True Strength

Chapter 48: True Strength [24 requests for collection]

"An assassination-type Jonin is so much more troublesome than a direct confrontation, especially since this guy isn't weak in a direct fight either."

The flying sand quickly dispersed, and the cautious Sunagakure Jonin vanished from their sight again.

Satoru raised an eyebrow and let out a cold snort:

"Overly cautious... but this is also an opportunity."

"Nawaki, once I make my move, you escape with all your might. I'll buy us time!"

"What!"

Nawaki was stunned, then gritted his teeth and growled:

"That's a Jonin! Satoru, you're a genius, but you can't be reckless at a time like this!"

"Even if someone has to hold him off, it should be me!"

Nawaki's expression was more serious than ever. He glared at Satoru:

"Even though you never called me senior brother or anything, I'm actually over two years older than you!"

"When it comes to covering a retreat, I go first! You, the genius, surviving is far more important to the village's future than me surviving!"

"...Heh."

Satoru was silent for a moment, then let out a helpless chuckle and slammed his staff onto the ground:

"Really... Senior Brother Nawaki, I'm the leader. Did you forget what you told Mikoto-neechan earlier?"

"Someone like me, who loves staying home, wouldn't seek death..."

Nawaki looked at Satoru's extremely disdainful gaze with a dark expression:

"You're not a beauty, and even if you were, it wouldn't work!"

"I have my own plan. You should go first. It's not an easy mission to rendezvous with Orochimaru-sensei and the others."

"It's just escaping from a Jonin. I have experience—did you forget Orochimaru-sensei's test before?"

Satoru gave a reason that left Nawaki speechless:

"Even though it was a test, I could escape from Orochimaru-sensei without injury back then. Escaping now is still no problem for me."

"But..."

"Enough! Stop your whining and obey orders!"

Satoru's expression turned stern, and he shouted:

"Prepare! If you don't leave and get captured as a hostage, I really won't be able to leave!"

"..."

Nawaki bit his lip fiercely, a trickle of blood flowing down. He tightly gripped the kunai in his hand, looking at Satoru's serious expression:

"You have to catch up, otherwise..."

"There's no 'otherwise.' Have I ever gone back on my word?"

Nawaki let out a long breath, then smiled:

"That's true... I believe you!"

"Very good... then, now!"

Satoru stuck his staff into the ground, grinned, and clasped his hands tightly in front of him:

"Water Elemental: Condense!"

"Go!"

Nawaki's figure instantly vanished, rapidly heading in the direction Orochimaru and the others had left.

If Orochimaru and Mikoto had already escorted Mr. Ito to their destination, then if he hurried there, they would still have time to come back and save Satoru!

"Wait for me!"

As Satoru made his move, the ground not far behind him began to churn like mud!

"Rumble—"

"Pfft—Splash—"

The ground rolled, then quickly rose, and a massive geyser erupted from it!

The geyser didn't disperse; instead, a giant Water Elemental reformed, and within it, a struggling figure could be clearly seen!

"This guy's operational style is so steady, he's a model for me to emulate."

Satoru sneered. Just now, the Water Elemental had been shattered by the Earth Dragon and disappeared, then transformed into water and seeped into the ground.

The silent and invisible water flow served as Satoru's medium for sensing the Sunagakure Jonin who had hidden underground using Earth Release.

The ground in this vicinity had already been permeated by the Arcane Power-infused water!

The Water Elemental, reformed and solidified, was like a water prison to the Sunagakure Jonin!

The Water Elemental churned violently, compressing itself, its immense water pressure tightly binding the Sunagakure Jonin's movements.

"What... what Ninjutsu is this!?"

He managed to form hand seals, intending to use Ninjutsu to break through this peculiar water prison.

"Don't rush..."

A magnificent arcane glow flashed in Satoru's eyes. After fighting for so long, he felt no fatigue at all—

His Chakra was converted from Arcane Power, not refined from physical or mental energy.

Therefore, his physical energy, corresponding to stamina, was merely for adapting to combat, and its consumption was negligible.

As for the mental energy that guided the Arcane Power, what mages called "Mana," for Satoru, who possessed The Book of Medivh...

The Book of Medivh, 42% analyzed, spellcasting refunds 21% Mana, and spell damage cap increased by 21%!

Thus, Satoru was no longer just a Genin who stood out even among Chunin.

"If I want to, I can play with you right now!"

Through the perception of his Mage Eye, Nawaki had already left his range of perception.

"Let's begin!"

The purple arcane glow from Satoru's hands instantly turned into a dreamlike, crystalline color. The battlefield, located in the Gobi Desert, saw its temperature plummet instantly!

The Jonin within the Water Elemental, who was struggling to form hand seals, shivered abruptly.

He discovered that his speed in forming seals had slowed to an unbelievable degree!

"What's going on! This water... it's getting cold?! My hands... they're freezing!"

"Can Water Release do this?!"

Snowflakes danced around Satoru, and three chillingly cold Ice Orbs replaced the fiery orbs of Flame Shield, rotating around him.

"Frost Shield!"

A cold smile tugged at Satoru's lips:

"Since we've reached this point, although dead men occasionally leak secrets, the probability is much lower than with living ones."

"Deep Freeze!"

A dazzling storm of ice crystals spun around the Water Elemental, and in an instant—

The massive Water Elemental was frozen solid into a block of ice by Satoru's ice magic...

Including the Sunagakure Jonin trapped inside!

"Ice Release... he... he's a Kekkei Genkai Ninja..."

Despite being frozen, a Jonin was still a Jonin. He struggled desperately, erupting with Chakra, attempting to break free from the restraint.

"This kid, he... he has the Kekkei Genkai of Ice Release!"

"So... that's how it is, I must... warn the village!"

"Hah!!"

With a frantic surge of Chakra, the Sunagakure Jonin had a realization: he likely couldn't escape death today.

But at least, he had to find a chance to use a communication Secret Technique to relay information about this dangerous enemy from Konoha!

"Crack..."

The Sunagakure Jonin could feel the ice layers around him beginning to crack under his struggles.

"Just a little more..."

"Ice Arrow!"

"Ice Lance Technique!"

"Swoosh—"

A massive Ice Arrow, emanating a chilling aura, and a crystal-clear Ice Lance, trailing a magnificent wake, struck the Sunagakure Jonin, who was on the verge of breaking free, almost simultaneously.

"Pfft..."

"Thump!"

The Sunagakure Jonin, his face still etched with elation, was pierced by an arrow and a spear the moment he was about to escape the freeze, collapsing to the ground.

"This isn't a game... both of these spells have initial destructive power comparable to C-rank Ninjutsu, and with spell enhancements, they're solidly B-rank Ninjutsu."

Satoru's voice sounded beside the Sunagakure Jonin, whose eyes were barely open.

"This must be... a critical hit?"

"Frozen by the low temperatures condensed by the vast amount of water elements, your body has been silently eroded by the cold, becoming so fragile that..."

"Pfft!"

Another crystal-clear ice spear pierced his rapidly cooling body.

"You're no match for me."