Water flowing from upstream replenished the river's falling level, then flowed up around the Water Kirin's feet to replenish its body.
The natural water racing through the Water Kirin's body carried away every ninjutsu attack the black-clad men launched. For the moment, they could do nothing against this enormous ninjutsu kirin.
The Water Kirin shook its body. Replenished, it grew another size larger, opened its mouth, and spat out a high-speed jet of water.
A black-clad man dodged with a flicker, but the water jet did not disperse. The kirin swung its head, sweeping the continuous stream across him and slicing him in half. This one was real!
Every water jet approached the power of Water Release: Water Severing Wave. What limited Water Release: Kirin was the amount of water in the natural body of water and the caster's chakra reserves.
The Water Kirin visibly shrank. Although the water jets it spat out were powerful, they consumed too much water.
Shinsei checked his chakra reserves. A little less than half remained; using natural water had saved a great deal of chakra. The four opponents stood far away. They had already figured out Water Release: Kirin's attack range. He could still reach them, but that also gave them enough time to react.
Shinsei was in no hurry to attack, either. He waited for the upstream water to replenish the kirin.
The remaining four opponents became eight, then sixteen. Sixteen figures rushed forward.
Still coming? Without a powerful ninjutsu capable of breaking through Water Release: Kirin, sixteen or thirty-six makes no difference. Do they have some special tactic?
Shinsei inwardly put himself on guard. His opponents were no fools. They were elites trained by Root.
Could it be? Shinsei recalled a ninjutsu from the original story.
The sixteen figures alternated positions, dodging the Water Kirin's jets.
A high-speed stream swept through one black-clad man's body, turning him into a puff of smoke, then swiftly swept toward another.
A person's running speed could never outpace the kirin turning its head.
Pop, pop, pop. Another six figures dispersed.
Smack! The Water Kirin's tail struck a black-clad man's body. He did not disperse into smoke, but tumbled to the ground. His body had visibly become two sections still clinging together. He convulsed all over, then stopped breathing.
Jackpot. The real body!
With popping sounds, a figure burst into smoke.
Six figures closed in on the Water Kirin's body. Four leaped up, and one of them formed hand seals and spat out a stream of flame!
Wrong! Shinsei abruptly went on alert. They know perfectly well that Fire Release Ninjutsu is useless against the Water Kirin! Are they trying to-?
The enormous flames struck the Water Kirin's body, raising a huge cloud of mist!
Obscure our vision!
With no time to think further, Shinsei swiftly acted on his impulse.
Kirin burst!
Reverse Four Symbols Sealing Jutsu!
The Water Kirin exploded, and the tremendous burst of water propelled the four people enveloped inside it backward. At the same time, an enormous mass of black sealing formulas expanded into a black sphere, engulfing everything before rapidly shrinking into a tiny black dot.
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
The four crashed onto the water's surface.
Thirty meters away, a roughly circular hollow some ten meters across had formed in the riverbed. Everything at its center had vanished, and river water slowly flowed over the newly exposed, dry riverbed.
That was close! It really was the Reverse Four Symbols Sealing Technique!
His whole body aching, Shinsei struggled to get up. With no time to think further, he formed hand seals, and a new Water Kirin slowly rose. It opened its mouth and spat out a water jet, forcing back the two men trying to approach.
Giant Beast's Fire Release Ninjutsu then cut off the pair's path forward.
The ninjutsu Wood Kite and Hashihime cast by forming hand seals together followed close behind. A gale churned the river water, sweeping up the insect mist coming at them through the air.
Shinsei called his teammates back inside the Water Kirin. He had little chakra left, but only two opponents remained. One was from the Yamanaka Clan; without teammates to support him, there was no need to worry too much. Besides, he appeared to have suffered considerable mental damage.
On their side, Giant Beast was still in reasonably good condition. Although Wood Kite had lost his right hand, he had not used much chakra. With Hashihime helping him form hand seals, he could still fight.
