The Measure of a Jonin

Tsuruta Ritsu was promoted to Jonin at the age of twenty-two, carving out a reputation as a genius within Sunagakure.

He was a staunch supporter of Rasa, charging into the fray for him time and again, firmly cementing the title of "genius" upon himself.

He wielded his Wind Release ninjutsu with godlike mastery.

Rasa had always advocated for military action against Konoha; resources were the lifeblood of a ninja village, and given the geographical location of the Land of Wind, failing to expand was undoubtedly a form of slow suicide.

Tsuruta Ritsu deeply agreed—by what right did Konoha occupy the most fertile lands and resources?

Could it be that they, the Sand Ninja, were born to guard the desert and eat dirt and wind?

Damn this theory of birthright!

Since the outbreak of the war, Tsuruta Ritsu had participated in numerous raids against Konoha.

Konoha ninjas were nothing special; people used to claim that Konoha produced geniuses in every generation, but now he realized that was merely the hearsay of the ignorant.

To be honest, he harbored a natural hatred for Konoha's ninjas deep in his heart.

They did nothing, yet enjoyed the best environment and the most complete education...

By what right?

Just because they were lucky enough to be born in Konoha?

Now, he had arrived.

Tsuruta Ritsu would surely follow in the footsteps of Lord Rasa to shatter this injustice.

He just wondered if Konoha was truly as others described, where even the rivers flowed with milk.

He had already begun to fantasize about the wonderful life he would lead after occupying Konoha.

The three of them moved rapidly through the forest, leaving vast stretches of trees behind them.

Tsuruta Ritsu could hardly wait.

Suddenly!

Several kunai and shuriken came flying toward them.

His teammates had accidentally triggered a trap.

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

Tsuruta Ritsu truly possessed the talent of a Jonin; at the very moment the attack arrived, he used his wind ninjutsu to blow away all the incoming projectiles.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

A series of explosions rang out as the Konoha ninjas' assault followed immediately.

Watching the young men and women leaping down from the trees, a mocking smirk appeared on his face involuntarily.

Was there no one left in Konoha?

Just as he prepared to strike, a sound of rushing air came from above.

His heart skipped a beat in terror.

Not good!

How had the enemy bypassed his sensory perception?

No one answered; the opponent descended with the force of a mountain-splitting blow.

He activated his Body Flicker.

Relying on his mastery of the Wind Body Flicker, Tsuruta Ritsu dodged the despicable ambusher.

He began weaving hand seals, looking at his opponent as he retreated.

So fast!

A short blade flashed in his vision, the wind-natured chakra coating the edge as lethal as a venomous fang.

"Clang!"

Tsuruta Ritsu abandoned his ninjutsu, drawing his kunai to parry the short blade.

Only then did he finally have the chance to see the attacker clearly.

The result made his pupils constrict—he was too young!

A surge of jealousy rose in his heart for no reason.

Kill him.

The force transmitted through the kunai allowed him to easily judge that the boy's strength was merely at the elite Chunin level.

Although he was fast and his movement technique was slightly bizarre, taking him down would not be difficult.

One-handed seals—this was a skill he had honed through countless battles.

Tsuruta Ritsu believed that this Konoha boy could not withstand his attack.

A ninja's battle is often decided in an instant.

As the attack began, Ayako Hyuuga and Shinju Ishikawa engaged a single enemy Chunin.

After only two exchanges, the pair found themselves completely suppressed, the situation far worse than they had imagined.

It did not end there; another enemy reacted quickly, instantly pulling out a puppet to join the fray.

The puppet looked like a tattered wooden doll, but the steel spikes replacing its limbs glinted with a chilling, cold light.

The wooden doll moved.

The puppet was short and moved with incredible speed.

Shinju Ishikawa had just dodged his opponent's kunai when the wooden doll appeared right before his eyes.

The steel spike, carrying a foul, fishy stench, thrust directly toward his right eye.

Mo Jingxian's sneak attack was dodged by the enemy, but he pursued like a cannonball.

