Leaving the Land of Water

"You actually... how dare you!?"

Terumi Mei pointed a finger at Qi, who stood before her, trembling uncontrollably...

Qi had blasted her quite miserably; she was soaked from head to toe, looking as disheveled as one could possibly be.

Although she hadn't suffered any actual injuries, the look in Terumi Mei's eyes had already begun to turn vicious...

People from Kirigakure really are mentally unstable. It was just a splash of water, and I even held back!

Qi thought indignantly...

"I've noted this technique. It won't work a second time!"

Terumi Mei's voice was as cold as ice. Only then did Qi notice her peculiar hairstyle; a lock of hair hung down, obscuring her right eye. In her exposed left eye, there was nothing but cold-blooded malice.

"If you have no other tricks up your sleeve, you'd better prepare yourself to get hurt!"

She really is a lunatic...

"But trying to intimidate people doesn't suit you. A girl should act like a girl..."

Qi narrowed his eyes and let his hands drop to his sides, his joints popping like roasting beans.

"Go home and do some embroidery!"

He could see that while both his and this girl's bloodline limits manifested through ninjutsu, in terms of taijutsu, she was definitely no match for him. However, Ogata's taijutsu was designed for one-hit kills, so he would try his best to avoid her vital points.

But the name Terumi Mei sounded somewhat familiar. And that Lava Release—had he seen it somewhere before? Why did he have such a strong sense of déjà vu?

"Unma, your disciple's temperament is truly poor. He's losing his temper already?"

Outside the arena, Ogata looked at Unma with unconcealed disdain.

"You weren't planning on this from the start, were you? Let me tell you, this brat might not look like much, but if anyone threatens his life, there's nothing he won't do! You'd better be prepared to lose your disciple."

"It's easy to see that he's just like you—a hedgehog."

Unma's facial muscles twitched twice.

"It looks like they're about to go all out. I'll say this first: I'll intervene later, but I'm only pulling out my own disciple. You handle yours yourself, lest he misunderstand. As for the win or loss, it depends on this final strike. Don't you dare welch on the bet."

"You actually think I'd welch on a bet?"

Ogata acted "shocked," then looked at Unma with "incredulity."

"You, the kind of guy who walks into a restaurant and doesn't pay, have the nerve to suspect me!?"

"Stop trying to pin your own habits on others... and by the way, every time you owe money, I'm the one who ends up paying it for you!"

Unma suddenly felt that he shouldn't be talking to this guy at all. It was giving him a headache...

It was at this moment that the patience of the boy and girl in the arena finally ran out.

After all, they were only twelve or thirteen-year-old brats. Terumi Mei aside, even Qi wasn't exactly a patient person; his patience had been forged in this world, as he certainly hadn't bothered with such things in his previous life.

"Boil Release, Skilled Mist Technique... Go to hell!"

Terumi Mei was brimming with killing intent. She opened her mouth, and a sheet of white mist sprayed out, enveloping Qi.

"I remember now! So it's you, you shrew!"

The new Skilled Mist Technique finally reminded Qi of who the girl before him was.

That's right, her name was Terumi Mei! The future Fifth Mizukage of Kirigakure!!!

Lava Release, Boil Release—how could he have not realized it sooner!?

"You may be strong, but that's in the future. Right now, you're just a rookie like me!"

Facing the incoming mist, Qi hardened his resolve. He didn't believe that the current Terumi Mei was as strong as she would be a decade later, capable of corroding even a chakra-based "Susanoo."

He channeled the power he had been holding in his hands into his feet with maximum speed, then exploded forward.

"Boom!"

As if struck by a heavy blow, the standing water beneath Qi's feet was blasted into the air by the sheer force.

"Secret Technique! Thousand Flying Water Needles! Let's see who dies!"

In an instant, all the water droplets kicked into the air condensed into hundreds of ice needles. Qi couldn't yet easily gather large amounts of ice crystals, so he substituted quality with quantity, creating as many of these needles as possible.

These needles remained under his control from start to finish; even if they pierced a human body, he could remotely trigger them to detonate. While the individual power wasn't great, once they reached a certain number, they were enough to blast an enemy into a critical state!

For some reason, he just loved explosions. In his past life, whenever he encountered a chemistry problem he didn't understand, he would just write "explosion" as the answer...