The two remaining opponents exchanged a glance. Insect smoke emerged again and devoured the three dead black-clad men's bodies completely. Then the pair leaped away, disappearing into the woods.
Shinsei decided not to pursue them. None of them was in good condition at present.
Their enemies were not just those two black-clad men. There was also Tarō Kakumoto, who had yet to appear, and Goat, who had betrayed them, though Goat's fighting ability was nothing special.
A butterfly flickered and darted outside the kirin.
"Tarō Kakumoto has appeared!" Hashihime looked at Wood Kite.
"We're abandoning the mission!" Wood Kite shook his head. "If anyone is to be held responsible, I'll bear it!"
Shinsei was a little surprised. "Captain, the mission's failure isn't your fault. They came for me."
"You're my teammate." Wood Kite shook his head. "I'll demand an explanation from the Hokage about this mission!"
Shinsei remained silent. He had not mentioned Root, but as a veteran Anbu jonin, his captain certainly knew about them.
"Shinsei, does your Water Release Ninjutsu require natural water?" Wood Kite turned to ask.
"Yes. In places without water, the consumption is enormous, and it isn't as effective as using natural water." Shinsei had no intention of hiding it. First, this ninjutsu's characteristics were too obvious, and its weakness was not hard to guess. Second, the next time his enemies targeted this ninjutsu, he would bring out a new one. He already had several ninjutsu under development. He hoped to give his enemies a different kind of shock next time.
"What do we do now? Are we going back?" Hashihime could not help asking.
"No. We'll find somewhere with plenty of water and wait until we recover. There's a small lake upstream. We'll rest there."
The Water Kirin began running along the river's surface. Before long, a small waterfall some ten meters high hung before them. The kirin leaped up, revealing a lake roughly a hundred meters across. At its center was a rocky island a few meters across.
They landed on the rocky island.
"Once we've recovered, we'll take a detour back to the village. They don't know our route. As long as we move fast enough and change directions in time, they won't be able to catch us." Wood Kite laid out their next steps.
After eating and drinking their fill, recovering their chakra, and washing away the scents on their bodies, they began the return journey.
Along the way, Wood Kite demonstrated the qualities of a veteran Anbu. He never notified his teammates before changing their route, leaving everyone to simply follow him. Even for brief rests, he stopped only in places with abundant water. They lit no fires and cooked no meals, setting off again as soon as they had rested enough.
Fortunately, there were no further incidents along the way. There was no telling whether their opponents had abandoned the mission or had simply been shaken off.
Looking at Konoha in the distance, Shinsei finally let out a breath of relief. Exhaustion immediately spread through his entire body.
Inside the Hokage building, the Third, Sarutobi Hiruzen, smoked his pipe.
"That concludes the report." Wood Kite stood straight.
Shinsei, Hashihime, and Giant Beast looked at the Third. They all knew who this incident pointed to.
Hiruzen Sarutobi rubbed between his brows.
"Understood. Thank you for your efforts. Go and rest." Sarutobi Hiruzen's expression showed concern. "Wood Kite, go to the hospital for treatment immediately. I'll give you all an explanation for this."
Shinsei said nothing. He did not expect Sarutobi Hiruzen to deal with Danzo.
"Shinsei, as Hokage, I am deeply sorry." Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at Shinsei solemnly. "I guarantee that this will never happen again."
"Yes, Lord Hokage." Shinsei looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi, showing respect. What else could he do? He would still have to avenge this himself. He hoped Danzo would not die before he could take his revenge.
After leaving the Hokage building, they exchanged glances and went their separate ways. Those who needed treatment sought treatment, and those who needed rest went to rest, waiting for the outcome.
After returning home, Shinsei greeted his parents, then went straight upstairs and flopped onto his bed.
He slept until evening and woke up ravenous. Fortunately, his mother, Riya, had dinner ready and was only waiting for him to get up and eat.
He did not tell his parents what had happened. Given the nature of Anbu missions, they did not ask much, either, merely looking at their son with concern.