Passing Through the Battlefield (4)

The Akimichi brother's skills were quite good; the passage he made was smooth, and Hyuga Ao entered the underground current without incident.

The Land of Rain is constantly rained upon, and it hasn't become a swamp due to its developed underground water system. The Land of Rain's underground water system connects directly to the sea, draining the rainfall.

Hyuga Ao took out a chain from her ninja pouch, tied it around her waist, attached it to a kunai, secured it in the passage she had made earlier, found a backwater, and sank to the bottom, closing her eyes.

"Heh heh." Aqua's soft laughter echoed in Hyuga Ao's ears.

The surrounding cold water seemed to grow warmer, and specks of blue light came from all directions, converging into Hyuga Ao's body.

Hyuga Ao felt as if a gentle little hand was slowly stroking her, soothing the fatigue in her body.

A warm current flowed through her, washing away the dust and bloodstains from Hyuga Ao's body, cleansing every pore, and allowing Hyuga Ao's tense body to relax.

The relaxation of her body led to the relaxation of her mind, and Hyuga Ao fell into a state of thoughtless emptiness. The blue light spots gathered, turning purple, and after healing her body, they concentrated on her eyes.

A cool sensation flowed in, and Hyuga Ao felt her eyes become more relaxed and agile. The coolness followed the optic nerves, penetrating deep into her brain, continuing to alleviate the intense headache she had been experiencing.

Once all problems were resolved, the water currents fluctuated, massaging Hyuga Ao's entire body. At the same time, faint blue points of light gradually merged into Hyuga Ao's body, guiding her into a deep sleep.

"Aqua does have her reliable moments." This was Hyuga Ao's last thought before falling asleep.

Half an hour later, knowing Hyuga Ao was pressed for time, Aqua's hydrotherapy quickly concluded.

Hyuga Ao felt completely refreshed, her previous depletion fully replenished, and her clothes were even cleaned.

The thought of wanting to leave surfaced in her mind, and the water immediately propelled Hyuga Ao out through the passage she had used before.

She got out of the water, and all the moisture on her skin remained in the underground river, leaving her feeling refreshed as if after a bath.

"From now on, if anyone calls Aqua an idiot, I'll argue with them. This service is clearly from a considerate water goddess." Hyuga Ao thought to herself.

As soon as she stood firm, a message appeared in her mind.

"Dear Transmigrator, hello!"

"This hydrotherapy is a paid service; the first time is a free gift. Subsequent prices are to do one thing for the intelligent, beautiful, and exceptionally clever beauty goddess, Lady Aqua."

"If you wish to enjoy this service again, simply find a developed water system and dive in."

"Report complete, please be informed!"

Hyuga Ao pressed her hand to her forehead. "Alright, I take back what I said. Aqua is still Aqua!"

Hyuga Ao's condition was restored, and she should have continued on her way, but she needed to quickly process her recent insights.

Previously, in a fit of rage, Hyuga Ao had comprehended a method to unleash a Divine Void Strike by overdrawing her Byakugan.

Although it was a forced activation, the understanding contained within the Divine Void Strike was genuine. In that instant, Hyuga Ao was a Hyuga Kage-level ninja with a Domain.

Leveraging the Domain through the special perception of her Wind Cloak was Hyuga Ao's previous idea, and this Divine Void Strike had illuminated that path for her.

Furthermore, after this experience, Hyuga Ao had glimpsed what lay beyond the door, which clarified her path. Additionally, her Wind Cloak had been strengthened; it consumed less Chakra and had a larger range.

Previously, the Wind Cloak could only be considered a shield against minor damage, capable of deflecting only small ninja tools. Now, the Wind Cloak was akin to Yasuo's passive ability.

Hyuga Ao re-summoned that previous feeling, confident that she could still unleash such a strike.

With newfound confidence, she continued on her way.

Having learned from her previous experience, Hyuga Ao was much more cautious.

"Ahead..." The Slug was about to continue her enemy report when Hyuga Ao immediately interrupted her.

"Alright, alright, you don't need to say anything else. I can see it all."

Hyuga Ao stood on a small hill formed by Earth Style jutsu, observing the chaotic battle below. Both sides had over 500 combatants, engaging in a free-for-all on this open ground.

Hyuga Ao took a deep breath, mapped out a route in her mind, and leaped down the hill, like a fish returning to the sea.

But she was a catfish returning to a sea full of vegetarian fish.

"Ugh... Ah... Mmmph..." Screams erupted one after another.

In the crowded battlefield, Hyuga Ao chose to use her fists and feet as weapons; they were the most comfortable to fight with.

With her Byakugan active, Hyuga Ao moved like a fish in water. She sent the person in front of her flying with a palm strike, ducked to avoid a sword slash from behind, and landed an elbow strike on the chest of the attacker, sending them flying.

She unleashed two empty palm strikes to her left and right, then flicked her wrist, sending Wind Blades to shoot down Explosive Tags. Hyuga Ao advanced rapidly, covering over ten meters in the blink of an eye.

However, the deeper she went, the more difficult her progress became.

"Eight Trigrams: Mountain Breaker Strike!"

A pillar of Chakra not only shattered the earth wall but also sent the Sand Ninja behind it flying.

"Eight Gates Collapse Strike!"

Quickly pressing the eight vital points, Hyuga Ao laid down the lifeless Sand Ninja.

"Twelfth one!" Hyuga Ao rubbed her palms. To break through, she had used high-power, breakthrough skills. The high-frequency Chakra output in a short period had caused her palms some discomfort.

She stomped down on a foolish attacker who had emerged from the earth, Hyuga Ao muttered in exasperation, "Where did this idiot come from? Trying to sneak attack someone from the Hyuga Clan."

As she walked, her foot suddenly sank into the ground, which had turned into a swamp.

"When did this happen?" Hyuga Ao was surprised but not panicked.

She flicked her ankle, shattering the swamp, and used her superb Chakra and force control to navigate through the marsh.

A bolt of lightning struck, and Hyuga Ao finally saw who was setting her up.

Drawing her sword, Wind Blade slashed across the ground, temporarily halting the Lightning Release's advance. She leaped up, clearing the Yomi Swamp.

Hyuga Ao was as swift as an eagle, swooping down on the sneak attacker. With a few leaps, she took them down.

"Eight Trigrams Empty Palm!" ×2

Interrupting two people casting ninjutsu, Hyuga Ao simply turned herself into a top, her whirlwind slashes forcing everyone, Sand Ninja and Konoha alike, to dodge.

Hyuga Ao finally broke through the chaotic battlefield.

After advancing a few hundred more meters, she could see Tsunade's Barrier with the naked eye.

Hyuga Ao sighed with emotion, "Finally, I see Athena."

Approaching, however, she found the situation extremely bizarre.

Two large groups of Konoha and Sand Ninja Jonin squads were fighting in front of the Barrier, while a separate squad from each side, Konoha and Sand Ninja, was in a standoff.

Hyuga Ao saw Sarutobi Hiro, whom she recognized, and walked closer to ask, "Uncle, what's going on?"

"Hm?" Sarutobi Hiro looked at Hyuga Ao, finding it strange. She had looked like she was about to die earlier, so how was she full of energy now?

But he still answered:

"Our group, and the Sand Ninja opposite us, all arrived later. The ones fighting in the middle were here from the start."

"Most of these who arrived successively are Chunin and can't get involved in the central battle, so they're watching each other like us. No one wants to make the first move."

So that's how it was. Hyuga Ao stood firm with them, observing the situation with the Jonin.