Dust filled the air, completely obscuring the vision of Rikka's trio.
"Does this count as a smoke screen?" Rikka joked.
But the people watching could see that Rikka, who had been so relaxed, now wore a grave expression.
As the brains of their formation, Mizuka wouldn't do something so unnecessary. They couldn't just sit here and wait for the worst!
"Break out!" Rikka ordered. The three of them dashed off in different directions, trying to escape the smoke's range as quickly as possible.
Just as Rikka was sprinting at full speed, he suddenly felt a familiar chakra fluctuation.
The chakra swept over his body like radar, but its application was still a bit clumsy, which was how Rikka noticed it.
"This is the Yamanaka clan's secret art, Sensory Perception. This is bad. Our positions are completely exposed!"
Over on Mizuka's side, they couldn't see Rikka's group through the dust either.
But Inoki, who had already retreated behind the traps, detected their movements with his sensory ninjutsu and used the Yamanaka clan's secret art to sync the information with his two teammates.
"Daichi, tie up Might Guy!" Mizuka commanded over their encrypted channel.
"Now that's a tough mission!" Daichi shot forward, charging toward Guy.
"We don't have much time. Hurry!" Mizuka used kunai to precisely harry Guy.
"Inoki, a little faster!" Mizuka said anxiously.
Beside her, Inoki was already too exhausted to stand after using his secret arts continuously. But even now, he was still struggling to gather his chakra.
Because of the dust, Rikka and Kakashi had no idea where the fighting was happening and could only continue their breakout attempt.
*BANG!*
Daichi arrived just in time to intercept Guy before he could escape the dust cloud. The two became locked in a struggle, but as expected, Daichi was knocked to the ground in a few quick moves.
"You just rest here for a bit. I'm breaking through."
"N-No way! This is a mission from the boss!"
Daichi staggered back to his feet.
"If I let you leave... it'll be a real headache for me."
Guy could see that Daichi was in bad shape. The high-intensity use of the Akimichi clan's secret arts, combined with the nonstop fighting, had long since exhausted him.
Daichi painstakingly spread his arms and spoke slowly.
"My mission is to hold you here, so I will absolutely not give up!"
"Alright! I acknowledge your youthfulness! Come, let us fight!" With that, Guy shot forward, his attack carrying immense power.
Daichi managed a strained smile. "I've never used this move before. You'll be the first to experience it."
"Partial Multi-Size Technique!"
*THWUMP!*
A pair of massive hands clenched tightly around Guy--it was Daichi, a trickle of blood escaping the corner of his mouth.
"You three are undeniable geniuses. And Mizuka, Inoki... your talent is something I could never hope to reach, no matter how hard I chased."
"But I know my own use. And that is to be the brain's most solid weapon, to carry out Mizuka's plan without fail!"
"Mizuka, I'm ready," Inoki said in a low voice.
"Daichi, thanks for waiting." Mizuka instantly crouched, formed a hand seal, and in one fluid motion, a shadow shot out from beneath her.
Guy looked at the boy before him with immense admiration.
"I can't use ninjutsu, so I can only improve myself through endless training. But you, you've mastered the Akimichi clan's secret arts at your age. My friend, you are the true genius!"
With that, Guy lowered his head as an unprecedented power erupted from his body.
"Damn it, looks like Guy's getting serious," Rikka said anxiously. "What in the world is happening?!"
Guy's voice boomed. "Then allow me to face you with my strongest..."
Before he could finish, he found he couldn't speak.
"Shadow Imitation Technique, success!" Mizuka said with difficulty. "Inoki, now!"
Inoki silently nodded. "Mind Body Switch Technique!" A bolt of spiritual energy shot straight at Guy. Inoki's body went limp, and he collapsed behind the traps.
"What incredible power!" Guy's voice emerged, but in a tone never heard before.
Mizuka quickly released her Shadow Imitation Technique and commanded, "They're exposed and we're hidden. Take them down one by one!"
"I don't think so!" Rikka leaped high into the air, breaking through the veil of dust. Kakashi emerged from the other side moments later.
The students, who could finally see the whole situation, couldn't help but gasp.
Guy was standing with a dust-covered Daichi and Mizuka, confronting Rikka and Kakashi.
