"So impressive..."
Xiu stared wide-eyed at the enormous ball of ice spinning before them, almost completely enclosing its target.
"But does Qi really have that much chakra?"
"That's nothing..." Uchiha Kongci glanced at Xiu. "As long as someone doesn't have an unusually small chakra supply, excellent control is enough to unleash a large-scale offensive ninjutsu. And this is his kekkei genkai to begin with, so he has an even greater advantage when it comes to control."
"Oh..."
Xiu looked enlightened. He knew that Qi's chakra control was indeed quite impressive. And while Qi didn't have an astonishing amount of chakra, he certainly had plenty—about average, all told.
"But..." Kongci paused, rubbing his chin before continuing, "it seems this is his first time using this technique. I can tell his chakra flow is a little chaotic. Still, it's fine. We can step in if he can't hold on. The rest doesn't matter anymore, anyway."
As they spoke, the upturned sheets of ice began to close in. They were about to form a proper sphere...
"Hm?"
Ogata and Kongci suddenly narrowed their eyes.
"Well, would you look at that. He really is a Jonin. Qi can't keep him trapped yet!"
Still, they didn't intend to intervene. In fact, they hoped their opponent would make it out alive...
Who were they kidding? They'd been ambushed, and now they were supposed to clean up the mess for their attackers? They weren't that magnanimous.
As if to prove them right, a deafening crash rang out from the far side of the ice sphere. Lightning flashed, and an attack from within blasted a huge hole through the ice!
Two figures shot out like lightning, surrounded by sparks...
"Kumogakure really does have a reputation for offense. To break through ice that thick in one strike..."
Kongci watched admiringly but didn't move to help.
"His strength still isn't enough, but his opponent is a real Jonin. Can't blame him for that..." Ogata pushed off the ground and shot forward like a cannonball.
No matter how strange Qi's ninjutsu was, his opponent was a full rank above him. Who could say he didn't have some secret technique capable of threatening Qi? The Shinobi World had no shortage of anything else, but secret techniques were everywhere...
So the moment the enemy burst through the ice, Ogata was already rushing toward him.
Ogata's charge came just in time. The Jonin really did have a way to get to Qi. He and another teammate had been unable to defeat Kongci together, and then Ogata had suddenly appeared and killed his partner—but that didn't mean the Jonin was weak. Kongci was no nobody; he was a true powerhouse of the Uchiha Clan.
The more powerful the ninjutsu, the longer it took to perform. And in close combat, there weren't many opportunities to use it...
An opponent like Ogata was the bane of ninja who relied on such techniques. His speed could deny most ninja the time they needed to perform them.
"Damn it!"
The Jonin had only just landed when he turned and saw Ogata charging at him. He couldn't help cursing in anger.
But then his expression brightened. He could feel his teammate's chakra rapidly approaching!
His gaze turned vicious as he looked at Ogata...
A person?"
Ogata's eyes fell on the young man.
No, she was a woman...
She looked utterly wretched. Her clothes were full of holes, leaving her exposed, and her hair hung loose around her face.
Sure, some men looked like women and liked to keep their hair long, but they didn't have soft flesh on their chests. Through the holes in this "young man's" clothes, two soft mounds were clearly visible, leaving no doubt about her gender.
The bandage-like things, torn in half but still hanging at her sides, also explained why she had seemed flat-chested before...
"Damn, what a nuisance!"
Ogata looked as if he'd just spotted a pile of crap.
"Of all things, a freak who likes dressing as a man!"
Ogata's taste was definitely strange by normal standards. He'd always believed women ought to be like those of the Kaguya Clan—strong, muscular girls were the best kind...
"Who are you calling a freak?!"
The young man—no, the girl—was so enraged by Ogata's words that she shrieked.
"You're the freak! You and your student are both freaks!"
Her voice was unmistakably a woman's, and wonderfully sweet. She'd clearly been disguising it before.
To be fair, both her looks and her voice were outstanding. Otherwise, Qi wouldn't have called her White Face. Unfortunately, she'd run into Ogata, whose tastes were the polar opposite of everyone else's...
The moment the beauty's lovely voice reached his ears, he actually shuddered.
"Being ugly is one thing, but your voice is awful too. No wonder you dress like a man. Nobody would want you anyway..."
He genuinely meant it. His expression made that perfectly clear, which only made his words more infuriating.
"I'm going to kill you! And that student of yours too! I'm going to kill you both!"
Her gaze brimmed with murderous intent. No one would doubt that she was itching to kill someone far stronger than herself...
"Calm down, Hualing!"
The Jonin spoke up. He'd noticed that something was wrong. As a sensory ninja, he could tell that his teammate's chakra was in considerable disarray. That wasn't normal.
"Looks like you're the smart one."
Ogata gave a cold laugh.
"Want to keep fighting?"
As he spoke, a figure appeared on the ice behind him and walked through it.
"Hm?"
It was Qi. After coming out of the ice, his gaze also landed first on the girl called Hualing. Soon, his eyes widened...
What was this?
Even from inside the ice, he could hear sounds from nearby. But he'd made so much ice that he'd come out on the other side. He'd only seen Ogata, and he hadn't made out the conversation. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so surprised.
He looked Hualing up and down, then seemed to understand.
"So she's a freak who dresses like a man..."
Like master, like student. They even thought exactly alike about this...
Qi, however, didn't have Ogata's bizarre taste. On the contrary, he thought she was beautiful.
"Such a pretty face, but something's wrong with her head. What a shame..."
He even looked at her sympathetically...
Hualing was about ready to lose her mind. This master and student really were made for each other—they were both equally punchable! At least the student wasn't blind...
Unfortunately, she couldn't do anything about it now, and the mission had failed completely. She just didn't know how things had gone on the other side...
More than ten figures finally arrived. They were clearly her teammates...
"How did it go? Did the other side succeed?"
When the Jonin who'd been with Hualing saw the newcomers, his expression changed. None of them looked well; they were all injured...
"Failed! The Hyuga Clan was ready for us. We walked right into an ambush!"
One of them glared at Ogata.
"The teammates sent to deal with him are all dead too. The Uchiha had a lot of people lying in wait, along with some other Konoha Ninja. They seemed to be under Orochimaru, one of the Sannin. Our people couldn't hold out."
"You shouldn't have worked with that man in the first place. You thought you could take advantage of the Uchiha? Not a chance!"
Kongci had come up with Xiu by then. He looked coldly at the group of ninja.
"I'm no longer interested in who you are. The Uchiha won't make another move tonight. If you don't want to die like your other teammates, you can leave now!"
"Cut the crap! You really think you'll let us go?"
The Jonin sneered.
"If we leave, aren't you afraid Konoha will hold you responsible?"
"Hold my ass!"
Ogata impatiently cut him off.
"Then get lost already. Stop playing these pointless games and testing us! Otherwise, we can leave a few more of you here. I don't mind."
"Hmph!"
A flicker of anger passed through the Jonin's eyes, but it quickly vanished. He replied grimly,
"Fine, then. I hope we meet again on the battlefield!"
With that, he grabbed Hualing, who was still trying to glare Qi and Ogata to death, and vanished into the night along with the dozen or so other ninja...
There was one input paragraph of promotional text here, so I can't repeat it because it would violate the instruction to translate all 93 body paragraphs.