Fierce Battle
Taiyi was doing his best to hold back the enemy Jōnin, but even so, his strength was ultimately lacking. Against a veteran of that level, his movements still showed openings.
Because of that, Shirō's opening attack was easily noticed. The revolver—once thought to be a trump card—was rendered almost useless.
It wasn't that the opponent was literally faster than bullets. Rather, his reflexes and battlefield instincts let him predict the bullet's trajectory from Shirō's stance and movements. A shinobi of Jōnin class could avoid such attacks almost on reflex.
This wasn't even a particularly advanced skill. In Shirō's past life, elite special forces soldiers could sometimes anticipate and dodge small-arms fire based on an opponent's aim. For a shinobi honed by countless life-or-death battles, it was second nature.
When Shirō had first obtained a Noble Phantasm related to firearms, he had been excited. Guns and cannons were the romance of many boys' childhoods, and he had once dreamed of fighting with one in hand. But after repeated experiments, he had learned the hard truth: firearms were too straightforward. Once an opponent adapted to the rhythm, even a Chūnin could slip past the line of fire.
Even Noble Phantasm-level weaponry had its limits. Against Jōnin, who could read movements at a glance, even reinforced firearms couldn't reliably land a hit.
Unless he had some mythical "gun-fu"—the ability to alter trajectories mid-shot or curve bullets with impossible wrist flicks—it was useless. Unfortunately, among the Noble Phantasms he could trace, no such absurd technique existed. Perhaps because it was too fantastical, even by Heroic Spirit standards.
And as a whole, firearms didn't scale well. Against shinobi capable of summoning giant creatures, toppling mountains with ninjutsu, or controlling tailed beasts, what use was a pistol? Against a Susanoo or even a giant construct like a puppet war machine, the idea was laughable.
So, Shirō treated firearm Noble Phantasms more like a side hobby—something to practice casually and keep sharp enough for the occasional surprise use. His true reliance lay elsewhere.
With that thought, Shirō dispersed the sound-breaking lightning of his previous weapon and replaced it with Dryan Mo Xie. Blue reinforcement patterns flared across his body.
"Bang!"
He stomped the ground, launching himself toward Taiyi 's battlefield.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
The Jōnin's response was immediate. Even while fending off Taiyi 's taijutsu, he turned smoothly to block each of Shirō's strikes, his kunai flashing with sparks against sword and steel.
Now with Shirō's support, Taiyi fully unleashed his taijutsu. The three blurred into a whirlwind of collisions—two blue streaks against one shadowy figure, their clashes ringing across the battlefield.
But Shirō's mind was already racing. He knew their limit. He and Taiyi were not Jōnin. Their stamina, their focus, their experience—none of it could last in a prolonged clash. If they couldn't break the deadlock soon, they would be overwhelmed.
Finally, both he and Taiyi were knocked back in quick succession. Seizing the moment, Shirō swung his right hand and hurled Gandiva forward like a spear.
"Clang!"
The enemy deflected it with a kunai, sending it spinning off course. But Shirō didn't recall it with the magnetic pull of the Twin Blades. Against someone of this caliber, the Crane Wing Triple Strike would barely buy time. Unlike Kitsuchi during the Chūnin Exams, this enemy wouldn't hold back.
Instead, as Gandiva arced past the target—
"Bang!"
It detonated in a brilliant flash. For opponents of this level, Broken Phantasm was more effective than refined technique.
But in that same instant, the enemy struck from behind Shirō—only to be intercepted by Taiyi , who appeared in his place with a sharp substitution.
"Body Replacement Technique?" Shirō noted, even as he re-summoned Gandiva to his grip.
He didn't trigger another Broken Phantasm. Taiyi was still too close, and the opponent was already wary of explosive tricks. Shinobi battles were a nightmare for him—they adapted quickly, analyzing habits and patterns in real time. Even Naruto, for all his recklessness, had an instinct for reading opponents mid-battle.
Broken Phantasm could catch someone off guard once. Twice? Not against a Jōnin.
Instead, Shirō readied Gandiva Version 2.0—a traced variant modeled after Archer EMIYA's Black Gandiva. No longer just a sword, it shifted between blade and gun. Its rank was unchanged, but its versatility offered new possibilities. A sudden shot in close quarters could still surprise an enemy.
The stalemate resumed, but this time the scales tilted slightly in Shirō and Taiyi 's favor. The enemy had already burned his Body Replacement Technique; unlike in a game, there was no convenient cooldown timer—he would need actual prep and chakra to cast it again. And he didn't have the space.
Shirō and Taiyi exchanged a quick look. Then Gandiva's gun-barrel form roared. The shot wasn't aimed at the enemy's vitals, but at his abdomen.
The brief shock of pain gave Shirō the opening he needed. Reinforcement Magic surged through his palm as he struck upward into the enemy's chin, Magic Power Emission blasting his head back.
And in that instant, Shirō saw them—spinning, blood-red eyes. The Sharingan.
For a moment, time froze. Then Taiyi 's hands locked the enemy in place, and Shirō pulled the trigger at point-blank range.
The Jōnin collapsed.
At almost the same time, Nakamura returned, dragging the corpse of another fallen enemy—a sign of his urgency, since he hadn't even sealed the body yet.
There was no time to rest. With the Jōnin down, Shirō and Taiyi immediately dashed to reinforce Shikamaru's position.
The samurai they had hired had held their ground surprisingly well. Though not on par with the famed Iron Country's bladesmen, they had skill. With only three casualties, they had stalled four enemy Chūnin until now—helped in part by Blue Snake's interference.
But with Nakamura and Shirō's group arriving, the tide turned instantly. The remaining Chūnin were crushed.
When the dust settled, Shirō and his team quickly sealed the bodies, erased traces of the fight, and prepared to return.
After all, the mission wasn't finished. The "minister" traveling with them was only a puppet decoy crafted by Shirō. The real minister remained in the capital, safely under Gray Snake's watch.
If anything went wrong, Shirō had already prepared a reverse-summon to pull him to safety.
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