With a creak, the door was pushed open, and light seeped in, followed by a shadowy figure entering the room. The figure approached the window, eyes falling on the two people sleeping under the blanket, a murderous intent flashing in their gaze. Holding a dagger in both hands, the moonlight reflected off its cold, chilling blade.
"Die, dogs of the Fire Nation."
The shadow cursed internally, lunging at the two. To ensure success, he had secretly released sleeping smoke in the room, causing the pair to fall into a deep slumber.
Under these circumstances, he easily slit their throats with his dagger. The two, still deep in sleep, didn't resist at all.
But before he could relish his success, a loud bang echoed. White smoke billowed from the bed.
Shadow clones!
In an instant, the bed exploded, wood splinters flying everywhere as icy chains shot out.
The shadow's pupils contracted as he quickly leapt back, his gaze fixed on the smoke, where two figures began to emerge.
As the dust settled, a man and a woman stepped forward.
The man had jet-black hair, and the woman sported blonde hair.
It was none other than Tōshirō and Tsunade.
Tōshirō turned to Tsunade beside him and said, "Told you I was right, didn't I?"
Tsunade glared at the village chief in front of her and demanded sharply, "Why did you attack us?"
"Why? You ninjas from the Fire Nation still have the audacity to ask why?"
Under the cold moonlight, the chief's fish-like face twisted with malice and hostility.
Tōshirō felt baffled. We didn't dig up your family's ancestral graves; why the hateful glare?
Tsunade was about to say something, but Tōshirō raised a hand to stop her, stepping forward. "Let me handle this. I prefer resolving things with reason."
Seeing Tōshirō's confidence, Tsunade hesitated, then nodded, giving him a hopeful look.
The village chief scoffed. "What nonsense are you going to spew now?"
Behind him, a crowd of villagers appeared.
With everyone watching, Tōshirō formed hand seals and immediately unleashed a Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique. The massive flame erupted with a deafening roar, engulfing the area in smoke and scattering debris.
Tsunade was stunned, frozen in place. "Didn't you say you'd resolve this with reason?!"
Unbothered, Tōshirō replied, "I am resolving it with reason. Can't you see they weren't willing to listen? They were acting like unreasonable, quarrelsome women misunderstanding men."
"So the correct approach is to smack some sense into them first. Then we can reason properly."
Tsunade: …
As they exchanged words, a group of grotesque fish-like villagers charged at them, forming an encirclement.
"Annoying pests," Tōshirō muttered. Standing his ground, he manipulated the six icy chains on his shoulders. With a sweeping motion, the chains struck, sending the fishmen flying.
Tsunade, ever the compassionate one, admonished him, "Hey, that's too harsh!"
"Dammit! This guy is too strong!"
The villagers, sprawled on the ground, gnashed their teeth. "Everyone, attack together!"
"You all retreat! I'll handle these two myself," the chief barked.
"Wait, wait! You're making this look like we're the villains here," Tōshirō quipped.
"Water Style: Eight-Tentacle Stream!"
The chief quickly formed seals, and eight water tentacles sprouted from his back, writhing like octopus limbs.
"Hmm, a ninja?"
Tōshirō's playful demeanor shifted. He narrowed his eyes and grew serious, dismissing the icy chains.
This technique of his was still far from perfect. Given the situation, it wasn't the time to test and refine it.
The chief's eight water tentacles lashed out simultaneously.
Tōshirō formed seals, thrusting his arm forward as three icy chains spiraled out. "Ice Chains: Hidden Hand!"
An advanced technique derived from the Ice Chains Jutsu, it bore a resemblance to Orochimaru's Hidden Shadow Snake Hands.
Eight versus three—the chief assumed the advantage was his.
But this illusion was quickly shattered as Tōshirō's three icy chains effortlessly overpowered the water tentacles.
Seeing the chief's shocked expression, Tōshirō smirked smugly. Unless someone is significantly stronger than me, ordinary Water Style techniques are no match for my Ice Style.
While the chief was still reeling, Tsunade leapt high into the air. With her right leg raised, she delivered a devastating downward kick, her momentum fierce and unstoppable.
Heavenly Foot of Pain!
Getting hit by that is no joke, Tōshirō thought, grimacing as he internally complained.
Tsunade, you told me not to go overboard, but here you are, going all out.
Her powerful kick smashed into the ground, creating a massive crater as debris flew everywhere. The dust cleared, revealing the aftermath of her attack.
