Tread, tread, tread!
A carriage lay stranded in a small puddle, surrounded by countless others, the result of Lin Yu and a water style jutsu wielded by the man named Murata.
The battlefield was in disarray. The black-clothed Jonin pressed the three Konoha Chunin further away from Lin Yu and his companions, denying them any chance to offer aid or regroup.
*Clang!*
The black-clothed Jonin, wielding a shuriken, was overwhelming two Konoha Chunin. Beside them, a corpse clad in Konoha ninja attire floated listlessly in a water pit.
The fight had been going on for a while. It took the black-clothed Jonin some time to finish off one of the Chunin. His strength seemed to be at most Special Jonin level.
They could still manage to resist, but it was a pity for the two Genin, especially Uzumaki Lin Yu.
To have mastered the Palm Inner Healing Jutsu at such a young age, only to meet misfortune so soon after leaving the village, was truly a shame. Chunin Matsuno, while barely holding off the black-clothed Jonin's assault, silently contemplated a way to retreat.
*Bang!*
Chunin Matsuno blocked a kick from the black-clothed Jonin with his arms, his body recoiling violently. Sweat streamed down his rough face as he yelled to his teammate, "Let's retreat. The mission has failed. If we continue, we'll all die. We can still make it out if we go now."
"Trying to leave? Did you ask me first?" The black-clothed Jonin split into two shadow clones to engage Matsuno and his companion. Then, with rapid hand seals—丑, 申, 卯, 子, 亥… a total of forty-four seals.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu!" The water from the various small puddles scattered across the battlefield rapidly converged, gradually forming a ferocious water dragon that roared and charged towards the two Konoha ninjas.
"Damn it! There's no way to dodge a technique of this scale. Am I going to die?" Matsuno had just destroyed a shadow clone and had no time to catch his breath before a monstrous water dragon plunged down from the sky. The terror of death surged into his heart.
In this moment of crisis, a slightly immature voice rang out: "Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu!" A similarly sky-blue, ferocious water dragon shot forth from the other side, directly colliding with the water dragon in the sky.
*Boom!*
The water dragons canceled each other out. The splashing water transformed into a heavy rain that fell from above. Matsuno and his teammate stared blankly at the dissipating water dragons in the sky, allowing themselves to be pushed back by the impact of the collision. Relief washed over them, but then a throbbing headache set in, and they lost consciousness.
"Who is it!" The black-clothed Jonin spun around sharply, looking towards the other side.
A slender figure, with long fiery red hair falling over his shoulders, gently stirred by the airflow from the impact. Within his blood-red eyes, three black tomoe swirled. His, by now, developing delicate face exuded a hint of demonic charm and cold aura.
Lin Yu had deliberately controlled his water dragon to push Matsuno and his companion towards the trees. After all, fighting with goggles was incredibly uncomfortable, and he didn't want to expose his Sharingan so soon. He wondered what Tsuchi-bro was thinking when he was younger.
"It's you! You actually managed to kill Murata and Takeda!" The black-clothed Jonin's eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at the young boy before him.
Without wasting words with the black-clothed Jonin, Lin Yu shunshin'd away. A strong sense of danger assailed him from behind, like a prick of needles. The black-clothed Jonin turned and blocked with a shuriken.
He glared fiercely at Lin Yu, "You want to kill me? You're too green!" With a sudden, forceful kick, he lunged at Lin Yu. Lin Yu twisted with the momentum and counter-punched the black-clothed Jonin.
The black-clothed Jonin quickly twisted his head. While Lin Yu hadn't retracted his fist yet, he grabbed Lin Yu's arm with his claws and chuckled, "Gotcha!"
Lin Yu's expression was blank. He forcefully raised his leg, kicking towards the opponent's vital spot, and simultaneously swept his right hand, shuriken in hand, towards the opponent.
"Damn it, this kid is really insidious!" the black-clothed Jonin cursed inwardly.
His actions, however, were not slow. He released his grip on Lin Yu's arm to defend his lower body, his right hand holding his shuriken, clashing against Lin Yu's.
