It was a shame this demon wasn't a succubus.
But that just made it easier for Qingshui to kill it with a clear conscience, striking with lethal intent.
"Separation Breathing, Fifth Form: Wind-Lightning Separation Blast!"
It was as if a natural disaster had descended.
A massive burst of high-temperature plasma erupted, unleashing an endless stream of bright blue energy blades that enveloped the demon.
In an instant, flesh and blood splattered.
Mordo was startled the moment he entered.
Wait, so when Watt sparred with him earlier, he wasn't even using half his strength?
Power of this magnitude, aside from the Sorcerer Supreme, would be difficult for even the few master-level mages at Kamar-Taj, including the Sanctum Guardians, to wield.
But Watt…
Could he really be Waltum's biological son? He casts spells without any cost.
Thoughts flashed through Mordo's mind, while the demon struggled to counter Qingshui's attack.
Black viscous fluid shot out from its body, rapidly repairing its battered form, as its faceless mouth roared incessantly, lunging towards Qingshui.
"Damn mages! I haven't even done anything, and you're already here looking for death."
Liu and Carlisle exchanged glances, both seeing shock in the other's eyes.
It felt like they weren't even needed; Watt alone could take down this demon.
However, neither of them stood idly by.
The former re-covered his body with a layer of golden light using his prayer beads, charging forward with Mordo, one in front and one behind.
Carlisle, meanwhile, held up the Crystal Ball, chanting continuously, applying buffs to the three of them.
Qingshui felt his Chakra become slightly more active, his recovery speed increased slightly, and the Ninjutsu he cast gained a small boost in power.
"This is a Chaos Demon from Hell, but like those familiars, you just need to extract the heart that serves as its power source, and it will be banished back to the Hell dimension."
Liu shouted, while simultaneously waving his hand to cast Hoggoth's Hand, manifesting a giant tiger claw of mystic energy in mid-air, which slammed down on the Chaos Demon's head.
"Leave it to me, you two provide cover!"
Mordo yelled, opening a portal at his feet and appearing at the Chaos Demon's abdomen.
Seeing this, Qingshui changed his technique.
"Separation Release: Lightning Binding Jutsu."
This technique was modified from Lightning Release: Lightning Binding Jutsu, using an electric net to restrain the enemy.
Mordo raised the Staff of Waltum in his right hand, unleashing a huge wind blade that instantly disemboweled the Chaos Demon, extracting a steaming, purple heart the size of a human head.
"Got it!"
Mordo shouted excitedly, then watched in horror as a massive tail pressed down from above his head.
No way?!
The next second, he was kicked away by a figure who appeared in a flash.
The one who replaced him was none other than Qingshui, who had, at some point, changed into the Electrolight II battle suit.
"Separation Breathing, Seventh Form: Separation Mirror!"
A massive, bright blue round mirror rose, reflecting the Chaos Demon within it.
Qingshui's own Chakra, boosted by the Mind Stone Scepter, was already powerful, but now with the full output of the Arc Reactor, its power was astonishing.
The next moment, the round mirror shattered, and with it, the Chaos Demon also shattered into hundreds of pieces.
"This thing has thirteen hearts inside; just destroying one is useless."
Qingshui said, looking at the Chaos Demon that had turned to ash and was gradually dissipating into the smoke.
The Chaos Demon wasn't dead, just banished back to Hell.
Demons from Hell weren't so easy to kill.
These cunning creatures, apart from the weaker lesser demons, mostly projected their consciousness and a portion of their power through interdimensional rituals to wreak havoc in other dimensions, harvesting souls and life force.
"Good thing the Sorcerer Supreme sent you this time, otherwise, someone might have died."
Liu looked at the faint remnants of ash on the ground, sighing with emotion.
Where did Ancient One find such a capable young man?
He's only been studying magic for less than a month, he heard?
This power is a bit ridiculous…
Mordo, on the other hand, had a thoughtful expression, looking at the face Qingshui had transformed into using the Transformation Jutsu.
Did he acquire an illusion-type artifact for disguise from the artifact storage room?
It's very useful in specific situations, especially for a celebrity like Watt.
It just seems like the boost to combat power isn't very significant.
However...
Watt's strength is simply too much.
