Do You Have Brains?

It had been a few months since he crossed over, and Shiba Seika still hadn't had any direct combat experience with shinobi from the Five Great Shinobi Countries.

As a result, he always lacked an accurate assessment of his own strength.

Although he had earned widespread respect within the Akatsuki Organization, everyone knew that the rank levels of shinobi from smaller villages were often inflated.

If you wanted real credibility, you had to look to the Five Great Shinobi Countries.

So for the battle ahead, he was giving it his absolute full attention!

What he didn't know was that the older shinobi opposite him wasn't just a Chunin—he was actually a Special Jonin!

The next moment, Shiba Seika tossed his straight blade into the air and formed hand seals.

"Lightning Release: Lightning Pull!"

This was a jutsu Shiba Seika had learned through internal exchanges within the Akatsuki Organization—a common C-rank Lightning Release, but one that fit his fighting style perfectly.

A bolt of lightning pulled down from the void struck the straight blade he had thrown.

The hilt of the blade had insulating cloth strips he had wrapped around it beforehand.

Then, with his right hand still in the seal, he grabbed the descending Lightning Blade, dragging a trail of bright azure lightning as he charged swiftly toward the older Iwagakure Special Jonin!

This sight once again made the older Iwagakure shinobi's face twist with surprise.

The jutsu in front of him was very common—he had seen it before—but he clearly remembered it was supposed to be an ordinary technique that pulled lightning from the void to strike an enemy.

Why was this young man using it to enchant a weapon?!

There was definitely something special about this brat!

He had suspected earlier that Shiba Seika possessed some unique dojutsu, and now that suspicion was only growing stronger.

But in truth, Shiba Seika had nothing of the sort—he was just squeezing every drop out of his own mind to survive.

The Iwagakure Special Jonin dodged the first slash, but Shiba Seika's footwork was practiced, and once in close quarters, his blade began an unbroken chain of attacks!

Soon, the Iwagakure Special Jonin was forced to block with a Kunai.

But after just one parry, a violent numbness and sharp pain shot through his entire arm.

The Lightning Release on the blade was causing him considerable trouble.

Left with no choice, the Iwagakure shinobi threw his Kunai and then took a risky leap backward.

Shiba Seika's blade swept upward, nearly gutting him on the spot!

But thanks to that desperate move, the Iwagakure Special Jonin managed to break free. Midair, his freed hands quickly formed seals.

"Earth Release: Earth Dragon Gun!"

This technique could be considered an enhanced version of "Rock Pillar Gun," instantly summoning more sharp rock spears from beneath the enemy's feet than the original!

And it wasn't over yet. After landing, the Iwagakure shinobi kept forming seals, then slammed his hands down again.

"Earth Release: Earth-Splitting Palm!"

Violent tremors spread outward from beneath his palms.

Row after row of storage cabinets toppled over, dust and smoke filling the warehouse. The nearby wall was instantly covered in a web of cracks.

In the distance, the merchant Ando shrieked wildly, like a groundhog that had lost its mind.

"Aaaaah!!"

Beside Ando, the last Iwagakure Genin, holding a Kunai and standing guard, exclaimed in delight, "We did it! We took down that despicable Rain Ninja!"

After unleashing his combo of jutsu, the older Iwagakure Special Jonin panted heavily from exhaustion.

But the expression on his face mirrored his Genin teammate's—a mix of joy and relief.

In the middle of the cracked warehouse floor not far away, the enemy's pierced body hung on the rock spears, still clutching the straight blade covered in lightning strike patterns.

Hmph. A shinobi from a small country after all.

The older Iwagakure Special Jonin had just begun to feel a flicker of pride when, the next moment, the corpse hanging from the rock spears burst into a puff of white smoke with a loud "bang!"

A slap in the face!

As the clone dispersed, the straight blade clattered to the ground.

It was precisely because Shiba Seika had handed that unique lightning-patterned straight blade to his clone that he had so thoroughly misled the enemy's judgment!

The next instant, a collapsed storage cabinet exploded, and the real Shiba Seika burst out from the debris and dust, charging forward—sending the older Iwagakure Special Jonin's soul fleeing in terror!

