"Splash!"
"Splash!"
Two consecutive splashes echoed.
At this moment, the people outside had already noticed the changes in the basement.
Even though most of their attention was drawn to Ao's Explosive Tags, there were still a few people on this side.
For example, Zenin Maki and Zenin Mai's father, Zenin Ogi.
"This doesn't look good!"
Zenin Ogi opened the door and saw the hole blasted in the ground inside the secret room.
Immediately, Zenin Ogi's pupils contracted.
But the curses swarming out delayed Zenin Ogi for a moment.
Biwa Juzo noticed the situation above.
"Hold your breath!"
Zenin Mai hesitated for a moment but instinctively followed Biwa Juzo's instructions.
Then she saw Biwa Juzo quickly forming hand seals.
"Water Release: Great Exploding Water Colliding Wave Jutsu!"
A Ninjutsu known for its volume of water.
Even elite Jonin like Biwa Juzo find it extremely taxing to use.
That's why Biwa Juzo has taught Uehara Soma almost all of his Water Release techniques, except for this one Ninjutsu.
Even with Uehara Soma's exceptional Water Release talent, it's too much for him with only Chunin-level foundational attributes.
Unlike the Exploding Water Colliding Wave Jutsu.
Even when Uehara Soma expends all his Chakra, he can barely manage to use it.
This is the advantage brought by Uehara Soma's Perfect-level Water Release talent.
Chunin of the same rank from Hidden Mist Village can't achieve this.
Some Chunin even struggle to use techniques like Water Dragon Bullet.
A large amount of water appeared out of thin air.
Suddenly, the entire underground waterway nearby is filled.
And it continues to gush forth endlessly.
Some even surge into the Zenin family's basement.
Water flows downhill.
The immense volume of water only amplifies this momentum.
Uehara Soma and the others in the water are all caught in the current.
They navigate through the sewer at an incredibly fast pace.
Zenin Mai's eyes widen abruptly.
As a sorcerer, she's encountering such a situation for the first time.
Biwa Juzo remains stable in the water despite the circumstances.
Relying on the unique nature of Water Release ninjutsu, he moves through the watery environment like a nimble fish.
Uehara Soma does the same.
But Zenin Maki's condition becomes dire.
Already severely injured.
"Chase after them!"
Zenin Ogi's expression darkens.
Biwa Juzo sensed the situation behind them and glances back, knowing that even though they're still far away, He and Soma, along with their companions, will be somewhat slowed down.
"Soma, someone's chasing us."
"Can they catch up?"
"Not in the short term, but those two won't hold out for long."
Biwa Juzo is referring to Zenin Mai and Zenin Maki.
"Soma, I'll hold them off."
"Okay, Juzo-senpai, hand them over to me."
"You can handle two people?"
"I can."
"Alright."
Biwa Juzo pushed Zenin Mai towards Uehara Soma's direction.
"Hold on tight to me."
Uehara Soma caught Zenin Mai.
Zenin Mai quickly clung onto him.
Biwa Juzo stopped and looked in the direction where Zenin Ogi and the others are catching up.
"You managed to catch up so quickly in this underwater environment. It seems your strength is indeed not weak. However, for us ninjas, once we take on a mission, we must complete it!"
"Moreover, this is an extremely important mission for the Hidden Mist Village."
"Let me show you the power of the Ninjato that Soma has given me."
Biwa Juzo placed his hand on the hilt of the Blue Rose Sword.
A chilling aura emanated from Biwa Juzo.
Slowly, it seeped out.
Some ice crystals formed around Biwa Juzo.
"Bloom, Blue Rose!"
Biwa Juzo raised his hand forward.
"Swoosh!"
A blast of icy air, like a bullet, shot forward.
And along the path of this bullet, the water, at a visible speed, froze, solidifying into ice, following the direction of the bullet, spreading and advancing.
Zenin Ogi's pupils shrank suddenly.
Because of the freezing of the water near Biwa Juzo, the water that was rushing downwards was directly reversed, causing a huge force that affected Zenin Ogi and the others' movements.
"It's so cold!"
"Is the path ahead... frozen?"
"What kind of technique is this?"
However, Biwa Juzo's attack was not over yet.
"Blue Rose Ice Release: Thousands Senbon!"
Using the power of Blue Rose as a foundation, and combining his Water Release ninjutsu and experience with ninja tools, Biwa Juzo developed a series of ninjutsu simulating ice-based tools.
"Swish!"
"Swish!"
"Swish!"
The sound of ice senbon piercing through the water flow continued incessantly.
Even though Zenin Ogi and the others were Cursed Energy users, they were unable to break free immediately from Biwa Juzo's sudden attack and were instead restrained.
On the other side, Zenin Mai held onto Uehara Soma tightly. But Zenin Maki, already heavily injured, had fallen into unconsciousness.
She involuntarily tried to breathe. Uehara Soma, seeing this, could only raise Zenin Maki's head slightly, bringing it closer, press it tightly, and lend some air from his own lungs to Zenin Maki, preventing her from drowning. Zenin Mai, witnessing this scene, couldn't help but widen her eyes.
"Over here!" A familiar voice echoed.
Uehara Soma immediately took Zenin Mai and Zenin Maki upwards.
"Ao-senpai."
Ao quickly glanced at Zenin Maki and Zenin Mai.
"Soma, where's Juzo?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Biwa Juzo's figure appeared.
Uehara Soma didn't hear the completion sound of the mission, realizing that he probably had to take Zenin Maki and Zenin Mai to a farther place, this place wasn't enough.
"Ao-senpai, Juzo-senpai, we need to go to a more distant location."
"Further? Does that mean they can find us and catch up..."
Ao's eyes flickered as he looked towards the direction of the Zenin family mansion.
