The cleanup crew from the anbu had finally arrived.
"Kakashi-sama."
Four masked figures descended swiftly, their movements ghost-like and fluid.
As they landed and took in the battlefield around them, a flicker of disbelief crossed their faces.
'The Four Celestial Symbols Men of the Artisan Village? What were they doing here?'
'And more importantly, Garou Zenin had trapped them with a sealing technique?'
"His armor absorbs chakra. Your Wood Style will be ineffective," Garou informed one of the masked figures calmly.
"Understood." Yamato, formerly Tenzo, nodded and immediately adjusted his approach.
The ANBU split into four directions, forming a square formation around Hoki and rapidly weaving hand seals. Mystic symbols began crawling across Hoki's armor and skin, glowing faintly.
Garou loosened the binding seal's force slightly.
"You… You damn shinobi from the Great Nations, I'll kill you! I'll kill all of you!!" Hoki thrashed wildly, fury consuming his sanity.
But the sealing technique struck back.
And in the next instant, Garou appeared right before him. A chakra-infused palm strike blasted against the armor's shielding layer. The armor's internal chakra flow went haywire.
A moment later, another figure sliced in from the shadows, Kakashi, striking with a Five Elements Seal of his own.
Though not as refined as Garou's, it did the job. The interference staggered Hoki's defenses, and both blades came down simultaneously.
Slice.
The head dropped cleanly.
Blood poured.
Both Kakashi and Garou exhaled in unison, collapsing onto the ground from exhaustion.
"Kakashi-sama, are you alright?!"
"You're damn late, Yamato," Kakashi groaned, pulling off his headband with a dry chuckle.
He was completely drained.
There was not a drop of chakra left in him. Any more fighting, and he would've been gambling with his life.
"Don't blame us. You moved way too fast," Yamato complained, half-exasperated, half-impressed.
He surveyed the area. Dozens of defeated samurai, the elite Four Celestial Symbols Men, reduced to corpses. By the time they had even arrived, only two enemies were left breathing.
Honestly, Yamato's biggest contribution was taking over the seal formation after Garou had already done the heavy lifting.
He winced at that realization.
Garou… lived up to the rumors. Maybe even surpassed them.
"Was that a new binding formation you used?"
"Yeah." Garou nodded, his voice low and weary.
"Tenten. Kasumi. Garou."
"Yes, Kakashi-sensei?" Tenten and Kasumi were still tending to the battlefield when they heard him call out. They straightened immediately.
"Good work," he said, giving a tired thumbs-up.
"Kakashi-sensei, I didn't do much. I just… Kakashi-sensei?!"
"He's out cold."
Garou caught him before he slumped completely.
The strain of the Sharingan had finally caught up to him. If it weren't for that last pill, things could've ended much worse. Thankfully, his physical condition was stable.
"Let us handle him." Yamato stepped forward and gently propped Kakashi up with a sigh.
'Such a terrifyingly capable Genin…'
He had already examined the battlefield closely. Sure, Kakashi had led the charge, but Garou's role couldn't be downplayed. His ability to adapt and respond to dangerous unknowns in real time was exceptional.
"Thanks." Garou pushed himself to his feet.
This was where his high recovery rate paid off.
Though his chakra was nearly depleted, his body and mental endurance were slowly bouncing back. He wasn't ready to fight again, but he could at least move around.
Yamato and his team got Kakashi stabilized and then, with Garou's guidance, found Yuichi.
The samurai was near his limit, utterly spent but still conscious.
Tenten and Kasumi were finishing up the cleanup when their expressions soured.
"What's wrong with you two?" Garou asked.
"Garou, we… we didn't do much," Tenten admitted, looking downcast.
They knew their own performance. Kakashi's compliment just made them feel more ashamed than proud.
"It's totally normal. I was just supporting too. Kakashi-sensei was the one who did the heavy lifting today." Garou smiled.
"That's not true! You kept the samurai at bay, took out four of them yourself, and created the opening for Kakashi-sensei's final attack. Then you coordinated the sealing formation with me…" Tenten listed everything he'd done one by one.
It was only after organizing the aftermath that she realized just how critical Garou's role had been.
Compared to that, their own struggles felt insignificant.
Kasumi was quiet, then muttered, "I should've taken the Chunin Exams…"
"Yeah. You've been protecting us so well… we haven't had to push ourselves," Tenten added, reflecting on it all.
"You both played your parts," Garou reassured them. "Without Tenten's precise throws and tool control, I wouldn't have been able to complete the sealing array."
"We're a team, remember?" He smiled again.
One of the reasons he'd chosen Konoha over Danzo or Orochimaru in that fateful decision wasn't power.
It was the sense of camaraderie.
The other two options were just schemes and power grabs.
It was too exhausting to live like that.
"Still, we'll work harder. We can't keep standing behind you and Kakashi-sensei forever," Tenten said firmly, clenching her fist.
There was no shame now, only determination.
Kasumi nodded with conviction.
"Actually, when we get back, I've got a favor to ask," Garou said, pointing to a sealing scroll. "The four ninja tools are sealed inside, right?"
"You want to study them?"
Tenten's eyes lit up.
The Four Tools of the Artisan Village.
Of course she'd heard of them. As a die-hard tool enthusiast, she had sealed them herself partly so she'd have a chance to examine them later.
She hadn't expected Garou to be thinking the same thing.
"So that's why you volunteered to help clean up so fast," he teased.
"Hehehe." Tenten scratched the back of her head with an awkward grin.
Kasumi looked on enviously. "You guys have goals and things you like. I still don't know what I should be doing."
"You could," Garou offered, "focus on your clan's sword style. The Gekko clan's kenjutsu is famous in Konoha. You also got to see the Land of Iron's sword techniques today. Take it back and analyze it."
"Hmm… yeah. That's true." Kasumi nodded after a moment's thought.
If it was swordsmanship, she did have some confidence.
But when she remembered Garou, once just a beginner with a blade, had grown strong enough to slay four elite samurai in a single encounter…
Her talent felt insignificant.
"Hard work beats talent. And you're not talentless," Garou said, encouragingly.
"…And what about you?" Kasumi shot back.
"Good question. Normal birds aren't the same as eagles, you know?" Garou grinned, then winked, turning to walk back toward Yamato and the others.
"Heh." Kasumi chuckled softly.
Once you got to know him, he wasn't as reserved as he first seemed. He could joke around too.
And he was right.
Feeling lighter, she followed after him.
Back at the site where Kakashi had fought, Garou examined the scene and couldn't help but mutter under his breath.
Nobu had been killed by a single slash from Yuichi.
And his sneak attack had only taken out a water clone.
Kakashi had completely outplayed him.
Looking down at the unconscious forms, Yamato stood in silent thought.
Garou approached.
"Mr. Yamato."
"Hm?"
"You can use Wood Style, right? Could you build a temporary shelter here? Let's rest until Kakashi-sensei wakes up."
"…Alright."
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