I'm Not So Stupid That I Need You to Remind Me

Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!

Mo Chen couldn't be bothered to listen to their nonsense. He quickly formed a few hand seals, and in an instant, a vast curtain of water surged up around him inside the hospital room.

The water surged with tremendous force, and the distance was short. Even those who reacted quickly couldn't maneuver in such a cramped space.

"Damn it, move!"

"How can he use such a powerful Water Release when there's no water around? Who is this guy?"

"Not good! His target is the human-shaped pill. We absolutely can't let him succeed!"

Cries of alarm rose one after another, and the hospital room descended into chaos.

Seizing the opportunity, Mo Chen picked up Karin and hurried across the waves to where her mother lay.

Boom!!

Mo Chen raised his fist, wrapped in rock, and punched a huge hole through the wall facing outside.

He carried Karin's mother on his back, picked Karin up, and darted outside.

But no matter how fast he was, this was still someone else's territory.

The huge commotion, along with the calls of the Kusagakure ninja inside the hospital, brought many ninja from nearby rushing over at once.

The red hair of Karin and her mother stood out, making them easy to spot.

As soon as Mo Chen left the hospital with them, many Kusagakure ninja began pursuing them.

"Bastard, who are you?"

"You actually want to steal our human-shaped pill? Are you looking to die?"

"He's definitely a spy from a neighboring country. Kill him!"

The human-shaped pill held great strategic value in Kusagakure. Naturally, they couldn't just stand by and let Karin be taken away.

Once the pursuing Kusagakure ninja confirmed Mo Chen wasn't one of their own, they immediately attacked him.

"Pretty quick to react!" Mo Chen swept his gaze around, his expression turning slightly grave.

Because he was carrying Karin and her mother, he couldn't free his hands to form seals.

Those no-hand-seal techniques, one-handed seals, or whatever-you-call-it-and-it-appears techniques weren't something he could use yet.

Unable to perform ninjutsu while surrounded by enemies on all sides, he was indeed in some danger.

"Am I holding you back?" Karin had naturally noticed Mo Chen's predicament. She had been immersed in the joy of being rescued, but now she was starting to panic.

Would Mo Chen abandon her? Or throw her mother aside?

After all, in this situation, the two of them really were nothing but dead weight.

"Don't worry. I won't leave you behind!" Mo Chen seemed to see Karin's worry and reassured her with a slight lift of his lips. "These rabble aren't enough to leave me helpless."

He only thought that being able to form seals and use ninjutsu would make it easier to get out of here. That didn't mean he had no other options.

"Then let us rabble show you what we can do! Lightning Style: Lightning Slash!"

A Kusagakure ninja flashed in front of Mo Chen. He had heard what Mo Chen said, and immediately swung a long sword crackling with lightning toward Mo Chen's chest.

No Kusagakure ninja would ever agree to let someone take their human-shaped pill away.

"Earth Style: Hardening!"

Mo Chen uttered a few words calmly. His chakra surged, its nature transformed into Earth Release, and a layer of rock armor formed around him.

"Idiot! Lightning beats earth. You don't even know that? If you're asking to die, don't blame me!" The Kusagakure ninja sneered, his sword swinging even faster.

Unfortunately, before his blade could hit Mo Chen, Mo Chen had already slipped behind him and cut his throat.

"You..." The Kusagakure ninja clamped his free hand over his throat. Blood seeped through his fingers in a steady stream, impossible to stop.

"I'm not so stupid that I need you to remind me. I only used Earth Release to distract you, idiot!" Mo Chen explained calmly, then continued hurrying forward without looking back.

Thud!

The Kusagakure ninja stood motionless for just two seconds before collapsing to the ground, his face full of resentment.

"Fire Style: Ghost Lantern!"

Mo Chen hadn't gone far before someone blocked his way again.

Seeing how cleanly Mo Chen had handled his sword, the two Kusagakure Anbu figured he was better at close combat, so they used a long-range attack.

This Ghost Lantern technique conjured several balls of fire shaped like ghostly faces. The caster controlled them with their thoughts, sending them wherever they wanted.

Its power might not be very great, but it was ideal for blocking an enemy or disrupting them.

And once someone was hit by one of the fireballs, it was difficult to dodge the attacks that followed.

Unfortunately, this attack still wasn't enough to threaten Mo Chen.

Water-natured chakra surged within Mo Chen and enveloped him and Karin's mother and daughter. Without even looking at the Ghost Lanterns, he charged straight through them.

This Fire Release was so weak that its single-target power didn't even match the Fireball Technique. Against his chakra, it was a joke.

After crashing through three Ghost Lanterns, the two Kusagakure Anbu realized their technique couldn't hurt Mo Chen. They exchanged glances and, as expected, switched to another technique.

"Fire Style: Exploding Flame!"

The two performed the technique together again. Flames that filled the sky and carried explosive force poured from their mouths, merging into a sea of fire.

"You... be careful!"

Karin couldn't fight and could only cling obediently to Mo Chen like a little pendant. She didn't dare make any unnecessary movements, afraid she might interfere with him.

"Heh, this is nothing!" Mo Chen said, unbothered. Chakra surged within him, changed into Water Release, and flowed toward the short blade in his hand.

Water Release: Hard Vortex Water Blade!

Water-natured chakra compressed around the short blade into a water spear shaped like a single-drill bit, spinning rapidly in irregular layers.

When the flames reached it, the spinning water drew them in, then doused them.

The sea of fire was torn open, and Mo Chen charged through the gap. He leaped high, then thrust the Hard Vortex Water Blade forward with all his strength.

Pfft!

The Hard Vortex Water Blade pierced one of the Kusagakure Anbu before he could react, leaving a gaping hole in his chest.

With one of the casters dead, their chakra coordination faltered, and the combination technique naturally broke apart.

The other Kusagakure Anbu retreated in fright, but Mo Chen didn't even spare him a glance as he burst through the encirclement.

"Close in! Don't let him get away!"

"Everyone, attack together! We absolutely can't let him take the human-shaped pill!"

The Kusagakure ninja shouted and rushed to intercept him from all sides.

But Mo Chen was too fast, and too strong.

Whenever someone blocked his way and attacked, he generally broke through with a single move, sometimes even killing his opponent.

If Mo Chen didn't have two burdens on him, and could fight with both hands free, he could probably slaughter them all with ease, even if they managed to surround him.

That was exactly why they wanted to strike first while Mo Chen couldn't free his hands.

Kusagakure wasn't very large, and news of the commotion quickly reached Might Guy's team.

They had just submitted the invitation to the Chunin Ninja Exams and confirmed the Kusagakure leader's intentions.

Suddenly hearing the sounds of ninjutsu detonating and the chaotic shouts of a crowd, they were completely bewildered.

They had already established that Kusagakure was at war with a neighboring country, so they assumed the enemy had invaded.

"This is bad, this is bad, Leader!"

A Kusagakure Anbu hurried over, shouting in a panic, "Someone's trying to steal our human-shaped pill! They're very strong—we might not be able to stop them!"

"..." The Kusagakure leader's face darkened instantly.