Battle and Strength

"Come on, Uncle Midori!" Chakra began to boil within Seiji's body.

"Battle start!" At Genji's command, the battle abruptly erupted.

Seiji and Midori simultaneously coated their legs with Chakra and charged at each other.

"Boom!" Their fists collided, unleashing a blast of air that shot outward in every direction. The ground caved in beneath them, forming a circular crater.

What a heavy punch! Midori groaned inwardly. Though his taijutsu was not weak, he was ultimately a ninja who specialized in Water Release. It was his masterful Water Release techniques that had earned him the rank of Special Jonin.

Genji, watching from the side, was only an Elite Jonin in terms of strength, but his eye for battle was far from poor. With a single glance, he judged Seiji's approximate taijutsu level.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

The two exchanged several rapid taijutsu strikes before Midori suddenly darted aside, formed a one-handed seal, and instantly increased the Chakra output to his right fist.

"Water Release: Azure Dragon Palm!" Dragon-shaped Chakra wrapped around Midori's right hand as he drove it heavily toward Seiji.

One-handed seals?! Seiji was startled. He had not expected a mere Special Jonin like Midori to possess a technique that even in his memories, only a few people could use. As expected, anyone capable of serving as an elder's guard and steward had some real skill.

Facing Midori's fierce incoming palm, Seiji had no choice but to dodge to the side.

Midori took the opportunity to retreat, swiftly leaping onto the surface of the artificial lake in the backyard. For a Water Release ninja, fighting near water could both increase the power of Water Release techniques and reduce Chakra consumption.

Dispelling the Chakra covering his right hand, Midori began forming seals at high speed. Dragon—Ox—Rabbit. He completed all three seals in less than a second.

"Water Release: Water Disruption Wave!" Lake water surged upward and crashed toward Seiji. Having lost the initiative, Seiji could only continue evading.

Meanwhile, the seals in Midori's hands kept changing, and his Chakra began to fluctuate violently.

Ox—Monkey—Rabbit—Rat—Boar—Rooster—Ox—Horse—Rooster—Rat—Tiger—Dog—Tiger—Snake—Ox—Goat—Snake—Boar—Goat—Rat—Ren—Monkey—Rooster—Dragon—Rooster—Ox—Horse—Goat—Tiger—Snake—Rat—Monkey—Rabbit—Boar—Dragon—Goat—Rat—Ox—Monkey—Rooster—Ren—Rat—Boar—Rooster. Midori completed all forty-four seals in ten seconds, his hands moving so fast they nearly sparked.

"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!" A massive water dragon rose from the lake's surface and roared as it charged toward Seiji.

Having inherited Thousand Years's memories, Seiji recognized the Water Dragon Bullet Technique the moment Midori began forming seals.

The air in the Land of Water was rich with moisture, so even without standing near a lake, Water Release ninjutsu would receive a boost.

After flashing aside to avoid the water's impact, Seiji swiftly formed seals as well. He used the simplified ten-seal version of the Water Dragon Bullet Technique he had obtained from Isshiki. As a result, though he started later, he completed the technique first. A massive torrent burst from Seiji's mouth, swiftly condensing into a ferocious water dragon that flew toward Midori.

Although Seiji also knew the five-seal and even three-seal methods for casting the Water Dragon Bullet Technique, he was not yet capable of using them.

Seeing Seiji form seals later yet unleash the same Water Dragon Bullet Technique first, a sharp glint flashed in Genji's eyes. Unaware that Seiji had a cheat, Genji attributed the simplified seals to Seiji's exceptional talent.

The two water dragons collided explosively in midair, sending enormous sprays of water splashing in every direction. The moisture in the air grew even denser.

After neutralizing Midori's attack with the same technique, Seiji had no intention of engaging in close combat and continued forming seals.

"Water Release: Water Hail!" Countless water bullets condensed in the air and scattered toward Midori like a barrage of buckshot.

Shocked by Seiji's ten-seal Water Dragon Bullet Technique, Midori hurriedly suppressed the turmoil in his heart and formed seals to defend himself.

