Lightning Flame Sword and Hozuki Akizuki

"Water Style: Raging Waves!"

Hozuki Mangetsu rapidly formed hand seals, spewing out an enormous torrent of water that quickly flooded everything within a radius of over a hundred meters!

Qingye temporarily halted his movements, glanced at Hozuki Mangetsu, and then ignored him.

He used the Body Flicker Technique to appear beside the unconscious Mei Terumi, grabbed her by the collar, and swiftly retreated.

"I've taken care of one. Leave the rest to you. No problem, right?"

Holding the unconscious Mei Terumi in one hand, Qingye retreated to Nohara Rin's side.

"No problem!"

Kakashi swished out the White Fang short blade from his back.

He could no longer use Chidori, and he had yet to develop a replacement ninjutsu. All he could do was pick up the family swordsmanship his father had taught him.

"The opponent is Hozuki Mangetsu of Kirigakure's Hozuki Clan."

Qingye raised a finger and pointed at the youngest, frail white-haired boy among the group ahead. "The weapon on his back should be Twin Swords: Flatfish and Flounder, one of Kirigakure's seven ninja swords."

The Hozuki Clan, the Hydrification Technique, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, Twin Swords: Flatfish and Flounder...

The information intertwined in Kakashi's mind, and his gaze sharpened.

"Leave everything else to me!"

As he spoke, he held the White Fang short blade in his right hand and quickly swept his left hand over both calves, removing the alloy weights strapped to them.

Gripping the two ten-kilogram weights, he fiercely hurled them forward.

At the same time, Kakashi dashed in with his blade raised!

"His speed isn't bad."

Qingye slowly nodded in appraisal.

"Kakashi will be okay, right?"

Nohara Rin watched the battle ahead with a tense expression.

Although Qingye had just cut down nearly half of them as easily as chopping vegetables, who knew whether Kakashi would run into trouble once he went in?

"Probably Fifty-Fifty."

Qingye assessed.

Kakashi and Hozuki Mangetsu were both geniuses of their respective villages. In terms of strength, Kakashi might have held a slight edge.

But aside from Hozuki Mangetsu, the other side still had five or six people left. If they truly fought, Kakashi would have to put in some effort to win.

"Rin, help me tie her up."

Qingye glanced at Mei Terumi, whom he was holding, with some disdain.

What a hassle.

He was standing on water right now, so he couldn't simply toss Mei Terumi onto the ground.

Come to think of it, did Mei Terumi have a bounty now?

She was a ninja with two Bloodline Limits, rare even across the entire shinobi world.

If he took her to the Underground Bounty Brokerage and sold her off, he could definitely get some money.

But Mei Terumi was about the same age as him right now. Even if she could fetch a price, it probably wouldn't be much, would it?

And Hozuki Mangetsu...

Qingye took out a small booklet, flipped to the Kirigakure section, and quickly leafed through it.

He hadn't been to the Underground Bounty Brokerage in a while. He didn't know whether the targets and bounty amounts in this booklet had been updated.

After looking through it, he found no bounty for Hozuki Mangetsu.

Qingye immediately felt a pang of regret.

The Underground Bounty Brokerage placed great value on Bloodline Limit ninja and basically accepted every one of them. At most, they paid less for weaker ones, but ninja from Secret Technique clans did not receive such favorable treatment.

Come to think of it, should he still go to the Underground Bounty Brokerage to exchange for money in the future?

He basically wasn't short on money anymore.

The system had previously said that a new function would unlock once the Mangekyo Chakra Loan was repaid, but that stupid system stubbornly refused to say what the new function was.

As for the temporary loan function, Qingye had wanted to find someone to test it on, but he had never gotten the chance.

Who would be a good choice to try it on...

While his thoughts wandered, Nohara Rin had already tied Mei Terumi up tightly.

Qingye nodded and was just about to take her when, watching Kakashi's battle ahead, he suddenly sensed that something was off.

Wait!

Why was Hozuki Mangetsu still fighting?

Given the strength Qingye had just displayed, he should have been able to see the gap between them. Why wasn't he abandoning the mission now?

Was it because Mei Terumi had been captured by him?

But the other side had not looked his way at all, remaining locked in battle with Kakashi.

"So..."

Qingye narrowed his eyes.

Kakashi's battle ahead continued.

Behind him, faint ripples suddenly spread across the water beneath Qingye's feet.

Splash!

A sudden sound of water rang out. Two hands shot up from beneath the surface and clamped tightly around Qingye's ankles. Pale arms swelled, then exerted force in an attempt to drag Qingye into the water!

As long as he pulled his opponent underwater and trapped him with the Water Prison Technique, he would win!

"Just as I thought!"

Qingye did not move his feet. Lightning flared around his body, brilliant blue arcs scattering in every direction.

Chidori Stream!

The face of the person hiding underwater twisted instantly. The muscles in the hands gripping Qingye's ankles went numb, forcing him to let go.

The water beneath Qingye's feet rippled. The man rapidly retreated from below him, diving over ten meters away before abruptly surfacing.

"Hah..."

A white-haired, sharp-toothed middle-aged man burst from the water, panting as he stood atop the surface.

Damn it!

He had been so close!

What kind of technique had that been?

His body had nearly stiffened underwater!

"You are..."

Qingye looked at the man opposite him, and the face he had just seen in the bounty book quickly matched the person before him.

The head of Kirigakure's Hozuki Clan, Hozuki Akizuki.

A bounty of seventy million ryo!

Judging by the bounty alone, he was somewhat stronger than Gari of the Explosion Style, but clearly a notch below someone like Kitsuchi, a candidate for one of the Five Kage positions!

Just as expected!

Hozuki Mangetsu had not retreated because others were hiding nearby!

This worked out perfectly. Qingye had only recently developed Chidori Stream, and now he had a chance to use it.

Hozuki Akizuki, across from him, panted heavily as the stiff, numb sensation gradually faded from his body. He raised one hand toward Qingye.

"Water Style: Water Bullet Technique!"

A continuous stream of liquid bullets shot toward Qingye!

"Something's off..."

Qingye gripped the Tachi tightly, cleaving apart each powerful liquid bullet, yet his confusion only deepened.

The Hozuki Clan was also a major clan in Kirigakure. Would the head of the Hozuki Clan really come personally to ambush him just to target him?

"Rin, make sure you protect yourself. Stay alert of your surroundings, and don't get too far from me."

As Qingye spoke, he quickly stepped forward. Firelight flashed along the Tachi in his hand, and a scorching, brilliant slash flew forth at high speed.

"Fire Style?"

Hozuki Akizuki relaxed slightly, though he did not let down his guard.

Seeing that the distance was already too close to evade, he hurriedly fired several liquid bullets, reducing more than half the power of the Flame Slash.

Sizzle!

The weakened Flame Slash struck Hozuki Akizuki. Steam rose, accompanied by his cry of pain.

The Hydrification Technique had failed!

The body he had turned into something like jelly was struck solidly.

Damn it, why was there lightning hidden within those flames?

That was too underhanded!

With a splash, Hozuki Akizuki's body dissolved into a puddle of water.

Clearly, the one on the surface had only been a Water Clone.

At the same time, elsewhere.

The battle between Kakashi and Hozuki Mangetsu's group continued.

Amid the fierce fighting, one of the Kirigakure ninja battling Kakashi quietly withdrew. Using the waves splashing up during the battle to conceal himself, he silently approached Nohara Rin.

As he moved, his body gradually changed shape, transforming into the appearance of a completely white Uzumaki-faced figure.