He had not forgotten his mission; he only needed to entangle this Jonin for a moment.

Nara clan ninjas were famously clever, and he trusted his captain could easily handle the remaining two enemies.

Within the range of the Mist of Vitality, the opponent's subtle movements could not escape Mo Jingxian's perception.

Tsuruta Ritsu thought his one-handed seal would deceive Mo Jingxian, unaware that his movements were as conspicuous as a beacon in the dark night.

"Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique!"

Mo Jingxian's short blade slashed across the enemy's throat.

"Bang!"

Tsuruta Ritsu's body detonated instantly, countless wind blades shooting out in every direction.

"Wind Blade Explosion Substitution Technique."

This was Tsuruta Ritsu's trump card, cast the moment he was attacked.

As long as an enemy's blade entered his body, it would trigger a passive detonation.

It was precisely because of this unique skill that he had earned the moniker Wind Ghost, his strength as a Jonin beyond doubt.

Judging by this jutsu alone, his reputation as a genius was well-deserved.

The activation mode of the technique was somewhat similar to the Water Dragon Technique.

The wind blades did not distinguish between friend and foe, a dense barrage of them enveloping the four people on the field.

Shinju Ishikawa cried out in his heart: It's over!

Before him was the puppet's sneak attack, beside him the enemy's kunai had already flown out, and behind him, a dense swarm of wind blades was firing wildly.

A dead end.

Shinju Ishikawa could not think of any way to break the situation.

All his dreams would end in the next moment.

A beautiful silhouette appeared before him, her long, raven-black hair whipping violently in the howling air currents.

The world in his eyes seemed to come to a standstill, and a sensitive nerve in his heart was struck hard.

"Rotation!"

Chakra erupted from the girl's acupoints, and as she spun, it formed a barrier of absolute defense.

"Clang, clang, pfft, pfft, pfft..."

After a chaotic series of sounds, all attacks were deflected away.

Including the intrusive Wind Blade jutsu.

The center of the battle turned into a true Asura field.

The two enemies' bodies were left tattered and broken, blood spraying like fountains, their feet tethered by two pitch-black shadows extending from behind a large tree.

That was the masterpiece of Nara Shikuta.

The timing was captured with extreme precision, using the enemy's own jutsu to take out the enemy's teammates.

It was a perfect illustration that on the battlefield, a brain is sometimes more important than ninjutsu.

"Boom, boom, boom!"

The continuous sounds of impact successfully drew the girl's attention.

The girl turned her head to look, and what followed was a scene she would never forget for the rest of her life.

The enemy's technique had indeed greatly exceeded Mo Jingxian's expectations.

As the wind blades descended, he released the Water Dragon Technique from within his own body.

Resembling the Adamantine Sealing Chains, eight water dragons extended from his back.

Four protected his entire body, while the other four struck out like dragons emerging from the sea, heading straight for Tsuruta Ritsu.

Within the range of the Mist of Vitality, even an enemy who had used the Substitution Technique could not escape the pursuit of the water dragons.

The speed of the technique was far greater than that of a person.

Furthermore, the opponent's shadow was still connected beneath his feet.

Before Tsuruta Ritsu could react, four Water Dragon Techniques coiled around his limbs, dragging him back by force.

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"

After a flurry of heavy punches, Mo Jingxian cursed while he struck:

"Damn it, you scared the hell out of me."

After venting for a while, he finally let out his pent-up frustration.

People in the Ninja World were all devious; no one who survived a great war was mediocre.

But Mo Jingxian forgot that, at this moment, his own image was far more shocking than the enemy's.

Eight water dragons sprouted from his back, suspending the enemy in mid-air to pummel him—capturing an enemy Jonin with the strength of a Chunin.

No matter how one looked at it, he seemed more like a monster.

A single Rotation had nearly drained all of Ayako Hyuuga's chakra.

Yet, she still propped up her weak body, staring blankly at the scene before her, finally understanding what Mo Jingxian meant by Nintaijutsu.

Shinju Ishikawa was even more stunned; this technique had completely exceeded his understanding.

