Next Step

Nawaki's battle against the sensing Rain Ninja revealed his severe lack of combat experience.

If he hadn't succeeded with the initial surprise attack, and possessed superior physical strength and chakra reserves compared to his opponent, Nawaki wouldn't have lasted this long.

This was even with the advantage of the rainy weather, which significantly boosted Nawaki's favored Water Release and didn't heavily counter his Earth Release.

However, the enemy sensing ninja was a Genjutsu user, and with the initial surprise attack, the effectiveness of his Genjutsu was greatly diminished.

What's more, the moment Satoru and the other two appeared, this sensing ninja had already determined—

That among these three youths, the Konoha Elite Jonin was nowhere to be found!

That powerful figure was calmly protecting the other three inside the cave!

The youngest boy who appeared first hadn't been in his initial sensory range at all!

And now, two of his comrades had already been taken down by the surprise attack, without even getting a chance to fight back...

With no time to think further, a massive Pyroblast flew towards them!

Although Satoru preferred to use Blink to close the distance, followed by Impact Wave, Deformation Technique, and Taijutsu to control enemies before unleashing damage, but...

Mages are the most iconic long-range class!

Dealing with the remaining enemy, Satoru's hands never stopped burning, turning him into a mobile cannon platform for launching Pyroblasts...

Moreover, the most convenient aspect of magic compared to Ninjutsu against enemies is that once the spell is cast, it tracks the target!

This is because a crucial point for mages casting single-target spells is locking onto the target with mental energy, which is why it's said, "You must have a target"...

Just like now, the Rain Ninja's Genjutsu user had finally managed to break free from Nawaki's entanglement, only to be chased by two giant fireballs from Pyroblast.

Of course, it was impossible for him to outrun the spell's flight speed.

If not for the drawback of Pyroblast's slightly longer casting time, there wouldn't just be two of them chasing him now.

"Rumble—"

The intense explosion turned the rain into steam that filled the air. Even though he had cast a defensive Ninjutsu, the intense heat and explosion prevented the Rain Ninja sensing user from getting back up.

"Phew... good thing you guys finished quickly, Satoru."

Nawaki, covered in mud and looking disheveled, let out a sigh of relief and took out a rope to tie up the severely injured enemy:

"We took quite some time, will there be any problems?"

"There shouldn't be. The border patrol density for the Rain Ninja isn't that high." Satoru had already seen Mikoto dragging the two tied-up enemies over.

"Before we encountered the frontline data, Teacher Orochimaru had already obtained it from the border defense."

"By taking down this small team, we should at least have two hours of stable rest time."

"It's hard to imagine that the three of us managed to take down an experienced Chunin patrol team from the Rain Ninja."

Mikoto finally showed her nervousness. Recalling the battle just now, she couldn't help but feel a lingering fear.

"Satoru-kun, did we really do this? The enemies were likely still on guard against Teacher Orochimaru, which is why we succeeded, right?"

"That's correct," Satoru spread his hands and smiled, "But Mikoto-nee, there's no need to doubt yourself, you did very well."

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

Nawaki finished tying up the prisoners and looked at Mikoto and Satoru with a sigh:

"You masters are still neat and tidy after a battle, and look at me, I'm a mess."

"Heh heh... you all did very well."

The three of Satoru turned around and saw Orochimaru leaning against the cave entrance with his arms crossed, nodding with satisfaction:

"Drag them in. From now on, I'll be on watch, you can rest—Satoru, your plan can be executed."

"Yes, Teacher Orochimaru!"

Although Mr. Ito and his two companions didn't witness the three-on-three battle firsthand, the miserable state of the three Rain Ninja Chunin made them shudder.

Samurai Sanada, in particular, touched the topknot that samurai prided themselves on and grinned.

The hair of those who had been hit by Satoru's Pyroblast was in a sorry state.

What needed to be done next was to delay their rest time as much as possible.

With the patrol team in this area eliminated, their absence would be discovered in less than two hours.

Therefore, the relatively safe rest time was about an hour, but in reality, anything could happen in the border defense zone.

Satoru's plan was to draw out the unexpected events early, then have the enemy focus their attention on a false target, so that the client's location could move away from the border defense zone as quickly as possible.

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

The group was gathered around the campfire inside the cave, drying their clothes. Nawaki, who seemed the most carefree, asked casually.

"Even if you had to leave the Land of Fire, you could have at least gone to countries like the Land of Earth or the Land of Wind. Aren't small countries even more dangerous during wartime?"

"This... if we had a choice, we wouldn't want to be out at this time, but I truly have unavoidable difficulties..."

Mr. Ito continued to wipe his sweat with a handkerchief, glancing cautiously at the three Rain Ninja captives slumped dejectedly in the corner.

"Um... Ninja lords, is it okay for them to be here?"

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

Orochimaru let out a sinister laugh, his golden slit pupils reflecting the flickering flames. Coupled with his pale face and long hair that covered his face, he looked eerily terrifying—

At least, in the eyes of the captives.

"Once the practice is done, they'll naturally be useless. Even if they die and reveal something, it won't matter."

"Hmph! Interrogation? As Lord Hanzo's subordinates, are we afraid of mere Konoha ninjas like you?!"

The Rain Ninja captain snorted. Although he was severely injured and very weak, the immense power of his leader, Hanzo of the Salamander, still filled him with confidence:

"You can't escape... No one can escape our Rain Ninja assassination in the Land of Rain!"

"Lord Hanzo is known as the 'Demigod'! With your current numbers, you actually think you can pass through the Land of Rain? Even ten more Jonin wouldn't be enough!"

"Heh heh... Let's hear you say that after you survive the interrogation."

Orochimaru chuckled coldly, his slit pupils narrowing slightly, causing the Rain Ninja captain's expression to change.

"What... What is this!"

The Rain Ninja captain suddenly discovered that the ropes binding the three of them had transformed into vipers with flickering tongues!

The slippery snake bodies slithered over him, coiling around his neck. The immense strength made it difficult for the captain to breathe...

"Cap... Captain!"

"Damn it! A mere Genjutsu, and you think you can break me... Dream on!"

"Captain! That's not Genjutsu!"

The sensory ninja cried out in terror. He could sense that there were indeed signs of Genjutsu being activated at first, but the pythons currently strangling his captain were real snakes!

"You... Bastards! Wh-what are you afraid of!"

The captain, struggling to breathe and his face flushed red, gradually turning purple, still defiantly said:

"The snakes... they don't have poison!"

"..."

PS: Feels like I got a fake recommendation slot... Only about ten new readers since midnight, this is insane (_)

Did the plot collapse recently?

The editor boss issued a warning, asking to boost reader retention... Please, bosses, don't let me lose this recommendation slot (_)

Feel free to voice any opinions!