The chief, having narrowly avoided the blow, was drenched in cold sweat. If that kick had landed, his bones would've surely been shattered. No wonder the Fire Nation…
Sending Two Young Ninjas to Complete the Mission?
This was simply too humiliating.
As these thoughts consumed him, a sense of indignation and shame surged within the village chief. His cheeks puffed like a toad's before he spewed out a torrent of water, which surged forward in crashing waves.
"Ice Release: Ice Rock Dome!"
Tōshirō countered swiftly, stretching his arms outward to form a semicircular ice barrier around himself. The barrier, as solid as stone, held firm against the raging water.
After a brief exchange of blows, the village chief found himself thoroughly overwhelmed. Forced to retreat in disarray, he stumbled back to the nearby sea, vanishing without a trace.
Although Tōshirō failed to capture him, he and Tsunade decided to return to the village to question the remaining villagers about the situation. However, when they arrived, the village was eerily empty, as though everyone had received advance warning and hidden themselves.
Tōshirō and Tsunade exchanged uncertain glances, unsure of what to do next.
Scratching his head, Tōshirō suggested, "Let's head back in the morning and think this through."
Tsunade nodded in agreement.
...
The next day, as the morning sun rose, the two boarded a small boat to leave. However, after sailing for a while, they sensed something was amiss. Acting decisively, they leaped from the boat.
Mid-air, Tōshirō's sharp gaze swept across the ocean surface. His instincts told him that something beneath the waves was waiting for them to land so it could strike.
Before touching down, Tōshirō used Ice Release to freeze a section of the sea, creating a platform for himself and Tsunade to land on.
As Tsunade touched down, she glanced sideways at Tōshirō's face—usually so nonchalant, yet so reliable in battle. Her heart softened, and she couldn't help but think that bringing him along for the mission had been a wise choice.
"They're here," Tōshirō said, breaking her train of thought.
His warning snapped Tsunade back to reality. She scanned the surroundings as countless heads began surfacing, their eyes glinting with hostility.
Splash!
The first fishman leaped out of the water, as if signaling the start of an attack. In an instant, dozens more followed, launching a relentless 360-degree assault.
Expressionless, Tōshirō quickly formed hand seals. From his shoulders, six icy chains emerged and swept around, striking down the fishmen one by one.
The chains' effectiveness was undeniable, yet Tōshirō remained calm, fully aware that these were just appetizers. The true threat was about to reveal itself.
Crack… crack…
The frozen surface beneath them began to split apart. Tōshirō and Tsunade jumped to the sides, their eyes fixed on the cracks below. From beneath the ice, a massive creature broke through.
Its body was a deep green, its lower half resembling a fish while its upper half was humanoid. It had two arms, a protruding dorsal fin, and a face so grotesque that even Tōshirō could only liken it to something from Date 1.
Despite its intimidating appearance, Tōshirō quickly judged that the creature wasn't particularly strong. Its size was its only advantage, far from the level of a tailed beast.
With a glance at each other, Tōshirō and Tsunade devised a quick plan.
Massive size often comes with clumsy movements, Tōshirō reasoned. Exploiting this flaw would be key to their strategy.
Forming a seal, Tōshirō unleashed a Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique. The most effective way to evade this attack would be to dive underwater, which would also set the stage for a sneak attack.
Anticipating this, Tōshirō froze another layer of ice over the water's surface.
As expected, the creature repeated its earlier tactic, attempting to ambush them from below by breaking through the ice. This time, Tōshirō was ready. Dodging the attack, he immediately summoned six ice chains to bind the creature, immobilizing it.
If he had fully mastered this technique, Tōshirō could have frozen the creature entirely, but for now, he left the finishing blow to Tsunade.
With a thunderous boom, Tsunade's punch sent the creature flying, splitting the surrounding seawater and exposing its soft underbelly.
Tōshirō, watching the sheer power of her strike, couldn't help but feel envious. He thought to himself:
Tsunade, the goddess!
Unmatched power!
Leaf's iron wall!
Heaven-cleaving strength!
Tsunade leaped high into the air, her silhouette framed against the sun. Raising her arm, she prepared to deliver a finishing blow to the downed creature.
At that moment, a figure leaped onto the creature's body—it was the village chief. Spreading his arms wide, he blocked her attack.
Tsunade twisted her waist mid-air, flipping backward to land lightly on the water's surface, creating gentle ripples.
"We came here to help you. Why do you keep treating us as enemies?" she demanded, pointing at the village chief.
Tears welled up in his eyes as he cried out, "If you kill it, our village will be completely doomed!"
(End of Chapter)
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