Chapter 121: Chapter 121: Dirty Reputation
"Sss..."
Tatsuma had just shouted when several kunai broke through the wall of flames and flew towards him. Tatsuma performed a spinning dodge, and several kunai appeared in his hand, one less than the number thrown at him.
As for the whereabouts of the last kunai...
"Tatsuma, your shoulder!"
Minato shouted nervously, standing in front of Tatsuma with a kunai in hand, ready to prevent the Rock Ninja from launching another attack.
"It's okay, I'm used to it."
Feeling the pain in his left shoulder, Tatsuma forced a grim smile, sheathed the shuriken in his hand back into his pouch, and then pulled out the kunai embedded in his shoulder.
Forming seals, he used the Mystical Palm Jutsu to accelerate the healing of his shoulder wound, while his eyes watched solemnly as the explosion gradually dissipated in front of him.
These Rock Ninja were definitely an elite team. Faced with the combined ninjutsu of him and Minato, they not only managed timely defense but could also seize the opportunity to counterattack.
The flames dissipated, revealing blackened walls of earth in front of everyone. Traces of shuriken left behind by the shuriken shadow clones could be seen on the walls, but these clones had disappeared due to the heat and impact.
"Rumble..."
At this moment, the earth walls slowly began to settle down. Despite being struck by the shuriken shadow clone jutsu and flames, only about six or seven of the nearly hundred Rock Ninja showed signs of burns or cuts.
Among the Rock Ninja lying on the ground, only three remained. Despite the joint ninjutsu that drained nearly half the chakra of two individuals and took out three Rock Ninja, the faces of Minato, Tatsuma, and some other Konoha Ninja around them turned solemn.
However, the Rock Ninjas didn't look optimistic either. After all, they had unleashed a large amount of ninjutsu to besiege Jiraiya an the others, and now, with the joint defensive earth release, their chakra levels were not in great shape.
"Close in! Rock Ninjas excel in earth release; ninjutsu attacks won't be very effective!"
An Inuzuka Clan ninja shouted before riding his large dog towards the Rock Ninjas team. Minato also turned to Tatsuma behind him and asked, "Tatsuma, are you still able to fight?"
At this point, Tatsuma, whose shoulder was no longer bleeding heavily, nodded and said, "No problem, don't worry."
Minato nodded in response, following the footsteps of the surrounding Konoha Ninjas as they closed in on the Rock Ninjas. Tatsuma reached into his backpack and pulled out a sealed scroll. After unsealing it with hand seals, a chakra short sword fell into his hand.
He quickly rushed towards one of the Rock Ninjas who had been kicked away by the Nin-Dog. The airborne Rock Ninja, upon seeing Tatsuma charging with the short sword, flashed a hint of anxiety on his face and swiftly formed hand seals.
"Earth Release! Hardening Jutsu!"
"Clang!"
As the chakra short sword passed over the Rock Ninja's neck, Tatsuma's hand felt a sudden intense pressure, almost causing him to lose grip of the sword. The Rock Ninja then fell to the ground, feeling the trickle of blood on his neck. A look of astonishment appeared on his face; he had been breached, and by just a kid at that.
Tatsuma saw the injured Rock Ninja and rushed towards him again. The kind of Ninjutsu that could withstand his first strike might not hold up against multiple strikes.
"Earth Release: Rupturing Earth Palm!"
As Tatsuma charged, the Rock Ninja swiftly formed hand seals and slammed his palm onto the ground. The earth between them cracked instantly, and Tatsuma gritted his teeth, casting an envious glance at the Rock Ninja.
"Having more chakra sure is something, huh?!"
Tatsuma formed the Seal of Confrontation with his left hand. While it didn't matter which hand he used, it was customary for everyone to use their right hand for the Seal of Confrontation. However, when it came to assisting in gathering and manipulating chakra for combat, it was more casual.
Activating the Body Flicker Jutsu, Tatsuma swiftly maneuvered over the flying debris without losing balance. It might sound strange, but being injured actually made Tatsuma more meticulous in controlling his body.
Using the Body Flicker to appear in front of the Rock Ninja, Tatsuma thrust the chakra short sword towards him. The Rock Ninja formed hand seals again, then reached out with his right hand to grab the blade of the chakra short sword. In the blink of an eye, earth and rocks condensed on his right hand as well.
"Earth Release: Rock Fist Jutsu!"
Crack~
The chakra short sword embedded in the infiltrating earth was stuck. Tatsuma, not being a pretentious swordsman, simply let go without concern about losing his weapon.
In that moment of release, the grappling balance was disrupted. The Rock Ninja staggered backward, and his right hand inadvertently rose slightly, obscuring his vision just enough.
Seizing the opportunity, Tatsuma thrust his palm towards the Rock Ninja's abdomen. As he was about to make contact, the Rock Ninja finally reacted, pulling back his belly and taking a small step backward to create some distance.
Seeing Tatsuma's short arm failing to reach him, a hint of mockery appeared on the Rock Ninja's face.
"Eight Trigrams: Vacuum Palm!"
Puff~
A small burst of chakra erupted from Tatsuma's palm. However, due to slight adjustments in their positions and the fact that the Rock Ninja had not yet landed, the burst was not aimed at his abdomen but at the holders of his future generations.
Watching as the Rock Ninja's eyes rolled back into their sockets, Tatsuma retrieved his short sword from the crumbling rubble with his right hand and swiftly decapitated the Rock Ninja.
