This Child Must Not Be Allowed to Live!

"Jiraiya, I didn't attack you guys!"

Jiang Rui grinned, looking relaxed and cheerful on the surface while internally cursing like mad.

He knew Konoha would come sooner or later. He had even planned to dump this mess on Konoha, but he had never expected them to arrive so quickly!!

When two armies were fighting, didn't you send scouts ahead first? You just led your troops straight in?

Wasn't that a little too reckless?!

Knowing that he did not have much magic power left, Jiang Rui had the Great Sage frantically control the water, rapidly gathering and condensing it into a gigantic liquid humanoid—a massive water elemental.

This was a bluffing technique Jiang Rui had developed by taking inspiration from Susanoo!

True: One-Touch-and-It-Shatters Water Giant, Version 1.0.

Fortunately, he had just absorbed the Yuki Clan's talent, allowing him to keep the water from deforming and form the enormous water elemental without consuming much magic power.

As for Jiang Rui himself, he was naturally inside the water elemental.

It did not have much power, but it looked truly intimidating...

Meanwhile, Jiang Rui's Avatar was frantically pounding on the Water Shadow's door in the middle of the night!

"Teacher! Save me!!!"

He needed to call for reinforcements!

Jiraiya looked up at the dozens-of-meters-tall water giant. As time passed, it even seemed to be slowly growing larger. Waves of cold radiated from it, and faint ice crystals glimmered across its body. However, under the dark night sky, Jiraiya merely took the reflections from the ice armor for the glow cast by highly condensed Chakra.

Hiss!

Jiraiya could not help clicking his tongue, inwardly shocked!

He had already estimated his opponent as highly as possible, yet even so, he had never expected him to reach such a level.

Even if it had been a sneak attack, that had still been an army!

A force of several thousand, led by one person nearing Kage-level strength and over a dozen High Ninjas!

Not to mention that he still had enough strength left to unleash such an awe-inspiring ninjutsu.

Jiraiya had always believed Orochimaru to be the undisputed genius among the three classmates, but today, he redefined the word "genius."

He stared at the small figure. Even in the darkness, those golden eyes shone brilliantly, brimming with confidence!

Jiraiya glanced at the intelligence ninjas beside him, but every one of them shook their heads.

Aside from the tsunami-like technique, which might have been an upgraded version of the Great Waterfall Technique, none of them had ever seen the technique before them.

They could not tell whether Jiang Rui was at the end of his rope and merely pretending to be composed.

Or whether he had something to rely on and was completely confident.

He looked toward Nara Kawayanagi, who shook his head again. They could not afford to gamble.

Leaving aside the heavy casualties, if they let him escape, the blood feud would bring endless trouble. And given the talent he had displayed, he was definitely the Water Shadow's prized treasure—perhaps even the next Water Shadow. Who knew whether the Water Shadow would retaliate desperately!

It would have been one thing in peacetime, but the inland was currently fighting the Wind and Earth Countries fiercely. In the past, the inland had not possessed so much water, nor had anyone possessed enough Chakra to create such a powerful Great Waterfall Technique.

But if he truly escaped, then turned around and hit Konoha with one of those...

At that thought, Jiraiya could not help shuddering. A weapon of mass destruction in war!

This was where the difference in thinking between Jiraiya and Orochimaru showed itself. It could also be said to be the difference between Hiruzen and Danzo. Jiang Rui was grateful for that; if Cold Lord Orochimaru had come, he absolutely would not have dared pull something like this!

Unless he was confident he could wipe out Konoha as well!

Danzo's view was that someone with such terrifying wartime capabilities had to be killed at any cost! Only killing him would bring peace of mind!

Hiruzen, however, first considered the cost of killing him and the village's future stability.

It was hard to say who had more foresight, or who was right and who was wrong.

Seeing that they remained silent and merely kept their guard up in secret, Jiang Rui let out a breath of relief. He slowly backed away, and the Konoha ninjas behind him tacitly spread apart to either side...

"What exactly are you doing at the border of the Land of Rice Fields?!"

