"You audacious monster! How dare you secretly take in ancient gods and demons!" Several arrogant voices suddenly rang out from the crowd, shattering the joy of victory.
Hatake Sakumo's face darkened. Several elegantly dressed young ninjas squeezed out from the city wall. The leader was a young man with a mustache, the Sarutobi Clan crest embroidered on his chest, and an expensive rune-adorned short sword at his waist. He was pointing at Tsubasa with a furious glare.
Behind him followed several equally well-dressed ninjas, two of whom bore the insignia of powerful clans such as the Utatane Clan and Mitokado Clan. They were all arrogant and disregarded the White Tiger Corps soldiers around them.
"This Suijin, which harms the world, should be imprisoned, sealed, and controlled by Konoha!" The young man from the Sarutobi Clan crossed his arms and raised his chin high. "You ignorant brat, taking away the Suijin without permission, do you intend to make an enemy of the entire Konoha?"
The tall, thin man from the Utatane Clan immediately chimed in, "If such divine and demonic power falls into the hands of evildoers, it will surely cause a great disaster! I find your behavior suspicious; you must be a spy sent by some ninja village. Quickly hand over the Suijin and come back to Konoha with us for trial!"
"Exactly!" The fat man from the Mitokado Family shook his head, spitting as he spoke. "Don't think you can act recklessly just because you have some unorthodox techniques. You've probably never heard of Konoha's reputation! If you know what's good for you, kneel down and admit your mistake, or you'll experience the power of Konoha Jonin!"
The scions of several prominent families chatted amongst themselves, becoming increasingly smug. They had originally come with the White Tiger Corps to gain experience and had stayed in the rear without participating in the battle. Now that the crisis was over, they immediately jumped out to put on airs, trying to claim credit for subduing the Suijin for their own families.
Tsubasa crossed his arms, tilted his head to watch their performance, and feigned curiosity on his little face. "What are you talking about? What Konoha? Can you eat it?"
"Insolence!" The young man from the Sarutobi Clan's face darkened as he drew his short sword and pointed it at Tsubasa. "You won't listen to reason, so you'll have to suffer the consequences! It seems you won't know your place until you're taught a lesson! Konoha is the largest village in the Shinobi World. Killing a mere brat like you, or even wiping out the entire power behind you, would be as easy as snapping your fingers!"
"Hand over the Suijin right now!" The tall, thin man from the Utatane Clan also adopted a threatening stance. "This is for the peace of the Shinobi World, it's for the greater good! If you disobey, you'll be making an enemy of the entire Shinobi World. Then you'll have nowhere to go, don't blame us for not warning you!"
They talked at length, spewing spittle, from "the greater good of the Shinobi World " to " Konoha's strength," and from "family honor" to "moral responsibility," using every threat they could think of, as if simply mentioning the name of Konoha would scare the child into kneeling and begging for mercy.
Hatake Sakumo frowned, utterly disgusted by the arrogant behavior of these spoiled brats. He was about to speak to stop them when Tsubasa suddenly smiled, a smile as pure as a child's, yet a cold glint flashed in his eyes. "Are you done? You're so noisy."
"How dare you speak to us like that?" The young man from the Sarutobi Clan was furious, his face turning ashen. "Take him down!"
The two guards behind him immediately Hand Seals, about to unleash their Ninjutsu, when Tsubasa impatiently waved his hand. A barely perceptible golden light flashed, and the two guards instantly froze in place, their bodies shattering into countless points of light with a "crack," without even having time to scream.
The Sarutobi Clan the young man's face froze instantly, his eyes widening like saucers. "You... you dare to kill someone?"
"So what if I killed them?" Tsubasa dusted off his hands as if he had merely crushed two ants. "I told you, it's too noisy."
"You're finished!" The tall, thin man from the Utatane Clan pointed at Tsubasa, his voice trembling. "Do you know who you killed? Those were members of the Sarutobi Clan! And my Utatane Clan's guards! Konoha will not let you get away with this!"
