Mikoto: Thank Goodness You Were Here

Normal ninjas wouldn't call out the names of their techniques during a fight. Seiji had done so to alert Yuyue.

Yuyue immediately understood and swiftly formed hand seals to support him with a jutsu.

Mikoto dodged the Rock Pillar Spear once more, but the moment she landed, countless pillars of rock shot up around her, trapping her in place.

Earth Style: Rock Pillar Prison!

In this situation, the only way she could escape was to go up into the air.

But at the same time, a massive water dragon came roaring toward her.

The environment in the Land of Rain bolstered its power, making it even more formidable.

A single strike could easily shatter rock.

If Mikoto tried to escape upward, she would run straight into the Water Dragon Bullet.

This attack was far more powerful than the Water Needle Senbon from before. There was no way her defenses could withstand it.

She had nowhere left to dodge.

Though she understood that, Mikoto wasn't about to surrender.

If she couldn't dodge, then she wouldn't dodge.

She swiftly formed hand seals, clearly intending to counter with a jutsu.

"In this situation, let's see what you can do!"

"Even if you use Fire Release, you won't be able to stop my Water Dragon Bullet!"

Seiji shouted smugly, and Yuyue, coordinating with him, wore a matching smile.

In the past, no matter how strong their opponents had been, they'd never stood a chance against this combination.

"Lady Mikoto!"

Sasaki Ayami's expression changed drastically at the sight.

She instinctively wanted to rush over, but Minato grabbed her in time.

"Stay calm, Ayami. You can't help at all if you go over there. You'll only get in Mikoto's way."

Minato looked frustrated as he said this. He was still too weak.

Whenever they faced a powerful enemy, he couldn't do a thing to help.

Under the watchful eyes of the Minato Trio, Mikoto finished forming her hand seals, then tilted her head back and spewed out a blazing inferno. The flames formed a dragon that collided with the water dragon.

Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Technique!

This was also a B-Rank Ninjutsu. With Mikoto's skill, the attack should have been no weaker than the Water Dragon Bullet.

But there were two things to consider. First, the Land of Rain's climate was unfavorable for Fire Release.

Second, Mikoto had used the technique in a hurry and couldn't bring out its full power.

On top of that, Water Release naturally countered Fire Release.

As a result, the moment the fire dragon collided with the water dragon, it was extinguished.

A thick cloud of steam immediately spread, obscuring everyone's vision.

The water dragon continued roaring forward and slammed into Mikoto.

Thud!

The immense impact shattered the rock pillars holding Mikoto in place.

The water dragon sent her flying dozens of meters. When she hit the ground, blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. She was clearly injured.

Fortunately, the Great Dragon Fire had still diminished most of the Water Dragon Bullet's power.

So although Mikoto was injured, she hadn't lost the ability to fight.

The collision between the Water Dragon Bullet and the Great Dragon Fire had been so violent that the steam spread far enough to engulf Qingshui and the Kirigakure kunoichi Jonin.

The Kirigakure kunoichi Jonin looked pleased. She knew the commotion had been caused by her comrade's jutsu.

In her eyes, the female Uchiha who had taken the hit was either dead or seriously injured.

The tide of victory was turning in their favor.

Qingshui's expression, however, was grave.

He didn't think Mikoto would actually die at the enemy's hands, but her situation was certainly bad.

He couldn't let this drag on any longer.

With that thought, Qingshui kept charging toward the Kirigakure kunoichi Jonin.

Taking advantage of the steam that had spread and greatly reduced visibility, he silently pulled several Explosive Tags from the system's storage space.

He had obtained all these Explosive Tags from Blue Orbs and kept them in the system's built-in storage space. He could take them out with a mere thought.

They were far more convenient than a ninja's tool pouch.

After lighting them, Qingshui brushed past the Kirigakure kunoichi Jonin and stuck the tags to her.

By the time she noticed, it was too late for her to do anything. All she could do was watch as several Explosive Tags went off at once.

Thud!

Thud!

Thud!

Explosive Tags were powerful enough to kill a ninja outright. With several exploding at point-blank range, even if the Kirigakure kunoichi Jonin survived, she would lose the ability to fight.

The blast's shock wave scattered the steam.

Qingshui glanced at the Kirigakure kunoichi Jonin, who was covered in blood and had a broken arm. Ignoring her wails, he hurriedly formed hand seals and used a jutsu.

Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet!

Unlike Seiji's version, which required forty-four hand seals, Qingshui needed only six.

Not only was it faster, but its power was no less than Seiji's Water Dragon Bullet from earlier.

"Die!"

Seiji and Yuyue charged toward Mikoto, hoping to finish her off.

Mikoto knew that, injured as she was, she couldn't possibly defeat the two of them. She hurriedly retreated to dodge their attacks.

Just as she was trying to figure out how to turn the situation around, a roaring water dragon suddenly appeared and struck Seiji and Yuyue.

Thud!

Caught completely off guard, the two were sent flying dozens of meters. They hit the ground gravely injured.

Mikoto froze at the sudden turn of events.

Only when she saw Qingshui still holding his hand-seal pose did she ask in astonishment, "Qingshui, when did you master such powerful Water Release?"

"I learned it from Uncle Kosuke."

Over the past month, Qingshui had trained with Kosuke in Konoha Ryūyanagi and learned several Water Release jutsu from him as well.

He'd done it so he could use the Water Dragon Bullet openly.

"I see."

As Qingshui's comrade, Mikoto naturally knew Maruboshi Kosuke and knew that Qingshui had trained with him.

"Thank goodness you were here. Otherwise, we really would've been wiped out during this mission."

Who would have thought that an ordinary C-Rank escort mission would pit them against a Rogue Ninja Team of twenty, including three Jonin?

If Qingshui hadn't turned the tide, the Mikoto Squad would never have made it back to Konoha alive.

"That's right, Big Brother Qingshui. We really owe it all to you this time."

Now that the enemies had all been dealt with, the three from the Minato Trio came over, all looking relieved.

Their eyes were full of shock and admiration.

They were shocked that Qingshui, a Medical Ninja, was so powerful. He could be said to have defeated every enemy by himself.

Naturally, they admired him too.

Mukai Yuki, in particular, felt rather embarrassed.

Thinking back to what he'd said to Big Brother Qingshui before they set out, he wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

With Big Brother Qingshui's strength, he hardly needed Mukai's protection. It would be an achievement just not to cause him any trouble.

Everyone except Minato had been injured. After dealing with all the enemies, Qingshui treated them one by one.

[Completed treatment of Uchiha Mikoto. Reward: one Golden Orb.]

[Congratulations! You obtained Fire Style: Great Fireball.]

[Completed treatment of Mukai Yuki. Reward: one White Orb.]

[Congratulations! You obtained 10 Chakra.]

[Completed treatment of Sasaki Ayami. Reward: one White Orb.]

[Congratulations! You obtained 10 Chakra.]

At the same time, Minato noticed someone else approaching. He immediately drew a Kunai and stood ready.

"Who's there?"