A Big Profit!

After swimming for who knows how long, Bai Lin finally caught a glimpse of light above.

He could not yet gauge the true strength of Takigakure during this era, and to seize the Hero Water without paying any price, he had to avoid a direct confrontation with the village.

After all, the current Takigakure had yet to be depleted by the Second Shinobi World War and the Third Shinobi World War, leaving it at the peak of its power.

Though not comparable to major villages like Konoha or Sunagakure, its hidden combat strength was not to be underestimated; no one knew how many elite jonin-level powerhouses were concealed within the village.

"The mission entrusted by the village head must be upheld—the Hero Water must be guarded, and outsiders must never be allowed near it," a steady voice rang out.

"Rest assured, with us here, even if someone discovers the village, they won't be leaving alive," another voice replied.

"These are turbulent times. I hear there is a war raging outside. Keep the clansmen in check and ensure they don't go out, lest they expose the village's location."

"Understood. As long as we hold out through this period and wait for the new generation of shinobi to grow, Takigakure will be even safer."

Bai Lin hid behind a massive rock, holding his breath and listening intently.

Through a crack in the rock wall, he clearly saw six shinobi wearing Takigakure headbands standing in a hexagonal formation before a rustic wooden hut, scanning their surroundings with vigilance.

It seems it won't be easy to break in, he frowned, calculating rapidly in his mind. Once I am exposed, I will face the full might of Takigakure.

A frontal assault was clearly the worst strategy; not only might he fail to obtain the Hero Water, but he would also find himself surrounded.

To succeed without a sound, he had to find another way.

A moment later, while the six Takigakure shinobi were busy watching their surroundings, a figure quietly appeared above the hut they were guarding—it was Bai Lin, having activated the Heaven Curse Seal: State 2.

His skin was covered in scale-like armor, a pair of wing-like appendages made of bone sprouted from his back, and a cross-shaped pattern appeared in the center of his face.

The amplification of the Curse Seal State 2 caused his perception, speed, and strength to skyrocket, masking his presence like a hunter in the dark of night.

Bai Lin gave his bone wings a light flap, and his figure swooped down like a phantom, charging straight toward the wooden hut.

Before the six Takigakure shinobi could react, Bai Lin had already slammed into the hut like a cannonball.

"Boom!"

With a deafening crash, Bai Lin smashed a massive hole through the roof of the hut. Wood chips scattered everywhere, and dust filled the air.

Bai Lin landed steadily in the center of the hut, his gaze instantly locking onto the rafters directly in front of him. A crystal-clear, gourd-shaped jade bottle hung silently, and the pale green liquid inside swayed gently, emitting a thick, heart-stopping aura of Chakra—it was the Hero Water!

"Found you." A hint of excitement flashed in his eyes. Without a moment's hesitation, he reached up, snatched the jade bottle, and shoved it into his

System Space

.

The entire process was fluid and seamless, taking no more than two seconds.

With a flap of his bone wings, he burst out through the hole in the roof, transforming into a black shadow as he dashed toward the water pool.

"Sorry, I couldn't think of a way to sneak in silently, so I had to use a rather crude method to take it," Bai Lin said, glancing down at the shinobi on the ground with a flat tone, devoid of any apology.

"Who are you?! How dare you steal the treasure of Takigakure!" a jonin roared.

"Bye-bye, you're toast," Bai Lin curled his lips into a playful smirk.

"Stop him! Don't let him get away!"

"Signal the village head and the elders immediately!"

Behind him came the angry roars and hurried footsteps of the Takigakure shinobi. More and more villagers and shinobi were alerted, chasing in the direction of Bai Lin's escape.

There were many Takigakure shinobi in pursuit; Bai Lin saw no fewer than 30 shinobi moving at high speed, who appeared to be the elite jonin force of Takigakure.

Following closely behind were numerous other shinobi, likely Takigakure villagers with the strength of chunin or genin.

Under the amplification of the Curse Seal State 2, Bai Lin's speed was far beyond what they could hope to catch.

Soon, he reached the pool where he had first infiltrated. Without hesitation, he leaped, diving into the icy water.

However, to his surprise, the Takigakure shinobi were relentless. Many of them jumped into the water after him, using their familiarity with the waterways to continue tracking his trail.

Upon leaving the pool and reaching the shore, feeling the Takigakure shinobi still in hot pursuit, the playful smile on Bai Lin's face gradually faded, replaced by a chilling coldness.

"It seems you are all very unlucky."

He lowered his head, his scarlet

Sharingan

staring into the pool, his tone bone-chillingly cold. "If the Hero Water was stolen, so be it; at least you could have kept your lives."

"But you kept chasing me, and that makes me very unhappy."

"When I am unhappy, you won't have a good time."

As he finished speaking, Bai Lin gripped his right hand with his left, opened his right palm, and violent lightning-natured

Chakra

began to condense frantically in his hand.

The blue lightning grew increasingly intense, accompanied by a piercing screech that tore through the air. The surrounding atmosphere was ionized, crackling with electricity, and fine cracks even began to appear on the ground.

What could make Bai Lin happy?

Naturally, it was when the enemy was in the water, and his most proficient ninjutsu happened to be

Lightning Style: Chidori

.

The Takigakure jonin in the water realized something was wrong and immediately tried to turn back the way they came.

But it was too late.

Bai Lin curled his lips into a cruel smile, pressed the condensed lightning

Chakra

against the surface of the water, and whispered, "Lightning Style: Chidori Current!"

The blue lightning surged into the water like a tidal wave, instantly spreading along the current and covering the entire pool and the waterlogged area on the shore.

The crackling electric current raged wildly, like countless blue vipers lunging toward the Takigakure shinobi.

"Ah! Gurgle!"

"Help! Gurgle!"

Screams rose and fell in succession.

The Lightning Style Chakra surged along the water, invading their bodies, paralyzing their meridians, and tearing their internal organs apart.

The Chunin and Genin level ninjas had almost no power to resist; their bodies stiffened instantly, and after losing the strength to swim, they convulsed incessantly before quickly breathing their last.

Even the Jonin, who didn't even have the chance to cast ninjutsu in the water, let alone withstand such a wide-range electrical shock, found their bodies engulfed in current, their skin charred black, and blood spilling from their mouths as they lost all combat capability.

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for slaying a Genin, obtained 50,000 ryo.] x1.

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for slaying a Chunin, obtained 200,000 ryo.] x8.

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for slaying a Jonin, obtained 500,000 ryo.] x22.

Most of those who managed to catch up were Jonin from Takigakure, with a small portion being Chunin with decent speed; he hadn't expected a Genin to be mixed in among them, which came as a surprise.

The system notifications rang in his mind like a scrolling screen.

In just a few short breaths, the shore and the pool were littered with the corpses of Takigakure ninjas, blood staining the water red; the once formidable pursuing force had been nearly wiped out entirely.

Bai Lin slowly withdrew his Lightning Style Chakra. Releasing Lightning Style: Chidori Current at full power while in the second state of the Cursed Seal had nearly exhausted all the Chakra in his body, leaving his face somewhat pale.

But looking at the skyrocketing balance on the System Panel and the Hero Water safely stored in the System Space, a gleam of excitement flashed in his eyes once more.

"Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it," he muttered to himself, flapping his bone wings and transforming his figure into a streak of blue lightning.

Behind him, the banks of the pool were strewn with corpses and flowed with rivers of blood, becoming an eternal nightmare for Takigakure.