Breaking the Deadlock

Water Release: Super Exploding Water Colliding Wave.

It unleashed a massive amount of water, trapping the enemy inside an enormous sphere. No matter which way the enemy moved, the sphere followed.

It was the perfect counter to an opponent like Lin Qing, who excelled at close-quarters combat.

Biwa Juzo had learned this tactic from a kid named Kisame Hoshigaki over drinks one time.

Of course, a ninjutsu with such a huge area of effect consumed an immense amount of chakra. Juzo could maintain it for about ten minutes at most.

But expecting to suffocate Lin Qing, a master of the breathing technique, within ten minutes was pure fantasy.

There was still Raiga Kurosuki.

Bolts of lightning flashed and struck the enormous water sphere.

Trapped at its center, Lin Qing felt his skin grow searingly hot.

If not for a layer of Ripple power above his skin, keeping the lightning from reaching his organs, his heart might have already seized up, leaving his whole body paralyzed.

What should I do?

Lin Qing clenched both fists. He held the last breath of air he'd drawn before entering the water in his chest, adjusting the frequency of his Ripple.

Cyan Ripples that manipulated water flowed from his hands.

The previously steady current began to churn unnaturally.

"Damn it! What is this ability?!"

Biwa Juzo, controlling the water sphere from outside, spat out a mouthful of blood and roared at Raiga Kurosuki, "Stop holding back and kill him! He's fighting me for control of the Water Release!"

Fighting... for control?

Raiga Kurosuki didn't understand what his old teammate meant, but he understood the first part. He raised both swords again, transforming all his chakra into lightning-nature chakra.

"Lightning Blade Technique: Lightning Strike!"

Lightning repeatedly struck the water sphere. From a distance, it shone brilliantly, like a crystal-clear gemstone.

Standing outside the sphere, County Magistrate Senmura stared blankly at the enormous orb and the bolts of lightning raining down on it. He murmured,

"So this is the power of ninja... It's incredible!"

Compared to these two, what were the Dire Wolf Squad but a bunch of useless rabble?

County Magistrate Senmura had felt regret over Dire Wolf's death, but thinking that he might soon recruit Biwa Juzo made his heart soar. It was as if his thoughts had suddenly become clearer.

But it wasn't just an impression.

The lightning constantly striking the water sphere was splitting the water into hydrogen and oxygen. The people throughout the county were now breathing in oxygen, so of course they felt refreshed and clearheaded.

The opposite was happening inside the sphere. The feeling of suffocation was closing in on Lin Qing, bit by bit.

He drew back his Ripple, covering his skin with it to block the lightning carried through the water.

This was the greatest crisis Lin Qing had faced since arriving in the Naruto World.

It wasn't like his encounter with Itachi Uchiha, who had underestimated him because of the information gap.

It wasn't like his fight with Kakashi, who had gone easy on him.

And unlike his battle with Suikazan Fuguki, this wasn't a one-on-one fight. Back then, as long as Lin Qing seized the initiative, he could rely on Star Platinum's absolute dominance in close combat to beat his opponent to death with a barrage of punches.

This time, his opponents were ninja who worked seamlessly together, supported each other, mastered all kinds of combat techniques, and knew Lin Qing's abilities inside out.

This was a head-on fight between both sides, with no room for luck.

"The harder the 'problem' is, the calmer I need to stay."

Lin Qing didn't let the suffocating feeling rob him of his reason and make him thrash about blindly. Once the oxygen ran out and his Ripple faded, he would truly die, just as his opponents intended.

Plans never kept up with changes on the battlefield.

That applied to Lin Qing, and it applied to his opponents too.

Lin Qing closed his eyes. In the darkness, his thoughts gradually cleared.

"Let's sort through what I have to work with."

"The Ripple?"

"No. Biwa Juzo's chakra is in this water. I can't breathe, and with the little Ripple I have left, I can't wrest control of the water from him and escape."

"Star Platinum?"

"No. It can't throw me out. The water will resist it, and the sphere will adjust quickly."

Aero Smith, Hermit Purple, the Blade of Ruin... None of them could help Lin Qing escape his predicament either.

As the lightning gnawed at him, his Ripple dwindled bit by bit, and the oxygen in his chest grew thin.

If he couldn't think of something soon...

Lin Qing really would die.

He opened the system interface.

"Slain Elite Jonin: Dire Wolf. Obtained 240 Soul Shards."

"Current Soul Shards: 820."

"Would you like to draw?"

Eighty-two draws. Perhaps he could get a five-star Stand that would help him break out of this predicament.

Just as his finger was about to tap the draw button, Lin Qing slowly pulled his hand back.

He couldn't draw.

At least... not now.

Drawing was Lin Qing's last hope.

If he failed to get a Stand, or the Stand he got couldn't help him escape the water sphere...

Lin Qing was human, not a machine. Having his hopes dashed in such a desperate situation would deal a serious blow to his state of mind.

After a full five seconds of thought, he concluded:

"There's no other way—or rather, there's no 'shortcut.' To get out of this predicament, I can only take the most foolish approach and travel the longest road."

He abruptly opened his eyes.

"Star Platinum!"

Star Platinum appeared behind him once more.

