While chakra levels might determine the outcome of a battle, that's only one factor of it.
Unless there's an absolute crushing of strength, like how Suiren, through a sudden power boost from the Hero's Water, could only manage a draw with Konan.
There was really no need to continue this fight, as it was already a dangerous signal in itself.
Boom! Boom!
Rapid booming sounds continued to echo one after another.
Countless water-style ninjutsu techniques, as if they cost nothing, slammed down in Konan's direction.
At this moment, countless white papers formed a protective shield in front of Konan, used to block Suiren's water-style attacks.
Although these water-style ninjutsu didn't break through the shield formed by the white papers, they still forced Konan to continuously retreat backward.
Behind the shield, Konan's face maintained a calm expression from beginning to end, allowing Suiren to continue his attacks without interruption.
On the other side, Suiren, who was pressing Konan, now had an anxious expression on his face.
Although it seemed on the surface that he had suppressed his opponent, only Suiren knew that he hadn't caused much harm to the woman opposite him.
All ninjutsu attacks were blocked by her, and as for taijutsu, her paper-style jutsu made Suiren afraid to get too close.
If this continued, he would undoubtedly lose!
Suiren's face darkened slightly, and his peripheral vision began to survey his surroundings, obviously wanting to disengage from the battle. As long as he had the "Hero's Water" on him, he could go anywhere except for the five great ninja villages.
At this moment, Suiren's peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of Yuto's direction.
The seven-tails jinchuriki had actually been subdued!
A look of disbelief flashed in Suiren's eyes. No one knew better than him how powerful the seven-tails jinchuriki, Fu, was.
Even though he possessed the "Hero's Water," Suiren had considered fighting Fu.
Comparing chakra with a tailed beast was something only a fool would do.
"Battles between strong fighters are often decided in an instant. You may have the chakra of a strong fighter, but you don't have the heart of one."
"The moment you hesitated, this battle was already over."
Konan's indifferent figure appeared behind Suiren, causing the hairs on his body to stand on end.
Without even turning his head, Suiren quickly mobilized his chakra throughout his body, gathering it toward his back to form a chakra shield-like defense.
At the same time, his body flashed as he shot forward at high speed, trying to escape Konan's attack range.
In the blink of an eye, Suiren had already appeared on the ground dozens of meters away from Konan.
After steadying himself, Suiren turned to look at Konan opposite him, his face somewhat unpleasant as he spoke:
"Why didn't you take action when you had such a good opportunity?"
Konan glanced at Suiren, her gaze falling on the nearby Shigeki:
"There's no need to take action anymore. Rather than asking me, you should ask your village leader."
Hearing Konan's words, Suiren frowned, his eyes filled with disdain as he looked at Shigeki to one side: "What's going on?"
Suddenly seeing the gazes of the two fighters in the middle of battle, Shigeki couldn't help but swallow his saliva.
"With such a cowardly personality, your father actually entrusted the 'Hero's Water' to you. What a waste!"
Seeing the expression on Shigeki's face, Suiren said somewhat impatiently.
"You misunderstood my father! Before he died, he forbade me to tell anyone about this, but now, I have to speak out!"
"The 'Hero's Water' is not some treasure of the Takigakure Village. Its existence only causes the ninja of Takigakure to sacrifice their lives in vain."
Hearing Suiren's mockery, Shigeki's expression changed, and he said excitedly.
"Sacrifice lives? If that's the case, it should be destroyed, not hidden."
Suiren's face showed disbelief, but his eyes slightly softened.
"My father was afraid that if Takigakure was ever truly attacked, the 'Hero's Water' might be the way to save the village, and as the new leader, I would bear this responsibility! Even if it costs me my life!"
Shigeki clenched his fists, looking at Suiren with a serious expression.
Hearing Shigeki's words, Suiren's face stiffened, then turned pale as he looked at Shigeki, his voice somewhat strained:
"You mean that people who consume the 'Hero's Water' will die!"
At this moment, Suiren's face had turned deathly pale.
A slight sound suddenly came from beside Suiren's ear, causing him to quickly turn his head.
When he saw Yuto standing beside him, Suiren's pupils couldn't help but shrink.
When had he appeared? He hadn't noticed at all.
In his current state, someone could actually appear beside him without him even noticing.
What made Suiren even more horrified was that Yuto was now holding the "Hero's Water" that he had been desperately trying to obtain.
Originally, this gourd had been hidden on his person, but now it was in the other person's hands.
Yuto examined the slowly flowing liquid in the transparent gourd, an interesting expression on his face:
"This is something that can increase chakra tenfold? How could there truly be something in this world that comes without a price."
"So-called tenfold chakra increase is nothing more than forcibly stimulating the power within one's body."
Yuto lowered his head to look at Suiren, who had a horrified expression on his face, and said softly:
"And this kind of power probably requires trading one's own life in return."
Suiren quickly reached out to grab the "Hero's Water" in Yuto's hands.
Unfortunately, just as his hand reached halfway, Yuto had already disappeared before his eyes. In the blink of an eye, he appeared beside Konan.
And at this very moment, the dense chakra around Suiren began to show signs of receding.
A sense of weakness he had never felt before appeared in Suiren's heart.
Suiren's body suddenly trembled, and he half-knelt to the ground.
"Hero's Water! I want the Hero's Water!"
Suiren struggled to get to his feet, reaching out in Yuto's direction as he continuously shouted.
Suiren not only clearly felt the chakra in his body disappearing, but his life force was also fading. Only the Hero's Water could sustain his life!
In just a moment, Suiren, who had been so powerful moments ago, fell completely silent.
"Such a thing is indeed a poison, a poison to ninja."
Konan frowned slightly, looking at the transparent gourd in Yuto's hands.
For most ninja, even knowing it meant death, they would probably still want to obtain this power.
"Perhaps, but what I'm more curious about right now is where the liquid in this gourd came from?"
Yuto nodded lightly, looking at Shigeki to one side with a smile.
Feeling Yuto's gaze, Shigeki couldn't help but take several steps back.
"Shigeki! Run, you're no match for him."
A shout came from the side, where Fu, bound by the Black Diamond Seal, shouted toward Shigeki.
Shigeki's body trembled, as if wanting to flee, but when he suddenly saw the villagers bound by Suiren nearby, the fearful expression on Shigeki's face slowly began to fade, then revealing a determined expression.
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