"Damn that bastard! How dare he trick me!"
In the middle of the wilderness, Ay rushed northward in an absolute, blinding rage.
He had just received a panicked report from his forward scouts, making him realize he had been led around by the nose like an absolute fool.
Enraged that he had been toyed with by a mere Kirigakure Chunin, the proud Ay couldn't tolerate the insult. His body surged with violent lightning, and his speed rapidly increased, leaving his exhausted subordinates in the dust once again.
"Ay-sama is incredibly powerful, and being by his side feels very safe," one of his subordinates wheezed, hands on his knees. "But honestly, chasing him around the country is going to kill us before the enemy does."
Ay's squad felt less like elite shinobi and more like marathon runners chasing an impossible mirage, only to be left behind time and time again.
"Stop complaining and keep running!" the squad leader barked. "If Ay-sama changes direction again, we'll lose him completely!"
Meanwhile, Mishu didn't know yet that he had provoked the absolute wrath of the future Raikage. He was currently locked in a life-or-death battle against three Cloud Jonin.
"Genin, fall back! This is not a fight you can participate in!" the lead Jonin commanded. "Chunin, focus entirely on defense and beware of the enemy picking you off. Use long-range attacks to support us!"
The three Jonin immediately coordinated their assault.
"Lightning Release: Great Lightning Ball Technique!"
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
Two of the Jonin synchronized their jutsu perfectly. A massive Water Dragon, crackling with infused lightning, surged toward Mishu with terrifying speed. The third Jonin, clearly a Kenjutsu specialist, drew his longsword and charged in alongside the electrified dragon.
A combination Ninjutsu? What a pain! Mishu gritted his teeth.
Against standard Water Release, Earth Release was the most effective defense. However, against a combination of Water and Lightning, earth walls would simply conduct the electricity and shatter.
If Mishu's raw power far exceeded his opponents', he could disregard elemental advantages and block it anyway. But right now, his power was clearly not sufficient for a head-on clash.
Mishu frowned and rapidly leaped backward.
The electrified Water Dragon slammed into the ground, sending high-pressure water and lethal electricity splashing everywhere. The attack instantly turned the clearing into a large, shallow pool of electrified water, creating a massive hazard zone.
If Mishu hadn't retreated decisively, the lightning would have paralyzed him, leaving him wide open to the sword-wielding Jonin's fatal strike.
Three against one is a massive disadvantage. I need to separate them!
Mishu continued to retreat, keeping his eyes locked on the three pursuing Jonin. His hands blurred through a series of seals.
"Hiding in Mist Technique!"
A dense, unnatural white mist rapidly billowed out from his body, entirely obscuring the Cloud ninjas' vision and forcing their pursuit to a grinding halt.
"The enemy is trying to escape!"
"The mist is too thick to chase recklessly. Watch your flanks!"
"Don't worry, he won't get far," a female Jonin named Yūka sneered. "Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"
Yūka expelled a massive, roaring gust of wind, quickly blowing away a large portion of the suffocating mist.
Great opportunity! Mishu thought.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Taking advantage of the exact moment Yūka was finishing her Ninjutsu and couldn't immediately counterattack, Mishu summoned three Shadow Clones. They charged the Jonin from the newly cleared path.
"Be careful!" the swordsman yelled.
He reacted the fastest, raising his blade to cleanly block a clone's strike while warning his comrades. The second Jonin drew a kunai to deflect an incoming short sword.
Only Yūka, who had just used Wind Release, had her hands free from forming seals. Unable to draw a weapon in time, she was forced to leap backward into the remaining mist to avoid the third clone's slash.
At that exact moment, the real Mishu struck.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
"Damn it, I fell for it!" Yūka cursed.
She instantly realized Mishu's entire strategy had been to isolate her from her comrades. However, the roaring fireball was upon her too quickly. She had no time to form defensive seals and could only continue to retreat deeper into the fog.
With that final retreat, Yūka completely disappeared into the white veil, losing all visual and auditory contact with her team.
"Yūka!" the two male Jonin shouted anxiously.
