Escape

Elite High Ninjas weren't all created equal.

Karura put far less pressure on Mo Jingxian than Kushimaru Kuriarare and Raiga Kurosuki had.

Perhaps it was the difference between a Taijutsu High Ninja and a Ninjutsu High Ninja.

Mo Jingxian had more room to maneuver against Karura. Her Taijutsu wasn't particularly impressive, but she wielded Sand Ninja techniques with consummate skill.

The Water Flood Dragon surged upward, carrying him off the ground and straight into the sky.

Countless currents of Lightning Release chased close behind him. From afar, it looked as if a flood dragon were braving a heavenly tribulation.

Wild sand, a flood dragon, and lightning—the two of them had created a dazzling spectacle, like the end of the world.

His resilience once again exceeded Karura's expectations. She hadn't thought he would still be standing after all that.

At last, Karura realized she had encountered a genius, someone who might grow into a Sannin-level ninja.

At the thought, her gaze sharpened, and she made no effort to hide her killing intent.

Her fingers flew through eighteen Hand Seals in three seconds. The Ninjutsu she was about to unleash was clearly no ordinary technique.

Suddenly,

the whistle of a sharp weapon slicing through the air rang beside her ear.

When?

Karura hadn't noticed at all how Mo Jingxian had gotten behind her.

Her Hand Seals were unfinished. Being forced to stop the Ninjutsu sent the Chakra in her body surging chaotically.

A High Ninja was still a High Ninja. At the critical moment, she leaned back and to the side, dodging her opponent's fatal strike.

The blade swept past the tip of her nose. She could even clearly see the Wind Release Chakra dancing along its edge, and the scent of blood rushed into her nostrils.

She quickly retreated.

Karura looked up and met Mo Jingxian's eyes, which revealed neither joy nor anger.

His eyes were very black and unusually bright, as if they held the starry night sky.

"Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique!"

Thanks to the two Genjutsu Minato had sent him, Mo Jingxian now had a trump card that could turn the tables.

Though he had traded away the Sharingan, his Uchiha bloodline remained, so learning Genjutsu had come easily.

At last, he understood what it felt like to be a genius. He had mastered both Genjutsu in less than ten days.

After learning Genjutsu, he could even sense the ocular power dormant in his eyes, as if it were nurturing something.

Karura had made two fatal mistakes.

She had underestimated him and lacked information.

In the Ninja World, plenty of High Ninjas had been killed by Chunin.

Mo Jingxian's short blade, the Scorching Vacuum Blade, came slicing in on the wind.

He seized the fleeting opportunity and brought the short blade down across her chest.

It wasn't that Xian was being underhanded. He was only nine, and his body hadn't fully developed.

This angle let him put his full strength behind the strike.

The blade cut straight down between the two peaks, drawing a spray of blood.

Something was wrong!

The impact through the blade didn't feel like it had struck flesh.

Karura's chest cracked like porcelain, its pieces falling away.

The instant the blade touched her, she had broken free of the Genjutsu, then used a Sand Clone to escape the killing blow.

But she had still been a moment too slow. The gash across her chest was seeping bright red blood, and her pain receptors were firing wildly at her brain.

Still shaken, she looked up. Far away, a blurred figure was about to vanish from sight.

Strike once, then flee a thousand miles.

Mo Jingxian's choice was very much that of a ninja. He had no intention of staying to fight to the death.

Karura's expression was especially complicated. She felt relief, regret, and, more than anything, resolve.

"What incredible battle instincts. For the sake of Sunagakure's future, I must ask you to die!"

After briefly treating her wound, Karura followed his scent and gave chase again.

The wind howled past Mo Jingxian's ears as he kept running, changing direction and racing toward the river.

He silently reviewed the battle. Even after using every trump card, he had only managed to lightly injure his opponent.

Sigh, even a second-rate Elite High Ninja is more than I can handle.

Xian felt no guilt whatsoever for trashing the future Fifth Kazekage's canteen.

Judging by Karura's determination to kill him, he thought he'd gone too easy on her.

That last slash would've looked better if he'd cut horizontally!

With that thought, Mo Jingxian sped up again.

The two chased each other through the night, and before long, the second day had arrived.

"Damn it, how can you bully someone like this?!"

Mo Jingxian cursed furiously.

What had he ever done to her? Was she really going to chase him for over a hundred miles?

At that moment, he looked like a refugee beggar.

His clothes were in tatters, his once-handsome hair had become matted, and his eyes were webbed with red veins.

Nearly twenty-four hours of fleeing, a full day and night, had taken a heavy toll on both his body and mind.

Through sheer will to live, Mo Jingxian had managed to keep going.

Even so, he still hadn't shaken Karura.

She had caught up twice along the way and attacked him with Ninjutsu from a distance, never getting close.

She hadn't given him another chance to launch a sneak attack.

Only by relying on the state of Mist of Vitality and the restorative effects of the water element had he managed to last this long.

Now, Mist of Vitality had shrunk to a radius of just two meters, and he had barely any Chakra left.

After this long sprint, he had used up all the Military Ration Pills he'd prepared in advance.

The words "at the end of his rope" flashed through his mind. He shook his head and flung them away.

No, I can't die here.

He wasn't sure he'd get a third life. He had to give it everything he had.

"You've lasted far longer than I expected. Give up! You know this is just a desperate struggle, don't you?"

Karura had caught up again, haunting him like a ghost.

Mo Jingxian didn't even look back. He wasn't about to waste his strength answering this madwoman.

