Matsu glanced at Yōkō's attire and asked, "You, a Konoha Anbu, instead of dealing with Hanzo, what are you doing at the Yoshioka Mountains?"
Yōkō, hanging one-handed from the kunai embedded in the rock face, exerted force with his arm, performed a giant swing, and landed standing on the kunai.
He said:
"You not only washed the people of one town and over a dozen villages into the Yoshioka Mountains' limestone cave sewer, but you're also meddling in other people's business. Why do you care which village's Anbu I am?"
Yōkō considered himself to have a strong sense of detachment from this world, feeling little sympathy for its people, and he was no saint.
However, Matsu's methods still made Yōkō feel they were utterly inhumane.
With Matsu's strength, there must have been ways to avoid killing people, but he didn't pursue them, only focused on achieving his goal. How many people from the Land of Rain died wasn't within his consideration.
Matsu was almost amused by the anger: "Are the young people in Konoha so fearless of death nowadays?"
Over twenty Suna-nin landed behind Matsu, confronting the Fox Anbu on the rock face.
Yōkō assessed the wounds from Matsu's Wind Release; they didn't significantly hinder his movement. He said, "I'm not afraid of death right now, so, what are you going to do about it?"
The next moment, Matsu's eyes widened in shock.
This person wasn't a Konoha Anbu, but an Amegakure Anbu!
But why wasn't he wearing the poison mask commonly worn by Rain ninja?
The reason Matsu thought the Fox Anbu was from Amegakure was because he used Hanzo's signature technique.
Water Release: Water Body Flicker.
After forming a single hand seal, Yōkō Body Flickered and appeared behind the Suna-nin.
The heavy rain continued, water was everywhere – a perfect place to use the Water Body Flicker.
Since he didn't plan on living anyway, Yōkō threw out all his explosive tags in one go.
"Ah! Ah!"
Screams rose one after another.
Out of the twenty-plus Suna-nin, over fifteen were blasted away by the explosive tags.
Only then did Matsu turn to look behind him.
Such a fast Body Flicker Technique. With just one hand seal, it's almost like teleportation.
Is this Anbu Hanzo's disciple?
The dust from the explosive tags was quickly suppressed by the heavy rain. The Fox Anbu burst through the smoke and charged straight at the Suna-nin.
Yōkō, holding a ninjato, advanced rapidly close to the ground, slashing fiercely at Matsu's legs.
A whirlwind suddenly appeared around Matsu.
The whirlwind was filled with wind blades of various sizes, instantly shredding Yōkō.
Poof!
After a puff of white smoke, Matsu realized it was a Shadow Clone.
Yōkō crouched not far away, watching the whirlwind around Matsu slowly diminish.
Whirlwind for defense, Wind Cutter for offense. Matsu's offensive and defensive system was very solid, worthy of an Elite Jonin from Sunagakure.
Yōkō adjusted his mask, preparing to go all out. He had to force Matsu to reveal his trump cards, gain more intelligence, and secure an advantage for dealing with Matsu in the next life.
His eyes suddenly turned crimson, a Single Tomoe Sharingan appearing.
Don't underestimate the Single Tomoe Sharingan.
Matsu was stunned once more.
What's going on?
Why would Hanzo take a Uchiha as a disciple? And teach a Uchiha a top-tier Body Flicker Technique like the Water Body Flicker?
Is the collusion between Amegakure and Konoha this deep?
Or is Hanzo using the Uchiha clan to deal a heavy blow to Konoha?
It's too mind-boggling. Matsu felt his brain couldn't keep up.
Conspiracy! A shocking conspiracy!
After forming a single hand seal, Yōkō disappeared using the Water Body Flicker.
The next instant, Yōkō had already appeared behind Matsu.
Matsu instinctively used his whirlwind Wind Release.
Yōkō used his Sharingan to track the Wind Release, contorting his body into an extremely awkward posture mid-air.
Shoulders down, waist up, legs back, he precisely dodged the wind blades within the whirlwind.
His ninjato thrust forward, aiming for the back of Matsu's head.