"Oh? The Sarutobi Clan? The Utatane Clan?" Tsubasa raised an eyebrow, a look of sudden realization spreading across his face. "So you're from one of those idiotic families. No wonder you're so ill-mannered."
Before he could finish speaking, golden light flashed again at his fingertips. This time, before the spoiled brats could react, the golden light had already pierced through their bodies. The young man from the Sarutobi Clan remained with a terrified expression as his body turned into specks of light and vanished; the tall, thin man from the Utatane Clan and the fat man from the Mitokado Family followed suit, along with their guards, all instantly annihilated by the golden light, leaving not a trace.
The city walls were deathly silent; everyone was stunned by this sudden turn of events. Those scions of powerful families who usually acted arrogantly were as fragile as paper in front of Tsubasa, without even a chance to fight back.
Tsubasa clapped his hands, turned to the dumbfounded White Tiger Corps soldiers, and said loudly, "Remember, being dressed in fine clothes doesn't make you strong, nor does shouting righteous words make you right. What deserves the utmost respect in this world is strength."
" Sage, immortal!" Someone knelt down first, and then the soldiers on the city wall all knelt down and kowtowed in the direction of Tsubasa. They were truly grateful to their savior, and besides, the thunderous methods he had just used had already filled them with awe.
The high-ranking members of the White Tiger Corps exchanged glances, all seeing shock and understanding in each other's eyes. They had long disliked those arrogant young masters from powerful families, and now that Tsubasa had taken action to suppress them, they felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction, so naturally no one dared to object.
Hatake Sakumo struggled forward, bowed deeply to Tsubasa, his voice trembling with emotion. "Thank you for saving Sage, Immortal! The 100,000 soldiers of the White Tiger Corps will never forget Sage kindness!"
Tsubasa waved his hand, his gaze falling on Hatake Sakumo, a hint of approval on his small face. "You're not bad, you've got guts, much better than those idiots."
He raised his hand and pointed, and a soft golden light flew into Hatake Sakumo's body. Hatake Sakumo felt the excruciating pain in his chest disappear instantly, and a tingling, itchy sensation came from his broken ribs. Even the old wound on his left arm had healed most of its extent. He was both surprised and delighted. Just as he was about to thank him, he saw that Tsubasa had already picked up the little water dragon beside him.
The once raging Water God Zhang was now incredibly docile, coiling around Tsubasa like a small snake, nuzzling his cheek with its head.
"Let's go, Xiao Zhang." Tsubasa patted Shui Long's head, turned around and looked into the distance. "The water's receded; let's find a cleaner river to play in."
The little water dragon let out a cheerful roar and affectionately nuzzled his neck.
Tsubasa, stepping on golden light and carrying the water dragon, slowly ascended into the air. He glanced back at the crowd on River City and waved his hand. "Focus on your cultivation, and don't let those idiots sneak in and cause trouble again."
As soon as she finished speaking, her small figure transformed into a streak of light and disappeared into the horizon. Only the golden runes remaining in the air continued to flicker, gradually fading away as the West Water River receded.
A thunderous cheer erupted from the River City. Soldiers embraced each other, weeping with joy. Hatake Sakumo gazed in the direction where the Tsubasa had disappeared, bowed deeply, his heart filled with gratitude and awe.
As the floodwaters receded, the River City gradually revealed its original appearance. Although it was devastated, it finally ushered in a new life. The soldiers of the White Tiger Corps began to clear the ruins and treat the wounded. Sunlight shone through the clouds onto the city walls, dispelling the gloom that had shrouded it for many days.
Hatake Sakumo stood atop the city wall, gazing at the slowly flowing West Water River, his grip tightening on the short sword at his waist. He knew that this devastating flood that ravaged the river city would eventually pass, but the figure of that child stepping on golden light would be forever etched in the memories of every member of the White Tiger Corps, becoming a legend passed down through the ages. And those arrogant and ignorant spoiled brats had taught everyone a lesson with their lives—in the face of true strength, any arrogance and conceit will only lead to destruction.