"Crap, Guy's been controlled by the Mind Body Switch Technique!" Rikka said with great interest.
"You three are pretty strong. Using a trap formation to protect Inoki's real body, having Daichi throw a smoke screen, and then using the shadows of the kunai on the ground to extend the range of your Shadow Imitation Technique to control our main fighter with the Mind Body Switch. Truly brilliant."
Hearing the praise, Mizuka felt no happiness at all, because she saw not a hint of panic in her opponent's expression.
Rikka continued, "But can Inoki really use Guy's body perfectly? Or did you think we were that weak?!"
With that, Rikka and Kakashi shot toward the trio. Inoki, in Guy's body, was the first to attack, throwing a fierce straight punch at Rikka's face.
"You're really not holding back. But have you ever trained in the Leaf's Strong Fist?" Rikka easily dodged the heavy blow, then swung his leg in a sweeping kick that landed solidly on Guy's calf, knocking him to the ground.
But Rikka didn't follow up. Instead, he charged straight for the trap formation, knowing that the battle would be over as soon as he controlled Inoki's real body.
Kakashi faced off against Daichi. Daichi was already exhausted, and though his attacks still carried great force, Kakashi's exquisite footwork--so nimble that even Rikka couldn't follow it--had Daichi running in circles.
Finally, Mizuka stood before Rikka.
"Hey there, handsome. I didn't expect you to be this strong," Mizuka said with a flippant tone, but her expression was incredibly grave.
"Of course. This victory is mine for the taking."
"You'll have to get through me first!" Mizuka flew forward.
Unlike Kakashi's unpredictable footwork or Guy's wide, powerful attacks, Mizuka's taijutsu was more like water--fluid and graceful. You could neither hit her nor shake her off.
For a moment, even Rikka's Leaf's Strong Fist couldn't touch her. But relying on his superior physical conditioning, Rikka forced Mizuka back step by step, pushing her toward the trap formation.
"Give up. You have no chance of winning. Behind you is a dense field of exploding tags."
But Mizuka flashed a triumphant, scheming smile that Rikka found somewhat cute.
"Who's the one with exploding tags behind them? I think it's you!" Mizuka twisted her body, preparing to deftly circle behind Rikka.
Seeing this, Rikka knew exactly what she was planning. If she could put him in front of the exploding tags, she could use her Shadow Imitation Technique from behind to make him walk into the trap array without getting hurt herself. The match would be decided then and there.
But Rikka wouldn't let her succeed. The two began to fight fiercely at the edge of the exploding tags. Unbeknownst to them, one of the tags suddenly began to glow, emitting a menacing aura.
Mizuka, still fighting Rikka, didn't notice a thing. But Rikka saw it, and alarm bells screamed in his mind.
"Danger! No holding back!" Rikka's body shuddered, and several kilograms of weights dropped from him, kicking up a cloud of dust as they hit the ground.
"Simple Sage Mode, activate!" A gentle breeze radiated outward from Rikka.
At that moment, Teacher Oshima also saw the perilous situation.
He dashed forward at incredible speed toward Inoki's real body behind the traps and the downed Guy, rescuing them both. But before he could go back for the others--
*BOOM!!!*
The exploding tag detonated. The shockwave sent Kakashi and Daichi flying.
Teacher Oshima had no choice but to immediately erect a simple barrier to protect the surrounding children.
Dust and smoke instantly filled the air.
"Rikka!" Kakashi shouted anxiously.
"Boss! Are you alright?!" Daichi yelled with difficulty.
Rikka held a perfectly safe Mizuka tightly in his arms. He could feel her trembling slightly with fear, so he gently patted her back to soothe her.
"It's okay now. It's okay."
Mizuka nervously opened her eyes, and Rikka's face came into view. She could feel that the boy's back had been severely injured by the immense heat and the shockwave.
Yet he was still trying to comfort her. Tears instantly streamed down Mizuka's face.
Seeing that Mizuka was unharmed, a heavy weight lifted from Rikka's heart. As his Simple Sage Mode deactivated, a wave of exhaustion washed over him, and he passed out cold.
Teacher Oshima rushed toward the two, but on the way, he was shocked to find a small white snake