Fierce Battle!

Shita Genichi hadn't expected to run into a shinobi with the Ice Release Kekkei Genkai.

He realized he'd have to give it everything he had.

Kekkei Genkai users were never easy opponents.

And... the man before him was the perfect test subject!

With Snake, then Tiger!

After forming three hand seals, a water dragon surged skyward from the river, then plunged toward the blue-clad man with black hair.

"This brat..."

The blue-clad man's expression changed again.

The earlier Water Colliding Wave was one thing—it was a C-rank technique. But he'd performed the Water Dragon Bullet Technique just as quickly.

Even faster than him!

"This brat is not to be underestimated!"

The blue-clad man dropped his relaxed demeanor, crouched, and pressed both hands against the water.

Boom!

A surge of water rose into a curtain, then turned into a wall of ice.

Rumble!

The water dragon slammed into the ice wall and shattered, scattering in every direction.

The next moment, a shuriken struck the ice wall. The Explosive Tag attached to it ignited and detonated with a rumble.

The blue-clad man leaped backward. An Ice Blade appeared in his right hand, and with a clang, he blocked the incoming slash.

Clap! Clap!

The two landed on the river at the same time.

The blue-clad man held Shita Genichi's short sword at bay with his Ice Blade while forming Hand Seals one-handed with his left.

Shita Genichi's pupils contracted. He immediately withdrew his blade and leaped backward.

All around him, countless Water Needles shot up from the river with a series of whistles.

Shita Genichi swung his sword, deflecting every one.

But as soon as he landed, streams of water barreled toward him from all four directions.

The blue-clad man had predicted where he would land.

Boom!

Shita Genichi took the hit squarely. His body burst with a pop, turning into a mass of water that fell into the river.

"What? A Water Clone!"

The blue-clad man's pupils contracted.

He had sensory abilities, and before the fight, he'd been certain Shita Genichi hadn't set any clones in ambush.

That meant he'd used a Water Clone when he performed his first technique.

Cunning brat!

The blue-clad man cursed under his breath and immediately spun around, crossing his arms.

Shita Genichi lunged at him. His blade flashed like a streak of light, slashing upward from the lower left.

The blade struck the blue-clad man's crossed arms, sending ice fragments flying in every direction.

"He formed a layer of ice armor over his body... just like Gaara's Sand Armor."

Shita Genichi was taken aback. After his Draw-Sword Strike, he immediately kicked the blue-clad man away, sending him tumbling across the river.

Shita Genichi sheathed his sword and formed Hand Seals.

Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!

This time, the water dragon was even larger.

The blue-clad man had only just regained his footing when the dragon came crashing down from above.

Rumble!

Water surged in every direction, and spray flew everywhere.

The Water Dragon Bullet struck its mark, but Shita Genichi furrowed his brow.

As the water subsided, he saw a hemispherical Ice Dome enclosing the blue-clad man.

Crack...

The ice dome, riddled with fractures, collapsed. The blue-clad man stood up, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. "I really let my guard down!"

"But I won't make that mistake again."

The blue-clad man raised his right arm and formed Hand Seals with one hand.

His left arm hadn't been severed, thanks to his Ice Release Armor, but Shita Genichi's tremendous strength had fractured the bone. He couldn't move it for the time being, let alone form Hand Seals.

The blood at the corner of his mouth had come from the kick Shita Genichi had landed.

Seeing his opponent form Hand Seals with one hand again, Shita Genichi immediately formed the Tiger Seal. "Genjutsu: Bringer-of-Darkness Technique!"

The blue-clad man's sight vanished at once.

"This is... a Genjutsu!"

"Damn brat!"

The blue-clad man nearly bit his tongue. He quickly changed his hand seals, then spat out a rush of mist that spread rapidly.

After using the Hidden Mist Technique, the blue-clad man immediately leaped away from his position.

But even with such a quick reaction, he couldn't avoid Shita Genichi's shuriken entirely. It grazed him, leaving a bloody line on his left arm.

He could form Ice Armor over his body, but he couldn't keep it in place for long the way Gaara could.

So both Shita Genichi's earlier kick and the shuriken had wounded him.

Fortunately, he'd reacted quickly enough to obscure his opponent's vision with the Hidden Mist Technique.

After taking a couple of breaths, the blue-clad man used Ice Release to freeze the wound on his left arm, then formed Hand Seals one-handed, trying to break the Genjutsu.

Meanwhile, in the mist, Shita Genichi could only sigh to himself.

Kekkei Genkai users really were a handful.

Even setting aside Ice Release, the man's one-handed seals and quick reactions made him tougher than any opponent Shita Genichi had faced before.

Could he be a Jonin?

Still, Shita Genichi decided he'd learn Wind Release when he got back.

He glanced around and formed Hand Seals, partially releasing the Yin Seal.

Chakra surged out of the seal, quickly replenishing what he'd spent.

Shita Genichi continued forming Hand Seals, creating a Shadow Clone and leaving his ninja tool pouch behind. Then his real body quietly retreated.

He couldn't keep fighting here forever.

Sarutobi Shinnosuke had seven enemies to deal with. If this Ice Release shinobi was this strong, then what about the other seven...?

Time passed.

Suddenly, the mist began to disperse.

Shita Genichi's gaze sharpened. He saw a number of ice mirrors floating all around him, with the blue-clad man appearing inside every one.

Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals!

Shita Genichi immediately formed Hand Seals. Snake, then Tiger!

Water Release: Water Formation Wall!

Water surged up from the river, swirling around Shita Genichi.

Even above his head, the water sealed him in.

The Water Formation Wall was like an upside-down bell, spinning around him.

The blue-clad man had just started to smile, but his expression stiffened. "How is this bastard's Water Release better than mine?"

"He's from Konoha, of all places. Damn it..."

The blue-clad man gritted his teeth. "I refuse to believe your chakra can last!"

Whizz! Whizz! Whizz!

Dense volleys of Ice Senbon shot toward Shita Genichi from every direction, but the spinning Water Formation Wall blocked them all.

The two of them were locked in a battle of attrition.

A short while later, the floating ice mirrors suddenly began to crack. Then they shattered one after another, clattering into the river.

The blue-clad man fell from the air and slammed into the river with a thud.

"What... happened?"

The blue-clad man raised his head with difficulty.

Shita Genichi dismissed the Water Formation Wall and flicked a shuriken into the blue-clad man's shoulder. Smiling faintly, he said, "Sorry, I'm a medical ninja too!"

The blue-clad man's eyes widened. He suddenly understood. "Your shuriken were poisoned!"

Shita Genichi's gaze fell on the wound frozen over on the blue-clad man's arm.

If he hadn't frozen it, the poison would have taken effect much sooner.

Still, the poison Tsunade had developed was incredibly effective!

If Shita Genichi hadn't coated his shuriken with poison, he really wouldn't have been able to take this man down today.

"How ridiculous. I'm going to die at the hands of a brat..."

The blue-clad man's head slowly drooped. He could no longer hold on and passed out.

Only then did Shita Genichi approach. He took a syringe of anesthetic from his ninja tool pouch and injected it into the blue-clad man. Then he took out an Antidote Pill and fed it to him.

This guy couldn't die yet!