The Ancient One suddenly brought someone so rich, powerful, skilled, and capable of fighting into the fold. Could it be that...
Mordo dismissed his thoughts and knelt down with Liu, Carlisle, and the others to collect the ashes on the ground.
Qingshui also joined them in searching and collecting.
This substance is called Demon Ash, the residue left after demonic power burns out. It contains faint traces of the hell dimension's aura and energy, capable of negatively affecting a person's biomagnetic field. It can be used to cast curses or to substitute oneself, paying a small amount of power to a Dimensional Demon God. Generally, it can slightly reduce the cost when performing magic that requires a significant sacrifice.
There are quite a few such mystical items that can reduce or replace casting costs, but they are difficult to collect, and each one is a treasure.
Otherwise, all those powerful mages, every single one of them, would die young.
...
...
In the Naruto World, Sand Village.
More than two full years have passed since the canal opened.
This canal, primarily constructed by ninjas using Puppetry, boasts a massive water flow.
Thanks to its source being the freshwater inland sea of the Land of Rain, even during the hottest season, this canal still has abundant water, providing ideal conditions for water transport.
This has also led to an increase in rainfall in the areas along both banks over the past year or two, with the ecosystem showing preliminary signs of modification.
Snow even began to fall last winter.
Now that the New Year has passed and winter has given way to spring, the melting snow has added an extra chill to Sand Village's climate.
This phenomenon is a first for Sand Village in nearly two to three decades.
"How is it? Are you settling into the village well?"
Qingshui, wearing a mink coat, stood at the entrance of a newly built small courtyard and asked Oyakata En, who was holding a baby girl beside him.
"It's alright. I plan to hire two maids soon to help me care for Chino at home. That way, I'll have time to go out on missions."
Oyakata En held his daughter, gazing at the people passing by on the street, his expression peaceful.
His wife had passed away; his daughter was his only solace.
"Actually, you can directly post a request for this at the Kazekage Office. Sand Village has a large number of Genin graduating every year now, and to be honest, the quota for D-rank missions isn't quite enough.
You don't need to worry about safety. Sand Village is one of the two strongest among the Five Great Ninja Villages, after all. Even newly graduated ninjas are absolutely qualified. If you're still not at ease, I'll personally oversee and select the Genin squad responsible."
Oyakata En turned his head in surprise.
"You can interfere with the village's mission assignments?"
"In terms of personnel, I currently only have the authority to make suggestions to the Kazekage. However, for non-confidential missions below B-rank, the Third Kazekage has already authorized the elder council to assist in handling them."
Oyakata En looked thoughtful.
Qingshui's two teachers were the top two figures in Sand Village's elder council, so it wasn't surprising that he could interfere to a certain extent.
However, if the Third Kazekage truly delegated some power directly to Qingshui, then it could basically be concluded that this young man was already the Third Kazekage's designated successor.
It was just unclear which of the two situations it was.
But no matter what, he, Oyakata En, and his daughter, along with the entire Chinoike Clan, were now tied to Qingshui.
Because Qingshui had led them from Hell Valley to this place, they were naturally marked as belonging to Qingshui's faction.
Fortunately, Qingshui's status in Sand Village was very high.
Anyone with eyes could see that the Fourth Kazekage would most likely be chosen between Qingshui and Rasa.
And the former's chances were clearly much higher.
In terms of strength, ability, and strategy, Qingshui clearly surpassed Rasa.
He remembered very clearly that back in the Land of Hot Water, this person had killed Oyakata Yo, the former head of the Chinoike Clan, in less than ten moves.
The latter was definitely an elite among Jonin, and apart from the Five Kage, he was among the top tier in the Ninja World.
Furthermore, in Hell Valley, the power of the Ketsuryugan was amplified, making him even stronger by a third.
To be able to kill someone within ten moves, even the current Five Kage might not be able to do much more.
This person already possessed all the conditions to become a Kage.
And his age was only fifteen; what his future held was even harder to imagine.
Clinging to this powerful figure would greatly facilitate the Chinoike Clan's integration into Sand Village in the future.
"Tell me about your clan members. How have they been living lately?"
Qingshui nodded to a passing student from the Advanced Swordplay Class and asked Oyakata En beside him.
