Might Revealed in Combat

The Naka River in June surged with turbulent currents, flowing through Konoha and heading east.

To the southwest of the ninja village.

The vegetation on both banks of the river was lush, and wisps of water vapor rose, bringing a touch of coolness to the sweltering heat.

On the rushing river surface, a youth in white stood as steady as a reef, remaining firmly planted on the water despite the shifting undercurrents beneath his feet.

If anyone were to pass by, they would surely marvel at his exquisite chakra control.

[Host: Mo Jingxian]
[Life: 21]
[Nature: 15]
[Skills: Uchiha Swordsmanship, Water Python Technique, Water Substitution Technique (Modified), Water Body Flicker Technique (Modified).]
[Talent: Water Element Mastery (Basic)]
[Tradable: Life Force, Luck, Soul, Water Substitution Technique, Water Body Flicker Technique.]
[Reputation: 422]

Mo Jingxian closed the panel and carefully sensed the water element.

Over the past two months, his "Nature" and "Life" attributes had naturally increased by 1 point each.

Mo Jingxian had successfully mastered the two C-rank ninjutsu, Water Substitution and Water Body Flicker, and as his understanding of the water element deepened, he had even made modifications to both techniques.

Unfortunately, Wind Release: Vacuum Blade always felt just out of reach; he had yet to master it.

Perhaps it was because he had poured most of his energy into comprehending Water Element Mastery that this was the case.

Effort brings rewards; although the panel did not display it, he could feel that his understanding of the water element had grown significantly compared to two months ago.

Gradually, A faint mist gathered around Mo Jingxian, covering a five-meter radius around his body.

"Mist of Vitality."

This was a skill he had comprehended on his own; although it was not recorded on the panel, it was already showing its initial power.

Its appearance was similar to the Hidden Mist Technique, but its effects were entirely different.

This was a sensory-enhancing ninjutsu.

As long as Mo Jingxian remained within the range of the Mist of Vitality, his cells would be greatly activated, allowing his body to remain in a peak state at all times.

Furthermore, casting ninjutsu would also become more fluid.

As for the sensory aspect, he had not yet had the chance to test it, so it was hard to say what the specific effects were.

His body rose and fell with the water waves as Mo Jingxian's signature pale blue chakra gradually dissipated into the surrounding space.

The "Mist of Vitality" began to spread outward.

One meter, Two meters...

It wasn't until the radius reached fifteen meters that Mo Jingxian felt a sense of exhaustion.

"Sigh, it's still the chakra volume that limits my performance."

To be honest, his current chakra volume was not small; based on the numbers, it even exceeded that of many Chunin.

But who would ever complain about having too much chakra?

If measured by the standard of the Ninja World, he had approximately one-third of a Kakashi.

Meanwhile, in the woods not far from this location.

Two sneaky figures were creeping toward the riverbank.

"You didn't see wrong? Are you sure that traitor is by the river?"

Uchiha Tekka's eyes burned with hidden anger; he was uneasy and confirmed it once more.

"Absolutely certain, but are you really planning to teach him a lesson? I heard this traitor has latched onto Minato Namikaze's coattails."

Uchiha Keitai seemed to be dissuading him, but in reality, he was fanning the flames.

Whenever the traitor was mentioned, Uchiha Tekka would flare up; he was just like his name, his heart constantly occupied by the fire of jealousy.

Why?

It was one thing that he was favored by the Great Elder before, but even after becoming a waste, he was still valued by Minato Namikaze.

They said the two had started calling each other brothers; wasn't this a slap in the face to the Uchiha clan?

Minato was difficult to touch, but crippling a traitor like him should be as easy as lifting a hand.

As for how to wrap it up?

Could Minato really storm the Uchiha compound? He didn't believe Minato would dare to offend the Uchiha clan.

Thinking of this, Uchiha Tekka wore a mocking expression.

"Hmph! I've got him dead to rights today; even Minato can't save him, I said it!"

The two used the Body Flicker Technique, and within a few breaths, they arrived at the riverside.

Uchiha Keitai lagged a step behind, and upon arriving, he spotted Mo Jingxian immediately.

The key was that the other party wasn't hiding at all, standing openly on the surface of the river to cultivate.

"You don't need to make a move; watch how I teach this traitor a lesson. I just hope he can last a little longer."

Before he could answer, Uchiha Tekka impatiently stepped onto the water and dashed forward.

Mo Jingxian was closing his eyes to cultivate the Mist of Vitality, and in his perception, a figure was rapidly approaching.

"Traitor! I heard you had the audacity to announce you were abandoning the Uchiha name. Today, I'll make you understand that you don't even have the qualifications to do so."

The voice arrived a step before the man.

When the last word fell, the man had already appeared ten meters away, landing right within the sensory range of the Mist of Vitality.

The Uchiha clan really was a breeding ground for arrogant fools.

A mocking smirk curled on Mo Jingxian's lips: "That... what was your name again?"

[Reputation points from Uchiha Tekka +5]

He hadn't expected an unexpected harvest!

He had originally wanted to farm some more reputation, but the other party refused to cooperate.

"Go to hell!"

A kunai was thrown over, and Uchiha Tekka had completely lost his composure.

The flight trajectory of the kunai was easily captured by him, not by his eyes, but by the information transmitted back by the Mist of Vitality.

So that was it.

It wasn't that the kunai had slowed down, but that the frequency at which Mo Jingxian collected information was constantly refreshing its upper limit.

In other words, as long as it was within the range of the Mist of Vitality, all information would interact with him at high speed, as if he had opened a god's-eye view.

He tilted his head.

The kunai grazed past his cheek, not harming even a single hair.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

A high-temperature fireball with a radius of nearly a meter slammed toward him, the thousands of degrees of heat causing a large cloud of steam to rise from the river surface.

