Provocation

"You just mentioned Suikazan Fuguki, what are he and Raiga Kurosuki doing now?" Yichen asked Feng again.

"Lord Qing, since the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist suffered heavy losses in Konoha, only Lord Suigetsukage Raiga Kurosuki have returned. However, both of them were reprimanded by the High-ranking officials and have rarely returned to the village since, instead patrolling the border," Feng replied.

"Lord Suigetsukage still comes back from time to time, but Lord Raiga Kurosuki seems to have not returned for a long time. It is precisely because the Mizukage's original supporters Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist of the Mist, have all encountered misfortunes, and the lost Ninja Blade cannot be recovered, that the Mizukage has become somewhat isolated and weak."

Yichen hadn't thought of this before, but now that Feng said it, he realized it too.

The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist of the Mist were loyal subordinates chosen by the Mizukage. Losing their Ninja Blade meant that Karatachi Yagura had lost one more thing he could use to win people's hearts.

The first Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist of the Third Mizukage, which resulted in the Mizukage losing a crucial advantage that allowed him to suppress other forces.

If Karatachi Yagura had possessed the Seven Ninja Swords, and had chosen a new Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist who would only obey him, he wouldn't have been abandoned by his followers so quickly.

Thinking of the Second Generation Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, Yichen asked again, "How are the village's talented younger generation doing now? Is there anyone who has a chance to succeed as the Fifth Generation?"

Feng was clearly startled. All the other Mist ninja were thinking about this issue, but they mostly only dared to think about it in their hearts. Hearing Yichen bring it up so openly, everyone else in the living room also felt a chill.

Feng took a deep breath and said, "I haven't heard of anyone who has the ability to succeed the Fifth Mizukage yet."

Yichen scanned the crowd and asked, "What are the current strength levels of these people: Mei Terumi, the eldest daughter of the Terumi Clan; Zabuza Momochi Rin'u Yuri the Momochi Clan; Hayashi Ayuri; and someone called Kakashi Kaki, who seems to be Suikazan Fuguki?"

The people in the room were not of high status. Although they had heard of several geniuses, they were all curious about their backgrounds. So they all pricked up their ears, because one of these people might very well be the future Mizukage.

Feng gave a wry smile and said, "Lord Qing, I'm not very clear on this either. Of the geniuses you mentioned, I only know Mei Terumi and Zabuza. I've heard of Rin'u Yuri, but she's not very famous. As for Kakashi Kaki, I've never heard of that name before."

"Zabuza is very strong. He was promoted to Jonin a long time ago, and he might be at the level of Elite Jonin now, but I don't know the exact level. Mei Terumi, although she has always been known as a genius, the Terumi Clan keeps her identity very secret and has never revealed any information about her to the outside world."

Yichen was silent for a moment, then continued, "Do you know the whereabouts of the Suikazan Fuguki?"

Feng shook his head helplessly again.

Yichen had originally wanted to ask Feng if he knew anything about the Six-Tails Jinchuriki, but then he thought better of it. He figured Feng wouldn't know such a secret anyway.

Just then, Yichen suddenly had a thought and turned his gaze toward the door.

A moment later, an Anbu quickly entered. Seeing Yichen in the living room, he said, "Lord Qing, Lord Yuanshi has sent someone to invite Lord Qing."

Yichen turned to look at Feng, who quickly said, "Lord Qing, I have already conveyed your original words to Lord Yuanshi."

"Understood." Yichen nodded calmly, then walked out of the room amidst the tense gazes of everyone.

Outside, there were three people sent by Genji. The leader was probably a Ninjutsu- type ninja, and he looked towards Yichen, protected by two Taijutsu Ninja on his left and right.

"The one in the middle is called Shinichi Ezaki. He's a close confidant of Lord Yuanshi and Elite Jonin," Feng immediately reminded Yichen as they came out.

For Toyo, a ninja of Shinichi Ezaki's caliber was a big shot. Coming from a commoner background, he had never had much opportunity to meet such a person before, so he was a little nervous now.

"You're Qing from the Anbu. I wonder who you were originally under?" Shinichi Ezaki Yichen appeared.

Yichen did not answer, but said, "I sent someone to deliver a message to Genji, did he hear it?"

Shinichi Ezaki narrowed his eyes, understanding Yichen's meaning. Yichen had sent a message that if anyone else came, they would be killed without mercy. Now that Genji had sent him, Yichen's intention was clear.

At the same time, Shinichi Ezaki also sensed the murderous aura emanating from Yichen. He guessed that Yichen probably wanted to kill someone to establish his authority. But this was just too disrespectful of him.

He was, after all, Elite Jonin, and had brought two other Jonin with him who could complement his fighting strength, so he was already on guard against Yichen suddenly killing him. Who knew that Yichen would be so blind to the situation?

Seeing that Shinichi Ezaki did not answer, Yichen Chen did not waste any words and directly Hand Seals, Water Release: Water Clone.

Seeing Yichen make a move, Shinichi Ezaki and his two companions were not intimidated. The Taijutsu Ninja on the left immediately swung his sword and pounced on Yichen.

The other drew his longsword, ready to provide support at any moment, while also guarding against a close-range attack from Yichen on Shinichi Ezaki. After all, Yichen's abilities were still unknown; what if Yichen was also skilled in close combat?

