Behind a large tree, two people conversed in low voices.
"Shuriken that fly at will like bees, controlled by his mind. This isn't puppet jutsu — it transcends ninjutsu itself. He has this kind of power yet pretends to be an ordinary Chūnin. Clearly he's plotting something against the village. No wonder Lord Danzō wants him dead." Fū's tone was grave.
The person beside him nodded, equally wary.
"His abilities are bizarre. Even Jōnin like us would have to be extremely careful facing him one-on-one. Especially that position-swapping technique — it's dangerous. He could swap us next to explosive tags and kill us before we can dodge."
Fū said, "No matter what, we must eliminate such a dangerous element. Plans A and B have failed. Now that we know his abilities, we'll execute Plan C directly. It'll make quite a commotion, but we can't worry about that now. Jin, prepare yourself. Working together with Wasabi, we can definitely kill Mizuki."
The Root ninja named Jin nodded and raised both hands, preparing to form seals.
Outside the forest, Mizuki remained alert. Suddenly, more than ten meters ahead, someone emerged from underground — the Earth Style Root ninja.
"He appeared right in front of me? Is it a shadow clone again?"
Shuriken shot out like arrows toward the opponent. The Root ninja dodged while rapidly forming hand seals.
Doton: Dosha Kōka ▻ Earth Release: Descending Clay
Above Mizuki's position, a black dimensional space appeared, and massive amounts of clay poured down.
"Hmph, is that all?" Mizuki sneered, about to use his Body Swap Technique.
But at that moment, a beam of intense light suddenly shot from the forest, shining directly into his eyes. The bright light was blindingly dazzling in the night. The glare made him lose his sight instantly.
"Damn it, a tactical flashlight!" Mizuki was shocked.
This was actually allowed?
Unable to see, he couldn't use Body Swap Technique. The next moment, he was buried by tons of clay.
Immediately after, the Root ninja Jin emerged from behind a tree, forming hand seals rapidly.
Katon: Hōrō no Jutsu ▻ Fire Style: Baking Technique
Around the clay pile, towering flames roared to life. The firelight was so intense it could be seen for dozens of miles.
The villagers at the foot of the mountain cheered, thinking the ninja were using ninjutsu to exterminate the mountain bandits above. The fire burned for a full five minutes. The terrifying heat completely baked the clay dry.
Fū emerged from the forest and said, "This kind of heat, plus oxygen deprivation — without a doubt, he's dead as a doornail."
Jin and Wasabi nodded.
Fū added, "Retrieve his corpse and bring it back to Lord Danzō."
Wasabi walked to the clay pile and pressed his hand against the dried earth.
The earth crumbled away, but no corpse appeared. Instead, four triangular stone walls stood stacked together, forming a pyramid-like shelter.
Fū shouted, "Retreat! He's not dead!"
The stone walls toppled outward.
Wasabi retreated swiftly, but the sound of a blade slicing through air rang out behind him.
He dodged to the side. From the corner of his eye, he glimpsed a shuriken grazing past, then changing direction midair like a boomerang to slash across his throat.
Blood spurted. Wasabi fell.
"First one!" Mizuki emerged from within the stone walls, sweat pouring down his body.
The fire had burned for five minutes — he'd nearly been roasted alive inside.
Fortunately, he'd been quick-witted. The instant the clay fell, he'd used Earth Style: Stone Mirror Wall. The thick stone walls had blocked most of the heat, saving his life.
"I was careless. I thought it was a shadow clone, so I didn't finish him off directly. I can't conserve chakra anymore."
Wasabi was dead. That left Fū and Jin.
Fū had already retreated into the forest the instant he saw the stone walls. Now he stood behind a tree and shouted, "Jin, retreat! We can't confront him head-on."
Jin saw the explosive tags in Mizuki's hands and sensed danger. He retreated rapidly.
"Too late!"
Mizuki activated the explosive tags. The hissing sound cut through the night.
He released the explosive tag, then activated Body Swap Technique, swapping positions with Jin.
Boom!
A violent explosion. Jin was blown away, his right leg severed at the root, his belly torn open with intestines spilling out. He fell, rolled a few times, twitched, then went still.
"Second one!"
Fū ran frantically through the forest. Passing through the trees, he soon arrived at a cave entrance.
This cave was the bandits' lair. The bandits inside had already been dealt with, their bodies disposed of.
Fū quickly entered the cave. He hadn't gone far when he saw a woman collapsed on the ground — Mizuki's fiancée, Tsubaki.
"Plans A, B, and C have all failed. I can only use Plan D."
He helped Tsubaki sit up against the wall, then sat in front of her and raised both hands.
