Water Monsters of Kirigakure

The water system of the Land of Land of Whirlpools is quite complex. In the reconnaissance route of the past two days, they had not yet passed through areas with numerous rivers. Today, they had just arrived here and something happened. Obviously, there must be something wrong.

Shuichi noticed that Yūya's team had crossed the river and wasn't far from here, so he quickly gave the order, "All squads, hide here. Attack immediately if you spot anyone from Kirigakure..."

"I will search for Yūya's Squad's whereabouts, within 4 hours..."

He planned to use his Byakugan to scout the river mouth; if there were Kirigakure Masters lying in ambush, they would definitely be positioned there.

The Toyohira River is a major river that runs through the entire Land of Whirlpools from north to south. It has countless small tributaries, and its complexity makes it impossible to mark them on a map.

Not far from where the river connects to its northern estuary, several tributaries converge here.

At this moment, three ninjas were cautiously searching in this direction; judging from their Forehead Protector, they were three Konoha Ninjas.

Hundreds of meters away, Hyuga Akiha kept a close eye on this side, but from the perspective of her Byakugan, the target she locked onto was the person hidden at the bottom of the river.

"There are three people in total, two of whom have a considerable amount of chakra and are hiding underwater." She kept reporting the situation to Shuichi, "However, they are quite spread out, and even with your strength, Captain, you probably can't stop them from escaping."

Shuichi stroked his chin thoughtfully. It seemed that this was the reason why Yūya and the others had suffered. The three Jonin on the other side were able to stay underwater for a long time, and the Kirigakure Konoha Ninja had hardly ever dealt with Kirigakure, had suffered a silent loss.

As they approached, their squad slowed down, activated their Byakugan to search carefully, and sure enough, they discovered enemies hiding underwater.

"The Byakugan is so amazing!" Shuichi thought to himself. "No matter how fast you fly or swim, you can't escape this kind of reconnaissance. Kirigakure's signature Hidden Mist Technique is useless against the Byakugan."

The opponent's underwater reconnaissance is indeed very strong, because even a specially trained ninja cannot persist underwater for such a long time.

"Is this what makes the Land of Water so special? It's said that there used to be Shark Man, or half-fish people, there who were extremely skilled at hunting on the seabed," said Aburame Shihei. "Their physical abilities are amazing; the composition of their skin and lungs is different from ordinary people. Seeing it today, it's truly living up to their reputation."

"No, it seems only two of them are Shark Man," Akiha replied after observing for a moment. "There's another one who doesn't quite look like one, and I can't see him clearly because he's a bit far away."

This is the problem that's giving them a headache. The three Konoha Ninjas they sent to probe were all Shuichi's Shadow Clone. It's a skill to lure the other two Mist Jonin, who were scattered hundreds of meters away, over.

If one of them is killed, the other two might simply separate and escape underwater, making it difficult for even someone as strong as Shuichi to pursue them.

After thinking for a moment, he created another Shadow Clone and then immediately dispelled it, so that the Shadow Clone in front could know the latest battle plan.

"Let's get ready to act! We should be able to catch at least two, and we'll decide on the third depending on the situation."

Upon receiving the order, the Shadow Clone team remained calm and alert as they stepped onto the water's surface. The relatively clear river appeared very calm, seemingly without any danger.

Upon reaching the center, the previously calm water surface suddenly changed, "Splash..."

"Water Release: Water Prison Technique!"

A torrent of river water rushed toward the three like the gaping maw of a monster, and the two Shadow Clones were caught off guard and grabbed directly.

The one in the middle seemed to be significantly stronger, reacting quickly as he jumped towards the shore, narrowly avoiding the Water Release attack.

He had barely steadied himself when another jet of water shot towards his location. However, Shuichi was no pushover; his hands moved with lightning speed, forming hand seals. "Earth Release: Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!"

The circular earthen wall that rose from the ground was very sturdy, and with the Earth Release's advantage over water, it easily blocked the opponent's attack.

After successfully defending, Shuichi didn't stop. He jumped up and fired several Shuriken in quick succession toward the edge of the water prison. While they were in flight, several faster shuriken followed closely behind. "Clang clang clang..." The Shuriken collided and completed a high-level throwing technique of chasing and changing direction.

"What?"

Two strong men were maintaining the water prison, deliberately choosing a position facing it directly so that they could use the water prison to block the opponent's attacks.

Ordinary attacks couldn't penetrate this heavy water, and powerful Ninjutsu could easily injure teammates as well. The plan was going well, but they didn't expect this Konoha Ninja to possess superb Shurikenjutsu.

The Shuriken, struck a man's arm. Instead of bleeding, the man turned into a puddle of water and merged into the river.

The Shuriken from the other direction had no effect, because the Mist Ninja rushed out from underwater used a long sword to knock the Shuriken. This suggests that the third water prison was released by his true form.

"Konoha Ninja, your reaction is quick!" The strangely-looking burly man didn't stop moving. He seized the moment when the water prison next to him was released and slashed down hard. He was obviously very experienced in combat and made full use of every advantage.

The Shadow Clone, having just escaped the water prison, could only parry with all its might, constantly being forced back by the man's immense strength, demonstrating the opponent's astonishing physical prowess.

While the battle raged on the field, Shuichi himself led his team stealthily closer, at a distance where they could already clearly see the appearance of their opponents.