"Konoha's Dragon?!"
At this moment, another Rock Ninja nearby, witnessing the scene, exclaimed in shock. Turning around, they saw the blood spurting from the neck and legs of the opponent facing Tatsuma and cried out, "Jewel Crusher?!"
Tatsuma's expression darkened completely. He never imagined that his nickname, known within the Hidden Sand Village, would also spread to the Hidden Rock Village.
However, it was precisely this kind of reputation that made Tatsuma increasingly convinced of the correctness of Jiraiya's teachings—that a ninja didn't need fame or reputation! He would rather remain unknown than be associated with the title of Jewel Crusher!
Besides, it wasn't intentional every time! His height and arm reach just happened to make it easier for him to strike that particular area of adult ninjas. Could he be blamed for that?!
Just like that last one, if he hadn't jumped, wouldn't he be fine?
Tatsuma, with a darkened face and crimson eyes, glanced at the Rock Ninja who had just been too talkative. Feeling a slight chill down below from Tatsuma's glare, the Rock Ninja also keenly sensed the sweat trickling down their backside.
"Don't come any closer!!!"
The Rock Ninja shouted in their heart, but engrossed in battling a swarm of bugs, there was simply no way for him to escape. He could only watch with wide eyes as Tatsuma initiated the Body Flicker Jutsu, charging toward him.
"Earth Release! Earth Flow Spears!"
The Rock Ninja maneuvered within a small area, but Tatsuma, noticing the bugs around him, abandoned the idea of using Fire Release. After all, in a sense, the bugs were also allies. Instead, he opted for Earth Release to restrain the Rock Ninja's movements.
"Puff~"
However, as the spears of earth rose, the Rock Ninja, by some stroke of luck, ended up sitting on one of the spears. His eyes, too, transformed into the Byakugan, and his mouth silently opened.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~"
Seizing the opportunity, the bugs flew into the mouth of the Rock Ninja, devouring his body from within. Witnessing this scene, Tatsuma halted his Body Flicker steps, looking at the spot where the Rock Ninja had been thrust by the earth spears, feeling at a loss for words.
At that moment, the Aburame Ninja controlling the bugs approached Tatsuma, patting him on the shoulder and saying, "Striking the testicles can indeed instantly incapacitate a male opponent. It's a good fighting style, but remember, don't use it on allies."
"I didn't want to either! And the other one sat on it himself!"
Tatsuma felt utterly helpless. Striking twice, each hit targeting a man's private parts, not only changed the expressions of the Rock Ninjas around him, but even the Konoha Ninjas and Nin-Dogs looked at him strangely.
Far away, on the mountain, Orochimaru, who was resting and recovering under the protection of many ninjas, glanced sideways at Tsunade and asked, "Did you teach him?"
"You know me well. He never learned fighting from me either."
Tsunade spoke firmly, then looked disdainfully at Jiraiya. At this moment, Jiraiya, after receiving treatment from Tsunade and taking some medicine brought by the support team, had recovered slightly. At least he could open his eyes now.
His neck, which had been heavy and immobile, somehow gained strength, and Jiraiya began to shake it wildly. He struggled to explain, "It wasn't me... it was Sakumo-senpai! It must have been him! Don't forget Sakumo-senpai's..."
Upon hearing this, Orochimaru and Tsunade both recalled Sakumo Hatake's Secret Taijutsu. Although they hadn't experienced it themselves, they had witnessed it. In an instant, both of them realized and nodded in agreement. This style indeed seemed like something Sakumo-senpai would teach.
"Ah-choo!"
At the Konoha Hospital, Sakumo Hatake, who was undergoing pre-marital check-ups with his fiancée, suddenly sneezed. He shuddered, feeling that something ominous was about to happen.
"Sakumo-sama!"
At that moment, the door to the hospital room opened, and a medical ninja walked out, looking anxious. Sakumo Hatake's heart skipped a beat, and he jumped up from his chair, nervously watching the medical ninja.
The ominous feeling in his heart grew stronger and stronger. Under his tense gaze, the medical ninja said, "Sakumo-sama, you're going to be a father!"
Sakumo Hatake snatched the report from the medical ninja's hand and looked at it himself.
Seeing that his fiancée was pregnant, a smile couldn't help but appear on his face. Indeed, there was finally some progress in the matter of making babies during the six months of idle time in the village.
Just then, a roar echoed from deep within the hospital.
"This is youth! The youth of Might Duy shall be inherited by my son!!!"
Upon hearing the distant voice, Sakumo Hatake remembered the enthusiastic Genin he occasionally saw in front of the Hokage's building and at the training ground. He murmured, "Did Duy have a boy?"
Just as Sakumo Hatake was about to go in and have a chat with his fiancée and then congratulate Might Duy, at that moment, a figure suddenly flipped in through the window at the end of the hospital corridor.
Seeing the newcomer dressed in ANBU attire with a mask on their face, Sakumo Hatake's expression darkened. ANBU should not appear in such a manner in a hospital with so many people, unless something major had happened!
The ANBU approached Sakumo Hatake and whispered softly, "The Hokage urgently summons you. Tsunade requests aid, and troops are being deployed to the Land of Lightning."
Sakumo Hatake nodded and looked at the medical ninja examining his fiancée's body, saying, "Keep silent, and thank you."
With those words, the medical ninja nodded silently, but Sakumo Hatake and the ANBU ninja had already disappeared, leaving the report back in his hands.
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