"How come you're the only one who came?"
A voice suddenly sounded from beneath the water. It was indistinct and hard to tell whether it belonged to a man or a woman.
"Did you run into someone you couldn't handle? No, that can't be. Neither the Sannin nor Minato Namikaze are away on a mission."
Their spies had naturally calculated Konoha's strength. They'd only dared expose themselves so brazenly to deliver the intel because none of the powerful shinobi who could swiftly suppress them were around.
"Could it be..."
"That's right. I ran into the Black Demon of Konoha."
The potbellied ninja gave a bitter, shaken smile. He never wanted to face that monster again. The feeling of being completely powerless had been awful.
He was the Mist Ninja spy who had escaped. In the blink of an eye, he'd changed his appearance into that of a potbellied merchant and come to this Hot Spring Inn to meet his contact.
"That's unfortunate. I thought that guy usually trained at his clan compound and rarely came out."
The voice beneath the hot spring was still indistinct, impossible to place by gender, but now it carried a hint of sympathy.
"Indeed. Even if I ran into him, I wouldn't stand much of a chance."
"But at least you escaped. Where's the intel scroll?"
"The intel is... Uh... Uh..."
The spy suddenly seemed to have something caught in his throat and couldn't speak.
"I see. Looks like my reputation still has some bite."
Nara Dan appeared behind the spy, one hand gripping his spine from behind.
The agony of his nervous system being torn apart made the spy's mouth gape as he let out muffled cries, but he couldn't move at all.
"But I'm more curious about..."
Crack!
Without hesitation, Nara Dan crushed the hard spinal bone in his hand and looked toward the hot spring.
"Who are you?"
But the only answer was the steaming surface of the water.
Nara Dan sighed, staring intently at the rising steam as though he could see right through the water.
"If you don't want to tell me..."
"Then I'll just have to find out for myself."
Nara Dan steadied himself and gathered his strength, ready to flip the entire hot spring over.
"Hmm?!"
He suddenly sensed that the water in the hot spring was unusually hot.
Even ordinary Fire Style techniques only felt as warm as hot water to him. As for regular hot water, with his iron-hard body, it was practically like cold water.
Yet the steam rising from this spring felt scalding!
Nara Dan narrowed his eyes and looked into the water.
Boom!
Sure enough, the hot spring suddenly exploded, sending water flying in every direction. A graceful figure appeared amid it, forming Hand Seals.
The woman wore a tight-fitting ninja outfit that outlined her curvaceous, alluring figure.
Her glossy reddish-brown hair fanned out like a tall pine, adding to her charm.
Looking up, Nara Dan saw a lock of the Mist Ninja's long hair hanging over her face, covering one eye.
Her other eye, a bright, deep green, held a captivating allure tinged with determination.
"Boil Release: Skilled Mist Technique!"
In an instant, Chakra surged. The steam nearby rose and gathered around the spot where Nara Dan stood.
"So it's you."
Nara Dan regarded the not-yet-fully-grown Fifth Mizukage with interest.
She wasn't yet at the level she'd reach as a Kage, but her figure and looks were already like ripe fruit.
"Inviting me for tea the moment we meet?"
"Then let me return the favor with a drink!"
Hiss!
Nara Dan expanded his lungs to an extreme, inhaling like a giant whale drawing in water. A visible vortex formed in the air.
The tremendous suction swallowed up all of Mei Terumi's Skilled Mist Technique.
Pfft!
The huge volume of gas compressed inside Nara Dan, and a powerful jet of air shot straight toward Mei Terumi.
"Is this guy really a monster?"
Mei Terumi's beautiful eyes widened in disbelief. She'd heard the stories about the Black Demon, the one who couldn't be harmed by blades or weapons.
But watching him devour her ninjutsu outright still shocked her. It completely defied the rule that ninja had powerful attacks but fragile bodies.
But Mei Terumi lived up to her future title as Fifth Mizukage. She reacted swiftly and formed Hand Seals.
"Lava Release: Corrosive Melting Technique!"
Rather than retreat, Nara Dan charged forward. His enormous body slammed down, shattering the floor of the Hot Spring Inn.
If Mei Terumi had been ten years older, Nara Dan would certainly have been wary of her. That kiss of death could even melt Susanoo. But now...
"You're still too green!"
The viscous Kekkei Genkai formed by Earth Style and Fire Style blocked the air blast Nara Dan had spat out, but the immense wave of air that followed shattered the scorching Lava Release completely.
"Even my Lava Release..."
Before Mei Terumi could react, the fierce wind of a fist struck, leaving her mind blank.
A storm of brutal force swirled around her, stinging her skin. The afterimages of Nara Dan's punches and kicks nearly engulfed her completely.
Though she prided herself on having excellent Taijutsu even among the Jonin, against such an unreasonable humanoid monster, she could only scramble to dodge.
Raw power ravaged the Hot Spring Inn, leaving several load-bearing walls on the verge of collapse.
The scene resembled a demolition machine tearing down a building. The Konoha ninja who'd come to support could only stare, too stunned to approach, let alone join the fight.
"Lord Nara is as outrageous as ever."
"He's almost on par with Lady Tsunade, isn't he?"
Whether the Konoha ninja nearby stood back and watched or praised Nara Dan's courage, the one enduring the storm—Mei Terumi—was under the greatest pressure.
"Damn it. Long-range ninjutsu is completely useless."
"I can't even hold him back. He just keeps closing the distance."
"And he's a monster in close combat."
"I don't even have a chance to use the Substitution Technique."
The reason was simple: not every ninja could form Hand Seals with one hand or use techniques without forming them.
In fact, ninja who could do that were rare prodigies.
Most ninja, even when using the Substitution Technique or Body Flicker Technique, needed to form Hand Seals first.
But when facing an opponent who was much faster and stronger than you, once you were locked in close combat, you simply wouldn't have time to form them.
Otherwise, Nara Dan wouldn't have earned his fearsome reputation as the Black Demon.
Mei Terumi clenched her teeth beneath her mask, her green eyes darting about. She could barely make out where the attacks were coming from, and could only rely on years of ninja instinct to dodge the relentless barrage.
Even so, Nara Dan's powerful fists either tore her clothing or cut her skin.
At last, the female ninja's stamina gave out after such intense dodging. She faltered for just an instant, but that was enough to leave her open to a fatal blow.
Bang!
Though she'd turned sideways as much as she could, Nara Dan's iron fist still grazed Mei Terumi's shoulder. In an instant, a wave of pain shot through her.
Before you continue