The Powerful Qingshui

"Yuyue, attack with me!"

Yuyue, whom Seiji had called out to, was the male Jonin who had stood beside him from the start. He was also a Missing-nin from Kirigakure, and his strength was second only to Seiji's.

He had also reached the area near Mikoto's real body.

At Seiji's command, Yuyue didn't hesitate in the slightest. He charged at Mikoto alongside Seiji.

As comrades who had defected from Kirigakure together, the two worked well as a team. Both had thought to take Mikoto out first.

But they had clearly underestimated her.

Mikoto's real body quickly recovered from her surprise and threw two Shuriken.

The Uchiha Clan had an exceptional talent for handling ninja tools, and every member had mastered Shurikenjutsu.

As the Shuriken forced the two men back, she formed Hand Seals at incredible speed, then opened her mouth and spat out a massive fireball.

Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique.

The most iconic Fire Release Ninjutsu of the Uchiha Clan, it was also one of their most frequently used techniques.

The enormous fireball carried an incredibly intense heat as it hurtled toward Seiji and Yuyue.

If it hit them, they would either die or be seriously injured.

Feeling the terrifying power of the fireball, Seiji and Yuyue's faces changed dramatically.

This was the Land of Rain, an environment that was already extremely unfavorable for Fire Release users. Yet their opponent's Ninjutsu was still this powerful.

The two Jonin couldn't even imagine what it would have been like if they had encountered her somewhere else.

They might have been defeated in just a few moves.

She might not even have needed to use her Sharingan.

Sometimes, the gap between Jonin could be even greater than the gap between a Jonin and a Genin.

Fortunately, they were in the Land of Rain, where the environment favored them.

Kirigakure was in the Land of Water, and as a Mist Ninja, Seiji was highly skilled in Water Release Ninjutsu.

That was the main reason he had chosen to come to the Land of Rain after defecting.

Though shocked by the power of Mikoto's Great Fireball, Seiji could naturally dodge it.

He used Body Flicker to evade the fireball, then immediately unleashed his Water Release Ninjutsu, having already finished forming his Hand Seals.

Water Style: Water Needle Senbon Technique!

The falling raindrops suddenly changed shape, condensing into countless Senbon that shot toward Mikoto at incredible speed.

These Senbon had tremendous piercing power and could easily punch through a ninja's body.

At the same time, Yuyue, who had also dodged the Great Fireball, unleashed a Ninjutsu of his own.

Earth Style: Rock Pillar Spear!

Though he was a Mist Ninja, that didn't mean he only knew Water Release Ninjutsu.

There were simply fewer Mist Ninja who could use other forms of Ninjutsu.

As luck would have it, Yuyue was one of the Mist Ninja who could use Earth Style.

The ground beneath Mikoto's real body suddenly thrust up into a rocky pillar, sending her flying into the air.

With nothing to push off against, she couldn't dodge Seiji's Ninjutsu.

"Die!"

Seiji roared triumphantly. This was the kind of coordination he and Yuyue had developed through years of working together.

With this combination of Ninjutsu, they had killed several Jonin.

Before his words had even faded, the many Senbon formed from rainwater struck Mikoto's body.

"Teacher Mikoto!"

Sasaki Ayami, who had witnessed the scene, paled.

As a result, she failed to dodge the enemy's attack in time. Her arm was struck, and blood poured from the wound.

Though Mikoto's three Shadow Clones were doing their best to hold back as many enemies as possible, there were simply too many of them for her to stop them all.

Some still managed to get inside, and battle erupted between them and the others.

With Sasaki Ayami injured, the enemy showed no mercy. He sneered as he prepared to finish her off with his next strike.

She hadn't been strong to begin with, and now, wounded, she could barely fight back. The enemy kicked her to the ground.

Mukai Yuki was also tied up with an enemy.

He was stronger than Sasaki Ayami, but only by a little. He still couldn't handle an opponent with Chunin-level strength without difficulty.

"Ayami!"

Distracted, he was wounded as well.

"Konoha Ninja aren't much to brag about. I thought you'd be strong, but you're still going to die by our hands."

The Missing-nin who had wounded them spoke with a murderous expression.

The Five Great Ninja Villages had bullied them for so long. Now it was time to pay them back.

Hearing the enemy's words, Minato grew anxious.

He was the strongest of the three, but three enemies were keeping him occupied head-on. He wanted to help, but couldn't get away.

The thought that he might lose another comrade was more than he could bear.

But he knew he absolutely couldn't panic.

The more anxious he became, the easier it would be to leave an opening for the enemy to exploit.

In that moment, Minato yearned for strength.

If only he were strong and fast enough, he could protect everyone.

"Die, Konoha Ninja!"

As Sasaki Ayami and Mukai Yuki watched in despair, the enemy about to take their lives suddenly dropped dead, his head severed!

The sudden turn of events left them unable to react.

They stood there, stunned.

"There are still enemies left, so I'll have to wait until they're dealt with before I can treat you."

Qingshui's voice brought the two of them back to their senses.

At the last possible moment, Qingshui had killed the enemy and saved them.

At first, four enemies had surrounded Qingshui, but with his current strength, dealing with them hadn't been too difficult.

He could have taken them down even without swordsmanship, using nothing but his Chakra Scalpel.

It had simply taken some time.

"Big Brother Qingshui is actually this strong!"

Mukai Yuki stared blankly at Qingshui's back, hardly able to believe it.

A Medical Ninja, someone everyone had thought was practically incapable of fighting, had quickly killed several enemies with Chunin-level strength.

It made no sense. It wasn't even how ninjas were supposed to be.

Sasaki Ayami wore the same stunned expression as Mukai Yuki.

Ignoring their reactions, Qingshui continued to swing his Ninja Sword, supporting Minato as he fought off the enemies surrounding him.

Minato had already been able to keep the enemies at bay on his own. With Qingshui's support, the outcome was obvious.

"Big Brother Qingshui, we owe you one."

Minato spoke, still shaken.

He had only been part of Sister Mikoto's squad for a month, but Mukai Yuki and Sasaki Ayami were already his comrades.

He really didn't want to go through the pain of losing a comrade again.

Qingshui patted Minato on the shoulder, then glanced at the other enemies trapped by Mikoto's Shadow Clones.

"Minato, protect Yuki and Ayami. I'm going to help Mikoto."

With that, he rushed off.

Minato obediently hurried over to his two injured comrades.

"Sorry, Minato. We held you back."

"As long as you're both okay. Trust Big Brother Qingshui and Sister Mikoto."

As a Jonin, Mikoto wasn't someone the enemy could kill so easily.

Sasaki Ayami had simply been too worried to think straight.