On one side, the group closest to Fujin was a Kiri group of 5 led by their third Jounin. The former Kiri Jounin rapidly weaved hand signs.
'Water Release: Water Wall jutsu'
A water wall appeared in front of his group of 5 just before the combination attack reached them. The jutsu hit the water wall and broke through it as if it was air. A huge amount of steam was released as the entire water wall evaporated!
Renzo saw with wide eyes as 5 of his men were being engulfed by the Firestorm. He could hear their screams. He quickly completed hand signs and shouted, "Quickly flood this place!"
'Water Release: Exploding Water Shock Wave'
The other 5 in his group also used the same jutsu. A huge amount of water was released which formed giant waves and moved towards the incoming attack and their allies.
On the other side, a couple of Jounins slammed their hands on the ground.
'Earth Release: Earth Wall jutsu'
Two walls appeared in front of them. However, the range of the combination attack was too much. It easily engulfed the walls and hit the group regardless. Unlike the battle-hardened Kiri rogues, this group didn't have the same expertise. For the first time in their lives, they began experiencing the unique feeling of being cooked alive! A few quickly escaped into the ground while the others screamed miserably within the firestorm.
The group behind them saw the terror in front of them. Shingo quickly slammed his hands on the ground.
'Earth Release: Earth Dome'
Seeing the mistake made by the group in front of him, he chose a jutsu that would protect them from all sides. The Fire-Wind combination jutsu engulfed the dome, but the people inside were safe.
Water and Fire clashed on the other side of the battlefield. The combined efforts of six ninjas overpowered the combination jutsu and water waves engulfed their allies. The water doused the fire on them and provided them with some relief. Four Kiri rogues were burnt badly. Only the Jounin was in better shape as he had a thin layer of water armor surrounding him.
A look of relief appeared on the faces of the six ninjas when suddenly they began feeling the heat. They looked behind themselves and saw in horror as another jutsu of the same scale approached them!
Since the second Bandit group didn't stop the attack and just protected themselves, the Kiri rogue ninjas had to face an attack from both sides. This situation was a result of Fujin's clever manipulation of the battlefield. Since he split into two groups, the bounty hunters assumed that he wanted to run away. They didn't even notice that they were all in a straight line. All their attention was entirely on the pair in front of them.
Renzo once again weaved hand signs. In the nick of time, he completed his jutsu and spat out massive amounts of water. His jutsu was overwhelmed, but the water brought them enough time for others to repeat that jutsu. A water pool was formed which engulfed the 11 Kiri rogue ninjas and kept them protected from the fire. However, the water itself was heating up and evaporating at a rapid speed. Everyone could feel the heat, especially the 4 people from the first group who were very badly burnt.
Renzo looked at the firestorm with a frown on his face. He cursed, 'Horrible! The intel was way off! It didn't mention large-scale wind jutsus. It didn't even say that he knew any Fire jutsus. All it said was to be careful of his Vacuum jutsus and Swordplay.'
Suddenly, his eyes widened as he realized, 'Vacuum jutsus… Fuck!'
Despite being underwater, he shouted, "BE CAREFUL!"
It was a no-brainer that Fujin's ability with the Fire Release was completely a surprise to them. After all, he had developed it entirely during his time with the Anbu. While he didn't intend to keep it a secret like his Lightning release, he hadn't been on any mission without his mask. So very few were aware of it.
Fujin's details in the Bingo book were almost 2 years old. Since he was never seen leaving the village after getting the bounty, the bounty hunters assumed that he had given up on his ninja career.
Fujin's clones observed the bounty hunters. In the group that used Earth Walls, 3 had escaped underground while the remaining 6 were burning. Behind them, 15 people were hiding in an Earth dome.
A smirk formed on both their faces. A dozen Vacuum bullets formed in both their mouths. They launched them all simultaneously. The group of 15 bounty hunters were feeling safe inside the dome. Suddenly, bullets rained into the dome. They were all caught off guard and couldn't even move.
Twelve ninjas had their hearts, brains or throats pierced. They collapsed on the spot! The remaining three were also injured but could still move around. They quickly escaped underground in terror and moved towards the Kiri group.