Tiger—Snake—Rat—Snake—Tiger. The five seals were completed in an instant.

"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"

A vertical wall of water rose from the lake's surface, firmly shielding Midori behind it. The speeding water bullets slammed heavily into the Water Formation Wall, sending ripples across its surface.

Seiji was not discouraged by his failure to break through and continued forming seals. Just as he was about to press the attack, Genji, who had been observing from the side, called out to stop him.

"That's enough, little Seiji. Midori, you come over too!" Genji had gained a rough understanding of Seiji's strength. Midori, a Special Jonin, was not enough to test Seiji's true ability. He needed to determine Seiji's precise strength in order to make plans for his future training.

The two calmed their respective Chakra and formed the Seal of Reconciliation toward each other.

"Thank you for going easy on me, Uncle Midori." Seiji bowed to Midori, his expression humble.

"Hehe! The new generation truly replaces the old. Young Master Seiji's strength has already surpassed mine." Midori gave a bitter smile, but he wholeheartedly acknowledged Seiji's talent and strength.

Genji made several hand gestures toward the air. A burly man wearing Anbu attire and a mask carved with a strange smiling face used Body Flicker to appear before Genji, then dropped to one knee.

"Lord Genji! Please give your orders!" the newcomer said respectfully.

As Genji held a position of immense status and authority equal to the Mizukage within Hidden Mist Village, even though he had gradually stopped involving himself in affairs in recent years, he still commanded a squad of elite Anbu loyal to him.

"This is Rei, the captain of the Anbu squad that protects me. He is at the peak of Elite Jonin and close to Kage-level in strength. Little Seiji, go all out. You don't need to worry about hurting him—Rei is considered very strong throughout the entire village," Genji introduced.

"Young Master Seiji, do you need to recover some Chakra?" Rei asked.

"No. Let's begin right away. I still have plenty of Chakra—more than enough." This was only a test of strength, not a fight to the death, so Seiji felt there was no need to recover Chakra. Several months had passed since he reached Jonin level, and his Chakra reserves had increased further during that time, bringing his total to around 2.5 cards.

The two stood facing each other and formed the Seal of Confrontation.

"Battle start!"

The instant he heard the match begin, Seiji rapidly retreated, opening a short distance between himself and Rei.

Since stabilizing his Jonin-level strength, Seiji had hardly fought anyone else. He was also curious about the level of his current combat power. Facing Rei, whose strength far exceeded his own, Seiji did not dare hold anything back. He decided to use every ability he possessed apart from forbidden techniques and fight with all his strength.

Although Seiji had awakened the Shikotsumyaku Kekkei Genkai, said to be invincible in close combat, he was facing a genuine Anbu elite. Moreover, Genji had just said that Rei's strength was already close to Kage-level. Therefore, Seiji decided to test him from range first.

"Shikotsumyaku: Ten Finger Drilling Bullets!"

Beginning with the signature combat method of the Shikotsumyaku, Seiji aimed all ten fingers at Rei's position. Bone bullets fired continuously from them at high speed.

Seeing Seiji use the Shikotsumyaku's signature ninjutsu, Midori, who had just fought him, understood that the young master had shown him mercy earlier.

"As expected! Little Seiji has already awakened the Shikotsumyaku. A nine-year-old Kekkei Genkai User with Jonin-level strength—Heaven truly blesses Hidden Mist!" Genji sighed repeatedly, and a bold idea emerged in his heart. He would train Seiji to become the Mizukage.

Seeing that Rei showed no intention of dodging, Seiji sensed that something was wrong. The high-speed bone bullets pierced straight through Rei's body, riddling him with holes. Rei, who offered no resistance at all, turned into a puddle of water that spilled across the ground.

As expected, it was a Water Clone! Yet Seiji had not seen Rei form any seals. He could only marvel that an Elite Jonin truly lived up to the title—the activation of his ninjutsu had been both covert and incredibly fast.