That Akimichi big brother's handiwork wasn't bad. The passage he made was quite smooth, and Hyuga Ao entered the underground current without any danger.
The Land of Rain received rain year-round. The reason it hadn't turned into a swamp was its developed underground water system. The underground waterways of the Land of Rain led straight to the sea, draining away the rainfall.
Hyuga Ao pulled a chain from her ninja tool pouch, tied it around her waist, and fastened it to the Kunai. She secured it in the passage from before, found a bend in the water, sank to the bottom, and closed her eyes.
"Hehe." Aqua's soft chuckle sounded beside Hyuga Ao's ear.
The cold current around her seemed to grow warm. Dots of blue light came from all directions and flowed into Hyuga Ao's body.
Hyuga Ao felt as if a gentle little hand were slowly stroking her, smoothing away the fatigue in her body.
A warm current passed through her, carrying away the dust and blood on Hyuga Ao's body and cleansing every pore, allowing her tense body to relax.
Her physical relaxation brought mental relaxation with it. Hyuga Ao sank into a tranquil state free of thought. The blue specks of light gathered and turned purple. After healing her body, they condensed over her eyes.
A cool sensation flowed in. Hyuga Ao felt her eyes grow more relaxed and nimble. The coolness followed the nerves around her eyes deep into her brain, continuing to ease the intense headache from before.
After all her problems were resolved, the current rippled and massaged Hyuga Ao's entire body. At the same time, pale-blue specks of light gradually merged into her body, carrying her into a deep sleep.
"Aqua seems to have some reliable points after all." That was Hyuga Ao's thought before falling asleep.
Half an hour later, knowing that Hyuga Ao was pressed for time, Aqua quickly ended the water therapy.
Hyuga Ao felt completely refreshed. All her previous deficiencies had been replenished, and her clothes had even been cleaned a little.
The thought of leaving surfaced in her mind, and the current immediately carried Hyuga Ao out through the passage from before.
When she rose from the water, all the moisture on her body actually remained in the underground river. She emerged from the bath clean and refreshed.
"If anyone says Aqua is an idiot again, I'll have words with them. With service like this, she's clearly a considerate goddess of water." That was what Hyuga Ao thought.
Just as she steadied herself, a message appeared in her mind.
"Dear transmigrator, greetings!"
"This water therapy is a paid service. The first session is free. After that, the price is one favor for the clever, beautiful, and exceptionally brilliant goddess of beauty, Aqua."
"If you wish to enjoy this service again, simply find a developed water system and dive in."
"Report complete. Please take note!"
Hyuga Ao pressed a hand to her forehead. "All right, I take back what I said earlier. Aqua is still the same!"
Hyuga Ao's condition had been fully restored. She should have continued on her way, but she needed to quickly sort through the insights she had gained earlier.
Previously, in the grip of her fury, Hyuga Ao had comprehended a method of overtaxing the Byakugan to unleash a Divine Void Strike.
Although it had been forcibly triggered, the insight contained within the Divine Void Strike was genuine. In that instant, Hyuga Ao had been a Kage Level Hyuga with a domain.
Her earlier idea had been to use the special perception of the Wind Cloak to pry open the domain. This Divine Void Strike had pointed out that path to her.
Moreover, after this experience, Hyuga Ao had glimpsed the scenery beyond the door, clarifying her path. The Wind Cloak had also been enhanced. Its energy consumption was lower, and its range was greater.
Previously, the Wind Cloak could only be considered a protection against missed attacks, and it could only slightly deflect small ninja tools. Now, it was practically Yasuo's passive.
Hyuga Ao recreated that previous feeling and confirmed that she could still throw out another palm strike.
With confidence filling her heart, she continued onward.
After the lesson from before, Hyuga Ao had become much more cautious.
"Up ahead..." Katsuyu was just about to continue her report on the enemy situation when Hyuga Ao interrupted her.
"All right, all right. You don't need to say anything else. I can see it all."
Hyuga Ao stood atop a small hill formed by Earth Release and looked at the chaotic battlefield below. More than five hundred people from each side were engaged in a sprawling melee, fighting their own one-on-one battles across the flat ground.
Hyuga Ao took a deep breath and plotted a route in her mind. She leaped down the hill like a fish returning to the sea.
But this was a catfish returning to a sea filled with herbivorous fish.
"Ugh... ah... ngh..." Cries of agony rose one after another.
On the crowded battlefield, Hyuga Ao chose her fists and feet as weapons. Nothing felt better than fighting with them.
With her Byakugan's perspective, Hyuga Ao moved as easily as a fish in water. She slapped away the person in front of her, ducked beneath a slash from behind, and drove an elbow into the ambusher's chest, sending him flying.
She thrust out two Air Palms to either side, then flicked her hand and used a Wind Blade to knock down an Explosive Tag. Hyuga Ao advanced boldly, darting more than a dozen meters in the blink of an eye.
The farther in she went, however, the more difficult it became to advance.
"Eight Trigrams—Mountain Breaker!"
A pillar of chakra shattered the earthen wall and sent the Sand Ninja behind it flying at the same time.
"Eight Gates Collapse Strike!"
After quickly striking the eight major acupoints, Hyuga Ao set down the Sand Ninja, who showed no signs of life.
"The twelfth!" Hyuga Ao rubbed her palm. To break through on this journey, she had been using only high-powered skills with strong penetrating force. The high-frequency chakra output over such a short period had left her palm somewhat uncomfortable.
She pinned down the ironheaded fool who burst out of the earth with one foot and said helplessly, "Where did this idiot come from? He actually thought he could ambush someone from the Hyuga family."
As she walked, one foot suddenly sank into the ground. The earth beneath her had already turned into a swamp.
"When did this happen?" Hyuga Ao was surprised, but not panicked.
She shook her ankle, blasting apart the swamp. Relying on her superb chakra and force control, she advanced through the marsh.
A bolt of lightning shot over, and Hyuga Ao finally saw who had been plotting against her.
She drew her blade, using a Wind Blade to cleave open the ground and temporarily stop the Lightning Release from advancing. Then she leaped out of the Yomi Swamp.
Hyuga Ao was swift as an eagle. She pounced in front of the ambusher and cut him down in a few bounds.
"Eight Trigrams—Air Palm!" ×2
Interrupting two people as they released their ninjutsu, Hyuga Ao simply turned herself into a spinning top. With whirling slashes, she forced everyone along the way to retreat, whether they were Sand Ninja or Konoha shinobi.
Hyuga Ao finally burst out of the melee.
After advancing several hundred meters farther, she could already see the barrier around Tsunade with the naked eye.
Hyuga Ao sighed with emotion. "I can finally see Athena."
But when she approached, she discovered that the situation was extremely strange.
The Jonin squads from Konoha and the Sand Ninja were fighting in front of the barrier. However, one group from each side was standing off against the other.
Hyuga Ao saw Sarutobi Hiro, whom she had met earlier, and walked over to ask, "Uncle, what's going on?"
"Hm?" Sarutobi Hiro looked at Hyuga Ao in surprise. Earlier, she had looked like she was on the verge of death. How had she become so energetic in the blink of an eye?
Even so, he answered:
"Our group and the Sand Ninja opposite us arrived later. The people fighting in the middle were here from the beginning."
"Most of those who arrived afterward are Chunin and can't get involved in the central battle. So we're standing here with one another, keeping an eye on the other side. Neither side wants to make the first move."
"I see." Hyuga Ao stood still as well and began observing the situation on the Jonin's side.
Before you continue