On the other side, Fujin's clones observed the Kiri ninjas being protected by water and guessed, 'This group looks to be exclusively from Kiri. Whereas that squad is only using Earth Release. Does this bounty hunter group have factions within them? Oh well, they'll all be dead anyways.'
'Wind Release: Vacuum Serial Wave jutsu'
Sharp Vacuum blades were launched at the water pool protecting them. The vacuum blades moved through the fire and into the water right when Renzo shouted. The four ninjas that were badly burnt didn't even see the attack coming and were cut into two.
The Jounin who was injured tried to dodge as well. He barely moved his body and head out of the way. But one vacuum blade hit below his right knee and cut his leg off. The remaining six managed to dodge the attack.
Renzo's heart ached. Four Chunins were dead while one Jounin would no longer be able to fight. That was a huge loss for his group. He felt a great hatred for Fujin and the messenger. At the same time, he felt regret for choosing Fujin as the target.
However, his expression soon became vicious. He decided, 'Since you have caused us so much loss, I will claim your bounty no matter what! I can not disappoint Lord Mizukage any further!'
The effects of the Fire-Wind combination jutsu had finally begun dissipating. Renzo looked at his subordinates that were still fine. They noticed his gaze and nodded. Soon, 6 bounty hunters from the other group came out of the ground next to the Kiri survivors. They looked at the situation around them in shock.
Of the 35 attackers, only 6 were still uninjured. As many as 23 had died or were critically injured. And it had barely been over a couple of minutes since they began chasing after Fujin!
Swords appeared in the hands of Fujin and his clones. They flickered towards the bounty hunters. The combination of Searing Migraine and Infinite Breakthrough jutsus was one of his strongest methods. Since this group managed to survive, using the same jutsu once again on them wouldn't be very effective. After all, he no longer had the element of surprise.
Renzo noticed his movements and said, "They are coming, prepare yourself."
Everyone readied themselves. Fujin's attacks had eliminated most of the weaker ones from their ranks. Of the remaining people, half had Jounin ranks before going rogue.
Fujin's clone appeared to one side of the group and swung his sword from 5 meters away. A sword wave was launched at them. The expression of the group became grim. Apart from Renzo, only one person was able to follow the movement of Fujin and his clones.
Just before the sword slash could hit them, a barrier appeared around them. The slash hit the barrier and caused it to shake, but it stood erect. Fujin's eyes landed on the Jounin who created the barrier. He thought, 'So this guy is probably their SealMaster.'
Fujin wasn't bothered that his attack wasn't successful. The information he gained in exchange for merely swinging his sword was sufficient. However, before he could attack once more, Renzo left the barrier. He raised his sword and slashed it down on the clone who had just attacked the barrier.
Fujin's clone easily blocked his sword, but couldn't cut through it as Renzo also used Chakra flow on his sword. At the same time, Shinjo and two Jounins from his group exited the barrier and attacked the other 3 Fujins.
Fujin was surprised. He defended while analyzing the barrier, 'It looks like this is a one-way barrier. It prevents entry but allows exit. A good way to keep attacking from a location.'
Suddenly, four more bounty hunters exited the barrier. They were the four chunins, including Shiro, from Renzo's group. Fujin frowned, he didn't want to get ganged up on. So the four of them counter-attacked. Renzo was able to hold his opponent back, but the other 3 were feeling overwhelmed. Fujin's clones barely managed to get away from them and were about to attack the four ninjas that exited the barrier when those ninjas avoided Fujin and ran in four different directions.
Fujin was confused. He thought, 'The hell? Are they quitting the group and escaping? Or do they plan to attack me in the back?'
He didn't want to risk getting pincered and wanted to attack them, but the Jounins caught up and began fighting once again. Since they blocked him, Fujin confirmed, 'They aren't running away.'
The four ninjas moved and stood surrounding Fujin and the rest. They made the Snake hand seal and clapped their hands. Immediately, a violet barrier began appearing and surrounded Fujin and the other bounty hunters. The barriers formed four walls, a roof and another layer underground, cutting off all means of escape. Fujin was shocked. He muttered, "Four Violet Flames Formation! No wonder I felt such an intense danger."