They wanted to rush in and support her, but they were deeply entangled in a vicious melee with Mishu's three suicidal Shadow Clones. By the time they finally destroyed the clones, only the quiet, flowing mist remained. There was no sign or sound of their comrade.
"Yūka is gone."
"Don't panic. She's a veteran Jonin. She'll be fine."
Although their comrade was missing, the two Cloud ninjas weren't overly worried. The range of the Hiding in Mist Technique was limited. Even if they had to advance cautiously to avoid ambushes, it wouldn't take them long to find her.
Mishu's displayed power was indeed beyond their expectations, but the idea of a mere Chunin defeating a Jonin like Yūka in a one-on-one fight seemed absolutely impossible to them.
Meanwhile, Yūka stood perfectly still, warily scanning the swirling mist.
Concerned about a lethal strike from the shadows, she didn't dare use Ninjutsu lightly. Instead, she held a kunai tightly in each hand, her ears straining for the slightest sound.
She firmly believed she had the strength to defend against Mishu's attacks and counter-kill him. Her only real concern was that Mishu might use this opportunity to flee the area entirely.
To prevent that, she deliberately used arrogant language to provoke him.
"You can't escape!" Yūka called out, her voice echoing in the fog. "The entire Land of the Moon is already surrounded by our Cloud forces. We control all the coastal docks. Surrender and tell us your intelligence, and I guarantee we won't kill you!"
Swoosh.
A faint sound came from directly behind her. Yūka spun with lightning speed and threw a kunai, perfectly striking a Water Clone that shattered into a puddle.
At that exact moment, dozens of shuriken shot out from the dense mist. Yūka's kunai darted up and down in a blur of steel, expertly deflecting the barrage.
Then, she heard a sharp whistle from above.
Looking up, she saw Mishu plunging down from the canopy, his short sword aimed straight at her skull.
Yūka stepped back just in time, dodging the descending blade, and thrust her kunai upward into Mishu's lower back.
Poof. Mishu disappeared into white smoke.
Another clone.
Suddenly, more than a dozen Mishu clones emerged from the mist in a circle, launching a relentless, synchronized attack.
"Is this desperation? Ha!" Yūka laughed coldly.
Holding her ground, she wasn't at a disadvantage against the surrounding clones. She ducked, weaved, and slashed, destroying several of them in rapid succession.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
A giant fireball suddenly erupted from the dense mist, rushing directly toward Yūka. The remaining Shadow Clones increased their attack speed, completely ignoring their own safety to hold Yūka in place.
Damn it, I can't dodge it! Yūka realized. "Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!"
Entangled by the clones, Yūka had no way to evade. She instantly burned a massive amount of Chakra, releasing a localized, high-pressure water sphere that shattered all the clones around her before violently colliding with the incoming fireball.
Boom!
Following a deafening explosion, the flames scattered and the water splashed down, forming a shallow, muddy pool at her feet.
Having consumed a large chunk of her Chakra, Yūka panted slightly. In her momentary daze, the ground beneath her feet suddenly crumbled. Her entire body was violently yanked underground, leaving only her head exposed above the dirt.
"Headhunter Jutsu!"
Mishu jumped down from a nearby tree branch and swung his short sword, decapitating Yūka with a single, ruthless slash.
Poof.
The decapitated Yūka dispersed into water.
Mishu widened his eyes in absolute disbelief. A Water Clone?! How is that possible? When did she perform the hand seals?!
"When the Great Waterfall Technique obscured your vision, obviously," a proud female voice echoed from behind Mishu.
Before Mishu could turn his head, the muddy puddle he was standing in surged upward, forming a dense, inescapable spherical prison that trapped him inside.
"Water Release: Water Prison Technique!"
Yūka stood triumphantly. Her right hand formed a one-handed seal, and her left hand pressed firmly against the surface of the Water Prison, maintaining the jutsu. Her forehead was beaded with exhausted sweat.
Although the battle had been brief, it had been an intense, high-stakes game of lethal chess. A single moment's carelessness would have led to death.
However, her eyes were bright with victory.
"I've caught you," Yūka smirked.