Let Them Go

After arriving in the Land of Water, Uchiha Matsuri had used up a full thirty percent of his chakra on the Transformation Technique. To bring out the full power of the Chakra Scalpel, he had also poured a great deal of his chakra into it.

The Earth Release he had just used to stop Hozuki Shichigatsu had drained the last thirty percent of his chakra. Now he didn't have enough chakra left to release the Yin Seal, even if he wanted to.

.

At the last possible moment, two people pulled Uchiha Matsuri up from the ground and jumped backward, helping him evade Hozuki Shichigatsu's attack.

Uchiha Matsuri glanced gratefully at Kushina Uzumaki and Nohara Shin, who had come to his rescue. If they hadn't noticed he was in danger while fighting the other Mist Ninja and saved him, Uchiha Matsuri would probably have been nothing but a heap of mangled flesh by now.

"Kushina, help me with the Hand Seals!" Uchiha Matsuri glanced at Kushina Uzumaki, who was covered in blood. She froze for a moment, then simply nodded without asking any questions.

"Ninja Art: Yin Seal: Release!"

Uchiha Matsuri's left hand and Kushina Uzumaki's right hand formed the seals at lightning speed.

The chakra he had stored in the Yin Seal for an entire week was released. In an instant, Uchiha Matsuri felt strength coursing through his body.

"That's the Yin Seal?" Kushina Uzumaki exclaimed in surprise when she saw the black, striped mark appear on Uchiha Matsuri's forehead.

Uchiha Matsuri didn't answer Kushina Uzumaki. Instead, he charged toward Hozuki Shichigatsu. "Shin, Kushina, cover me."

"Yeah," the two replied in unison.

Let's see you handle a jutsu I copied with my Sharingan, Uchiha Matsuri thought.

With Nohara Shin and Kushina Uzumaki's help, Uchiha Matsuri dodged Hozuki Shichigatsu's attack, then swiftly formed Hand Seals.

As he formed the seals, Uchiha Matsuri glanced at Nohara Shin and Kushina Uzumaki. They caught his signal and quickly dodged. Once they were out of the way, Uchiha Matsuri slammed both hands onto the ground.

"Lightning Release: Earth Crawl!"

A powerful surge of chakra poured from Uchiha Matsuri's palms. In an instant, it transformed into massive currents of electricity that raced forward through the ground and the dense droplets of water suspended in the mist.

Sensing danger, Hozuki Shichigatsu and more than a dozen Mist Ninja had no time to dodge before the Lightning Release struck them.

A blast erupted, hurling Uchiha Matsuri, Kushina Uzumaki, and Nohara Shin, who had dodged nearby, through the air.

The explosion leveled every building within a five-hundred-meter radius. Even the three fighting nearby with Orochimaru were forced to stop for a few seconds.

"Interesting. I didn't expect this kid to unleash such powerful chakra at a moment like this." Even Orochimaru, who rarely praised anyone, couldn't help complimenting him after seeing the Lightning Release.

Uchiha Matsuri and the other two had only been thrown back by the shockwave, but Hozuki Shichigatsu and the dozen-odd Mist Ninja caught in the blast weren't so lucky. More than a dozen Mist Ninja died on the spot, their bodies blown apart. The blast site had become a living hell.

"I can't believe... I lost to these brats." Hozuki Shichigatsu lay facedown on the ground, his face badly burned. The massive explosion had left him gravely injured and unable to continue fighting.

Cough, cough.

Uchiha Matsuri struggled to his feet. That "Lightning Release: Earth Crawl" had used up more than half of the chakra stored in the Yin Seal. Its power rivaled one of Orochimaru's more potent jutsu. For Uchiha Matsuri, who was only nine years old, a jutsu of this intensity was already close to his limit.

On the main road in Kirigakure.

Hearing the massive explosion a kilometer away, the Third Mizukage knew something was wrong. When he reached the area, he saw the houses reduced to ruins by the blast and furrowed his brow deeply.

Uchiha Matsuri, Kushina Uzumaki, and Nohara Shin didn't let their guard down just because Hozuki Shichigatsu had fallen. When they saw the Third Mizukage arrive, they immediately grew wary.

"Everyone, stop!" the Third Mizukage shouted, his face dark.

At the Third Mizukage's order, Hoshigaki Muyin and Kunshi Bilan, who had been fighting Orochimaru, froze for a moment. But Orochimaru seized the opening, suddenly appearing beside them and cutting down the two before they could react.

"Orochimaru, stop!" the Third Mizukage shouted in displeasure.

"So you're the Third Mizukage." After killing the two in a surprise attack, Orochimaru smiled faintly at him.

"Hmph, Orochimaru, why have you come to cause trouble in our Kirigakure?" The Third Mizukage glared at Orochimaru and the others, his eyes full of murderous intent.

"Hehe, Mizukage, don't pretend you don't know. We were hired by the Land of Grass to kill the missing-nin Kunshi Bilan." Orochimaru didn't back down. "But along the way, I stumbled upon a secret."

As he said the word "secret," Orochimaru suddenly turned and glared at the Third Mizukage. Feeling guilty, the Third Mizukage involuntarily looked away.

An eerie silence fell.

"Mizukage-sama, what should we do with these people?" A masked Mist Ninja beside the Mizukage broke the silence.

"Let them go." The Third Mizukage thought for a few seconds, then spoke calmly.

"Huh?" The Mist Ninja nearby were all dumbfounded by the Third Mizukage's order.

They had just watched their village get smashed to pieces by outsiders, only for their leader to show up and let the culprits go without so much as a fight. Who could possibly accept that?

"Let's go." The Third Mizukage waved his hand and headed toward the Mizukage's Office.

More than a dozen masked Mist Ninja stepped forward to lift the gravely wounded Hozuki Shichigatsu off the ground, then slowly followed the Mizukage away.

Seeing that the Mizukage had no intention of fighting, Uchiha Matsuri let out a long breath.

"Let's go," Orochimaru said to the three, his body covered in blood.

"Yeah."

The Mizukage's Office.

Back in the Mizukage's Office, the Third Mizukage punched the wall. The dozen-odd Mist Ninja beside him dropped to one knee.

"What are you doing?" the Third Mizukage asked irritably.

"Mizukage-sama, those Konoha shinobi killed more than a dozen of our Mist Ninja and destroyed so many houses. We just don't understand why you let them leave." One of the kneeling Mist Ninja spoke up, voicing his indignation.

"Hmph. Do you think I wanted to let them go so easily?" the Third Mizukage said angrily. "But what else could we do besides let them leave?"