Jiraiya suddenly asked. Jiang Rui knew without thinking that his answer would affect their decision. After a brief consideration, he concealed part of the truth and said, "I came to reclaim my friend's corpse."

Upon hearing that.

The Konoha ninjas looked at one another in astonishment, then finally turned to Yamanaka Shinshi. He too answered in disbelief, "He should not be lying..."

Jiraiya was somewhat dumbfounded, but he soon habitually touched the bumps on his face. Then he showed his signature foolish grin and laughed awkwardly. "Haha, is that so? Then... did you find it?"

Jiang Rui nodded and continued backing away. At the same time, his clear voice echoed through the air. "My promise still stands. Personally, I do not hate Konoha!"

Once he had gradually opened up some distance, Jiang Rui suddenly turned and leaped away. The enormous water elemental instantly collapsed, roaring as it surged toward Jiraiya.

Jiraiya reflexively formed hand seals and slapped the ground. Stone walls rose layer upon layer!

Earth Release: Earth Wall!

The rushing water was blocked.

The promise... did he mean what he had said in the main tent before...?

Staring in the direction Jiang Rui had fled, Jiraiya frowned deeply. After a long while, he bit his finger and used the Summoning Technique!

In any case, he should pass the intelligence to his teacher first.

"What happened?"

Mitokado Homura watched Hiruzen suddenly freeze in place and asked anxiously, "Did something happen on Jiraiya's side?!"

"Ah..."

Coming back to himself, Hiruzen looked at the two of them. At some point, his classmates Homura and Koharu had both developed strands of white hair. He picked up his broken smoking pipe with some heartache and could not help sighing.

"We're getting old..."

"What nonsense."

Seeing that Hiruzen was fine, Utatane Koharu smiled and walked over. "You're only in your early thirties, and you're already thinking about retirement?"

"What major thing did Jiraiya do this time?"

Hiruzen shook his head...

He handed the intelligence to the two of them. Once the shock on their faces faded and they had finished digesting its contents.

Hiruzen, who had been waiting for them to offer their opinions, instead received silence.

Clearly, they were both conflicted.

"Although little Jiraiya killed most of the surviving ninjas, we cannot admit it."

After a long time, Mitokado Homura spoke. With Hiruzen's agreement, he set the tone. "Release the intelligence and pin everything on Mist. Let Mist and them tear each other apart like dogs. We'll contract our lines and pacify Amegakure as soon as possible."

The major Ninja Villages would certainly not sit by and watch a genius rise.

After all.

The tallest tree in the forest would be the first to be felled by the wind.

Elsewhere, the Third Mizukage rubbed his chin in frustration. He felt like he had not fully woken up. It was not just him—everyone who had been dragged out of bed by the Anbu in the middle of the night was still bewildered.

Beside him, an elder of the Yuki Clan spoke in a trembling voice. "You're saying... you... you accidentally wiped out a Cloud Ninja army?!!"

"I didn't wipe them out! I just... got things started. Konoha did everything afterward!"

Jiang Rui's Avatar looked utterly wronged!

"But you killed more than a dozen High Ninjas!" Kaguya Tsuki smacked his lips. My goodness, I really love this wild little brat!

"I didn't, I wasn't, don't make things up!" Jiang Rui hurriedly retorted. "At most, I killed seven or eight! Konoha did the rest!"

"They stole quite a few of my kills..."

He muttered quietly, complete with a jpg!

"Enough!" The Third Mizukage interrupted Jiang Rui's seemingly aggrieved but actually boastful act, then turned and said, "No matter how many witnesses escaped outside, and no matter what Konoha says, remember this: you did not kill a single Cloud Ninja. You merely escaped amid the chaos when Konoha attacked Kumogakure."

"Mm!" Jiang Rui nodded hurriedly, obedient as could be. Raising his head, he asked expectantly, "Teacher, can you send someone to pick me up? I think the Raikage might send people to hunt me down."

"No." In an excellent mood, the Third Mizukage gave a rare smile. "Based on what I know of the Raikage, he will not send anyone to hunt you down."

"He will hunt you down personally!"

Jiang Rui: ???