The Mist Ninja's Secret!

"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"

On one side was a long, powerful hand, moving swiftly; on the other, a delicate, nimble hand, moving gracefully and nimbly. Yet, both hands made the same gesture!

The massive amount of river water drawn from the river deformed and flowed as the ninja formed hand Hand Seals and circulated Chakra, surging towards each other from two sources and colliding violently in mid-air with a deafening roar.

Boom--!

Water splashed everywhere, as if a torrential downpour had begun.

The two Ninjutsu perished together between Sakura and Pakura, vanishing in a thunderous roar, leaving only a pool of water on the ground.

Looking at the splashing water, Pakura's brows furrowed tightly.

This is the fifth time.

His opponent used the same Water Release five times in a row, which canceled out his Ninjutsu!

He had never engaged in such a strange battle before; every Water Release was perfectly neutralized by his opponent. The first time was a coincidence, but what about the second, third, fourth, and fifth times?

Even his powerful Water Release, which he used with all his might, was perfectly blocked by his opponent. The opponent used the same Water Release, and the result was still the same: mutual destruction!

His opponent's Water Release were a level above his...

Pakura took a breath and glanced at her opponent; her expression remained calm and composed, without any sign of fatigue or strain on her face.

He gritted his teeth and used all his strength to unleash a Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet. The nearly 100-meter-long water dragon changed shape in the air as he manipulated a massive amount of Chakra, eventually condensing into a semi-transparent giant dragon!

With its enormous size and surging momentum, the water dragon appeared in the sky in a domineering manner!

After completing the Pakura seals, a bead of sweat appeared on Yekura's forehead. He smiled after perfectly executing his signature Ninjutsu.

This is the Ninjutsu he has practiced the most and mastered the best; it is his trump card, his ultimate Ninjutsu! When an ordinary Water Release ninja uses this Ninjutsu, it is at most thirty or forty meters long, and its power is already quite astonishing. But he can create a water dragon that is hundreds of meters long. The sheer scale of it is terrifying, and its power is unimaginably enormous!

In the entire Mist Ninja Village, there are no more than three people who can rival him in this one technique!

It was because of this Ninjutsu that he gained the favor of the Fifth Mizukage and earned the respect of others.

Pakura looked up. Now, you shouldn't be able to use the exact same Ninjutsu anymore!

Then, he froze.

The girl's delicate face remained perfectly still as she controlled the water flow with her Chakra, creating the same transformation and effortlessly condensing a water dragon that was also hundreds of meters long!

His prized giant Water Dragon Bullet was nothing more than Ninjutsu that his opponent could execute without any preparation.

Pakura felt a rush of heat to his head. What was this?

He roared angrily, shouting, "Enough! Show me your true strength! Stop playing games!"

How strong is his opponent? No matter how he probes, he can't figure out his opponent's strength. Every time his opponent displays his strength, it is several times stronger than he imagined!

The claim that Water Release is the strongest... was originally just a compliment, but unexpectedly, it turned out to be a self-fulfilling prophecy!

Sakura Haruno simply smiled calmly, "True strength, is that it? As you wish!"

She stretched out her right hand and swung it sharply, drawing out a huge amount of water from the river flowing through the training ground, almost draining half of the river, which was full of flow, down to just the riverbed; the water dragon there, replenished by this, expanded more than twice its size, and its length suddenly broke through the 100-meter limit, becoming two or three hundred meters long!

It's not just about the change in body shape, but also the meticulous craftsmanship in the details. From bones to muscles to skin scales and sharp teeth and claws, every inch is lifelike, showcasing the Ninjutsu user's extraordinary Chakra control and mastery of Water Release techniques!

If the nearly 100-meter-long water dragon just now was an example of using a B-rank Water Dragon Bullet with the flair of an A-rank Ninjutsu, then the giant dragon now hovering in mid-air, swaggering and showing off, has already broken into the category of an S-rank Ninjutsu.

In comparison, Pakura's water dragon was like a pheasant compared to a phoenix, or a grain of rice compared to the brilliance of the moon, compared to Sakura's giant dragon!

With a wave of her right hand, the girl's dragon roared and swooped down towards Pakura's water dragon; Pakura gritted her teeth and urged her water dragon to meet it.

The two collided with a deafening roar. As expected, Pakura saw his Ninjutsu being utterly crushed without any resistance. The dragon tore him apart in a few moments, like an adult bullying a child, and then swooped down on Pakura!

Is this her true ability?

Faced with such a powerful Water Release, Pakura felt a slight tremor run through her. Should she dodge? Intercept? Or unleash her trump card?

In an instant, his mind raced, countless thoughts flashing through his mind, before he finally made a decision—

"I surrender!" Pakura said, raising his hand.

He realized that he and the Mizukage had seriously misjudged the situation. He thought that even a ninja of her age, no matter how strong, would have her limits. With his own strength, which was not bad Jonin, he thought he could at least hold his own against her. However, he was defeated so decisively!

Continuing the fight is pointless unless it becomes a life-or-death battle, revealing all our trump cards...

No, there's no need for that. Even if she uses her trump card, Pakura has absolutely no confidence in defeating her opponent! If she still has trump cards up her sleeve, what about her opponent? It seems they don't even need to use any; a simple Water Release technique would be enough to leave her in a sorry state.

