Unfortunately for the Kamizuru, they didn't possess the supernatural luck of Stephen Chow's "Saint of Gamblers," so their prayers were destined to go unanswered.
To be fair, without a specialized Dojutsu like the Sharingan or Byakugan, or the tracking bugs of the Aburame and the noses of the Inuzuka, it wasn't easy to see through a well-prepared Hiding with Camouflage Technique.
But unfortunately for them, they had run into Hatani—a literal cheater with a System.
Initially, Hatani had worried they might flee, which was why he'd risked exposing his abilities in front of Nonou by surging forward when Sakumo cut the bee. But seeing them remain rooted to the spot like sitting ducks, he realized their insect-controlling skills were far inferior to the Aburame's. His concern vanished, replaced by a sense of playful mischief.
"I've heard that the Hidden Stone has a ninjutsu that makes people invisible... what was it called again?"
Knowing his brother's temperament, Minato didn't take the bait. Sakumo, meanwhile, was busy scanning the area with a sharp, lethal gaze, looking for any trace of the enemy. In the end, it was Nonou who stepped up as the reluctant "straight man" for his act.
"The Hiding with Camouflage Technique?"
"Right, right! That's the one!"
Hatani slapped his hands together, pointing with mock excitement at the "rock" where the Kamizuru ninjas were hiding.
"I see quite a few rocks around here. Why don't we give it a try and—"
Before he could finish his taunt, the Kamizuru ninjas realized the game was up. They dispelled their camouflage and launched a desperate, all-out assault.
"Summoning Jutsu!" "Ninja Art: Bee Senbon!" "Ninja Art: Bee Swarm Jutsu!"
They had clearly deduced from Hatani's mocking tone that their cover had been blown long ago. With no hope of a stealthy escape, their only option was to bet everything on a frontal clash.
A literal cloud of bees surged forward, preceded by a hail of sharp, barbed stingers.
"Heh. Try not to die on me now."
With a smirk, Hatani dropped a "death flag" for Nonou and charged. He activated Windrun, causing the countless stingers to glance off his body and fall harmlessly to the dirt. Blade of Alacrity in hand, he lunged fearlessly toward the Kamizuru ranks.
"Lightning Chakra Mode?!"
Nonou stared in shock. She finally realized what Hatani's method of using Wind Style reminded her of.
As a Root intel operative, she had access to files on the Hidden Cloud. Specifically, the Nintaijutsu used by the Third Raikage: the Lightning Chakra Mode. It was a technique that coated the body in lightning to drastically increase speed, defense, and attack power.
However, the nature of lightning made training the technique excruciating. It required exquisite chakra control and peak physical conditioning. In all of Kumogakure, only the Third Raikage and his son were known to have mastered it.
Yet here was Hatani, wreathed in a swirling aura of wind that deflected senbon and propelled him at blistering speeds. It looked exactly like a Wind Style version of the Raikage's signature move.
Did he develop a Nintaijutsu on par with the Lightning Chakra Mode by himself?!
Nonou's eyes widened in disbelief.
He's only twelve years old! How is this possible?!
As she stood frozen, a figure stepped into her line of sight, snapping her back to reality.
"Focus!"
Minato had dispersed a volley of bee senbon with a gust of wind. The usual gentle, sunny warmth was gone from his face, replaced by a furrowed brow and a look of sharp disapproval.
Minato was indeed a "Little Sun," but the sun has a cold, harsh side as well as a warm one. He was ruthless toward enemies, but he was also strict with comrades who didn't value their own lives or risked the safety of the team through hesitation.
"I—I understand!"
Nonou took a deep breath and nodded solemnly. This was her first time facing live combat; her previous training had been entirely focused on intel and medical ninjutsu. She forced herself to stay alert, eyes tracking the battlefield with newfound intensity.
Despite Hatani's "Wind Style Chakra Mode" giving him incredible speed, it was Sakumo Hatake—the natural-born killer—who claimed "First Blood."
This was the second time Sakumo had seen Hatani in this state. While the Kamizuru ninjas were still reeling from the fact that Hatani seemed invulnerable to their stingers, Sakumo used a one-handed Body Flicker to appear beside a Kamizuru Chunin.
As the White Fang short sword clashed with the enemy's desperate kunai block, Sakumo momentarily released his grip. The blade flipped in the air, spinning toward the ninja's chest. As the man panicked and retreated, Sakumo stepped forward and snatched the hilt back mid-air. An arc of electricity flickered along the blade, incinerating the nearby bees while the steel slit the man's throat in one clean motion.
Meanwhile, Hatani—driven by the "need for gold"—headed straight for the Kamizuru Jonin. He was quickly swamped by a dense cloud of bees.
"Wind Style: Focus Fire."
He had let them surround him on purpose.
According to the system feedback from the few bees he'd sliced on the way in, these insects weren't as valuable as Shikuro Aburame's poisonous bugs, but they weren't worthless like ordinary Kikaichū either.
Even if they didn't give the 5 gold he had daydreamed about—even if it was a measly 1 gold per bug—he wasn't about to complain. Don't treat a bean bun like it isn't a meal. A dollar is still a dollar, right?
Looking at the thousands of bees buzzing around him, Hatani felt his salivary glands go into overdrive. This wasn't a swarm; it was a jackpot.
Kagebachi, the Kamizuru leader, watched with cold eyes as the young boy rushed in. This kid looked barely out of the academy—likely a freshly promoted Chunin who thought he was invincible just because he could deflect a few stingers.
Sakumo was terrifying, but he was only one man. If Kagebachi could kill this arrogant brat and then retreat under the cover of the other Chunin, he was confident that he and Koubachi could escape.
"Secret Art: Exploding Bee Jutsu!"
Hate flared in Kagebachi's heart. His clan was already down to its last few members, and today they were losing six more Chunin. He channeled his chakra to detonate his explosive bees, intending to blow Hatani to bits. The resulting toxic smog from the exploded venom sacs would provide the perfect smokescreen to hide his escape from Sakumo.
Boom!
A few bees detonated, but the chain reaction of explosions he expected never came. The "massive" blast sounded more like a damp firework, and the smoke was pathetic.
Blinking in confusion, the panicked Jonin looked up. The dense, suffocating swarm that had supposedly enveloped Hatani was gone. Only a handful of stray bees remained buzzing in the air.