Qianyu took the initiative to find the leader of the Hot Spring ninja.
That leader was arguably the strongest ninja present in Yugakure right now—out of both the Hot Spring and Cloud forces.
While there were many ninjas garrisoned in Yugakure, the core fighters from Kumogakure weren't among them.
Compared to other Cloud outposts, the Yugakure location was considered safe.
The Cloud ninjas never imagined Konoha would choose to attack Yugakure instead of the other outposts.
So, while there were many Cloud ninjas in the village, most were chuunin and genin. Only a portion were jounin.
Not a single elite jounin was present.
The Hot Spring leader glared at Qianyu. No words. No wasted motion. His hands flew into seals.
"Water Style: Water Pellet Shot!"
He thrust his palms toward Qianyu. A barrage of high-pressure water bullets shot forth.
Qianyu dodged.
THUD! THUD! THUD! The pellets drilled deep into the earth. Serious power.
Qianyu hurled several kunai in return. Each one carried an explosive tag.
BOOM! The tags detonated. A cloud of dust and debris swallowed the leader.
"Earth Style: Stone Pillar Prison!"
Qianyu finished his own seals. Earthen pillars erupted from the dust, forming a cage to trap the leader.
"Water Style: Water Trumpet!"
But the leader was already airborne. He spat a trumpet-shaped torrent of water down at the ground. The force shattered the rising pillars and surged toward Qianyu.
"Earth Style: Earth-Style Wall!"
A wall of dirt shot up, blocking the rushing water.
Qianyu raised his ninjato, aiming at the figure in the air.
"Thunder Breathing, Fifth Form: Heat Lightning!"
A searing, lightning-shaped slash of pure heat shot skyward.
The leader's eyes narrowed. He'd been watching Qianyu from the sidelines earlier. He knew the score.
This technique was fast. Brutally fast.
In the split second before the heat lightning struck, the leader's hands clapped together.
"Wind Style: Wind Cutter!"
He compressed the air into a blade of wind—and sliced the incoming attack clean in two.
Qianyu's eyes sharpened.
Wind Style. So the leader wasn't just a Water user. His Wind Style seals were faster, smoother than his Water ones.
More proficient in Wind, then.
If it's Wind Style…
"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Technique!"
Qianyu spat a concentrated line of fire. It shot toward the leader like a bullet.
POOF!
The leader vanished in a puff of smoke upon impact. A charred log tumbled to the ground.
Substitution Technique.
Qianyu's Sharingan whirled, scanning the environment.
A kunai shot from the trees.
"Wind Style: Violent Wind Palm!"
From the shadows, the leader clapped his hands again. Compressed air erupted, violently accelerating the kunai's speed.
Qianyu blurred—Body Flicker Technique—evading the projectile.
The moment his feet touched down—
"Thunder Breathing, Fourth Form: Distant Thunder!"
Crackling lightning erupted from his body. He shot forward like a bolt, charging the spot the kunai came from.
His Sharingan locked onto the leader, now standing on a tree branch. He closed the distance in a flash, his blade a silver arc aimed for a lethal slash.
But as the strike connected, the leader's body dissolved into a splash of water.
A Water Clone.
The real leader's voice came from nearby. "Water Style: Water Prison Technique!"
The water from the clone surged, forming a spherical prison around Qianyu.
Hatred burned in the leader's eyes as he looked at the trapped figure. He raised a kunai. "It's over."
He lunged, kunai aimed for the heart.
Inside the water prison, Qianyu brought his ninjato up, horizontal across his chest.
"Thunder Breathing, Sixth Form: Rumble and Flash!"
Lightning exploded outward from him in every direction. Jagged arcs of electricity shattered the water prison. Qianyu blurred backward, putting distance between them once more.
The leader's brow furrowed. "…A lightning-based taijutsu that needs no hand seals. Troublesome."
If Qianyu had needed to form seals inside the prison, the leader was sure he could have finished him. But with no seals? Impossible to predict the release.
His expression grew complex as he stared at the young ninja. "Jounin-level strength at such a young age… Konoha truly has no shortage of geniuses."
The thought was bitter. Why were all the geniuses born in the great villages? A minor village like his would be blessed to produce just one.
And here, in this battle, he'd already counted four from Konoha.
Orochimaru and Jiraiya went without saying.
This black-haired boy was undoubtedly one.
And that blond kid—a step behind this one, but still far ahead of the rest—was another.
Especially this Qianyu. The envy was a physical ache. Mastery of Lightning, Fire, Water, and Earth. The legendary Sharingan. Jounin prowess. So young.
If only such a genius belonged to Yugakure.
If their village had just one powerhouse, someone like Hanzo of the Salamander from Amegakure, they wouldn't be reduced to this—sucking up to a great power just to survive a war.
The Second Shinobi War had turned Amegakure into a battlefield for the Five Great Nations. Yet, with Hanzo, they endured. They survived.
That was how vital a single, powerful shinobi was to a village.
Qianyu's Sharingan remained fixed on the leader.
He'd fallen for it. That kunai was bait. A deliberate clue to the Water Clone's location. The moment Qianyu attacked the clone, the real leader was ready with the Water Prison.
Time to go on the offensive.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
Qianyu channelled chakra, pulling moisture from the air and ground to form a roaring dragon of water. It charged.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
Not to be outdone, the leader conjured his own. Two colossal water dragons collided in mid-air.
A smirk touched Qianyu's lips. He pointed his blade at his own creation.
"Thunder Breathing, Fifth Form: Heat Lightning!"
The searing lightning bolt struck the heart of his water dragon.
CRACKLE!
The dragon lit up, a serpent of churning water and arcing electricity. It slammed into the leader's dragon.
BOOOOM!
Both constructs exploded. A massive shower of water rained down.
The leader's eyes widened in alarm.
Every single droplet was charged with lightning. And there was nowhere to hide.