Defeat the Enemy in One Move

Yun Zhi'anshang stood in the rushing river, gritting his teeth as he resisted the current before him. The situation was far from favorable.

As one of Water Release's signature jutsu, he had seen this technique used by many powerful shinobi. But could a child really cast a Water Dragon Bullet? That level of chakra was comparable to an Elite Chunin's.

None of them wanted to take a Water Dragon Bullet head-on, but they had no better option now. The water mixed with mud, hampering their movements. Some of the team members farther back were even buried up to their waists in the sludge, unable to escape the Water Dragon Bullet's attack anytime soon.

Bang!

At the instant the two forces collided, Yun Zhi'anshang could only grit his teeth and stand at the front, relying on his physical strength and ninjutsu to resist. Unfortunately, he did not possess the Third Raikage's monstrous body.

He was swallowed whole by the roaring water dragon. Once it passed, Yun Zhi'anshang was left kneeling on the ground in exhaustion, while the three behind him had all drowned and been carried downstream by the torrent.

Cough, cough!

The prolonged struggle in the water had drained Yun Zhi'anshang completely. He gulped down fresh air, but the water in his lungs made every breath burn with searing pain.

"Damn brat..."

Yun Zhi'anshang no longer had any of his earlier arrogance. If he had known Muzan's strength beforehand, he would have immediately turned back to report to Lord Killer B. Taking all the credit for himself? To hell with that! What mattered more than his own life?

The Muzan before him was no ordinary Genin!

"Do you understand the consequences of underestimating me now?"

Muzan held his ninja blade against the man's throat and gave it a light slash. Blood gushed out, and Yun Zhi'anshang finally collapsed to the ground, filled with unwillingness.

Unfortunately, there was no medicine for regret in this world.

Anko and Mari slid down from the Stone Forest. They knew full well that they had been nothing but burdens in this mission, yet Anko was neither disappointed nor upset. She believed that as long as she kept working hard, she could become strong someday—even if she could never become someone like Muzan.

"You're ridiculously strong!"

Anko punched Muzan in the chest. Throwing them away had been for their safety, but it had still been way too much! They had nearly been skewered to death by the Stone Forest.

"Cough, cough."

Seeing Anko's furious expression, Muzan had been hit for no reason at all. Thinking of returning the favor, he raised his fist, intending to punch Anko in the chest—then suddenly realized that might be inappropriate.

Forget it. He would not stoop to the level of a little brat.

"Anko, go easy on him. The captain just went through a huge battle. You saw that last Water Release too. The captain kept holding his waist, so he must have overdrawn his body."

"Bastards!"

Muzan sent both of them flying with one punch. Glowering at them, he suddenly felt a twinge of pain in his waist after hearing Mari's words. Could I really be worn out?

"I am not worn out. They were only five Chunin. Still, the Hidden Cloud Village's shinobi are indeed troublesome. No wonder they are a village second only to Konoha."

Whether it was their coordination in ninjutsu, their adaptability in battle, or their formidable taijutsu, they were no pushovers. Muzan had defeated all five alone, but if ordinary Konoha Ninja encountered them, they would be in serious trouble.

"I don't think those five were all that impressive. Once I'm their age, I'll definitely crush them."

Noticing the corpses on the ground and recalling the sight of five Chunin joining forces to cast ninjutsu, Anko felt afraid. She was ashamed of herself. She should have stayed by Muzan's side and helped him.

"At that age?"

The future Anko would indeed become quite strong, but unfortunately, she would become Orochimaru's test subject. Muzan hoped that after the Third Ninja War ended, Orochimaru would not become so extreme. At the very least, he had to make sure Mari and Anko would not receive Cursed Seals.

After bickering for a while, the three did not forget that they were deep within the Land of Lightning, not far from the Hidden Cloud Village's main force.

Muzan briefly concealed the bodies. Completely restoring the river was impossible.

A single Water Dragon Bullet had changed the entire valley's terrain. As for taking the time to restore it? What a joke. By the time they finished, they would have been caught.

"Leave this place quickly. It isn't safe here anymore."

The mud deposited by the Water Dragon Bullet had turned the downstream river murky. Not to mention the people who had just died—some had been swept farther down by the flood. Who knew when they would be discovered?

"According to the original plan, we were supposed to follow the river upstream, but we need to change our strategy now."

Following the river had become far too risky after this battle. Muzan could not be sure whether the enemy would be waiting for them ahead. The Konoha Ninja dispatched to this area were currently being hunted down.

As the commander, his father could not allow Konoha Ninja to die in vain. They had to return to the main camp within seven days at most and prepare for the coming battle.

It was only the second day, yet things had already become extremely difficult. Of course, someone might have returned early to report to his father, but Muzan would not be among them. He could accomplish many things during these seven days outside.

Based on the map, Muzan chose a relatively flat area. He believed that someone would definitely pass through there.

Not long after they left, two men who had just finished patrolling hurried back and found the scene in complete disarray.

"The water dragon we saw earlier wasn't an illusion. A major battle took place here! It must have been Konoha's people!"

"You don't say, idiot! Hurry up and report to Lord Killer B."

A jutsu capable of changing the terrain was already at the level of an Elite Chunin, perhaps even a Special Jōnin. If a powerful shinobi figured out the Hidden Cloud Village's movements, the consequences would be unbearable!

Muzan had expected to be discovered, but he had not expected it to happen so quickly.

They followed the plan and crossed the Stone Forest. At that moment, Mari stopped walking. He sensed that something was wrong.

"There are a lot of people gathered ahead. It should be a convoy transporting provisions."

Hearing Mari's analysis, Muzan gently shook his head.

"It's too early to say that what's ahead is the enemy's supply convoy. It could be something else..."

He said no more about what lay ahead. Only action could reveal the truth.

"You two wait here for a moment. I'll go over and see whether it is a supply convoy."

If it was a supply convoy, then he would have completed the mission. What he feared was running into the enemy's main force.

Naturally, he would not simply walk over to take a look and then detour around it. Transporting provisions required carts, but shinobi did not need carts when traveling. They were even faster than ordinary vehicles.

After approaching the area, he examined the footprints on the ground but found no wheel tracks. This proved that his guess had been correct. Fortunately, he had not brought the two of them along, or they would have run straight into the Hidden Cloud Village's main force.

The enemy camp had two Kage Level experts. Muzan could ensure that he would not get beaten to death, but he could not protect anyone else.