Matsu lowered his head, avoiding the strike.
What followed was Yōkō's relentless assault, the ninjato whistling through the air as he hacked and slashed.
The more he slashed, the more alarmed Yōkō became.
Matsu hadn't moved from his spot, always accurately dodging every one of Yōkō's strikes.
Was the gap in their raw strength really this large?
At a certain moment, Matsu suddenly raised his hand and grabbed Yōkō by the throat.
Yōkō was suddenly startled. So that's it.
Before his throat was gripped by Matsu, he first felt significant wind pressure.
In other words, Matsu's body was covered by a dense layer of air. This layer of air amplified the airflow brought by all attacks.
Looking carefully, not a single drop of rain fell on Matsu.
When the ninjato was still twenty centimeters away from Matsu, Matsu had already sensed the wind pressure, allowing him to dodge in advance.
What kind of ability is this?
A Wind Release Cloak?
Matsu exerted a little force, snapping Yōkō's neck.
"Whether you are Hanzo's disciple or an Uchiha genius, you will die tonight."
[Host death detected. Mochizuki's Arc system activating...]
—
Yōkō's vision changed. He appeared on the previous full moon night, still in the inn at Tsutamidani Town.
In his arms was the sleeping Purple Cat, the blush on her pretty face and long, fair neck not yet faded.
Outside the window was a peaceful rainy night.
His own strength still had a significant gap compared to an Elite Jonin.
Even using all his trump cards was useless.
Death accompanied everyone as commonly as breathing.
The ninja world was so cruel. Without the focused care of a clan or village, even geniuses couldn't grow up.
Namikaze Minato had Jiraiya's guidance, and Kakashi, in turn, had Namikaze Minato's care.
Even so, Kakashi's teammates Obito and Rin both died in the Shinobi World War.
Most geniuses died in obscurity; only those who survived became heroes.
[Mochizuki's Arc activated!
The host has only one resurrection opportunity per month. Upon death, you will revive on the previous full moon night.
Reward: One lottery draw opportunity:
1 - Wind Attribute Chakra;
2 - Special Jonin-level Chakra Reserve;
3 - Bandage-Style Taijutsu (Beginner).]
Wind Attribute Chakra didn't fit Yōkō's current combat system; choosing it would be useless.
Even if he learned Wind Release ninjutsu, it would only be the icing on the cake.
When times were peaceful and combat less intense, Yōkō could slowly shore up his weaknesses. During wartime, it was better to focus on strengthening immediate combat power.
The third option was also excluded.
Bandage-Style Taijutsu. Matsu had thick bandages wrapped around his head; it seemed to be one of his secret techniques.
Yōkō chose the second option, Special Jonin-level Chakra Reserve.
During his last lottery draw, Yōkō's chakra reserve was 3.8 times the Special Jonin level.
During this period, the potential of his special physique continued to be released, and his chakra reserve naturally grew to 4.5 times the Special Jonin level.
After choosing the chakra reserve option, which added 1 times the base amount, it now became 1.1 times the Jonin level.
His chakra reserve had finally reached the average level of a Jonin.
After completing this mission, he would try to apply to Battalion Commander Yellow Dog for Special Jonin certification.
The benefits for a Chūnin were few. After becoming a Special Jonin, his authority within the Anbu would be greater, and he would be qualified to access more intelligence.
Yōkō got up, dressed, and then shook Purple Cat's small, pert buttocks.
"Hmm?" Purple Cat squinted, lazy like a kitten not yet fully awake: "Again...? Then I'll go wash up first."
Yōkō patted Purple Cat's cheek and said:
"While you were asleep, I left a Shadow Clone to guard you and went out myself to gather intelligence. Let's go quickly, we need to find Battalion Commander Yellow Dog!
What time is it, and do you still want to wash up? Are you Purple Cat or a greedy cat?
It's the ox that gets tired to death, not the field that gets plowed to ruin. Even if you don't need rest, I still do."
Purple Cat's heart tightened. The Squad Leader went out scouting? How did she not know at all? Was she sleeping that soundly?
***
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(Chapter End)