Fierce Battle

"Exposed."

Hearing the newcomer's words, Namikaze Yoru's heart tightened. He immediately pulled back without hesitation, warily watching the person before him.

The newcomer wore the standard attire of a Mist Anbu. He had clearly followed behind the Ninja Swordsmen and had come to clean up the aftermath.

Not daring to rely on luck, Yoru struck first.

He raised his hands to form seals and unleashed the only Fire Style ninjutsu he had mastered.

"Fire Style: Flame Bullet."

Scorching flames burst from Namikaze Yoru's mouth and rushed straight at the man.

Yet the Mist Ninja neither dodged nor evaded. The flames swallowed him whole, but he instantly turned into a pool of clear water that rapidly evaporated beneath the heat.

A faint mist rose, and Yoru inwardly cursed.

The enemy had not only used a Water Clone as bait, but had also taken the opportunity to cast the Water Style: Hidden Mist Technique.

The thick mist spread through the area, turning it into the opponent's battlefield and firmly handing him the initiative.

Senbon and Shuriken constantly flew out of the mist. Namikaze Yoru did his best to dodge while remaining on guard against ambushes that could come from any direction.

Fortunately, after the system's enhancements, his Chakra reserves were no longer what they had once been. He could continuously form seals and fire Flame Bullets at every location he suspected.

In the past, just two or three ninjutsu would have drained him dry.

The Mist Ninja opposite him was secretly alarmed as well. Seeing that Namikaze Yoru was merely a boy, he had assumed he could handle him however he pleased and had even intended to toy with him.

He had never expected the other's Chakra to be so astonishingly abundant, as though it were inexhaustible and could be squandered at will.

Still, as long as he did not reveal himself within the Hidden Mist Technique, and the other side lacked a countering dojutsu such as the Byakugan, he would remain undefeated if he simply chose to wear him down.

Namikaze Yoru was even more anxious. This place lay at the edge of the core battlefield. If enemy reinforcements arrived, he feared he would be completely trapped here.

As they faced off, while he focused all his senses on locating the enemy, he suddenly noticed something unusual.

A mysterious sensation emerged in his heart, clearly capturing the Mist Ninja's precise position like a radar.

He did not reveal this discovery. Instead, he quietly slowed the frequency of his ninjutsu, pretending to be short on Chakra and panting heavily.

The enemy did not lower his guard at the sight. Instead, he once again sent out a Water Clone, while his true body silently circled around to Yoru's flank and rear, preparing to deliver a fatal blow.

Yet every one of those movements was laid bare within Namikaze Yoru's senses. Pretending not to notice, he secretly prepared his ninjutsu.

He exchanged a blow with the Water Clone using his Kunai, then borrowed the force to retreat. In that instant, he indeed sensed the Mist Ninja's true body attacking from behind, intending to seize the chance while Namikaze Yoru had yet to regain his footing.

"Water Style: Water Prison Technique!"

The instant the water sphere enclosed him, the Mist Ninja had not even had time to rejoice before he stared in shock at the Wooden Post inside the prison.

At the same time, the Explosive Tag beneath the Mist Ninja's feet detonated with a bang. Namikaze Yoru, who had already escaped with the Substitution Technique, did not dare let down his guard and once more surged with Chakra.

"Fire Style: Flame Bullet!"

Under the double assault, the Mist Ninja's figure was instantly engulfed. Agonized screams rang out amid the flames and explosion.

The mist that had originally blanketed the area gradually began to disperse.

The Mist Ninja in the field was now in a miserable state. One of his legs had been blown off, while his upper body was covered in burn scars and blisters. He lay on the ground, barely clinging to life.

Only after confirming through his senses that the enemy no longer posed a threat did Namikaze Yoru finally relax.

He then carefully felt out the newly awakened ability.

Mind's Eye of the Kagura!

As a fan of Hokage, Namikaze Yoru naturally understood the value of this sensory secret technique, one that only a small number of even the Uzumaki Clan could awaken.

In his previous life, he had discussed more than once on forums how this technique, despite not appearing often, could be called the Shinobi World's strongest reconnaissance secret technique.

Increasing the Chakra output of Mind's Eye of the Kagura, the mental perception that had originally covered the surrounding area instantly expanded to a radius of over ten kilometers.

After confirming that no other enemies were approaching, he quickly stepped forward toward the dying Mist Ninja.

[Scan complete. Pawnable items discovered:]

[Ding! Dying Elite Chunin... Appraisal: 0]

[Ding! Unrecorded ninjutsu (extractable)... Appraisal: 20]

"Pawn."

The Mist Ninja's head turned into wisps of light and dispersed, while the system panel immediately refreshed.

[Exchangeable items:]

[Water Style: Water Clone—Exchange Points: 10]

[Water Style: Hidden Mist Technique—Exchange Points: 10]

[Water Style: Water Prison—Exchange Points: 10]

[Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet—Exchange Points: 10]

[Uzumaki Clan Sealing Technique—Exchange Points: 4000 (can be exchanged separately in parts)]

"Damn it, what a black-market profiteer!"

He could not help cursing under his breath. A ninjutsu bought back for 20 Points was being sold back to him at double the price.

After all this time experimenting, Namikaze Yoru had already discerned some of the system's nature. None of the items it produced were without origin; it was more like a middleman.

He decisively exchanged for four Water Release ninjutsu. Countless memories of training instantly flooded into his mind, as though he had already honed them through countless trials.

[Current Pawn Points: 870]

Even more surprising, though he had originally possessed only Wind and Fire Chakra natures, he had somehow gained Water-nature Chakra as well.

"You get what you pay for."

Not only could the ninjutsu be put to use immediately without any training, but the added Water-nature Chakra transformation alone saved him who knew how much arduous cultivation.

The only slight regret was that the most powerful Water Dragon Bullet Technique turned out to be the honest, by-the-book version requiring a full forty-four hand seals. No wonder that Mist Ninja had never used it.

After swiftly looting the spoils and replenishing his supplies a little, Namikaze Yoru saw that Jonin Makoto Ito had yet to return. He decided to leave himself an escape route and withdraw first.

With the aid of Mind's Eye of the Kagura, Namikaze Yoru moved like a fish in water, avoiding the fierce battles between ninja.

Like a battlefield scavenger, every Whirlpool Ninja corpse in his path vanished without a trace.

"Jonin Ito still hasn't returned. It's already past the rendezvous time. Let's retreat."

Kiyomizu Kenjin said this to Kato Taka, who had stopped trembling but remained extremely tense.

The two had long since been frightened out of their wits by the brutal battlefield. They immediately reached an agreement and hurriedly retreated along the way they had come.

Just as they thought they were about to escape hell and secretly breathed a sigh of relief, an icy voice suddenly rang out:

"Longsword Ninjutsu: Earth Spider Stitch."

Countless steel wires burst from the ground, disrupting their escape plan. The tough wires instantly bound them both.

The slightest struggle caused the blade-sharp wires to slice their flesh open, and blood immediately stained their clothes red.

A slender yet powerful figure slowly emerged from the mist. His gaze could not be seen beneath his ghastly white mask, and he held a ninja sword like a steel awl in his hand.

The distinctive steel wires and long, slender ninja sword immediately revealed him to be one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.

Kushimaru Kuriarare tightened the wires in his hand and said coldly, "Two Konoha rats? Tell me where your companions are. How about it?"