Chapter 234
"Oh no, everyone, get out of here quickly!" Seeing the incoming attack, Kakashi's expression changed instantly as he shouted urgently.
Before he could make a move, Chinatsu quickly stepped forward. She formed a hand seal, released a restriction, and then spewed out three enormous fire dragons, nearly identical to Fujiwara Kirito's.
Six massive fire dragons clashed mid-air.
The entire cave trembled violently, and with the barrier already removed, the ceiling collapsed under the impact.
Sunlight poured in, illuminating the entire battlefield.
"Hey, hey, this girl is something else." Deidara let out a whistle of admiration as he observed the aftermath.
"She can actually use a Fire Release jutsu on par with Brother Kirito's shadow clone. Hmm."
Sasori, however, paid no attention to Chinatsu. His gaze remained locked on Chiyo, just as hers was locked on him.
The grandmother and grandson stood across from each other, their expressions unreadable, emotions far too complicated to put into words.
Kirito's golden eyes flashed with admiration as he looked at Chinatsu.
"You're quite capable."
As he spoke, his right hand quietly grasped his Zanpakutō.
Just as Chiyo glanced at him from the corner of her eye, he whispered in his heart:
"Shatter it—Kyōka Suigetsu."
With no one noticing, his illusion was activated.
Kirito's voice lowered to where only Chinatsu and Karin could hear him.
"Karin, use your Diamond Seal to block my next move. Then, you and Chinatsu leave this place immediately."
Hearing this, Chinatsu and Karin exchanged glances before subtly nodding in agreement.
Meanwhile, Kirito casually swung his sword, sending out a green crescent-shaped blade of wind.
It ripped through the air, tearing apart the earth beneath it, streaking toward Chinatsu and the others like a lightning-fast guillotine.
"Little girl, you can't block this move."
Seeing the incoming attack, Kakashi's face paled.
Without hesitation, he formed seals at double speed and slammed his palm onto the ground.
"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"
A massive stone wall rose from the ground, featuring a carved dog's face at its center.
However—
The slash shattered the wall instantly.
"Damn it!" Kakashi's heart sank.
Just as the attack was about to cut them down, Karin suddenly stepped forward.
A white light flashed from her lower back, and five diamond-like chains shot out.
They interlocked and overlapped, forming a barrier that intercepted Kirito's attack.
With a sharp shriek, the chains forcefully deflected the blade of wind, sending it hurtling toward the sky.
The already weakened cave ceiling finally collapsed completely, leaving nothing but open sky above.
"So… awesome…"
Sakura stood frozen, cold sweat trickling down her forehead.
Her pupils were dilated, and her voice trembled in shock.
Kirito smirked.
"The Uzumaki clan's Diamond Seal, huh?"
"No wonder Tsunade let you follow the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki."
Kirito's gaze sharpened as he took a step forward.
"I didn't expect you to master this technique so quickly."
"It looks like today won't be so boring after all."
"But this cave is too small."
"Let's go somewhere more spacious."
With a single leap, Kirito vanished from sight, reappearing at the top of the cliff above the cave.
Karin immediately turned to Kakashi.
"Senior Kakashi, Sakura, Naruto, Granny Chiyo, I'll leave these two enemies to you!"
"Chinatsu and I will deal with that extremely dangerous guy."
Without waiting for an answer, she and Chinatsu sprinted after Kirito.
"These two…"
Kakashi shouted after them, his head aching.
"Karin! Chinatsu! Don't chase too far!"
"Got it!"
With that, they disappeared.
Deidara clicked his tongue as he watched them leave.
"Tch, they actually blocked Brother Kirito's attack."
"Looks like Konoha's ninjas aren't as weak as I thought. Hmm."
"But it's all in vain."
Deidara glanced at Sasori.
"Even if he's just a shadow clone, those two can't win against Brother Kirito."
"He's the strongest in Akatsuki besides the leader. Hmm."
Deidara suddenly threw a clay bird into the air, forming a hand seal.
Bang!
The bird grew in size, turning into a massive clay bird.
"Alright, Brother Sasori, it's time for us to move."
"But you'd better not get mad later, hmm."
Sasori's amber eyes narrowed.
"…Are you planning to take my target?"
He extended the Amber Puppet's tail, aiming at Deidara.
Deidara grinned.
"Of course. That's why I told you not to get mad."
As he spoke, the clay bird swallowed Gaara's body whole before flying into the sky.
"BASTARD! Give Gaara back!"
Naruto roared in fury, his eyes burning red, before chasing after Deidara.
Kakashi sighed.
"They really love rushing into things…"
Then, he turned his gaze to Sasori, the only Akatsuki member left in the cave.
"Sakura, Chiyo—stay here and deal with him."
"I'll go support Naruto."
"I understand."
Sakura swallowed hard.
And so, the battlefield split into three fronts:
Chiyo & Sakura vs. Sasori
Kakashi & Naruto vs. Deidara
Kirito vs. Chinatsu & Karin
Above the Cave
The moment they were out of sight, Chinatsu leaped into Kirito's arms.
"Kirito!"
Kirito smiled wryly, catching her mid-air.
"I think it'd be better if you called me Dad."
He spun her around playfully before setting her down.
Karin hesitated.
"Wait… isn't this just your shadow clone?"
Chinatsu rolled her eyes.
"How could that be?!"
"I would NEVER hug any other man besides Kirito!"
"Even if it was his shadow clone."
Karin narrowed her eyes.
"But then… why did Lord Kirito say that before?"
Chinatsu smirked.
"Obviously, we're fooling that mud-obsessed idiot and that love-starved puppet-man."
"And if we didn't fake it, the Akatsuki leader would have ordered Kirito to capture Naruto."
"Right, Dad?"
At the end of her speech, Chinatsu pouted cutely, leaning forward.
She nudged her cheek against his, clearly expecting a kiss.
Kirito sighed, ruffling her hair before pecking her forehead.
"Hehe~"
Chinatsu giggled happily.
But the moment Kirito let go, Karin's eyes gleamed.
She immediately launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around him.
"Lord Kirito!"
Kirito froze, his expression twitching.
"Yep. Karin is still Karin."
(End of this chapter)