"Not bad, much better than I initially imagined."
At this, Oyakata En opened up.
"When we first came to the Sand Village, the clan members all felt like we'd be stuck in the desert, eating sand, and not even having water to bathe with."
"It's not that bad."
Qingshui rubbed his nose.
The Chinoike Clan had lived in the Land of Hot Water for over a hundred years, long accustomed to the local customs, including bathing in hot springs daily.
And while the old Sand Village was poor, it wasn't so bad that they couldn't even bathe.
The ninja class was far superior to the commoner class; although they didn't have as much wealth and resources as the nobles, they certainly weren't lacking.
They were just accustomed to conserving every drop of water, because water was truly precious there. Forget bathing, even getting rained on felt like a waste to them.
Usually, they might just use a basin of hot water to wipe themselves down.
It was only after the Grand Canal opened, with water no longer scarce in the Sand Village, that they could afford to bathe properly.
Coupled with the steadily improving living conditions in the Sand Village due to the burgeoning commercial economy brought by the canal, things were looking up.
They probably couldn't compare to Konoha, which had the most abundant resources, but they were definitely much better off than the Cloud Hidden Village and Stone Hidden, who lived in plateaus and mountains.
Oyakata En continued to speak at length, and overall, there was nothing bad to report.
It was mostly about the construction of the clan territory allocated to them by the Sand Village, the assessment of the Chinoike Clan's abilities and rank after joining the Sand Village system, and the progress of the younger ninjas in the Ninja Academy.
Overall, the integration was going well, and the Chinoike Clan members had largely adapted to life in the Sand Village.
After chatting with Oyakata En for a bit longer, Qingshui finally got up and returned home. He wrote a report on the current integration of the Chinoike Clan, planning to take it to the Kazekage Building on his way to the training ground tomorrow.
This was something the Third Kazekage had instructed him to handle.
In fact, regarding matters concerning the Chinoike Clan, the Third Kazekage had Qingshui personally oversee them, his intention clear.
It was to make this highly potential ninja clan, like the Puppet Force and the Advanced Swordplay Class, a direct subordinate under his command.
As for Rasa…
He wasn't out of the picture yet.
That was because Qingshui was just one step away from becoming the Kazekage—leading the Sand Village ninjas to win a battle of a certain scale, showcasing his strength, and gaining the last bit of reputation he needed.
Qingshui didn't need to perform exceptionally well.
He just needed to be better than Rasa.
However, the current situation in the Ninja World was relatively stable. Although there were minor skirmishes, as long as no Kage suddenly went mad, or something like the assassination and disappearance of the Third Kazekage happened again, it would be difficult for another Great Ninja War to break out.
Not every ninja village had the same gains as the Sand Village.
In three years, the Sand Village had only just begun to digest the war dividends from the Second Great Ninja War.
Thanks to the significant changes Qingshui brought, the Sand Village was the fastest among the Five Great Ninja Villages to recover, but the large number of talents lost during the decade-long Ninja War couldn't be re-cultivated in a short time.
Fortunately, the Sand Village now had ample funds, and the Ninja Academy had been expanding its enrollment for several consecutive years, and the resources available to all ninjas had also increased significantly.
However, with the Breathing Style and new Puppetry, the overall strength of the Sand Village had greatly improved compared to the past.
The Breathing Style had been circulating for a year now.
In the Demon Slayer World, geniuses with extraordinary talent in Breathing Style, like Tokito Muichiro and Kanroji Mitsuri, could become Hashira in less than a year.
Here in the Sand Village, Qingshui had brought over several major Breathing Styles and had already cultivated a large number of related talents. Some ninjas, who were mediocre in the Chakra system but had great talent in Breathing Style, had even advanced directly from Chunin to Jonin within a year.
The new Puppetry also significantly boosted the power of lower and mid-level Puppet Masters, greatly lowering the entry barrier for them.
Coupled with the abundant war reserves provided by a series of production chains and assembly lines, the current strength of the Sand Village might even be stronger than before the start of the Second Great Ninja War.
Of course, the other four Great Ninja Villages also retained their fighting capabilities, and the overall situation of the Ninja World had not lost its balance.
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