Returning to Camp

The simple mission ultimately received an A-rank evaluation, adding another significant entry to Mo Jingxian's mission record.

The friction between Konoha and the Rock Ninja was steadily escalating. As a candidate for the next Hokage, Minato had to help coordinate intelligence from all sides.

The two barely had time to exchange a few words before Minato sent Mo Jingxian back and disappeared again.

Having experienced the Flying Thunder God again, Mo Jingxian wasn't as disoriented as the first time. He had adapted quite a bit.

This technique really was enviable. Its power went without saying, and its versatility was off the charts.

Unlike the existing system of ninja abilities, the Flying Thunder God Technique completely transcended the usual framework. It was a form of dimensional superiority.

Even compared with other Space-Time Ninjutsu, it was among the very best.

Of course, how powerful a technique was also depended on its user. Even if Mo Jingxian learned it, he wouldn't be able to use it as effectively as Minato.

He understood that, but it didn't stop him from liking the technique.

If he got the chance, he still had to try for it. Who knew? Maybe he could learn it.

"Xianjun, you're finally back. I thought..."

The moment he returned to the rest tent, Ayako Hyuuga noticed him.

The girl hurried over, the wind at her heels, and circled Mo Jingxian to inspect him.

After confirming he hadn't lost any limbs, she habitually patted her ample chest.

"I'm just glad you're all right. You have no idea how worried I was..."

"Thank you!"

Mo Jingxian suddenly felt a warmth in his heart. It felt good to have someone care about him, so his thanks were sincere.

Shinju Ishikawa reacted half a beat slower than Ayako Hyuuga. The moment he saw Mo Jingxian, a look of delight clearly appeared on his face.

"You're back—that's what matters. I thought... Pah, pah! Listen to me, tempting fate like that."

Shinju came over and gave him a big hug. His happiness was clearly just as genuine.

Mo Jingxian felt a little moved. In truth, he had always felt somewhat detached from this world.

It was the feeling that everything in life was unreal, somehow false.

He knew he couldn't afford to think that way. It would get him killed.

So he often reminded himself that this was a real world.

But sometimes he couldn't control it, and that sense of detachment showed through without him realizing.

Only now, when people treated him with genuine warmth, did his world begin to feel vivid and real.

Mo Jingxian lightly punched Shinju in the shoulder. "Get out of here. You should wish me well for once."

"Like I wouldn't," Shinju said, rubbing his head. "I'm just glad you're back. Now we can team up and kick some serious ass again."

Absence made the heart grow fonder, and it was the same for teammates.

The three of them had clearly grown much closer. Before, they had been teammates who worked well together.

Now they were brothers who could trust one another with their backs.

They talked for two hours, starting with the situation at the front, then moving on to their squad's missions and the gossip among the ninjas in camp.

There was always something to talk about, until the sun sank beyond the horizon and its last rays faded.

"Mo Jingxian, Commander Orochimaru requests your presence."

The order came from outside the tent. He turned to his two companions.

"I'll go over first. We can talk more when I get back."

"Sure, go ahead. Don't keep the commander waiting."

As soon as Mo Jingxian returned to camp, he had registered and reported the mission. Naturally, he left out the role of the Balance of Fate in his report.

He waited for more than two hours. He hadn't expected Orochimaru to summon him in person.

Ten days had passed, and Orochimaru's air had grown even gloomier. The command tent held only the two of them.

"Commander Orochimaru, Genin Mo Jingxian reporting."

Orochimaru sat behind the desk without a word, his eyes fixed on the mission report as he read it closely.

It was the report Mo Jingxian had submitted not long ago.

After a while, a slightly hoarse voice came from above.

"Your strength has grown quickly. I've decided to promote you to Chunin."

Not knowing whether the other man was testing him, Mo Jingxian stuck to the principle of saying less to avoid mistakes and readily accepted the promotion.

Orochimaru seemed unconcerned, and the room fell silent again.

Mo Jingxian recalled the ten reputation points Orochimaru had suddenly given him before, then compared them with the situation now.

Orochimaru had probably noticed something in his technique.

After all, Orochimaru knew a great deal about Senjutsu, Sealing Jutsu, and many other ninja techniques. Otherwise, he wouldn't have developed a technique like the Cursed Seal in the future.

Mo Jingxian knew that the Water Dragon Technique had nothing to do with Senjutsu, but the two looked similar in practice.

It was only natural for Orochimaru to make that connection.

Once he had pieced together what was going on, he felt much more at ease.

Mo Jingxian wasn't afraid of attracting Orochimaru's attention. He was only afraid the man would ignore him or decide he had nothing worth trading for.

Mo Jingxian had guessed correctly. When Orochimaru reached the passage describing Long Yunzhi's transformation, a glint suddenly flashed in his eyes.

Changing the body's structure at the cellular level!

Orochimaru had found what interested him most—something that fascinated him even more than the Box of Ultimate Bliss.

His slit pupils narrowed as he stared at the passage about Long Yunzhi, reading it line by line.

One idea after another surfaced in his mind, and all sorts of wild notions flickered through it.

Unfortunately, he was tied down by the war with the Sand Ninja and couldn't spare the time to conduct experiments.

Orochimaru felt as if this were a complete waste of his life. Damn this war.

He read the passage again. Yes... this wasn't a simple transformation, nor was it reincarnation.

It was rewriting the code at the cellular level, or...

"Mo Jingxian."

