"Damn, are we really going to get caught with our pants down?" Their group was surrounded in the middle of the path, with two ninjas blocking them from either direction.
"Who are you? Why have you stopped us?" Might Guy frowned, his expression darkening. He had a feeling there would be no peaceful resolution to this.
He glanced at his three students and their client, feeling worried. If a fight broke out in such a cramped space, they would get caught in the crossfire.
If they all died on the mission, it would be hard for him to explain himself when he returned alone. One was an Uchiha, and another was from the Hyuga Clan. That put him under some pressure.
"Heh heh, you don't need to know who we are. Hand Bu Qianfan over at once, or we'll make sure none of you leave here alive," Water Snake said with a sinister grin.
Water Snake wanted to keep Bu Qianfan alive because he wanted to know where the valuable blueprints were. If he killed him, finding them would be much harder.
Of course, if he knew the valuable blueprints were in the pack on Bu Qianfan's back, he wouldn't hesitate to attack.
Hyuga Gen and the other two formed a protective circle around Bu Qianfan, warily watching the surrounding ninjas.
"What should we do?" Hyuga Gen pondered. They were blocked off in both directions and had nowhere to go. Their only possible escape route was across the water.
Of course, if Bu Qianfan weren't with them, things would be easier. With Hyuga Gen there, they couldn't flee; they had to protect him. If they failed to do so, the mission would be a failure.
Still, a C-rank mission shouldn't have involved any ninjas. He hadn't expected four of them to show up at once. Hyuga Gen could tell that they were no ordinary opponents.
The one doing the talking in particular was probably their leader. He must have the strength of a Jonin; otherwise, Might Guy wouldn't be so on guard. If the enemy didn't have a Jonin, Guy would probably have already kicked them with a few Konoha Hurricanes.
"Dengshan, are you scared?" Hyuga Gen teased, noticing Tōyama's hands trembling slightly.
"I-I'm not," Tōyama hurriedly denied, though his voice lacked conviction.
"If you're scared, you should say so out loud. There's nothing shameful about it. Maybe they'll spare your life if you admit it," Hyuga Gen continued.
"Hmph. Then why don't you say it?" Tōyama retorted irritably.
"I'm not scared. You were shaking so badly that your big bro thought he'd point you toward a way out. You should at least thank me," Hyuga Gen said, pretending to be hurt.
Tōyama rolled his eyes. After Hyuga Gen said that, he actually felt less nervous, and his hands stopped shaking.
"You two, can you really chat with the enemy right in front of you?" Uchiha Izumi complained. Without realizing it, she had also become a lot less tense.
Seeing this, Might Guy couldn't help but look at Hyuga Gen with new appreciation. He'd done well. Keeping a good mindset in the face of a powerful enemy was important.
"Oh? I didn't expect a little kid with the Byakugan to be here too. We're really lucky today," Water Snake said happily, looking at Hyuga Gen, who had spoken.
The Byakugan was valuable, and a rare commodity on the black market. He was delighted to have come across one today.
Water Snake didn't take Hyuga Gen and the other two Genin seriously at all. He had been keeping his eyes on Might Guy, the man in the unusual outfit. There was something about him that seemed formidable.
"How do you know my name is Bu Qianfan? We don't know each other, do we?" Bu Qianfan asked with a frown. Despite being surrounded, he didn't seem the least bit afraid.
"You don't need to know how we found out. Just hand over the blueprints and we'll guarantee we won't take your life," Water Snake replied.
Hearing that, Hyuga Gen thought of the blueprints in Bu Qianfan's pack. Could that be it? It had to be.
"Is that true? If I hand over the blueprints, you'll let me leave?" Bu Qianfan asked uncertainly.
"Exactly. Just hand them over and I guarantee I'll let you go," Water Snake hurriedly replied.
"Can you let them leave too?" Bu Qianfan asked, looking at the Konoha group.
"Them? No. The blueprints can only buy your life. Don't get greedy," Water Snake said, displeased. They were already helpless as meat on a chopping board, and he still dared to ask for more. If the blueprints weren't valuable, Water Snake would have stopped wasting time on them already.
"Boss, why are we still wasting time talking to them? Let's just—" Before he could finish, Might Guy kicked him away. He was probably dead.
Might Guy's sudden attack caught everyone off guard. Rather than attacking the Jonin directly, he took advantage of the moment when the underling beside him was speaking and kicked him away. It was a brilliant move.
Might Guy truly deserved to be a Jonin. His timing was excellent, and he'd chosen the right target. Instead of attacking the Jonin directly, he'd gone for the underling beside him.
After all, Jonin were rarely ordinary opponents. One strike might not seriously injure that Jonin, whereas taking out the underling beside him could eliminate him immediately and let Guy follow up by keeping the Jonin occupied.
The underling took the kick, and Water Snake's eyes widened in horror and disbelief. He watched his subordinate fly past him and knew the man was done for. His chest had visibly caved in.
And just as he'd expected, the subordinate flew a hundred meters before landing and never moved again.
"Konoha Hurricane!"
After kicking the underling away, Might Guy immediately charged at Water Snake without a moment's hesitation.
"Water Style: Water Wall!"
Water Snake was clearly no ordinary opponent. He reacted swiftly, using a defensive jutsu as he hurriedly retreated to put distance between himself and Might Guy.
An ordinary ninja would probably have been kicked away by Might Guy. He'd chosen the perfect moment to attack, and his movements were fast and seamless. After kicking the underling, he planted his right foot and followed with a Konoha Hurricane. The whole sequence flowed in one smooth motion.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"
As Water Snake retreated, a water dragon quickly formed on the surface of the pool, leapt out of the water, and rose into the air. Then it opened its jaws and lunged at Might Guy.
"Gate of View, open!"
Might Guy didn't hesitate. He immediately used the Eight Inner Gates and opened the sixth gate, the Gate of View. Then he met the attack with a flying kick, and the two collided in an instant.
The water dragon tried to swallow Might Guy, but the chakra surging around him kept its jaws from closing. A moment later, the dragon scattered in all directions. Guy had clearly kicked it apart.
"How is that possible?" Water Snake stared wide-eyed, unable to believe what he was seeing. By now, he was already thinking of retreating.
Then he noticed that his two subordinates over there seemed to have been taken out as well. Their bodies were floating on the water.
"Water Style: Water Blade!"
Water Snake didn't hesitate. Three blades of water shot toward Bu Qianfan and Tōyama, who had just climbed out of the water.
Might Guy hurried back to defend them, stepping in front of the two and blocking the blades. Meanwhile, Uchiha Izumi had also climbed out of the water, while Hyuga Gen's head had just emerged above the surface.
"Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique!"
Seeing that Might Guy had fallen back to defend instead of pressing the attack, Water Snake breathed a sigh of relief. Then he immediately used another Water Release Ninjutsu.
Water Snake was undeniably powerful, unleashing one jutsu after another. But he knew he was already at the end of his rope.
He knew he had to escape, or he might die there that day. Before fleeing, he used the chakra he had left to perform a jutsu, then staggered away without looking back.
"Water Style: Water Vortex."
Before you continue