Slaughtering a Chunin

After a brief rest, the team hurried onward and arrived in the Land of Rivers.

Unlike the Land of Fire, this place felt far more leisurely. Especially the people passing by—they were no longer dressed in ninja attire, making the four of them seem somewhat out of place.

"Looks like the Sand Village people haven't arrived yet. Let's wait here for a while."

The agreed time was this afternoon, and Orochimaru had arrived early.

"Then can we go soak in the hot springs?"

Nawaki had heard of the Hidden Hot Water Village's famous tourist attractions, which drew many visitors. It was his first time here, and he intended to enjoy himself.

"Soak in the hot springs?"

Hearing the suggestion, Orochimaru nodded lightly in agreement. A little proper enjoyment was good for both body and mind.

"Great!"

Following behind the others, Uchiha You observed the Hidden Hot Water Village. Its ability to survive in the Shinobi World for so long was largely thanks to its neutrality and lack of any threatening power. Otherwise, such a paradise would never have existed.

Only after entering the hot springs did they discover that it was a mixed-gender bath, leaving the previously excited Nawaki at a loss. Hyuga Reiko, meanwhile, hid in a corner with her face flushed red. Fortunately, steam filled the air, concealing their embarrassment from others.

"Hmm?"

Uchiha You was enjoying his relaxation when he saw Orochimaru suddenly leave, as though he had discovered something.

Instinctively, he reached toward his side, forgetting that he had not brought a kunai.

"Bathing really is deadly for ninja."

You concealed himself in the mist, then went ashore and put on his clothes.

"Sure enough, Teacher Orochimaru noticed something was wrong. He should have gone to deal with the trouble."

The empty corridor was unnaturally quiet. Uchiha You heard footsteps, and at the corner stood a scar-faced ninja with a vicious grin.

"I found a lone little brat!"

The man made no attempt to conceal his killing intent. He was coming for him!

"Running into me is your misfortune!"

The kunai in the man's hand identified him as a ninja, but Uchiha You was not worried.

He guessed that Teacher Orochimaru had gone to handle the bigger problem—the enemy's stronger fighters. The remaining enemies had been left to him. Was this a test?

"Idiot."

Uchiha You muttered coldly and charged straight at him.

Matsushita Ida had not expected him to rush forward. He looked like a brat who had just graduated from the Ninja Academy. Shouldn't he have run upon seeing a real ninja?

"Die!"

Bang!

Their bodies collided, and Matsushita Ida was sent flying by a single punch. Even though You had yet to master Super Strength, his opponent was not made of stone.

As Tsunade's signature technique, it was truly overkill against such fodder.

"What just happened?"

Matsushita Ida was utterly bewildered as he flew back. His arm throbbed with pain. He could not believe that a dignified Chunin had been knocked flying by a brat!

"Ninja Art! Umbrella Needles!"

The umbrella rising behind him snapped open, firing a massive barrage of concealed weapons in an instant.

"A Rain Ninja?"

Uchiha You was surprised that the enemy was a Rain Ninja. The man had appeared in the Hidden Hot Water Village, and his target was him. Had their mission been leaked, or did this have something to do with the Sand Village?

He steadied his mind. The most urgent matter was to kill his opponent.

"Fire Release! Great Fireball Technique!"

The blazing flames struck the incoming weapons, turning the needles into molten iron the moment they touched the fire.

You did not stop moving. His figure followed behind the Fire Release as he launched an attack at his opponent.

"I called you an idiot, yet you still refuse to believe it."

The force of the Great Fireball did not vanish simply because the enemy dodged. Instead, it raced down the corridor and slammed into the wall behind him.

The buildings in the Hidden Hot Water Village were all wooden. In an instant, raging flames tore through the wall, turning the entire room into a sea of fire.

"Brat..."

Matsushita Ida swallowed, his eyelids twitching as he stared at the scene behind him. The heat around him left him no chance to pause, and his hands rapidly formed seals.

"Water Release! Water Formation Wall!"

He used Water Release to extinguish the surrounding flames, but Matsushita Ida felt that something was wrong with his body.

The flames had been extinguished, but the radioactive elements within them had not disappeared. Under Uchiha You's deliberate control, they only grew more intense.

His body had already begun to deteriorate. When he tried to use ninjutsu again, he actually felt his strength failing.

"Damn it, what did you do to me?!"

Large areas of red burns appeared across his body. The searing pain drove him increasingly mad, and he wanted to fight Uchiha You to the death. Unfortunately, in his current state, he was no match for You at all.

This was also thanks to the favorable terrain. In the narrow corridor, radiation could rapidly gather. Otherwise, killing him would have taken a bit more effort.

"The moment I unleashed those flames, you had already lost."

Uchiha You walked up to him. Matsushita Ida was now lying on the ground, completely powerless. A faint green glow appeared over his body as the radiation gathered in overwhelming amounts, killing him outright.

After finishing this, Uchiha You began withdrawing the radioactive elements from the surrounding area. Besides, he had been attacked—the enemy had come looking for him of their own accord.

"Those two idiots are still soaking in the hot springs. I hope I'm not too late."

After dealing with his enemy, he rushed back as quickly as possible.

Just as he had expected, two ninja had also arrived at the bath.

Nawaki had already been forced into a corner, and the situation looked grim. When he saw Uchiha You rush in, Nawaki shouted loudly:

"You! Don't worry about us! Go find Teacher Orochimaru first!"

The strength of two Chunin was absolutely beyond what they, fresh graduates of the Ninja Academy, could handle.

Hyuga Reiko had also hidden underwater, waiting for an opportunity. If the two of them could hold off the two ninja with their lives, it would all be worth it as long as You could find Teacher Orochimaru.

"Good thing I dealt with my opponent quickly. If I'd been any later, both of them would've been dead."

Naturally, You did not follow Nawaki's instructions. Instead, he stepped into the middle of the bath.

Chakra covered the soles of his feet as he stood proudly on the water, looking at the two Hidden Rain Village ninja.

"What did he do? Why didn't he kill this brat?"

"Ida probably never found him and let him slip back. Now we have to clean up his mess."

The two ninja had no idea Matsushita Ida had died at Uchiha You's hands.

Judging by their age, they had only just graduated from the Ninja Academy. Sending three Chunin to kill them should have been foolproof.

"Looks like they think they've got me cornered."

Facing two Chunin, he could not use ninjutsu containing radioactive elements here. After all, Uchiha You did not want to accidentally injure his teammates. Radioactive elements did not distinguish between friend and foe when harming the human body!

The instant he opened his eyes, they had turned into One-Tomoe.