Meanwhile, Shinichi Ezaki also began Hand Seals to prepare for his Ninjutsu.

However, the two were a little far apart, and before the Taijutsu Ninja could get close to Yichen, Yichen and his clone had already completed the Hand Seals.

"Water Release: Water Style: Raging Waves." This is Yichen's Water Clone, Yichen this Ninjutsu that Yi Chen is quite familiar with, with the aim of blocking the close-combat ninja rushing towards him and interrupting Shinichi Ezaki's Hand Seals at the same time.

The effect was good; the melee ninja was forced to retreat repeatedly by the impact of this B-rank Area of Effect Ninjutsu, and almost lost his footing in the end.

Just as the Water Style: Raging Waves crashed towards Shinichi Ezaki and his companion, they Kirigakure Shinichi Ezaki, not in the wilderness, and in this environment, the effectiveness of Area of Effect Ninjutsu was no less.

No matter, Yichen's attack arrived just in time: Water Release - Water Dragon Bullet.

A-rank Water Style Jutsu: Water Dragon Bullet. It's somewhere between a single-target attack and an area-of-effect attack, making it perfect for this situation.

Meanwhile, Shinichi Ezaki was still Hand Seals. Judging from the number of seals he Hand Seals, it should also be an A-rank Ninjutsu.

His strategy was originally correct. He had two teammates to assist him, and two Jonin should have been able to buy him enough time to use his Ninjutsu.

Once he completes the Hand Seals for A-rank Ninjutsu, victory will be practically assured.

However, Yichen moved too fast. Hand Seals to unleash Clone Technique, then his main body used A-rank Ninjutsu, and his clone used B-rank Ninjutsu. All three Ninjutsu were used before he could. The latter was one thing, but in this kind of terrain, a B-rank Water Style: Raging Waves wasn't very effective.

However, Yichen unleashed A-rank Ninjutsu before him, which was fatal. Faced with the water dragon rushing towards him at high speed, Shinichi Ezaki was almost in despair.

Fortunately, at that moment, the guard beside him stepped in front of him.

Boom~

After a series of impacts, the guard was severely injured by the Water Dragon Bullet and rendered powerless to resist. Even so, it was only because he was Taijutsu Ninja, and the Water Dragon Bullet was an impact-type Ninjutsu with weak defense-breaking ability.

If Shinichi Ezaki directly attacked, he would have been dead long ago.

Although Shinichi Ezaki didn't die, his prepared A-rank Ninjutsu was interrupted.

Yichen never lets anyone get away with anything once he gains power. Water Release: Water Dragon Whip; Lightning Release: Lightning Release: False Darkness.

Another round of attacks ensued, but this time Yichen's Water Clone used the B-rank Water Release: Water Dragon Whip, while his main body used a second attribute, the A-rank Lightning Release: Lightning Release: False Darkness.

This time, Shinichi Ezaki learned his lesson. Knowing that his Hand Seals speed was no match for Yichen's and that he was without a protector, he directly used his more familiar defensive Ninjutsu, Water Release Wall, to counter the attacks from the Water Clone.

His Water Release Wall could only defend against B-rank attack Ninjutsu, but it couldn't stop A-rank attack Ninjutsu, let alone an A-rank Lightning Release.

After a flash of blue light, Shinichi Ezaki also lost the ability to resist. His injuries Jonin even more severe than those of the Taijutsu- type Jonin from before. He was the kind of person who would die without effective treatment.

Meanwhile, the remaining Taijutsu Jonin was still approaching Yichen. During the first round of attacks, he was carried away by the Water Style: Raging Waves, and the second round of attacks was also hampered by the influence of Yichen's Water Dragon Whip Water Clone. He had only closed the distance a little when both of his companions were taken down.

Without any suspense, Yichen's main body and water clone used a B-rank Water Style Jutsu to kill the Jonin.

However, before dying, this Jonin threw a Shuriken towards Yichen's main body.

No one took the Shuriken seriously; no one thought Yichen couldn't dodge an attack of that magnitude.

But to everyone's surprise, Yichen neither dodged nor avoided the Shuriken, simply standing there and letting it strike him.

Feng and the others were shocked and instinctively exclaimed, "Lord Qing, little..."

But before they could utter the word "carefully" in their words, they swallowed it back.

"This is the Hozuki Clan's Water Release Technique. Is Lord Qing Hozuki Clan?" someone muttered to themselves.

Without his explanation, which ninja living in Kirigakure doesn't recognize the Water Release Technique?

That's right, Yichen just used the Water Release Technique. This is something he learned from his disciple Ishinose Kiyoshi over the past six months.

However, Yichen's mastery of Water Release Technique was very rudimentary; he needed a little time to prepare before transforming into water. Unlike the Hozuki Clan, who could passively transform into water the instant they were attacked by physical force.

When that Taijutsu Jonin his final attack, Yichen anticipated it and transformed the attacked part into water before the Shuriken hit him.

If Shinichi Ezaki had been in good condition, he would have definitely noticed the flaw when he saw this scene. However, Yichen only had one Special Jonin by his side, while the others were just Chunin. Therefore, everyone believed that this was the real Water Release Technique.

After all, the method of identifying the Hozuki Clan's secret technique is too simple; it's obvious at a glance, and there has never been an accident.

After the battle, Yichen's Water Clone stepped forward and finished off the three, killing Shinichi Ezaki and another of his companions.