard from Kawakaze about the power of One-Fingered Assault.
Kawakaze could withstand it, but he wasn't so sure about himself.
Besides, he was already struggling with how to hold back—there was no need to test One-Fingered Assault's power with his own life.
As Nawaki retreated, the large-scale Water Prison collapsed instantly, covering the entire battlefield with a shallow layer of rippling water.
Now back in human form, Nawaki leaned on Samehada, gasping for breath as if he had exerted himself greatly.
"Retreat."
Third A wasted no time. He grabbed Fourth A and Killer Bee, one in each hand like they were mere chicks, and swiftly withdrew.
"Don't pursue."
Ōnoki watched the retreating Kumo ninja and gave the order to the Iwa forces.
At this moment, he was filled with regret.
If he had just pushed a little harder, could he have stopped Third A?
"Are you okay?"
As he approached Nawaki, Ōnoki suppressed his emotions, his voice gentle and carrying the air of an elder.
"Heh, my secret techniques still need work."
"I'll be fine after resting for a bit."
Nawaki casually spouted nonsense. He hadn't actually expended much energy at all.
"That's good. We owe you one."
Ōnoki intended to pat Nawaki on the shoulder, but since he wasn't tall enough, he awkwardly withdrew his hand.
"Just doing my part."
"It's a shame those two managed to escape with Third Raikage."
Nawaki stabbed Samehada into the ground with force, earning a disgruntled vibration from the sword.
"You've already done well. Next time, we'll definitely finish them off."
Ōnoki suppressed his frustration and offered words of encouragement.
If you hadn't been playing around, just toying with your opponents, you would've taken both of them down already, you brat.
"Yeah, let's go."
Nawaki straightened up and waited for Ōnoki to take the lead.
"Alright."
Ōnoki didn't say anything more and led his troops back to camp.
This time, with Konoha's involvement, Nawaki had thoroughly beaten up the AB combo, marking Iwa's first small victory in the war.
On the way back, the morale of the Iwa ninja was visibly improving.
Even the wounded spoke with newfound energy.
Upon returning to camp, Nawaki made sure Konoha's injured were taken care of before saying his farewells to Ōnoki and heading to his own tent.
...
Before long, Ginji and the others gathered around him.
After this battle, Konoha's newest generation had made their mark.
The Iwa ninja no longer looked down on them. Their gazes were now filled with respect—respect for the strong.
"I honestly thought Konoha was just playing around, sending a bunch of kids."
"Who knew they'd be so terrifying?"
"Did you see that silver-haired kid? His Lightning Release Kenjutsu was insane! He must've taken down at least eighteen—no, twenty Kumo ninja."
"Not just him—the Green Beast kid fought like he was filled with explosives!"
"To have that level of taijutsu at his age... he's a little monster."
"And that cute little girl? Don't let her looks fool you—she fights with snakes!"
"Tsk tsk... she bit through a whole squad."
"That red-eyed brat, too—he's absurdly fast."
"And that white-haired kid wasn't bad either. I've never seen someone use their hair as a weapon before."
The Iwa ninja whispered among themselves as Ginji and the others experienced, for the first time, what it was like to be in the spotlight.
"So? How does it feel?"
Nawaki sat on his bed, casually tossing Samehada to the side.
"Eh, not bad. The Kumo ninja aren't that scary."
Ginji's smug expression earned him a round of eye rolls from his teammates.
"It's you, senpai, who went easy today."
Satsuki scooted closer to Nawaki, snickering.
"Stop talking nonsense. I was exhausted."
"Exhausted, understand?"
Nawaki stuck to his story. No matter who asked, he would insist that he gave it his all.
Didn't they see how weak he looked when he got back? He even needed to lean on Samehada to walk!
"Sure, sure. Exhausted."
Nawaki's response made Minato laugh even louder than Satsuki.
"Did you all witness my youthful bloom?"
Kai struck a pose, brimming with pride. He had scored the second-highest kill count after Ginji.
"Impressive."
His teammates humored him with thumbs-ups.
"Nawaki-senpai, is there ever a time when the ninja world will know peace?"
Shisui's voice was soft, but his gaze was unwavering as he looked up at Nawaki.
After experiencing battle firsthand, he now truly understood how cruel war was.
"Don't worry, that day will come."
Nawaki ruffled Shisui's hair, just as his brother-in-law used to do for him.
...
After chatting for a while, the younger ones bid farewell. They still had to boast about their achievements to the other Konoha ninja.
These second-generation elites were already popular among their comrades, and now, after saving so many lives today, they were practically heroes.
"Heh..."
Watching them leave, Nawaki couldn't help but recall his own first time on the battlefield with Minato.
Time flies. Life is like a song.
These were the kinds of memories that would stay with them forever.
By the next morning, Nawaki had fully recovered, his energy back to peak levels.
Just after breakfast, an Iwa ninja arrived to summon him.
"Lord Nawaki, Lord Tsuchikage requests your presence for a meeting."
This time, the Iwa ninja bowed even lower than before.
It was the kind of respect that only came from strength.
"Alright, lead the way."
Nawaki got up, dusted himself off, and waved goodbye to the little ones before following.
Led by the Iwa ninja, Nawaki soon arrived at Ōnoki's tent.
Upon entering, he found Ōnoki alone inside.
"Lord Tsuchikage," 𝓃𝓸𝓋𝓅𝓾𝒷.𝒸ℴ𝓂
Nawaki greeted him before sitting cross-legged across from him.
"Have some tea."
Ōnoki didn't mind Nawaki's casual demeanor—after all, the young shinobi was here to help, not as a subordinate.
"Thanks."
Nawaki took a sip but couldn't tell if it was good or bad.
He never cared much for tea. Misaki's 'drinks' were still the best.
"Heroes emerge young. Your strength truly surprised me."
"Konoha is incredibly lucky to have you."
Ōnoki immediately began his flattery.
Even though Nawaki knew he was just being buttered up, he still enjoyed hearing it.
"Not really. I'm lucky that I was born in Konoha."
He corrected Ōnoki's perspective. He didn't believe he could have reached this level in any other village.
"You worked hard in this battle."
"Would you like an assistant next time?"
Ōnoki got straight to the point.
In his mind, if Nawaki's abilities were paired with an Iwa ninja skilled in restrictive techniques, taking down the AB combo would be a sure thing.
"No need. I don't like coordinating with others."
"If there's no natural synergy, 1+1 won't always be greater than 2."
"You probably don't know this, but the only person I have real synergy with is Minato."
Nawaki took another sip of tea, flatly rejecting Ōnoki's proposal.
Are you kidding me? If you add another person, how am I supposed to go easy on them?