"Yes, sir."

In the end, Orochimaru couldn't resist the eager curiosity in his eyes. He asked Mo Jingxian to describe Long Yunzhi's entire transformation in greater detail and warned him not to leave out a single detail.

Mo Jingxian knew his chance had come. This was a perfect opportunity to sound him out.

"Commander, I brought the body back. See for yourself."

He took out a sealing scroll and released its seal right there on the floor of the command tent.

With a puff of white smoke, a shriveled corpse appeared on the ground.

Far from blaming him, Orochimaru rose at once, circled the desk, and approached the corpse.

Mo Jingxian took two steps back, leaving him plenty of room to examine it.

It seemed he had made the right move.

Orochimaru circled the corpse, inspecting it from head to toe.

"Good. The body is intact and has considerable research value."

He crouched down and formed a Chakra Scalpel, cutting a one-inch window into the corpse's arm.

He peeled back the dermis and examined the muscle structure beneath.

The more Orochimaru looked, the happier he became. What a fascinating structure. He could hardly bear to wait.

He sealed the corpse again, returned to his desk, and set the scroll on top.

"I'll take the body. As for your reward, you can make a request now."

Hearing Orochimaru say that, Mo Jingxian felt a rush of delight.

Things were going even more smoothly than he'd imagined. Orochimaru was also decisive. This was an excellent start.

"I'd like the Water Release: Water Severing Wave. Would that be possible..."

"Certainly."

Orochimaru once again showed Mo Jingxian what it meant to be a professional.

He summoned a white snake, which slithered over to Mo Jingxian and opened its mouth, spitting out a scroll slick with saliva.

When Mo Jingxian walked out of the command center with the scroll in hand, his mind was still a little foggy.

Didn't S-rank techniques have to be obtained with mission points?

And didn't a senior official have to vouch for you, with the Hokage's approval required before you could learn one?

Orochimaru had just handed it over, like it was some insignificant object.

Would that count as stealing the technique? Would Konoha's leadership hold it against him later?

Whatever. If Orochimaru dared to give it to him, he dared to take it.

As for the future, he might as well spend more time thinking about how to survive the coming year.

He had been away for ten days, and the fighting at the front had changed dramatically.

The trees on the hillside facing the Sand Ninja alliance had been cut down, making it easier for them to attack the camp.

The patrol routes had been tightened, with the number of outposts reduced from more than a hundred to just over thirty.

The ninjas in camp hurried about, almost all of them wounded. The temporary medical center was packed to the brim.

It was clear that the Sand Ninja's attacks were intensifying. A large-scale battle couldn't be far off.

The days that followed further confirmed Mo Jingxian's suspicions.

Two squads were merged, with at least six people assigned to each operation.

The return of High Ninja Nara Shikuta was good news. They were all familiar with one another and knew each other fairly well.

"Mo Jingxian, you've only just rejoined the squad, so you don't know much about the current battlefield. Remember what I'm about to tell you..."

The squad moved through the forest on one side of camp, while Nara Shikuta pointed out several things to watch out for on the battlefield.

Mo Jingxian glanced behind him.

Ayako Hyuuga and Shinju Ishikawa followed, keeping a distance of a dozen or so meters.

Hayama Shirakumo guarded the left side of the formation, while Tekuno was on the right.

As the squad raced onward, intelligence suddenly came from Ayako Hyuuga behind them.

"There's a battle two kilometers to the northeast!"

The squad changed direction at once, heading for the battle.

Ninja squads maintained high mobility so they could provide support at any moment.

Ayako Hyuuga continued relaying intelligence, and they had already grasped the situation before reaching the battlefield.

This was the importance of sensory ninjas, especially in wartime.

The reports coming in showed that the Konoha squad engaged in the battle was in a bad way and trying to find a way to break through.

Mo Jingxian and the others picked up speed again. Two minutes later, they finally caught up with the Sand Ninja.

"Nintaijutsu: Water Flood Dragon!"

Inspired by Long Yunzhi's transformation, Mo Jingxian deliberately adjusted the Water Dragon Technique into a form better suited to close combat.

A layer of water covered his body. Water-natured Chakra scales lined his arms, and his hands formed the Flood Dragon's head.

His strike landed, piercing the Sand Ninja's heart from behind.

In the corner of his eye,

the others in the squad each engaged an opponent.

Hayama Shirakumo's swordsmanship was sharp. His Vacuum Blade was like sword energy, wounding his opponent from a distance.

Tekuno was also highly skilled with his hidden weapons. He hadn't managed to take his enemy down yet, but he wasn't at a disadvantage either.

There were quite a few Sand Ninja who had slipped into the battlefield—nine in all.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to keep the Konoha ninjas under pressure.

When Nara Shikuta's squad arrived to support them, the battle turned at once.

Strike when your enemy was down. There was no mercy on the battlefield. Mo Jingxian set his sights on another unlucky Sand Ninja.

Ayako Hyuuga attacked fiercely. More than two months of fighting had transformed her completely.

The enemy's Puppet was difficult to deal with and very fast. She had tried several times to draw out its Chakra Thread, but each attempt had failed.

The enemy knew how dangerous the Byakugan was. He stuck to close combat to wear down her Chakra and never took unnecessary risks.

Suddenly!

Frost spread across the Puppet's joints, greatly reducing its speed and agility.

Ayako Hyuuga seized her chance, closed in, and cleanly severed the Puppet's strings.