Intelligence Battle Against a Jonin

Somewhere in Devil Jungle.

Rin leaned against a large tree, barely supporting her body, which was about to collapse.

Her face was as pale as paper, blood still clung to the corner of her mouth, and her clothes were torn in several places. She had clearly lost the strength to fight again.

She wanted to escape, but the "Earth Dragon Spear Formation" rising from the surrounding ground had completely trapped her.

A hundred paces away, a green-faced man watched her with an ambiguous smile.

"Foolish girl, killing you gives me no sense of accomplishment. But you happened to see something you shouldn't have, so I have no choice but to send you on your way."

He raised his hand and began forming hand seals.

Despair appeared on Rin's face as she slowly closed her eyes.

"Kakashi, Obito, Long Ye, we're going to part forever. If there is a next life, I hope we can still be teammates."

Even though she had far too many regrets, when faced with an unbeatable enemy, she knew there was no chance of surviving today.

"Huh?"

Tao Gui, who had been forming hand seals, suddenly stopped.

"What a brat. My clone was actually ambushed!"

Tao Gui wore an amused expression.

This was not enough to make him angry; it merely surprised him a little.

The Konoha ninja he had pursued earlier had only accidentally crossed paths with him later. He had not seen anything he shouldn't have, so letting him escape would not affect the grand plan.

"Little girl, it seems you won't have to make the journey alone today. Someone will accompany you. I rarely show mercy, but today I'll find you a companion."

The death she had imagined did not come. Rin opened her eyes, a trace of confusion appearing in her despairing gaze.

"Rin!!!"

A furious shout came from deep within the jungle.

Rin was shocked when she heard the voice, and her face turned three shades paler.

"Long Ye, get out of here!"

She knew how formidable the man before her was, so she understood clearly that even if Long Ye came, he would only be adding another corpse.

Long Ye rushed over like the wind. When he heard Rin's voice, the heart lodged in his throat finally relaxed. He sped up even more, and in an instant, he saw Tao Gui's back.

Zzzt...

Lightning exploded from his right hand. He struck with the intent to kill, and the dazzling blue lightning transformed into the head of a strange beast. Its face was ferocious and its jaws were wide open as it lunged toward Tao Gui's back.

Tao Gui neither dodged nor turned around.

Zzzt!!

Long Ye struck his opponent's body, but his heart sank.

That punch felt nothing like it had hit a human body.

Sure enough.

With a bang, Tao Gui's body turned into a pile of broken rocks.

A howling gale sounded beside Long Ye's ear. He instinctively raised his hand to shield his head.

It was Tao Gui's Whirlwind Kick.

The kick was powerful and heavy. When it struck Long Ye, his internal organs seemed to shift out of place. He was sent flying through the air, smashing apart a section of the Earth Dragon Spears before landing beside Rin.

"Long Ye!"

Rin hurried over to support him.

Long Ye pushed himself up from the ground and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

"Rin, are you all right? At least I didn't arrive too late?"

Long Ye saw how battered Rin was, with multiple injuries across her body, but she was clearly not in mortal danger. He felt somewhat relieved.

"You didn't arrive too late. If you had been one step later, you wouldn't have been able to die with her. What a foolish brat. It looks like the two of you know each other, which is even better. I'll send you both on your way together. That counts as a good deed."

At that moment, the system's voice suddenly rang in Long Ye's ears:

[Special Mission]: Struggle of a Cornered Beast

[Mission Content]: Survive a battle against a Jonin from the Land of Earth.

[Mission Rewards]: Escaping with your life earns 10 Devil Points; driving back the opponent earns 20 Devil Points; killing the opponent earns 30 Devil Points; capturing the opponent alive earns 40 Devil Points.

[Battle Death Rate]: High

[Consequence of Death]: Ultimate Demon System withdrawn; training concluded.

"Sure enough, great danger brings great opportunity."

"But how am I supposed to fight this battle?"

Facing the life-or-death battle that was about to begin, Long Ye was no longer afraid. He rapidly considered his options.

Since the opponent had become a Jonin, his combat experience and ninjutsu were beyond anything Long Ye currently possessed. At least based on what he could see, Long Ye had no power to resist at all.

But he believed that killing someone did not necessarily require brute force.

"Rin, I remember you seem to possess Water, Fire, and Yang chakra natures," Long Ye said in a lowered voice.

Rin had already fallen into despair. Her only guilt and self-reproach came from dragging Long Ye into dying with her. His sudden words left her stunned for a moment, but she quickly nodded.

"Yes! Do you have a way?"

She asked in a voice only the two of them could hear.

"I don't know if it'll work either. Let's try it for now. Listen to me..."

His lips moved slightly as he told Rin his plan in a voice softer than a mosquito's hum.

After listening, Rin gave him a puzzled look, clearly unsure of Long Ye's exact objective. But she did not ask further and nodded to show that she would carry it out precisely.

The Jonin opposite them had been enjoying the feeling of a cat playing with a mouse. Seeing the two of them acting so mysteriously, he laughed despite himself.

"You two seem to be plotting how to deal with me. What a pity! Before absolute power, your little tricks are destined to be useless."

"Come on! Let me see whether your plan can surprise me. However, my patience is limited. If you can't show me a surprise within ten breaths, I'll end this farce."

The man stood with his arms folded, wearing an expression that said they could use whatever ninjutsu they wanted.

"Rin, do it!"

The moment Long Ye finished speaking, Rin began forming hand seals.

"Water Release: Water Bullet!"

Rin conjured a water sphere the size of a large basin and hurled it at Tao Gui.

"What a terrible ninjutsu!"

Tao Gui evaluated it without expression. Unhurriedly, he brought his hands together.

With a rumble, a massive wall of mud and stone rose from the ground and blocked his path.

Boom!!

The Water Bullet was like a wave crashing against a cliff. It caused quite a commotion, but its destructive power was negligible. It could not break through Tao Gui's ninjutsu defense at all.

Rin continued.

One Water Release ninjutsu after another bombarded him as if they cost nothing.

She did not care whether they had any effect. She simply kept using Water Release, as though she were deliberately exhausting her chakra.

Tao Gui was very disappointed.

A single wall of mud and stone he had casually used had perfectly blocked all of her attacks.

"Ten breaths have passed. The game should end now!"

Tao Gui dismissed the mud wall, ignored the water bullets flying toward him, and rapidly formed hand seals.

"Earth Release: Rock Fist!"

From all directions, flying sand and rolling stones converged on Tao Gui's right hand. His hand instantly grew more than a hundred times larger and became completely stone.

"Die!"

He gave a savage grin, leaped into the air, and sent a massive solidified stone fist crashing down from above Long Ye and Rin's heads like a meteor falling from the heavens.

"Water Release: Water Curtain Tent!"

Rin used Water Release again.

A huge curtain of water formed above Long Ye and Rin, blocking Tao Gui's attack.

"Absolutely terrible! You haven't surprised me at all. Fighting you is nothing but a waste of my time."

Boom!!

Faced with the hard Rock Fist, a high-level ninjutsu, the water curtain provided no defense at all and was pierced straight through.