With a wave of his hand, the hundreds of ice needles surged through the acidic mist, whistling toward Terumi Mei, who was still in the middle of casting her ninjutsu. Their speed far exceeded the rate at which the acidic mist could corrode them!

Simultaneously, Qi performed an incredibly bizarre maneuver, his entire body spinning across the ground. With a wide, semicircular arc, he bypassed the layer of acidic mist and charged toward Terumi Mei from the flank!

The current Terumi Mei was still far from her level a decade later; the range of her acidic mist was quite limited. If it were the time when she became Mizukage, this mist would have covered the sky and earth, leaving the enemy with nowhere to hide, but now, she clearly lacked that level of mastery.

Seeing Qi bypass the mist and appear at her side in an instant, a flash of surprise crossed her eyes. She had clearly never seen such a movement style or speed before.

However, it was too late for her to cast another ninjutsu, as the massive swarm of ice needles had also broken through the mist and was raining down around her. The only gap in the barrage was the direction Qi was coming from!

In just a heartbeat, the situation had completely flipped...

"You old scoundrel, your disciple is impressive! He actually learned your signature move!?"

The one most shocked by Qi's sudden eruption was not Terumi Mei, but Unma!

He was far too familiar with this technique. Although Qi's execution was extremely clumsy and slow, this was unmistakably Ogata's signature skill: Water Step Swift Kill!

Back in the day, on the battlefield, that was exactly how Ogata would use incredibly bizarre movements to quickly bypass an enemy's ranged attacks, closing the distance in an instant to kill foes before they could even react.

While this move was useless against large-scale ninjutsu, it was a god-tier killing technique in chaotic melees. Countless enemy ninjas had died to this style; of course, if performed poorly, it was simply delivering one's own head on a platter.

It was difficult for the Kaguya Clan to produce experts, but any who did emerge were always prodigies of taijutsu, each with their own unique flair. Now, aside from Ogata, there were arguably no experts left in the Kaguya Clan, which was why he had been so surprised that Ogata would choose to escort Qi out of the Land of Water.

This practically signaled that the Kaguya Clan had no intention of surviving...

In reality, had it not been for Qi, this Ogata of the Kaguya Clan would have died in an accident a year later, leaving the clan without any experts when they launched their counterattack against the Mist Ninjas, ultimately leading to their total annihilation.

However, no one would ever know this. For now, Unma was simply shocked that Qi had actually learned this movement technique from Ogata.

Consequently, he prepared to intervene. If Terumi Mei didn't respond appropriately, she might genuinely be punched to death by Qi on the spot!

Meanwhile, on the field, although Terumi Mei didn't know what trick Qi was pulling, she didn't hesitate for a second, charging head-on toward him.

At the same time, she had already finished weaving her hand seals, spitting out the same solidifying mucus she had used before.

It wasn't that she didn't want to use acid mist, but the mist was too slow and couldn't keep up with the mucus. Given the opponent's speed, he would likely bypass it again, and this time, there was no distance left to buffer!

"That stuff again! How annoying!"

Qi's speed was clearly much higher than Terumi Mei had anticipated. The moment he saw her hand seals, he knew what she was planning. As the mucus surged toward him, he arched his back, his charging figure suddenly retreating before springing forward with explosive force!

The power of a spine's contraction and expansion wasn't just for checking how much taller you were in the morning compared to the night before... at least, not in this world of abnormal physical stats.

"He actually retreated... how is that even possible?"

Terumi Mei was dumbfounded.

Qi's retreat had perfectly dodged her mucus attack, and his subsequent spring sent his entire body flying, leaping directly over the glob of mucus and appearing right in front of her!

"Returning the favor now... go to hell!"

Qi had no leisure to check her mental state. Seeing his target right before him, he acted on pure reflex and surging killing intent, throwing a punch at Terumi Mei's head using the method Ogata had taught him.

On one side was a murderous, heavy punch; on the other, a girl still in a daze. The battle had already reached its conclusion, provided no one intervened...

"Stop, kid! The winner has been decided!"

Unma had been watching from the sidelines all along. His confidence in his disciple had made him wait until the very end, but the final result—and Qi's ruthlessness—had slightly exceeded his expectations.

You brat, with so many of us standing here, you really dared to kill her... You truly are Ogata's disciple! Reckless enough!

As for his own disciple, there was no need to stop her; she had been completely overwhelmed, her momentum utterly crushed.