While Biwa Juzo directly asked,
"Soma, where are we going?"
"To the sea."
"But what about them..."
"Take this."
Uehara Soma saw several empty barrels by the roadside, the kind used for storing wine, and reached out to take one.
"What's this?"
Zenin Mai hadn't reacted yet when she was stuffed into the wooden barrel.
Along with Zenin Maki.
Both of them weren't too chubby, so being stuffed into the barrel was a bit cramped, but it was manageable.
Moreover, being next to Maki made Mai feel much more at ease.
"Let's go!"
Uehara Soma, along with the Zenin sisters in the barrel, all entered the sewer.
They moved at a very fast pace, following the flow of the water.
Ao used his Byakugan, simultaneously scouting the path ahead and observing the situation behind.
"It seems like someone's catching up."
Biwa Juzo's expression turned serious.
"Then we need to go even faster."
Ao hesitated for a moment before saying,
"A few hundred meters ahead, break through the wall, and we can enter the river."
"I'll do it."
Biwa Juzo immediately formed hand seals.
"Water Release, Water Fang Bullet Jutsu!"
Water condensed into long spears, spinning rapidly one after another.
Then, under Biwa Juzo's control, they were thrown towards the location Ao had mentioned.
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
After a dozen or so consecutive strikes.
"Boom!"
The wall collapsed with a thunderous roar.
A huge gap appeared. The water on both sides swiftly converged.
"Let's go!"
Ao's face darkened slightly "Their distance, it's closer."
Biwa Juzo frowned "I'll hold them off."
"Juzo-senpai, no need."
"Soma?"
Biwa Juzo looked towards Uehara Soma, only to see Uehara Soma pushing the barrel in his hands forward, then rapidly forming hand seals.
"Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu?"
"Yes but no, it's not quite like what you expect"
"Water Release, Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu!"
What Uehara Soma used was indeed the Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu.
However, he made some slight modifications compared to the original Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu.
Fine-tuning.
Different from the original Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu, which emphasizes attack.
At this moment, the Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu used by Uehara Soma emphasized its ability to escape.
When he was learning Water Release from Biwa Juzo before, Uehara Soma had considered this issue.
Apart from Hoshigaki Kisame's Ninjutsu, which he liked a lot, such as the Chakra Absorption Technique, Uehara Soma also liked the Great Shark Bullet Jutsu.
Not only could it be controlled remotely to attack targets.
But it could also envelop the user within it, allowing the user to move at extremely fast speeds.
The Water Shark Bullet series of Ninjutsu is a Secret Jutsu of the Hoshigaki Clan.
Even as a close friend of Hoshigaki Kisame, Uehara Soma couldn't just demand it outright.
Therefore, Uehara Soma came up with another idea.
Since his Water Release talent was so high, instead of creating new Water Release Ninjutsu, could he modify the Water Release Ninjutsu he already knew to some extent?
Uehara Soma's gaze fell on the Water Dragon Bullet Ninjutsu.
Because the Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu itself is a versatile Ninjutsu.
There are ninjas who use the Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu to move, not just by standing directly on the dragon's head.
However, Uehara Soma wasn't satisfied with this.
He wanted to make the Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu more similar to the characteristics of the Great Shark Bullet Jutsu.
Faster speed. More convenient method of carrying. Uehara Soma had thought about this many times.
Continuously comparing the Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu and the Great Shark Bullet Jutsu in his mind. Uehara Soma had quite a few ideas.
And just now, in the flow of water in the sewer, facing the Zenin Clan members who were chasing after them. As well as the two "burdens," Zenin Mai and Zenin Maki. A sudden inspiration flashed through Uehara Soma's mind.
That was when he completed the slight modification to the Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu.
One part was innate talent, one part was understanding, and the remaining part was attributed to the sudden burst of inspiration.
The water dragon appeared, directly enveloping Uehara Soma's figure within it.
The next moment, aiming at the wooden barrel in the water, it opened its mouth wide.
In an instant, it swallowed the barrel whole. Then, all of its strength was focused on swimming. The speed was extremely fast.
Biwa Juzo's eyes showed a surprised expression.
"Is this Soma's own research?"
"Is this what a truly talented ninja looks like?"
But Biwa Juzo didn't have any sourness; he was just surprised by Uehara Soma's performance.
"Juzo, can the Water Dragon Bullet be used like this?"
Ao instinctively asked Biwa Juzo.
Biwa Juzo didn't answer but said,
"Let's catch up and completely shake off those people behind us."
Biwa Juzo and Ao, both extremely powerful Water Release ninjas, without needing to consider Uehara Soma or the Zenin sisters, exerted their full speed, which was not slow at all.
Their figures trailed behind the water dragon.
Following the river.
Gradually, they widened the distance between them and the pursuers from the Zenin family.
Until they entered the sea.
The Zenin family's people couldn't catch up anymore.
A notification sound rang in Uehara Soma's mind.
[Congratulations, host, on completing the mission.]
[Would you like to leave the Dungeon Instance?]
Uehara Soma emerged from the water.
Not far away, a small island came into view.
"Juzo-senpai, Ao-senpai, you can just drop them off on the island."
"I'll do it."
Biwa Juzo lifted the barrel, Chakra condensed under his feet, stepping on the sea surface, walking step by step towards the small island.
Uehara Soma and Ao followed closely behind.
"Bang!"
The barrel opened.
Zenin Mai suddenly stuck her head out, took a deep breath, exhaled, then looked inside the barrel at Zenin Maki and quickly pulled her out.
"Sister?"
Mai confirmed that Maki was still breathing and her heartbeat was normal, then breathed a sigh of relief.
She looked up.
Zenin Mai was about to express her gratitude to Soma and the others.
Only to find out that at this moment, Soma and his two companions had disappeared into thin air.
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