On Konoha Genin

In terms of "world affairs," Kirigakure has no intention of competing with Konoha anymore, as they simply can't win.

But this doesn't mean Kirigakure won't send ninja to sneak into the Land of Fire.

Moreover, this infiltration can't be attributed to Kirigakure overestimating itself or being aggressive. It's because, about a year ago, Kirigakure (unintentionally) did something foolish.

Here's what happened: At that time, the war between Kirigakure and Konoha was still raging. But with the disparity in their raw strength, Kirigakure, unable to win on the front lines, came up with a terrible idea... They randomly captured a Konoha ninja, sealed the Three-Tails inside them, and then planned to control this Jinchuriki to return to Konoha, release the Three-Tails, and directly blow up Konoha.

The idea was brilliant, but the Jinchuriki was killed within the Land of Fire. Thus, the plan to destroy Konoha failed, and the Three-Tails was lost.

In the current ninja world, it's difficult to define whether a Tailed Beast is a positive or negative asset, but it is undoubtedly an asset that great nations and large ninja villages must possess.

Therefore, the Three-Tails must be found. This matter is extremely important.

Although a dead Tailed Beast can revive anywhere in the world, because the Three-Tails died in the Land of Fire, its most likely revival location is still the Land of Fire. And a dead Tailed Beast can revive in as little as one to two years. So, during this time, Kirigakure has been secretly dispatching elite squads to the Land of Fire to capture the reviving Three-Tails as soon as possible.

Here we have Kirigakure's exceptionally elite of the elite squads, and there we have Konoha's casual rookies on an outing. See, what a coincidence?

Of the four people opposite him, due to their age, Yuhara could only recognize two. One was Juzo Biwa, because he was carrying a "Great Sword." The other was the baby-faced Yagura. But even though he only recognized two, Yuhara made the judgment that they absolutely had to escape.

Even a ninja like Juzo Biwa could be ignored, but Yagura's strength was truly extraordinary... The future Mizukage, though appearing only fourteen or fifteen, should be between thirty and fifty at this age. For people like Yuhara, he was incredibly powerful.

In this situation, there was no need to attempt the squad-based retreat Yuhara had used on the battlefield the first time. It would be meaningless. This was a time for a scattering, to see who was lucky enough to escape.

After Yuhara revealed Yagura's identity, everyone on the Konoha squad was a bit stunned. No one understood why ninja like them would encounter a candidate for Mizukage. However, everyone knew Yuhara wouldn't lie about something like this.

So, Captain Hayase, who had been clamoring to eliminate the enemy just moments ago, now issued a completely opposite order: "Squad One, Two, and Three, intercept the enemy with all your might! Execute the order!"

After issuing the new order, the guy turned and ran, without the slightest hesitation!

It had to be said, this was a correct order. Because by the time everyone understood what kind of person their captain was, no one would obey his command anymore. Whether they would be punished by Konoha afterward was a matter for later; the immediate concern was survival. So, at this point, everyone instead followed Yuhara's lead and began to scatter.

Furthermore, judging purely by facts, Konoha had no reason to punish these ninja, as their commander had fled the battlefield first.

The Kirigakure four-man team watched with amusement as the Konoha ninja scattered. In their eyes, this struggle was futile. With their strength, there was no way they would allow these Konoha ninja to escape.

"Why does someone recognize Lord Yagura?"

"Isn't it normal for the enemy to recognize Lord Yagura?"

The two youngest members of the Kirigakure squad said one after another.

"Don't get too distracted. Don't forget our mission... Leave no survivors." Yagura was, after all, more composed, knowing that even enemies like these could potentially leak their information.

Juzo Biwa grinned, "Konoha Genin combat effectiveness often fluctuates. You have to be extra careful when dealing with them, but... these ninja don't require that caution, do they?"

Before he finished speaking, Juzo Biwa removed the Kubikiribōchō from his back and charged directly at the fleeing Konoha ninja. And the one he was pursuing was Yuhara.

It was obvious this wasn't a random choice. It was because Yuhara had recognized Yagura's identity.

Juzo Biwa ran rapidly across the water, his tall figure slightly lowered. He dragged the long sword to his side and, in an instant, appeared behind Yuhara, then swung the great sword horizontally towards Yuhara.

The sound of wind breaking from behind made Yuhara abruptly turn his head. He extended his left arm, directly meeting the edge of the great sword with his palm.

Desperate? Throwing an egg against a rock?

However, at this moment, Juzo Biwa felt as if the air in front of him had solidified. He hadn't cut the enemy at all; instead, it felt like he had struck a highly elastic polymer rubber!

The great sword's momentum abruptly stopped, then rebounded with nearly double the force. Juzo Biwa involuntarily spun his body until the great sword, after a half-circle rotation, embedded its back deeply into a large tree to the side.

At the same time, Yuhara quickly spun, the Mercury Longsword already formed in his right hand. He pressed down with his left hand, firmly pinning the enemy's knee. With his right hand, the sword tilted upward, its tip, carrying a chilling aura, pointing towards the enemy's neck.

Yuhara truly wasn't afraid of enemies who simply played with swords!

However, just as he was about to complete the feat of instantly killing a Jonin, another figure rapidly appeared behind him.

The opponent was incredibly fast, forcing Yuhara to switch from offense to defense.

He raised his right arm to block the opponent's attack. The metal covering on his right arm suspended itself, parrying another strangely shaped great sword that was chopping down.

But even though Yuhara blocked the great sword, he still couldn't block the opponent's attack.

A blue, dense chakra aggregate rapidly expanded before Yuhara's eyes, and then Yuhara was violently smashed away.

Hiramekarei Release!

The enemy who rushed at Yuhara again was the young Mangetsu Hozuki. At this age, he could already wield the Twin Swords: Hiramekarei. Truly worthy of being a genius who could skillfully use the Seven Ninja Swords.

At this moment, Juzo Biwa naturally reacted, realizing the enemy's strength was extraordinary. So, he loudly warned his teammates: "Be careful, this guy's casting speed is incredibly fast!"

Isn't it incredibly fast? Because Yuhara didn't use hand seals at all.

"I see!"

After Yuhara was violently sent flying, his back slammed hard against a large tree. Then, as if something on his back had exploded, a dense mist instantly burst out, spreading through the forest ahead.

The mist was initially white, then instantly turned a thick white.

To buy time for Tigo to escape, Yuhara had to use an extremely treacherous move, one that could even injure himself if he wasn't careful.

"What is this? Smoke Screen?"

"No!"

"It's mercury, Mercury Vapor!"

"Retreat!"

After realizing what was spreading in front of them, Juzo Biwa and Mangetsu Hozuki had to retreat back to the lake again.

Yagura had to agree with what Juzo Biwa had said earlier: the strength of Konoha ninja truly fluctuated greatly.

"You three stay and deal with this person. I'll go take care of the other Konoha ninja!"

Things weren't as easy as imagined. If this continued, some Konoha ninja might actually escape. So, Yagura also had to take action.