Next Step

Nawaki's battle with the Rain ninja sensor showed that he was severely lacking in combat experience.

If he had not succeeded with his first sneak attack, and if he had not possessed greater physical strength and Chakra reserves than his opponent, Nawaki probably would not have lasted this long.

This was also happening on such a rainy day. The environmental boost to Nawaki's Water Release was considerably stronger, while his Earth Release was not suppressed too badly.

However, the enemy sensor ninja was a Genjutsu specialist. Having been ambushed and lost the initiative, his Genjutsu was greatly weakened.

What was more, the sensor ninja had realized the moment Satoru and the other two appeared—

None of these three youths was that Konoha Elite Jonin!

That powerful ninja was calmly staying in the cave, protecting the other three people!

The youngest boy to appear first had not even been within his initial sensory range!

And now, two of their own had already been taken out in the ambush. They had barely even had a chance to fight back...

Before he could think any further, a massive Pyroblast came hurtling toward him!

Although Satoru preferred to Blink into close range, using Impact Wave, the Deformation Technique, and taijutsu to control enemies before unleashing burst damage...

A mage was still the most iconic long-range combat class!

Against this last remaining enemy, the flames in Satoru's hands never went out. He had become a mobile artillery platform launching Pyroblasts...

Moreover, the most convenient advantage magic had over ninjutsu in combat was that once a spell was cast, it would chase its target!

This was because one crucial part of casting a single-target spell was locking onto the target with mental power—the so-called "you must have a target"...

For example, the Rain Genjutsu ninja had only just managed to break free from Nawaki's entanglement when he found himself running from two massive Pyroblast fireballs.

Of course, there was no way he could outrun a spell's flight speed.

If not for Pyroblast's somewhat lengthy casting time, there would not have been only two chasing him now.

"Rumble—"

The violent explosion blasted the rain into steam that filled the sky. Although he had already used defensive ninjutsu to block it, the intense heat and explosion left the Rain sensor ninja unable to get back up.

"Whew... Good thing you finished them quickly, Satoru."

Covered in mud and rainwater and looking thoroughly miserable, Nawaki let out a long breath. He took out some rope and tied up the badly wounded enemy.

"We took quite a while. There won't be any problems, right?"

"Probably not. Rain's border patrol density isn't that high." Satoru had already seen Mikoto dragging over the other two tied-up enemies.

"Before we crossed the border, Teacher Orochimaru had already obtained the frontline encounter data from the border defense forces."

"Taking out this squad should give us at least two hours of peaceful rest."

"The three of us actually took out an experienced Rain Chunin patrol squad... I can hardly believe it."

Only now did Mikoto show her nervousness. As she recalled the battle just now, she could not help feeling a lingering fear.

"Satoru-kun, did we really do that? The enemy must have still been on guard against Teacher Orochimaru. That was why we succeeded, right?"

"That's true," Satoru said with a shrug and a smile. "But Mikoto, don't doubt yourself. You did very well."

"Yeah, Mikoto. Look, your clothes aren't even dirty..."

After tying up the prisoner, Nawaki looked at Mikoto and Satoru and sighed.

"You experts can still look neat and presentable after a fight. Then look at me—I'm a complete mess."

"Hehe... You all did very well."

The three of them turned around to see Orochimaru leaning against the cave entrance with his arms folded, nodding in satisfaction.

"Drag them inside. I'll keep watch from here. You rest—Satoru, your plan can be carried out."

"Yes, Teacher Orochimaru!"

Although Mr. Ito and the other two had not witnessed the three-on-three battle firsthand, the miserable state of the three Rain Chunin still made them shudder.

Samurai Sanada in particular touched the topknot that samurai took such pride in and grimaced.

Anyone hit by Satoru's Pyroblast ended up in a miserable state, especially their hair.

What they needed to do next was delay for as long as possible while they rested.

The patrol squad in this area had been eliminated, and the abnormality would be discovered within two hours.

Therefore, their relatively safe resting time was about one hour. But in a border defense zone, all sorts of accidents could happen.

Satoru's plan was to draw out those accidents in advance, then make the enemy focus their attention on a false target so that the clients could leave the border defense zone as quickly as possible.

"So why did you have to go to a small country at such a critical time?"

The group sat around the bonfire in the cave, drying their clothes. Nawaki, who looked the most straightforward of them all, asked bluntly.

"Even if you wanted to leave the Land of Fire, shouldn't you at least go somewhere like the Land of Earth or the Land of Wind? Small countries would only be more dangerous during wartime, wouldn't they?"

"Well... If we could, we wouldn't have wanted to leave at a time like this either. But I truly had unavoidable reasons..."

Mr. Ito continued wiping away his sweat with a handkerchief, cautiously glancing at the three Rain prisoners slumped dejectedly in the corner.

"Um... Ninja-sama, is it all right to leave them here?"

"It's fine. I'm keeping them so my subordinates can practice their interrogation techniques..."

Orochimaru gave a sinister laugh. The flickering firelight reflected in his golden vertical pupils, and together with his pale face and long hair covering part of it, he looked eerie and terrifying—

At least, in the prisoners' eyes.

"Once the practice is finished, they will naturally be useless—dead. Even if they know anything, it won't matter."

"Hmph! Interrogation? As Lord Hanzō's subordinates, do you think we'd fear Konoha ninjas like you?!"

The Rain Ninja Captain snorted. Although he was extremely weak from his severe injuries, the formidable prestige of Hanzo of the Salamander, his leader, still filled him with confidence.

"You won't escape... No one can escape Rain's assassinations in the Land of Rain!"

"Lord Hanzō is known as the 'Demigod'! With a lineup like yours, you still naively think you can cross the Land of Rain? Even ten more Jonin wouldn't be enough!"

"Hehe... Save those words for after you endure the interrogation."

Orochimaru smiled coldly, narrowing his vertical pupils. The Rain Ninja Captain's expression changed.

"Th-this... What is this?!"

The Rain Ninja Captain suddenly discovered that the ropes binding the three of them had turned into giant pythons flicking their tongues!

Their slick bodies slid across him and coiled around his neck. Their immense strength made it difficult for the captain even to breathe...

"C-Captain!"

"D-damn it! Mere Genjutsu thinks it can break me... Dream on!"

"Captain! That isn't Genjutsu!"

The sensor ninja cried out in terror. He could sense that there had indeed been signs of Genjutsu being cast at first, but the pythons strangling his captain now were real snakes!

"B-bastard! What... are you afraid of?!"

The captain could barely breathe. His face had turned red and was gradually turning purple, yet he still stubbornly talked tough.

"Pythons... aren't venomous!"

"..."

PS: It feels like I got put on some fake recommendation slot... I've only gained around a dozen readers since midnight. This is crazy. (_)

Could the recent plot have fallen apart?

The editor boss issued a warning—pull in more readers following the story... Please, everyone, don't let me lose my recommendation slot. (_)

Feel free to share any opinions!