Battle Against Might Duy

Night had fallen, and Jiogan, who hadn't slept soundly in a long time, lay on his bed, replaying the past two months of mission experiences like a slideshow flashing through his mind. With the accumulation of combat experience, his path combining Taijutsu and Water Release Ninjutsu was now firmly established.

"This mission with Maruboshi Kosuke was a missed opportunity—too few chances to learn from him, and we barely saw each other fight. Both battles I ended quickly, leaving Kosuke no opening to act. Still, the mission built a solid trust between us. Asking him for guidance later will be natural, and I want to see just how far the Water Release he inherited from the Second Hokage can go," Jiogan thought.

"The Water Palm Prison Technique still has room for improvement. Its sealing power is enough to handle opponents below Jonin now, but if I could achieve the killing force of Gaara's Sand Binding Burial... then I'd need to rethink it!"

Recalling how he had knocked out the Kirigakure Chunin leader with a double Water Palm strike, Jiogan sensed a direction for improvement, but he had a hunch that if he succeeded, the technique would need a new name!

Soon, his head hitting the pillow, Jiogan drifted off. This time, he dreamed again—standing in the midst of a battlefield, controlling endless torrents of water that engulfed all his enemies. Cold and merciless, he declared, "Within my Water Binding Burial, no corpse remains whole!" With that, he raised his palm and clenched it fiercely. The water spheres trapping his enemies violently contracted, turning blood-red, mixed with shredded flesh and bone, then splattered to the ground, dyeing the surrounding battlefield into a sea of corpses and rivers of blood!

Jiogan jolted awake from the dream! He sat up in bed, drenched in sweat! Clutching his head, he took a few deep breaths. "Is that the final form of the Water Palm Prison Technique?! Too bloody. I'll take it slow from here!"

With that, he looked out the window. The sky was just beginning to lighten, barely four in the morning. Jiogan had no desire to sleep anymore, so he got up and practiced Tai Chi until six, then took a shower, feeling refreshed.

After breakfast, he helped his mother open their family shop, did some chores, and delivered a few takeout orders. By nearly ten o'clock, he headed to Training Ground 6 to meet Might Duy as planned.

Might Duy had arrived early. He was someone who couldn't sit still, already drenched in sweat. "Jiogan, you're here! Wait a moment, I'm almost done with 3,000 push-ups!"

Jiogan grumbled, "Brother Duy, we finally get a break back in the village, and you're still pushing this hard. No wonder you're so strong!"

Despite his words, his body honestly joined in doing push-ups. They hadn't started sparring yet, but in a way, they already had.

An hour later, Jiogan and Might Duy stood facing each other, the Opposing Seal already formed, their battle on the verge of erupting. Normally, the impatient Might Duy would strike first, but today was different!

Jiogan made the first move, surprising Might Duy, and the two clashed. "Yo! Jiogan, you're taking the initiative this time! Come on, let me see how much you've grown!"

"Brother Duy, just watch! You won't be disappointed!" With that, Jiogan swept a kick toward Might Duy.

Soon, they exchanged fifty rounds. Might Duy knew Jiogan's Taijutsu had found its own path, no less than his own, but he was still shocked—throughout the entire exchange, he was completely on the defensive. Even his own new moves were all neutralized by Jiogan, making him feel like he was fighting a ball of cotton, which was deeply frustrating.

After another fifty rounds, Might Duy couldn't take it anymore. He backflipped to create distance!

"Here it comes—Brother Duy's Eight Inner Gates!" Jiogan realized immediately and braced himself.

"Eight Inner Gates: Fourth Gate, Gate of Pain, open!" Might Duy activated the Fourth Gate directly, green steam erupting around him!

"What the hell! Brother Duy! Opening the Fourth Gate right away! That's too much! Isn't that overkill!" Jiogan was dumbfounded!

Opening just the Third Gate wasn't enough—was the Fourth Gate meant to kill him?!

Might Duy's speed skyrocketed as he circled around Jiogan, leaving afterimages everywhere. Jiogan didn't sit idle; he clasped his hands together. "Water Release: Water Wall!"

A spinning water tornado appeared around Jiogan. Might Duy punched the water tornado, sending up a massive spray, but the water from other directions quickly replenished it through the rotation. Might Duy's strike failed!

His movement faltered for a moment, and Jiogan seized the chance, thrusting his hand seal forward toward Might Duy. "Water Release: Water Wave!"

The water tornado transformed into a surging torrent, instantly engulfing Might Duy's figure. But Jiogan didn't relax; instead, he grew more tense, because Might Duy was only slightly hindered by the water flow, still moving at incredible speed!

Might Duy charged again at full speed. Jiogan immediately cast Water Palm Prison Technique on himself—without sealing his Chakra, of course—wrapping himself in it! Might Duy leaped into the air and delivered a heavy kick!

The ground where Jiogan stood was cratered by the kick, the Water Prison shattered. Thanks to the water's cushioning, Jiogan barely dodged the impact, but before he could react, he felt a punch to his jaw, sending him flying into the sky!

Might Duy flashed beside him, quickly binding him! "Damn!" Jiogan thought in alarm.

Might Duy spun rapidly with Jiogan in his grip, then slammed hard toward the ground!

"Front Lotus!"

With a fierce shout!

Boom! The ground was smashed into a deep crater, billowing dust rising!

Out of the dust, Might Duy appeared, having already exited the Fourth Gate state.

Catching his breath, he muttered, "Ah, I might have overdone it this time! Is Jiogan okay?" A pang of regret hit him—he feared Jiogan might be badly hurt!

"Brother Duy, even you know that was too much! I almost got killed!" Jiogan's voice came from behind Might Duy, startling him. He spun around quickly, dropping into a stance!

"Alright, alright! No more fighting! We've made enough noise today!" Jiogan waved his hand, signaling a truce.

As the dust settled, Might Duy saw a puddle of water at the center of the crater. "This is?!"

"A Water Clone!" Jiogan said.

In truth, when Might Duy activated the Eight Inner Gates Technique, Jiogan knew he couldn't withstand Duy's big move. So, while casting the Water Palm Prison on himself, he had secretly formed a Water Clone. The one sent flying from the Water Prison was the clone!

As for the Water Clone, Jiogan had figured it out based on the Shadow Clone technique. As a die-hard fan of the original anime, he understood the principles of Shadow Clone well, but he'd never had a chance to use it before, nor did he need it for training. This time, it came in handy.

"So that's it! Jiogan, you've become this formidable! I've taken down quite a few Chunin, but none as troublesome as you!" Might Duy said in admiration.

"Brother Duy, you too—you've pushed me to use every trick I have. I've faced many Chunin, but you're the first to cause me this much trouble!" Jiogan replied.

The two exchanged mutual praise!

They formed the Seal of Reconciliation and left the training ground, heading to the back mountain for a cookout!

The main dish? Naturally, Jiogan's grilled fish!