Capturing a Jonin Alive

"Barrier!!"

The barrier Long Ye had been building up power for finally took shape at this moment.

A hemispherical shield of light enveloped an area twenty to thirty meters around them, as well as Tao Gui, who was charging in to attack.

The repulsive force within the barrier noticeably slowed Tao Gui's fall.

Taking advantage of that brief instant, Long Ye grabbed Rin and frantically retreated.

Boom!!!

The meteor-like Falling Heaven Killing Fist slammed into the ground an instant after the two dodged away. Amid a thunderous crash, a huge area within ten meters caved in, forming a half-meter-deep crater.

The defensive water screen, pierced through by the punch, also lost its supporting force and poured down like a torrential rainstorm.

Although Long Ye and Rin had avoided the frontal attack of the rock fist, they were still caught in the terrifying force of the punch and sent tumbling across the ground. Their internal organs felt as though they had been squeezed, and blood trickled from the corners of their mouths.

"Huh? What kind of barrier is this?"

Tao Gui was slightly surprised.

"Brat, is this your reliance? Although your barrier has some suppressive effect on me, with my strength, I can still kill you two with ease."

Long Ye braced both hands against the ground and struggled to rise.

But he seemed to have suffered serious injuries. He swayed unsteadily, looking as though he might collapse at any moment.

His face was ashen. "Your strength exceeded my expectations. Our plan to escape has failed. Since I'm destined to die, may I choose how I die?"

"Oh? That's somewhat interesting. Let's hear it. How do you want to die?" Tao Gui asked with a mocking smile.

"I want to die in a head-on battle, not from being ambushed," Long Ye said dejectedly.

"Hahahaha! Brat, tell me—how did you discover it?"

A sudden voice came from behind Long Ye.

This person was also Tao Gui, a kunai pressed against Long Ye's back.

The Tao Gui from before had turned into a mud figure and was melting away, starting from the head.

The sight left Rin deathly pale with fright.

Long Ye did not turn around. "If I say I guessed it, will you believe me?"

"Then consider your guess correct. But you've disappointed me. Was that all the plan you two brats plotted earlier? It seems I made too much of it."

"Of course that wasn't all!"

A smile of having achieved his scheme suddenly appeared at the corner of Long Ye's mouth.

"What?"

Tao Gui was stunned.

Suddenly, there was a crackling sound.

A terrifying current sprang up from beneath Long Ye's feet. Using the water on the ground as a conductor, Long Ye precisely controlled it and sent it into the Tao Gui behind him in an instant.

"Ah!!"

Caught off guard, Tao Gui cried out.

But the current moved too quickly to give him any time to react. After the high-voltage current invaded his body, his muscles instantly convulsed, and his limbs stiffened in an instant.

With his back still turned to Tao Gui, Long Ye seized the opportunity to whirl around. Electricity flashed across his hand like a sharp surgical knife, and in that instant when Tao Gui's body was rigid, he swept it across Tao Gui's neck with a backhand slash.

A head rolled to the ground.

Long Ye had moved too quickly, and the blade of light formed from electricity had been too sharp. Even after his head was severed, Tao Gui's body remained standing straight.

Seeing this, Rin's body went limp as though drained of all strength, and she collapsed onto the ground. Yet her face still carried irrepressible excitement.

"Brat! How dare you ambush me?"

The head lying on the ground roared furiously at Long Ye.

But the next moment, Tao Gui realized that something was wrong.

"What's going on? My head was cut off—why am I not dead?" Tao Gui looked as though he had seen a ghost.

"You're not dead because I don't want you to die."

After saying that, Long Ye's hand transformed into a surgical knife once more, and he began slicing apart Tao Gui's body.

"Brat, stop!"

Watching helplessly as his body was destroyed, Tao Gui roared in shock and fury.

Long Ye casually picked up a stone and stuffed it into Tao Gui's mouth. Things became somewhat quieter after that.

"Long Ye, you're incredible! You actually defeated a Jonin. No one would believe this achievement if we told them about it." Rin was extremely excited.

Long Ye's injuries were actually not serious. His earlier staggering had largely been an act.

He glanced at the ground, which looked as though a downpour had just passed, and said with a smile, "If not for your Water Release this time, we couldn't have caught him off guard and made him suffer such a humiliating defeat."

Rin smiled sweetly. "Speaking of which, Long Ye, your Lightning Release is truly unusual. You don't even need to form hand seals before using it, and it possesses a power completely different from ordinary Lightning Release. No wonder he fell for it."

Tao Gui, now reduced to a single head, revealed unwillingness in his eyes as fury burned within him.

Long Ye kicked him. "You died today because you talked too much. If you'd said less useless nonsense at the beginning and attacked us directly, the two of us could never have been your match. Unfortunately, there's no medicine for regret in this world."

Rin suddenly seemed to think of something, and her spirits lifted.

"That's right! The reason he wanted to kill me was because I discovered him using a messenger bird. The messenger bird came from Iwagakure, and he entered the territory of the Land of Fire. He may very well have some unknown scheme."

Long Ye's heart sank when he heard that. Just as I thought.

This Tao Gui had entered the Land of Fire under the guise of being a rogue ninja. He was very likely here to investigate Konoha's defensive line and prepare for Iwagakure's attack on Konoha a month later.

"That's easy. We'll take him back and hand him over to Lord Minato. Konoha has people specifically responsible for interrogation. They'll definitely be able to force his scheme out of him."

Rin nodded in agreement.

"Rin, how are your injuries? Are they serious?"

Long Ye looked at her with concern. Her body was covered in injuries of all sizes.

"Hehe, I'm fine! They're only minor wounds. Don't forget, I'm a medical ninja. In the future, I'll become someone like Lady Tsunade..."

"All right, all right. Don't push yourself. Save your strength and heal your wounds. I'll keep watch. Once you've recovered, we can continue on our way."

"Mm, mm!"

Rin nodded with a grin.

Long Ye kept watch in every direction, alert to every stir in the wind and grass. At that moment, Rin's gentle voice came from behind him.

"Long Ye, thank you!"

When she saw him turn to look at her, she hurriedly closed her eyes and used medical ninjutsu to tend to her external injuries.

Long Ye naturally understood what she meant.

If he had not come today, Rin truly would not have survived. Every time he thought of that, lingering fear gripped his heart.

It seems the history of the shinobi world has completely changed. Today, I captured an Iwa spy alive, so the Land of Earth's scheme may be exposed ahead of time. I wonder whether the Third Shinobi World War will also begin early.

Long Ye had once believed that knowing the future gave him some confidence. But now, everything had shifted, and what he knew was no longer of much value as a reference.

At that moment, the system's voice sounded beside his ear.

[Special Devil Mission Complete: Capture an Iwagakure Jonin Alive. Obtained forty Devil Points.]

"The Devil Points increased by forty. Combined with the twenty from before, I have sixty now. As long as I participate in the Chunin Ninja Exams and become a Chunin, I'll have exactly one hundred Devil Points and can smoothly advance to a one-star devil."

Long Ye felt somewhat impatient.

He urgently needed to awaken the Human Modification Devil Fruit ability. Only then could he transplant other people's Kekkei Genkai as he pleased. That would be when his strength truly began to grow.