Kicked Over in One Hit!
14: Chapter 14: A Ninja Bear?
Kicked Over in One Hit!
It had just gotten dark.
At the entrance to the back hill, six figures gathered together.
Guy scanned them.
Kakashi, Obito, Kurenai, Rin, and…
“Ebisu?” Guy blinked.
“What are you doing here?” “I ran into Ebisu-kun on the way here,” Kurenai said quietly.
Ebisu snorted.
“This great one is only here to supervise you, to prevent you from committing acts that bring shame to the Ninja Academy!” Obito curled his lip.
“Just say you’re scared.” “Who’s scared?!” “Then why are your legs shaking?” “That’s…
that’s an elite shinobi’s warm-up exercise!” Guy couldn’t be bothered to listen to them argue.
He turned to look at Kakashi.
Kakashi nodded and walked deeper into the forest.
“Let’s go.” The moonlight was thin.
The six of them groped their way into the mountains in the dark, leaves and dry twigs crunching underfoot.
Kurenai followed behind Guy, clutching her kunai, her knuckles white.
Guy looked back at her.
“Scared?” Kurenai shook her head, then nodded.
Guy grinned and gave a thumbs-up.
“It’s fine.
I’ve got youth.” Kurenai blinked.
The corners of her mouth lifted.
Up ahead, Obito turned around and saw the two of them “making eyes” at each other.
His teeth started to ache again.
“Hey!
Are we going or not?!” They walked for about half an hour.
The forest grew denser and denser, and the moonlight barely penetrated through.
Kakashi suddenly stopped and raised his hand.
Everyone fell silent immediately.
Obito opened his mouth to ask, but Rin covered it.
Kakashi tilted his head and listened.
Huff…
Huff…
Heavy breathing sounds, like someone snoring.
He pulled a shuriken from his pouch and threw it toward the sound.
THUNK.
It stuck into a tree trunk.
No reaction.
The breathing continued.
Guy lowered his voice: “It’s sleeping.” Kakashi nodded.
The two exchanged a glance, then crouched low and crept forward.
They pushed through a thicket of bushes, and the view suddenly opened up.
On an open space beside a massive boulder, a huge dark shape lay sprawled on the ground.
Over three meters tall.
Even lying down, it looked like a small mountain.
Its fur glowed dully in the moonlight, each strand as thick as a chopstick.
The claws that peeked out were longer than Guy’s entire hand.
Its breathing rose and fell, stirring up gusts of wind that sent leaves swirling through the air.
Guy’s eyes lit up.
Kakashi’s eyes lit up too.
The others who came up behind them all had their eyes go wide.
Obito’s jaw nearly hit the ground.
“Th…
that…” Kurenai’s face went pale, her hand gripping her kunai tight.
Rin covered her mouth to keep from screaming.
Ebisu’s sunglasses slid down halfway.
He pushed them back up, and they slid down again.
Only Guy and Kakashi, their eyes burning bright.
“Found it.” Guy grinned.
“Yeah.” Kakashi nodded.
Obito finally found his voice, hissing through gritted teeth: “You two are insane?!
One slap from this thing and we’ll be turned into pancakes!” Guy ignored him.
He turned to Kakashi.
“Plan?” Kakashi thought for a moment.
“I’ll use clones to distract it.
You take the lead attack.” “Good.” They both turned to look at Obito at the same time.
Obito took a step back.
“Why are you looking at me?” “You’re in charge,” Kakashi said.
“In charge of what?” Guy cut in: “When we start fighting, you’re in charge of getting the three of them to safety.” Obito blinked.
Then his face flushed red.
“You…
you’re looking down on me?!” Guy patted his shoulder.
“Not at all.
That’s why I’m trusting you with it.” Obito blinked again.
Guy had already turned back, staring at the giant bear alongside Kakashi.
“Ready?” Kakashi formed a single-handed seal.
“Yeah.” Poof.
Two clones appeared beside him, identical in every move.
“Go.” All three Kakashis charged at once.
The giant bear was still asleep.