Mei... you've disappointed your master a little. You lost in a complete mess, both in technique and mindset.

With a wry smile, Unma's hand appeared above Terumi Mei's forehead, perfectly blocking Qi's punch.

"Bang!"

The punch, loaded with full force, failed to achieve anything, blocked perfectly.

"Not moving? Whoa..."

The moment Qi threw the punch, he knew it was bad. This was clearly a man's hand, and definitely not his master's. Without a second thought, he turned to run.

He couldn't run, of course. Unma chuckled and lifted him up by the collar, ignoring his flailing limbs.

"What the hell... the old man actually came out! That's cheating! That's dirty! Master... why are you just laughing? That's not fair... you should be beating him up!"

Without looking back, Qi knew whose hands he had fallen into.

The head of the Mist Ninja Anbu was not someone he could afford to provoke right now.

What was most infuriating was that the old scumbag Ogata was actually laughing!?

"You brat are truly ruthless, going for a kill shot right off the bat. You've certainly learned your master's virtues... Cheating? If I didn't step in, was I supposed to watch you beat my disciple to death!?"

Unma listened to Qi's shouting, caught between laughter and tears. He tossed Qi far away, landing him right next to Ogata.

"A bet is a bet. My disciple lost, so you may go. My men and I will not stop you."

"Heh heh, at least you keep your word, kid. It wasn't in vain that I saved you back then."

Ogata cackled and gave Qi's head a slap.

"Alright, kid, stop acting. Get on the boat, we're leaving!"

Qi finally shut his mouth.

Although this port was small, a sturdy-looking medium-sized wooden boat was docked there. Clearly, this had been arranged by Unma, for when Qi stepped inside, he found that not only was the cabin empty, but it was also stocked with ample food and fresh water.

Soon, Ogata boarded the boat as well. He glanced into the cabin but said nothing.

"Yuki... Kaguya... it's just my Land of Water that rejects bloodlines..."

Unma looked at Qi, then at Ogata.

"Will you ever come back?"

"Come back? Come back so you can kill us?"

Ogata tilted his head, his expression one of utter disdain, yet it was somehow incredibly smug.

"Do you take me for a fool? I'm not coming back. Let me tell you, if your Mizukage and that Daimyo keep acting so recklessly, they'll regret it sooner or later!"

"Heh... regret, you say..."

Unma's smile was tinged with bitterness.

"I can't speak for the Mizukage, but the Daimyo certainly won't. In this world, there isn't a single Daimyo of any nation who fears their own country's ninja as obsessively as the Daimyo of the Land of Water."

"Then just move house. There are four other nations, after all."

Ogata's tone was dripping with sarcasm.

"Get lost, you... if you don't leave now, I might actually start to regret this!"

Unma waved his hand as if shooing away a fly. Suddenly, he paused, rummaged through his robes, and pulled out a few scrolls, tossing them toward Qi, who was already seated on the boat.

"Kid, take these!"

Qi was stunned, but he caught them smoothly nonetheless.

"As a Yuki, your Water Release is far too poor. Ogata can only teach you taijutsu; study these, and they might save your life in the future."

Is that so... why be so good to me!?

Qi couldn't help but glance at Ogata.

"You stupid apprentice! If he gives them to you, just take them! Why are you looking at me? I'm not a woman!"

Unexpectedly, Ogata flew into a rage, raising his fist to plant a mountain-sized lump on Qi's head.

"Do you think you're some high-ranking official that he'd need to resort to such tricks to harm you!?"

"Ogata... we're about to part ways, would it kill you not to insult me just once..."

Unma looked up and took a deep breath. When he cast his gaze back over, there was no longer a trace of emotional fluctuation.

"With this farewell, the friendship we once shared is wiped clean. Should we meet again, I will use every means at my disposal to kill you."

He paused, then added, "However, if by that time our Daimyo and the Mizukage have lifted the bounty on your heads, that would be a different matter entirely."

Having said this, he stopped speaking, turned around, and walked away. Soon, the other Mist ninja, including Terumi Mei, followed him and vanished into the mist.

Yet, perhaps it was just his imagination, but Qi felt that the shrew Terumi Mei had turned her head to glare at him with quite a vengeful look before she left...

But would he care?

Don't joke around! He had successfully left the Land of Water and flown the coop; that girl would likely never have the chance to take her revenge on him in this lifetime!