Nara Shikuta came to Mo Jingxian's side, his eyes burning as he stared at this unseen ninjutsu.

"If I'm not mistaken, this technique of yours also possesses sealing capabilities, right?"

"Yeah, more or less, though the sealing effect is still a bit lacking at the moment."

Captain Shikuta clicked his tongue in wonder.

"Incredible, the young people these days are truly remarkable."

To be honest, he couldn't grasp the principles behind this technique, and it felt like a cat was scratching at his heart.

After observing for a long time, he finally had to give up in regret.

If Mo Jingxian knew his thoughts, he would definitely laugh out loud.

The Water Dragon Technique was developed based on water elements, and its underlying logic was completely different; it would be a miracle if he could understand it.

That said, the performance of the Water Dragon Technique was becoming less and less like standard ninjutsu.

Although Nara Shikuta couldn't discern the roots of the Water Dragon Technique, Mo Jingxian had managed to glean something from his Shadow Possession Technique.

Hmm, he could study that when he got back.

[Reputation points from Tsuruta Ritsu +95]

95 points?

Why wasn't it 100? He had only slashed Karura once, and she had given him 100 reputation points.

This was ridiculous; he'd fought for ages only to be shortchanged by 5 points. Mo Jingxian was very displeased.

He narrowed his eyes, staring at his defeated opponent with ill intent.

At this moment, Tsuruta Ritsu felt even more stifled than him. His entire arsenal of Wind Release ninjutsu hadn't even had a chance to be unleashed before he was captured in a daze.

Anyone would have a mental breakdown under these circumstances.

He was filled with hatred!

He glared at the youth before him, wishing he could tear him apart and eat his flesh.

"Smack!"

A slap to the face.

"Still looking? What, you're not convinced? Keep looking and I'll dig your eyeballs out."

Standing to the side, Shikaku Nara's mouth twitched twice, and he swallowed the words he had just been about to say.

Ninjas who experienced constant slaughter were all somewhat twisted in their hearts; there were plenty who were even more eccentric than Mo Jingxian.

It was fine for the boy to vent a little.

Shinju Ishikawa opened his mouth, but ultimately turned his head away, pretending not to see.

Only Ayako Hyuuga, far from finding Mo Jingxian's actions wrong, felt that this was exactly how a strong person should behave.

Tsuruta Ritsu was even angrier. A scholar could be killed but not humiliated; he was a Jonin, a ninja with a reputation.

He looked up, his eyes flashing with a fierce light.

"You'd better kill me, otherwise... Hmph!"

Mo Jingxian had half his attention on the system panel, but the reputation number refused to increase.

Oh, for heaven's sake, he was looking down on him, thinking he didn't have the guts!

"Smack!"

"Are you going to talk or not?"

"Smack!"

"Are you going to talk or not?"

"Smack, smack, smack..."

[Reputation points from Tsuruta Ritsu +96]

[Reputation points from Tsuruta Ritsu +97]

Only when his reputation points reached 100 did Mo Jingxian shake out his sore, numb wrists and cease his assault.

"Tell me, are you just a glutton for punishment? Do you not feel comfortable unless you're being beaten?"

By now, Tsuruta Ritsu had been reduced to a pig's head, his cheeks swollen so high he looked as if he were holding two candy balls in his mouth.

Blood streamed from his nostrils, and his eyes were reduced to mere slits.

"Say, say, say what? You have to actually ask!"

"How would I know what you're supposed to say? Just say whatever you want!"

Tsuruta Ritsu: "..."

Nara Shikuta finally couldn't watch anymore; he walked over and patted Mo Jingxian on the shoulder.

"That's enough. Let's take him back and hand him over to the Interrogation Department; they'll guarantee he spills everything."

"Mn, I certainly have to give the Captain face. We'll do as you say."

[Reputation points from Ayako Hyuuga +20]

The sudden influx of reputation was completely unexpected—an accidental windfall.

This time, Ayako Hyuuga did not look away, bravely meeting Mo Jingxian's gaze head-on.