Shintenshin no Jutsu ▻ Mind Body Switch Technique
Using Mind Body Switch on an unconscious person guaranteed success.
The next moment, Fū's consciousness entered Tsubaki's mind. He controlled her body, stood up, and walked out of the cave toward Mizuki.
Soon, the two met in the forest.
"Tsubaki? What are you doing here?" Mizuki froze.
Immediately, he realized this was likely a transformation jutsu.
"Mizuki-kun, I finally found you! Hurry, leave! Three Root ninja are here — they've come to kill you." She rushed over to grab his hand.
Mizuki sneered coldly, "Cheap tricks won't fool me!"
He kicked sideways. The defenseless Tsubaki flew backward, hit the ground with a muffled groan, and coughed up blood.
Mizuki's eyes widened in shock, "You… you really are Tsubaki?"
When transformation jutsu is disrupted by injury, the chakra destabilizes and the person reverts to their original form.
This Tsubaki had taken his kick and even coughed up blood, yet hadn't changed. She was real. But why would she be here?
"Mizuki-kun, I heard the Third Hokage and Lord Danzō want to kill you. They've sent three Root Jōnin. So I defected from the village to warn you. Root caught me halfway and brought me here. They tied me up in the cave, planning to use me as a hostage to force you to commit suicide. Just now the three Root ninja weren't around, so I broke free and escaped. Hurry, let's go! Those three are all Jōnin — you're no match for them. We need to leave immediately and escape from the Land of Fire."
Tsubaki's words had no holes. Mizuki's suspicions subsided.
In fact, he was moved. His fiancée would rather defect than come save him.
To have such a wife, what more could a husband ask for?
"Don't worry. Those three Root ninja are no match for me — I've already killed two. I'll deal with the remaining one first."
He walked over and helped Tsubaki up, leaning her against a tree.
"I'm very sorry. I thought Fū Yamanaka had used transformation jutsu to become you, so…"
"I understand, Mizuki-kun. Don't blame yourself." Tsubaki said quickly.
Her understanding made Mizuki feel grateful.
He sighed, "You shouldn't have done this. But it's my fault too — I didn't tell you about my strength, so you worried. By the way, how did you find out the Third Hokage and Danzō want to kill me?"
How could Hiruzen let such classified information leak?
"It was Iruka." Tsubaki said, "He accidentally overheard this at the Hokage building and came to tell me."
Mizuki's heart jumped.
Something's wrong.
Iruka, with his pathetic abilities, could overhear a conversation between the Third Hokage and Danzō in the Hokage building — crawling with ANBU?
Besides, Iruka was a staunch Hokage loyalist who obeyed the Third Hokage's every word. Even if he knew the Third Hokage wanted to kill Mizuki, he'd never tell Tsubaki directly. At most, for friendship's sake, he'd drop an indirect hint.
Something was wrong with her explanation.
'Could she be here on orders to kill me too?'
At the same time, "Tsubaki" leaning against the tree noticed Mizuki's expression shift and realized she'd been exposed.
"Mizuki-kun, sitting like this is so uncomfortable. Help me lie down in that clearing over there."
Though suspicious, Mizuki didn't act immediately. He approached Tsubaki, helped her up, and walked toward the clearing.
Then Tsubaki's foot twisted. She cried out and wrapped both arms tightly around his waist.
"What are you doing?" Mizuki demanded.
He already suspected her. Any movement now made him tense.
"Nothing — my foot twisted." Tsubaki explained, while her hands locked together in a death grip around his waist.
A hissing sound came from Tsubaki's back.
That familiar sound — Mizuki recognized it instantly. An explosive tag.
"Damn it! She's trying to take me down with her."
Mizuki grabbed her arms, trying to pry them apart, but Tsubaki held on desperately. He couldn't break free in time.
The explosive tag was about to detonate.
Using Body Swap Technique now would have no effect — it would bring Tsubaki along with him. Even if he used it, he couldn't escape her.
"Mizuki, die with your fiancée!"
That tone… it wasn't Tsubaki!
"Damn you, Fū Yamanaka! You're this vicious? She never wronged the village, yet you use her as bait! May you die a horrible death!"
At the critical moment, a kunai appeared in Mizuki's hand. A cold flash — Tsubaki's right hand was severed.
He broke free and shoved her body away.
Ichi Kōtai no Jutsu ▻ Body Swap Technique
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T/N: Comment, give me Power Stones, like and favorite, it all supports me and makes me go foward with this. Appreciate my other stories as well, I guarantee the good work!
If you want to enjoy a large catalog of good novels with excellent translations: MrBlackWing (on that website with P)
That's it and happy reading! (-‿◦)