As a Chunin, although Uchiha Tekka had not been tempered on the battlefield, his timing for ninjutsu was passable.

When the mist dissipated, however, Mo Jingxian's figure was nowhere to be seen.

Hm? Had it clearly hit?

The moment the doubt arose, Mo Jingxian's cold voice came from behind him.

"Are you looking for me?"

Such a familiar scene, as if history were repeating itself.

Only this time, Mo Jingxian was stepping into the role of Minato Namikaze.

"Water Body Flicker (Modified)"—when performed within the range of the Mist of Vitality, it was as silent and traceless as a ghost.

Uchiha Tekka was suddenly shocked, but his attempt to exert force under his feet ended in failure.

At some point, a large python had coiled around Tekka, making it impossible for him to move even an inch.

Tekka was defeated in a daze; before he even understood what was happening, he was already in a desperate situation.

A kunai slowly pierced toward Tekka's chest.

Yes, slowly.

Mo Jingxian was doing it on purpose; he was testing... whether a person in a state of fear could provide more reputation points.

"No, Jingxian, you can't kill me! If you kill me, the Great Elder won't let you off!"

The kunai pierced into the muscle, one centimeter, two centimeters...

As it deepened bit by bit, Uchiha Tekka's eyes became bloodshot, and he wailed incessantly.

The fear in his heart was even greater than the pain in his body, continuously providing reputation points to Mo Jingxian.

Suddenly!

An accident occurred.

A blade tip protruded from Mo Jingxian's chest.

It turned out that Uchiha Keitai, who had been hiding on the side, had succeeded in a sneak attack.

"Hahahaha... kill him, Keitai, kill him quickly!"

Tekka truly experienced the feeling of surviving a disaster; to be honest, it was an experience he never wanted to go through again.

His mood swung from heaven to hell, then back from hell to heaven; Tekka looked up and laughed wildly.

Wait, no!

Uchiha Tekka finally realized something was wrong—why was there no sound?

He hadn't heard a single scream.

Before him, Mo Jingxian seemed like a melting candle, dissolving into streams of water that climbed along the long blade toward his back.

He looked at Uchiha Keitai.

Blood was flowing from his eyes, ears, and nostrils.

The water seemed to have a life of its own, crawling into his mouth.

Such a terrifying scene was unfolding in reality right before Uchiha Tekka's eyes.

The emotional rollercoaster had been too intense; the enemy had collapsed.

"Devil, you are a devil! Stay away from me!"

"How annoying!"

Sealing his mouth and draining his chakra, he tossed Tekka onto the ground like a trussed-up hog.

Ignoring the terrified Tekka, he began to calculate what to do next.

Since a grudge had been formed, he and the Uchiha were now locked in a life-or-death struggle.

Fear was useless.

He had better think about how to reap more benefits.

Even if he couldn't topple this behemoth, he might as well collect some interest first.

Since it would all end up benefiting that "filial son" anyway, he might as well let himself harvest some Reputation Points.

An idea slowly began to take shape in his mind.

On the busiest main street of Konoha, the crowd parted like waves to either side.

Pedestrians on the road seemed to be dodging some kind of ferocious beast, leaving a sufficiently wide path for him.

A youth dragged two members of the Uchiha clan, walking down the street in such an ostentatious manner.

One of those being dragged was gasping more than breathing, clearly not long for this world.

The other had vacant eyes, as if his mind had been stolen, allowing himself to be dragged without the slightest resistance.

Mo Jingxian had walked a long way; logically, he should have alerted the Anbu long ago, yet there was still no sign of anyone coming to stop him.

It seemed that, just as he had expected, as long as the target was the Uchiha, there would be people happy to see it happen.

The long street was extensive, and while it wasn't far from the Uchiha compound, their slow reaction was disappointing.

The noise of the bustling street gradually faded; this was the stage Mo Jingxian had chosen.

"Clear the area!"

The Police Force finally appeared at the end of the street; the main players had officially arrived.

The three of them arrived extremely quickly, surrounding Mo Jingxian with a few Body Flicker techniques.

He recognized the leader: Uchiha Fufeng, a staunch supporter of Fugaku.

When the three saw the scene before them, they were visibly stunned.

Immediately, a massive rage erupted like a volcano.

"Attacking your own comrades! Even if the Hokage himself came, he couldn't save you!"

Three long blades were drawn from their sheaths.

Mo Jingxian, pointed at by the blades, showed no fear, merely saying in a calm tone:

"I would like to ask Fugaku: how should an Uchiha ninja be dealt with for attacking a civilian without cause?"

His voice was not loud, yet it reached every person's ears with perfect clarity.

The crowd gathered in an outer circle, growing thicker by the moment; such a large-scale spectacle was rare, especially when it involved the grievances of a prestigious clan.

"You must be insane. What right do you have to question the Clan Head?"

"Right? Do the civilians attacked by the Uchiha have this right?"

"Don't spout nonsense! What evidence do you have? I think you're the murderer."

Uchiha Fufeng made an immediate decision to take Mo Jingxian down first; regardless of whether his words were true or false, they would have a major impact on the Uchiha's reputation.

"Move!"

The three of them attacked Mo Jingxian in unison.

Several figures rushed out from the crowd, dressed identically to the Anbu, yet exuding a sinister aura.

Sure enough, he had been watched ever since he stepped onto the main street.

Mo Jingxian guessed that these people were likely from the Root; they were just waiting for both sides to clash so they would have a legitimate excuse to eliminate a few people in the chaos.

The three parties each harbored their own ulterior motives, and the Root ninjas struck without mercy, every blade aimed directly at vital points.