The first clone reached it and stabbed its kunai into the bear’s rear.
It didn’t penetrate.
The kunai bent.
The bear’s ear twitched.
The second clone leaped onto its back and struck with another kunai.
Still didn’t penetrate.
The bear grunted.
The third clone circled around to the front and flung a shuriken at its face.
The shuriken bounced off.
The bear’s eyes opened.
Those eyes were bigger than Guy’s fists.
Its pupils narrowed to slits.
Staring at that white-haired little speck in front of it.
The bear pushed up on its front paws and stood.
Four meters.
Five meters.
Standing up, it was nearly five meters tall.
It opened its mouth, revealing rows of fangs.
“ROOOOOAR—” The sound was like thunder, shaking leaves from the trees.
Obito’s legs went weak.
He nearly collapsed.
Kurenai’s face was white as paper, but she didn’t move.
Rin pulled her back.
Ebisu’s sunglasses slid down again.
This time, he didn’t bother pushing them back up.
But Kakashi didn’t retreat.
Three clones stood side by side, drawing all the bear’s attention.
And then— A green blur shot out from the side.
Leaping into the air.
Spinning.
“Leaf Whirlwind!!!” WHOOOOSH— THUD!!!
The kick smashed into the back of the giant bear’s neck.
The bear’s massive head slammed downward, its eyes rolling back.
CRASH!
The five-meter-tall bear toppled forward like a felled tree, slamming into the ground and shaking the earth three times over.
It lay there, motionless.
Unconscious.
Dead silence.
Obito’s mouth was hanging open wide enough to fit a fist.
“…Huh?” Kurenai covered her mouth, her eyes wide as saucers.
Rin dropped her medical pouch and forgot to pick it back up.
Ebisu’s sunglasses slid all the way down to the tip of his nose.
He looked through the lenses at the bear, then at Guy, then at the bear, then at Guy again.
“Th…
that…” Guy landed and steadied himself.
He looked back at the bear lying there, scratched his head, looking a little sheepish.
“Maybe…
I put a bit too much power into that kick?” Kakashi dispelled his clones and walked over.
He looked at the bear, then at Guy.
And gave a huge eye-roll.
“…Seriously?” “Hey, what’s with that look?” Guy grumbled in protest.
Kakashi was silent for two seconds.
“I was just thinking.
What exactly have you been training for these past two months?” Guy grinned and gave a thumbs-up.
“Youth!” Kakashi felt like rolling his eyes again.
Obito ran over, circled the bear three times, and kicked it a couple times for good measure.
“It’s really out?!
Really out?!
You kicked a bear this big unconscious in one hit?!” Kurenai ran over too, grabbing Guy’s sleeve and checking him over from head to toe.
“Are you hurt?
Bleeding?
Does it hurt?” Guy shook his head.
“Nope.
Perfectly fine.” Kurenai let out a breath of relief.
Then her face flushed.
She let go of his sleeve and stepped back two paces.
Rin picked up her medical pouch and walked over with a smile.
“Guy’s amazing.” Ebisu pushed his sunglasses back up and cleared his throat.
“Ahem, well…
this, this great one admits that you do have some skill…” Before he could finish— BOOM!!!
The ground shook violently.
Everyone stumbled.
Guy and Kakashi both looked up at the same time, staring into the depths of the forest.
Obito barely managed to steady himself, his mouth still hanging open.
BOOM!!!
BOOM!!!
BOOM!!!
The ground was trembling.
Trees were falling.
A massive dark shape came charging out of the forest.
A tree as thick as three men could embrace was swatted aside like a toothpick.
The dark shape burst into the open.
Under the moonlight, the giant beast came to a stop.
Six meters.
Seven meters.
Eight meters.
Nine meters.
A bear nearly ten meters tall.
Its fur was thicker and darker than the first one’s, like it was wearing iron armor.
Its eyes were blood-red, locked onto the tiny figures before it.
Drool dripped from its mouth, splashing onto the ground and leaving small craters.
The real ninja bear had appeared.
End of Chapter 14