The Iwagakure Special Jonin's Chakra was now nearly depleted.

Counting from the opening "Earth Release: Rock Pillar Gun," he had already unleashed four jutsu of no small rank.

The consumption was almost catching up to early Kakashi levels.

As a Special Jonin, he really had given it his all.

Now, facing Shiba Seika's renewed assault, he could only hurl a Kunai with all his strength and begin forming seals again.

But this time, Shiba Seika didn't leap into the air for a preemptive dodge.

He had clearly seen the enemy's heavy panting just now, and that let him accurately grasp the key information: the opponent was running low on Chakra.

Combining this with the information he had gleaned just seconds ago when he closed in and probed the enemy's Taijutsu, which was somewhat rough, he boldly judged—there was no way the enemy would choose to engage him in close combat at this moment!

So he tossed out a few perfunctory shuriken.

At the same time, Shiba Seika decisively changed direction, charging toward the spot where the enemy's gaze had last landed!

And sure enough, just as Shiba Seika had predicted, his half-hearted shuriken pierced the enemy left behind, turning him into a wooden log.

The enemy didn't dare to fight him head-on, so the hand seals he had just formed were for—the Substitution Technique!

While turning and changing direction, Shiba Seika also completed his own hand seals.

"Lightning Release: Lightning Cutter!"

Lightning-attribute Chakra wrapped around his palm and forearm. His hand blade replaced the discarded weapon, and in a classic pose reminiscent of Kakashi stabbing Rin, he pierced straight through the heart of the Iwagakure Special Jonin!

Not far away, the Iwagakure genin who had been prematurely celebrating was now gaping in shock, his eyes filled with disbelief.

The reversal had happened in an instant!

In his final moments, the Iwagakure Special Jonin stared fixedly at Shiba Seika, using the last of his strength to demand an answer.

"How can you always see through our techniques? Do you have a dojutsu? Are you a jonin? A jonin... this young?"

Shiba Seika first coldly withdrew his hand, and only after confirming the enemy was beyond saving did he kindly offer an explanation.

"I don't have a dojutsu. I just have a brain."

Who said only dojutsu could see through an enemy's movements?

Using your brain works just fine.

Don't you have one?

The Iwagakure Special Jonin seemed to catch the implied mockery in Shiba Seika's words, his eyes bulging wide, nearly splitting at the corners.

But he could no longer speak.

After dealing with this slightly troublesome enemy, Shiba Seika casually finished off the last Iwagakure genin and subdued the hoarding merchant Ando, who had already wet himself in terror.

The consecutive deaths of the surrounding Iwagakure shinobi had terrified this black-hearted hoarding merchant out of his wits, and now he could only beg for mercy.

"Don't kill me! Don't kill me! Didn't your Akatsuki Organization say we should understand each other? I understand you now! I really understand! So you can't kill me!"

Shiba Seika gave a sarcastic smile at this, ignoring him, and instead turned his gaze out the window.

From the very start of the battle, Sister Nan, who could fly, had taken the initiative to drag the Iwagakure squad leader outside the warehouse to fight.

The commotion of the battle had also drawn in the wandering ninja of the Land of Rain who had been patrolling the outer forest earlier.

Seeing this, Ando seemed to regain a bit of a sense of security.

But the next moment, Shiba Seika stepped out of the warehouse and casually killed all those wandering ninja in just a few seconds.

This scene utterly terrified Ando, triggering another sharp, groundhog-like shriek from him.

"Ahhh! How could you kill them? They're all locals of the Land of Rain! Didn't your Akatsuki Organization always say that the people of the Land of Rain should understand each other? They weren't from Iwagakure! They weren't!!"

But the only response he got was a wide, round slap from Shiba Seika.

In the air, Sister Nan, locked in a bitter struggle, had no mind to scold Shiba Seika for his cruelty at that moment.

On the contrary, she had heard every word Ando said without missing a single one, and for a moment, her heart was filled with a mix of emotions, hard to put into words.

Their ideals, Yahiko's vision, their teacher's teachings—why had it all come to this now?