She was far too obsessive. He'd even raised her reputation score to 100, which showed just how much she hated him.

Suddenly,

he sensed the water element growing denser.

Mo Jingxian's eyes lit up. The river was close.

From Karura's perspective, the boy had clearly been on his last legs, but now he suddenly seemed to have gotten a shot of adrenaline, surging forward at a much faster pace.

She didn't know why, but she couldn't wait any longer.

Far behind enemy lines, anything could happen at any time. She unleashed the Chakra she'd been saving.

Karura accelerated again and again, rapidly closing the distance between them.

That malicious gaze stayed locked on him. Mo Jingxian could sense his pursuer without looking back.

Faster. Faster.

A mole cricket that had just crawled out of its hole was about to start a new day when a gigantic foot came crashing down from the sky.

Luckily, the giant's foot landed beside it.

The violent tremor sent it flipping through the air, belly up.

As far as narrow escapes went, it had at least survived.

As its six little legs flailed wildly, trying to right itself, another huge foot came down.

The mole cricket's world went dark.

After crossing a hillside, Mo Jingxian could already hear the sound of rushing water.

He was overjoyed. This grueling journey was finally about to end.

In the ravine not far away, a swift river cut through the valley, surging eastward.

A ten-meter-high wall of sand crashed down from behind, covering the sky like a natural disaster.

At the edge of the ravine, Mo Jingxian smiled and waved goodbye to Karura, who was standing atop the surging sand.

A winding Water Flood Dragon shot up from the river, swallowed Mo Jingxian, and carried him back into the raging waters, where he disappeared from sight.

Karura was one step too late. When she reached the cliff, Mo Jingxian was nowhere to be seen.

A mound of earth rose from the ground.

Her summoned beast, the Sand Scorpion, crawled out and searched the riverbank. In the end, it could only face the water and chirp anxiously.

"His scent is gone, isn't it?"

The Sand Scorpion couldn't answer, but its agitated behavior said it all.

"He still got away. I wonder what he'll be like in the future..."

There was no point in saying more. Karura searched along the river for half a day, then finally had no choice but to accept reality.

Konoha's forward camp stood atop a ridge, stretching for several miles like a giant beast blocking the Sand Ninja's path.

Its walls were twenty meters high and five meters wide. Anti-cavalry barricades stood outside, their spikes pointing skyward.

The camp was circular. A patrol walkway ran along its outer edge, followed by barracks, storage sheds, a medical station, and the command center.

At the start of the war, the Sand Ninja had swept through the land, seizing a great deal of territory.

Gradually, Orochimaru stabilized the situation. After several fierce assaults, the Sand Ninja failed to gain much ground, and the two sides settled into a standoff.

Several teams of ninjas took turns standing guard outside the main gate of the Konoha camp, while dozens of smaller squads patrolled farther out.

A figure picked his way through the woods, a Forehead Protector bearing Konoha's insignia wrapped around his arm.

"Stop! Who are you?"

A standard ninja squad surrounded the newcomer, remaining on guard despite his Konoha Ninja attire.

The newcomer was Mo Jingxian, who had successfully escaped Karura's pursuit.

After shaking off his pursuer, he had spent another three days before finally finding the forward camp.

"I'm Mo Jingxian, a Konoha Genin who was escorting the Fifth Konoha Transport Team. Here's my mission order. I have important information and need to see Commander Orochimaru."

He handed over the mission order.

The squad's ninjas checked it carefully. Finding no problems, they put away their weapons.

"Come with me."

Mo Jingxian followed the squad back to the camp. Along the way, he was questioned twice more before they finally let him in.

They assigned him to an isolated tent in a bare patch of ground, as if the area had been set aside just for him.

His mission order had already been reported, and the patrol squad had left, abandoning him all alone there.

There was no need to dwell on the hardships of finding his way back to camp. Mo Jingxian was exhausted and starving, so he took the chance to rest.

He waited for several hours, until the sun began to sink toward the horizon. Then a messenger ninja arrived at the tent entrance.

"Come with me."

Mo Jingxian followed him, turning this way and that as they headed for the command center at the heart of the camp.

As they walked, Mo Jingxian took the chance to look around. Green tents stood in neat rows, and the ninjas coming and going looked calm.

It wasn't quite what he'd imagined.

After more than ten minutes, he was led to the command tent. He obediently waited outside.

The person who had gone in to report soon came out and looked him over.

"You can go in."

Mo Jingxian nodded and stepped into the command tent.

The command tent was simply furnished. The main desk faced the entrance, with two rows of tables and chairs on either side.

Orochimaru sat behind the desk. A simple map lay on it, and he watched Mo Jingxian's entrance with interest.

Shikaku Nara sat beside the desk, his hair styled into a pineapple-shaped topknot.

"This Konoha Genin, Mo Jingxian, greets Commander Orochimaru and Lord Shikaku."

"So you're Mo Jingxian?"

Orochimaru asked, his voice slightly hoarse.

"Yes."

After entering, Mo Jingxian had stolen a glance at Orochimaru, then quickly answered respectfully.

Orochimaru was not quite as Mo Jingxian had imagined. He didn't seem sinister; instead, he had the commanding presence of a powerful man who inspired trust.

His skin was somewhat pale, and his long hair hung loosely behind him. His vertical pupils were enough to make anyone uneasy.

As Mo Jingxian silently assessed him, Orochimaru spoke again:

"You said you have important information that needs to be reported urgently?"