This Mist Ninja was tall, with slightly blue skin, narrow eyes, and faint black lines at the corners of his eyes, making him look unlike a normal person.

"His appearance is very different from Kisame's, but their general features are similar," Shuichi assessed to himself. "He looks a bit like a half-fishman from a certain nautical manga."

"The Kirigakure at 10 o'clock is swimming this way," Akiha reported quietly. "The other Shark Man has gotten closer, but seems to be keeping their distance. They appear to be quite cautious."

"We'll make our move when he gets here, or when my Shadow Clone disappears..." Shuichi began outlining the battle plan, simultaneously putting on a mask and covering his hair with Forehead Protector. "I'm a celebrity now, what if they recognize me and run away?"

After the tactics were decided, Shuichi used his underground magic to move this way, while Aburame Shihei prepared to be the first to charge out from above, Hyuga Akiha stayed behind with an Ink Bird on his shoulder.

Mist Jonin his sword and repelled one of the Shadow Clones. Another Shadow Clone, still on the shore, seized the opportunity to rush into the Water Prison Technique, seemingly to save his teammate.

"I won't let you succeed! Water Release: Water Shark Bullet!"

A creature that could be either a water snake or a water dragon suddenly rushed towards the Shadow Clone. The Kirigakure Monster had a lot of chakra, and with the abundant water resources around, he was able to unleash his full power.

Shuichi had no choice but to retreat. In fact, the fellow countryman imprisoned in the water dungeon didn't need to breathe, but if you're going to put on an act, you have to go all the way, otherwise it's hard to fool an experienced Jonin.

The situation became tense, with the two Shadow Clones forming an angle to distract the Jonin, which was exactly the situation Konoha wanted. They didn't seem to be in a hurry to save their teammate who was about to "suffocate" to death.

Just then, a dark shadow appeared in the water beneath the feet of the Shadow Clone. As the newcomer was about to burst forth, a thin jet of water shot through Shuichi's body with astonishing speed. It was a completely unexpected attack. "BOOM!"

"Shadow Clone? Damn it!" Another Mist Jonin who had successfully launched a sneak attack emerged from the water. He was a White-haired fanged middle-aged man, wearing a light purple combat vest. "Noyaki, you can't even handle Shadow Clone? The one in the water prison was fake too. You're such an idiot."

Noyaki's expression changed, and his Water Clone immediately released the water prison. He punched the Konoha Ninja in the face, and the Shuichi, which had little chakra, exploded. The wisps of smoke seemed to transform into a mocking smile.

"Damn it! So they did it on purpose!"

Noyaki's face flushed slightly with anger. This team of Konoha Ninjas seemed significantly stronger than the previous one, causing him to misjudge the situation. "Be careful, this Shadow Clone is not weak; it must be an elite Konoha team."

The white- Jonin was extremely agile and, unlike the Noyaki, did not rely on the river. Instead, he charged directly onto the shore, showing his confidence in his abilities.

"Secret Technique: Kikaichū!"

Suddenly, a large number of insects appeared in the field, enveloping the Mist Ninja like a black cloud.

"Insects? What a boring trick! Water Release: Water Release: Water Flow Wave!"

The white-haired middle-aged man didn't even form hand seals; he simply spat out a wide area of water as he advanced. Although his attack power was insufficient, it was just enough to make the insect swarm very uncomfortable.

"Splash..."

Aburame Shihei could only retract some of the insects and retreat, but his opponent's momentum did not diminish. One of his hands clenched into a fist and swelled up, doubling in size. With a powerful swing, he struck Shuichi's clone, "BOOM!"

"What? This is also Shadow Clone?"

Hozuki Longyue wore an incredulous expression. She had just finished mocking her teammates, but she didn't expect that she was no different. With a single Great Waterfall Fist Technique, she instantly killed another "enemy".

"Boom..."

Shuichi burst forth from beneath the riverbank, lightning crackling in his right hand. Completely ignoring the Hozuki Clan Jonin behind him, he charged directly Jonin Noyaki, shouting, "Chidori!"

"Oh no..." The Noyaki tried to dive back to the bottom of the water, but the other party was too fast. It touched the water with its feet and was close to him. There was not even time to fall freely.

"Drink..." At the critical moment of life and death, the Mist Ninja's ruthlessness erupted. Relying on his tall stature, he swung his sword at Shuichi's side. If he were pierced by this Lightning Release, he could exchange his life for another before he died.

Noyaki's movements were very slow in Shuichi's eyes. After seeing the other's actions, a slight smile appeared on his lips. The Chidori was about to pierce the other's chest was changed to a side swing. As the output of chakra increased, an extremely sharp white blade appeared in his hand.

"Crack!" The hand blade, transformed into Lightning Cutter blade, clashed with the Katana, cleaving it in two.

The Noyaki's small eyes were filled with disbelief, but its pupils already reflected a blinding white light. It was no longer able to stop Shuichi's thrust, "Pfft..."

"Ugh..."

Despite being fatally attacked, he did not die immediately. Instead, he roared and stabbed Shuichi with the broken half of his sword.

Shuichi immediately dodged and created enough distance. He saw that the Noyaki had a large, blood-red hole in its chest, and blood was gushing out like a fountain.