Battle and Strength

"Come on, Uncle Bi!" Chakra began to boil within Qing Si.

"Battle begin!" At Yuan Shi's command, the battle suddenly erupted.

Qing Si and Bi simultaneously coated their legs with chakra and charged toward each other.

"Boom!" Their fists collided, sending a blast of air shooting outward in all directions as the ground sank into a circular crater.

What a heavy punch! Bi secretly groaned. Although his taijutsu was not weak, he was ultimately a ninja specializing in Water Release. He had become a special jōnin through his masterful use of Water Release.

Yuan Shi, watching from the side, was only an elite jōnin himself, but his discernment was far from lacking. At a glance, he judged the approximate level of Qing Si's taijutsu.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

The two exchanged several rapid taijutsu blows. Bi suddenly flashed aside, formed hand seals with one hand, and instantly increased the chakra output in his right fist.

"Water Release: Azure Dragon Palm!" Dragon-shaped chakra wrapped around Bi's right hand as he struck heavily at Qing Si.

"One-handed seals!" Qing Si was startled. He had not expected Bi, a mere special jōnin, to possess a technique that even in his memories only a handful of people knew. Sure enough, anyone capable of serving as an elder's guard and steward had some real skill.

Faced with Bi's fierce incoming palm, Qing Si had no choice but to dodge to the side.

Bi seized the opportunity to retreat, quickly leaping onto the surface of the artificial lake in the backyard and standing atop the water. For a Water Release ninja, using Water Release near water both increased its power and reduced chakra consumption.

Dispelling the chakra covering his right hand, Bi began forming seals rapidly. Dragon—Ox—Rabbit. He completed all three seals in less than a second.

"Water Release: Water Wild Wave!" Lake water rose swiftly and surged toward Qing Si. Having lost the initiative, Qing Si could only keep dodging.

Meanwhile, the seals in Bi's hands continued changing, and his chakra began fluctuating violently.

Forty-four seals were rapidly completed by Bi in ten seconds. His hands were moving so fast they nearly sparked.

"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!" A massive water dragon rose from the lake, roaring as it charged at Qing Si.

Having inherited a thousand years of memories, Qing Si had recognized that Bi was about to use Water Dragon Bullet the moment he began forming seals.

The air in the Land of Water was rich with moisture. Even away from the lake, it enhanced the casting of Water Release ninjutsu.

Thus, after Qing Si flashed aside to evade the torrent, he swiftly formed seals as well. Qing Si used the simplified ten-seal version of Water Dragon Bullet that he had obtained from Isshiki. As a result, though he began later, he completed the technique first. A great torrent burst from Qing Si's mouth, rapidly gathering into a savage water dragon that flew toward Bi.

Although Qing Si also knew the five-seal and even three-seal methods for casting Water Dragon Bullet, he was not yet capable of using them.

Seeing Qing Si form seals later yet unleash the same Water Dragon Bullet first, a sharp glint flashed in Yuan Shi's eyes. Unaware that Qing Si had cheats, Yuan Shi attributed the simplified Water Dragon Bullet seals to Qing Si's exceptional talent.

The two water dragons crashed together in midair. Vast sprays of water splashed in all directions, and the moisture in the air grew even denser.

After using the same technique to neutralize Bi's attack, Qing Si had no intention of engaging in close combat and continued forming seals.

"Water Release: Water Shrapnel!" A large number of water bullets condensed in the air and scattered toward Bi like shotgun pellets.

Stunned by Qing Si's ten-seal Water Dragon Bullet, Bi hurriedly suppressed the turmoil in his heart and formed seals to defend himself.

Tiger—Snake—Rat—Snake—Tiger. The five seals were completed in an instant.

"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"

A vertical wall of water rose from the lake and firmly shielded Bi behind it. The speeding water bullets struck the Water Formation Wall heavily, sending ripples across its surface.

Qing Si was not discouraged by his failure to achieve anything and continued forming seals. Just as he was about to press his attack, Yuan Shi, who had been watching from the side, called for a stop.

"That's enough, little Qing Si. Bi, you come over too!" Yuan Shi had gained a rough understanding of Qing Si's strength. Bi, a special jōnin, was not enough to test Qing Si's true capabilities. He needed to know Qing Si's exact current strength so he could make plans for his future training.

The two calmed their chakra and formed the Seal of Reconciliation toward each other.

"You went easy on me, Uncle Bi." Qing Si bowed to Bi, his expression humble.

"Hehe! The new generation replaces the old. Young Master Qing Si's strength has already surpassed mine." Bi gave a bitter laugh, but he still greatly acknowledged Qing Si's talent and strength.

Yuan Shi made several hand gestures toward the air. A burly man wearing ANBU attire and a mask carved with a strange smiling face appeared before Yuan Shi in a Body Flicker, dropping to one knee.

"Lord Yuan Shi! Please give your orders!" the newcomer said respectfully.

Although Yuan Shi held power equal to the Mizukage and possessed an extremely high status within the Hidden Mist Village, and had gradually stopped involving himself in affairs in recent years, he still commanded a squad of elite ANBU loyal to him.

"This is Ling, the ANBU squad captain responsible for protecting me. He is at the peak of elite jōnin, close to Kage level. Little Qing Si, go all out. You needn't worry about hurting him—Ling is considered very strong even within the entire village," Yuan Shi introduced.

"Young Master Qing Si, do you need to recover some chakra?" Ling asked.

"No need. Let's begin right away. I still have plenty of chakra, enough to use." This was only a test of strength, not a life-and-death battle, so Qing Si felt there was no need to recover chakra. Several months had passed since he had reached jōnin level, and his chakra reserves had grown again during that time, reaching around fifteen units.

The two stood facing each other and formed the Seal of Opposition.

"Battle begin!"

The instant he heard the match begin, Qing Si rapidly retreated, opening a short distance between himself and Ling.

Ever since stabilizing his jōnin-level strength, Qing Si had hardly fought anyone else. He was also curious about what level his current combat power had reached. Facing Ling, whose strength far surpassed his own, Qing Si did not dare hold anything back. He decided to use all of his abilities except forbidden techniques and fight with everything he had.

Although Qing Si had awakened the Dead Bone Pulse bloodline limit, famed as invincible in close combat, he was facing a genuine ANBU elite. Yuan Shi had also just said that Ling was close to Kage level, so Qing Si decided to test him from a distance first.

"Dead Bone Pulse: Ten-Finger Drilling Bullets!"

Opening with the signature combat technique of the Dead Bone Pulse, Qing Si aimed all ten fingers at Ling and continuously fired high-speed bone bullets at him.

Seeing Qing Si use the signature ninjutsu of the Dead Bone Pulse, Bi, who had just fought him, understood that the young master had held back against him earlier.

"Just as I thought! Little Qing Si has already awakened the Dead Bone Pulse. A bloodline ninja with jōnin strength at only nine years old—Heaven favors the Hidden Mist Village!" Yuan Shi sighed repeatedly, and a bold idea arose in his heart. He would train Qing Si to become the Mizukage.

Seeing that Ling had no intention of dodging, Qing Si sensed that something was wrong. The high-speed bone bullets pierced straight through Ling's body, riddling him with holes. Without any resistance, Ling turned into a pool of water and splashed onto the ground.

As expected, it was a Water Clone! But Qing Si had not seen Ling form any seals. He could only marvel that an elite jōnin truly lived up to his reputation—the activation of his ninjutsu had been not only covert, but incredibly fast.