Verifying her combat abilities is enough. Judging from the girl's performance, she is at least an elite Jonin, perhaps even higher...

Pakura silently thought it was disrespectful to the Mizukage, thinking, "Even Mei Terumi's Water Release aren't this strong, are they?"

Pakura's decisive surrender surprised Sakura slightly. She could sense that Pakura had only used half of her strength. Had she given up so easily? This was the first time she had ever encountered an opponent surrender so readily in battle. However, her actions were swift. With a flick of her right hand, the giant dragon circled around under the command of her slender fingers and landed beside her. The Chakra was drawn back, restoring the clear river water to its original state.

Pakura walked over slowly.

Looking at his opponent, he felt a mix of emotions.

Modern ninjas really can't be judged by their appearance! Is it true that the prettier a woman is, the more powerful she is?

Pakura secretly compared Sakura Haruno and Mei Terumi in her mind; then again, if it weren't for the Mei Terumi wasn't sitting in the position of Mizukage, putting on the dignified posture of the Mizukage, she would actually be a delicate beauty in private. Her appearance was by no means inferior to this Hokage's disciple, and her figure completely surpassed this still-growing bean sprout. As for the most important thing, Mei Terumi strength should be a notch above all else!

As expected Mei Terumi is still the best!

As a close confidant of the Fifth Mizukage, Pakura, after a moment of wavering, became even more resolute in her supreme faith and greeted Sakura Haruno with a smile on her face.

"Alright, you've verified my strength," Sakura said calmly, arms crossed. "Now you can tell me what it is, right?"

Pakura stopped smiling and glanced around warily. The open training ground was the hardest place to hide, so it was also the hardest place to be eavesdropped on. Sometimes it was even a safer place to talk than a hidden room.

After confirming that no one was around, not even the three students from Sakura Haruno's Team, he said seriously, "Actually, you should have guessed it. The Fifth Mizukage is going to completely resolve the opposition issue soon."

The young woman raised an eyebrow and asked, "Are you going to take action directly?"

Pakura nodded solemnly, "Yes."

Sakura sighed inwardly. Just as expected, this was the usual tactic: if words couldn't convince someone, they'd have to resort to violence...

The politics of the ninja world are indeed simple and brutal. However, in a world where great power belongs to oneself rather than to an organization, this approach is actually quite common.

"The Grand Elder's faction is firmly opposed to the Mist Ninja's move towards openness, believing that continuing the previous policy of isolation is the only reasonable approach!" Pakura said somewhat agitatedly. "We've been discussing this matter with them for a long time, but we still can't reach a consensus."

"The logic is obvious: Mist Ninja doesn't develop, it will only decline! Anyone with a clear understanding would come to this conclusion! The reason the Grand Elder's faction so resolutely opposes us is simply because they believe this policy will harm their interests, and they are disregarding the facts to mislead everyone!"

He spoke at length with great emotion.

If the girl standing in front of him were really only fourteen or fifteen years old, she might actually be swayed by him.

However, having lived two lives, Sakura Haruno is not immature and isn't someone who gets easily fired up after just a few words. She calmly said, "Your issues are all Mist Ninja's business, but the problem is... I'm Konoha ninja, why should I help you?"

The girl's expression remained completely unmoved.

Pakura frowned slightly. "Our Mizukage faction is Konoha's true partner. If we lose, Kirigakure and the Land of Water close themselves off again, you'll lose a powerful ally, and your plans to fight Akatsuki will be greatly affected!"

"Good!" Sakura's lips curled into a slight smile. "But there are two problems. First, I brought my subordinates with me, and I need to protect them. Your reasons are not enough to make me risk participating in your operation."

"Secondly, I don't think you will lose."

At this point, the smile on her lips suddenly took on a sinister edge.

There are some unspoken implications that Sakura hasn't revealed.

Konoha and Mist Ninja aren't even allies anymore. Why should a Konoha "Kage" level ninja go to the troubles of Mist Ninja? Do they have that much influence? To put it bluntly, Mist Ninja isn't ruling out the possibility of war breaking out with Konoha at any time. Sakura Haruno would probably be hoping that more of them would die in their internal strife!

Someone like Pakura could obviously understand what Sakura meant.

He took a deep breath and said, "You have your reasons! Because a weakened Mist Ninja cannot play a role in Konoha's fight against Akatsuki, especially given the possibility that Akatsuki may have a conspiracy. You need every bit of strength! Moreover, you don't need to worry about our stance, because we Mist Ninja will also stand with Konoha, against Akatsuki, without reservation!"

"Why is that?" Sakura Haruno frowned deeply, staring intently at Pakura, and questioned, "As far as I know, some ninja villages are openly saying they're wary of Akatsuki, but they're still hiring Akatsuki members..."

Pakura looked back at Sakura with a gloomy expression and a somber gaze.

"We won't do that, because Mist Ninja and Akatsuki have an irreconcilable feud! The reason is simple: the reason our village became the Bloody Mist Village was because the previous Mizukage was controlled by Akatsuki. All the bloody policies and cruel massacres were at Akatsuki's behest!"

"Our entire village has been ravaged by Xiao's people for over a decade!"

He said through gritted teeth!

(First update! Guaranteed update 1/. The sealing effect of the blanket is too strong; my alarm clock for 6 AM was delayed until 7:30 AM.)

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