*Clang!* A crisp sound echoed. Lin Yu rotated his wrist, loosening his grip. The shuriken spun rapidly to the left and flew away. Using the momentum, he directly grabbed the opponent's shuriken. *Puchi!* Blood spurted from his palm. His left hand seized the shuriken in time and slashed forward fiercely.
This flashy maneuver caught the black-clothed Jonin off guard. A line of blood dripped from mid-air. The black-clothed Jonin before him had vanished.
"A pity, I didn't cut his throat," Lin Yu lamented, looking at the black-clothed Jonin in the distance, clutching his neck. A thin red bloodline continued to well up, shallow but persistent.
"Kid, your shuriken skills are decent, but that's all. I can tell your combat experience is lacking. Your body can't keep up with your eyes, making you hesitant and weak. Hmm? Your eyes, I remember they are..."
Lin Yu squinted and frowned, "Why so much nonsense!" Two golden chains suddenly burst from his back. The black-clothed Jonin could never have imagined Lin Yu would possess the Adamantine Sealing Chains. Wasn't he from the Uchiha clan with the Sharingan?
With no time to dodge, the two golden chains swiftly wrapped around the black-clothed Jonin, sealing his entire body and dragging him before Lin Yu.
"What was your objective?" Lin Yu looked up at the black-clothed Jonin.
"Hmph, I will never tell you, brat..."
*Puchi!* Another golden chain pierced through his heart and emerged. The black-clothed Jonin's eyes widened. Why wasn't he tortured? Why wasn't he taken back for interrogation? This was not how he imagined a captive to be. With unresigned eyes, he closed them, his life force fading.
Lin Yu looked at the corpse of the black-clothed Jonin and said calmly, "I was just asking out of habit. Whether you answered or not didn't matter."
Lin Yu turned his gaze towards the two figures who were on the verge of regaining consciousness, sighing inwardly. He had to put on an act again.
He smeared some blood from his hands onto his face, then punched his chest a few times. His complexion immediately turned pale. Trembling, he walked towards them.
Chunin Matsuno had just regained consciousness, and as memories flooded back, he leaped up defensively, scanning his surroundings. He only saw a boy sitting on the ground, coughing intermittently, with a tattered corpse of a black-clothed ninja beside him.
He cautiously approached and confirmed it was the black-clothed Jonin. Matsuno breathed a sigh of relief, then couldn't help but ask Lin Yu, "Little brother Lin Yu, did... did you kill him?"
"Cough, cough! I overdrafted my life force and used the Uzumaki clan's forbidden jutsu, the Adamantine Sealing Chains, to barely achieve victory." Lin Yu's pale face was devoid of color, his trembling body appearing as if it would collapse at any moment.
"This... I won't say much. Little brother Lin Yu, I, Matsuno, owe you my life. From now on, if you have any requests, I will not refuse!" Chunin Matsuno's expression shifted for a long time. To be saved by a Genin was hardly glorious, but he was a man of his word and would keep his promise.
The other Chunin beside him also repeatedly thanked Lin Yu.
Lin Yu waved his hand, taking a deep breath. "We are all members of Konoha. In battle, it's either him or me. For my own sake, I would have done the same."
Matsuno still insisted on honoring his promise but said no more. After a brief cleanup of the battlefield and sealing his comrade's body in a scroll, they proceeded onward. The spoils of war all went to Lin Yu, after all, the boy had saved his life.
In the carriage, due to his status as a "patient," Lin Yu was no longer responsible for guard duty. He was happy to oblige, lying in the carriage and reflecting on the battle.
That Jonin was right. I lack experience. My body's reaction speed is too slow and can't keep up with the Sharingan's rhythm.
But it's understandable. I only obtained it recently, and I've had no real combat opportunities in the village. As for the Sharingan, that black-clothed Jonin dared to meet its gaze, he was foolish enough.
If only I knew a single genjutsu, resolving that black-clothed Jonin would have only taken a glance! I don't expect to be able to take down Orochimaru with a single glance like Itachi-god, but just being able to take down a Jonin with a glance would be enough!
Later on, perhaps a single glance to defeat an Otsutsuki! That seems a bit difficult...
The carriage swayed gently. The road ahead gradually widened, and faint green tent canopies could be seen. Figures moved indistinctly among the tents.