When Biwa Juzo and Raiga Kurosuki saw him open his eyes, they instinctively tightened their grips on their swords.

They didn't know what else Lin Qing could do. By all rights, they had already driven him into a corner, but the calm in Lin Qing's gaze still made them uneasy.

Lin Qing handed the Blade of Ruin to Star Platinum.

Star Platinum gripped it in both hands and raised it over its head. Then...

It spun!

The Blade of Ruin was nearly two meters long and almost half a meter wide, with a straight edge. From a distance, it looked like a massive gravestone. Spinning rapidly in Star Platinum's hands, it immediately churned the water into a frenzy.

"What good will that do? Are you trying to pass yourself off as a ship's propeller and carry yourself out of the sphere? Dream on!"

Biwa Juzo shouted.

But his eyes flickered.

That sounded less like something he was saying to Lin Qing and more like something he was telling himself to feel better. Juzo was about to say more when he suddenly saw—

Lin Qing raise one finger and point at him from afar.

Lin Qing's mouth opened and closed. His voice couldn't carry through the water, but reading lips was basic training for ninja. Everyone present could see what he was saying:

"Don't rush. Watch closely."

Anger welled up inside him. Biwa Juzo roared, "Raiga!"

"I know!"

Raiga Kurosuki unleashed lightning without regard for the cost. The bolts he summoned were clearly beyond his control, and some of them struck him.

He gritted his teeth and didn't make a sound.

At that moment, the two Seven Ninja Swordsmen forgot the Mizukage's orders. They forgot their interests, and even themselves. Only one thought remained.

"Kill Lin Qing!"

"Kill him!"

"Kill!"

As Star Platinum swung the sword, a whirlpool formed inside the sphere. Lin Qing stood at its center, while the water above his head rapidly thinned.

He hadn't tried to escape.

Since his enemies had used this technique, they had surely accounted for Lin Qing and Star Platinum's speed.

Escape meant certain death.

The real path to survival lay at the very bottom of the water sphere.

"Argh!!!"

Biwa Juzo pushed his technique to its limit, trying to forcibly pull the churning water back together. His veins bulged, and blood seeped through his skin.

An unseen force resisted the whirlpool, slowing it down.

Lin Qing's path to survival was blocked.

The feeling of suffocation swallowed him. His vision darkened, and his consciousness wavered. As the Stand User's mental strength faltered, Star Platinum's form also grew blurry.

"We did it!"

Biwa Juzo clenched his fist, overjoyed.

Just then, though Lin Qing had nearly run out of oxygen, his chest was rising and falling faintly.

A wisp of golden lightning appeared.

Sunlight Yellow Ripple!

Isolated from the outside world by water and lightning, Lin Qing let his Ripple flow through the deepest parts of his body amid endless suffocation. There, a wisp of "energy" emerged from the void.

It wasn't energy gained from the outside through "breathing."

It was energy born within Lin Qing's meridians, flowing from within to without.

Or rather...

"Qi"!

This was the moment Lin Qing had been waiting for.

Earlier, he'd trained in a lake on the outskirts of Snowfall Village, but he'd always been missing a crucial spark.

Now he'd found it.

Lin Qing slowly lifted his finger from the "draw" button on the interface.

It seemed he wouldn't need it after all.

Surrounded by the power of the Sunlight Yellow Ripple, Lin Qing didn't summon Star Platinum again. He gripped the Blade of Ruin with one hand and swung it with all his might.

Biwa Juzo spat blood and fell to his knees.

He'd lost control of the water.

Water surged everywhere, spiraling outward in a whirlpool and sweeping over Biwa Juzo and Raiga Kurosuki's legs.

"Move!"

Raiga Kurosuki warned him.

Biwa Juzo nodded firmly and retreated.

"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"

Two water dragons appeared from nowhere, blocking the pair's escape route.

Normally, they could each cut down a water dragon of this strength with a single swing.

But now, Biwa Juzo was gravely wounded and Raiga Kurosuki was spent. The water dragons managed to entangle them.

"Who did that?!"

Biwa Juzo turned around and saw a stunning woman's face.

"Mei Terumi! You dare betray the village?!"

Mei Terumi shook her head slightly.

"You're the ones who betrayed the village."

Biwa Juzo had no time to curse her before the whirlpool swept in.

This was bad!

The two were caught in the whirlpool, like a pair of little boats adrift in its currents, circling closer and closer to Lin Qing at its center.

For the first time, Lin Qing gripped the sword with both hands, channeling the Sunlight Yellow Ripple into its blade.

Whir—

The blade rang out as the Blade of Ruin trembled faintly. A torrent of golden light surged from its spine.

Biwa Juzo and Raiga Kurosuki exchanged a glance.

There was no escaping.

Their only option now was to use the whirlpool's force and kill Lin Qing together.

Each gripped a ninja blade, leaped high out of the water, and lunged at Lin Qing from opposite sides.

A flash of golden light streaked past.

The whirlpool vanished, its waters falling like torrential rain.

Two corpses and two broken ninja blades fell with them.

Lin Qing stood at the center of the downpour.

Unscathed.

"Slain Biwa Juzo. Obtained 480 Soul Shards."

"Slain Raiga Kurosuki. Obtained 460 Soul Shards."