Chapter 19: Possibility! (Please read on)
AI Model: gemini-2.5-flash
"Damn Konoha brat…"
The middle-aged man gritted his teeth.
Xuan Yi snorted lightly, flying up and kicking the middle-aged man unconscious.
Turning his head again, the battle between Sakumo Hatake and the other two had also ended.
There were two corpses beside Uchiha Namiichi, and Xuan Yi saw that his eyes were clearly two-tomoe Sharingan.
There was also a corpse beside Yamanaka En.
There were two beside Sakumo Hatake.
Then footsteps sounded, and Xuan Yi looked over. From the direction of the Village entrance, another Sakumo Hatake walked over, carrying two people.
Eight enemies, no more, no less.
Clearly, Yamanaka En, as a sensory Ninja, had already discovered that the enemies had split into two groups.
So Sakumo Hatake guarded the Village entrance.
Bang!
The two enemies were thrown down by Sakumo Hatake, and then their bodies exploded into smoke with a bang.
It turned out that the Shadow Clone was ambushing there at the Village entrance.
Xuan Yi had thought that the one here was the Shadow Clone.
But a thought flashed through his mind, and he understood.
To be safe, the Sakumo Hatake main body staying here could ensure timely rescue if his subordinates encountered problems.
Especially him, the newcomer.
"Xuan Yi, well done!"
Sakumo Hatake praised with a smile.
Xuan Yi had dealt with two people alone.
One with a sword, and one with Water Release.
And he chose to use a Water Clone from the start, with his main body hidden in the shadows, which was a very good way to respond.
It was precisely because Sakumo Hatake saw this scene that he allowed an enemy to fight Xuan Yi.
Moreover, he saw that Xuan Yi's Swordsmanship was very good.
His Blade Drawing was used exceptionally well, which made his eyes light up.
"My speed was still a bit slow; I didn't avoid that Wind Release."
Xuan Yi said humbly.
Uchiha Namiichi said, "Clones are meant to lure the enemy, aren't they?"
Xuan Yi's performance also made him look at him with new eyes.
He didn't seem like a newcomer fresh out of the academy at all; he was as skilled as a veteran, just like the Ninjutsu he mastered.
"Namiichi, En, you two are responsible for interrogating for information."
"These guys are all Ninja from Air Ninja Village."
Sakumo Hatake said.
Air Ninja Village.
Xuan Yi suddenly understood.
He remembered that this Village seemed to have been destroyed by the Land of Fire during the Second Ninja World War.
Later, it would also attempt to assassinate Danzo, who was attending the Five Kage Summit.
In the movie version, it also attacked Konoha.
And the Zero-Tails… the Zero-Tails!
Xuan Yi's eyelids twitched.
Does Air Ninja Village have the Zero-Tails now?
Could he snatch it and try to become a Zero-Tails Jinchuriki?
Although the Zero-Tails is trash, its Chakra reserves wouldn't be small.
And as an aggregate of dark Chakra, as long as darkness exists, Chakra will be inexhaustible.
Would the Ninja World lack darkness?
As thoughts raced through his mind, Xuan Yi already had an additional plan.
At this moment, Uchiha Namiichi and Yamanaka En had already begun interrogating the captives.
Half an hour later, the interrogation ended, and the three captives were directly executed by Uchiha Namiichi.
Xuan Yi watched without any reaction.
If they weren't killed, were they supposed to be kept for food?
A bonfire was rekindled, and Uchiha Namiichi and Yamanaka En, speaking one after another, relayed the information they had obtained to Sakumo Hatake and Xuan Yi.
"They have another base in the mountains, with thirteen remaining Ninja, but only one Jonin."
"This is just one base of the Air Ninja remnants; they should have other bases, but these three don't know about them."
"This is a trap, deliberately set to lure our Konoha Ninja squad here."
Under normal circumstances, a mission like this would typically not have a powerful individual like Sakumo Hatake present.
It would basically be a Chunin squad.
After all, Konoha's assessment of this mission was only C-rank.
Now the mission clearly needed to be upgraded.
After hearing the intelligence, Sakumo Hatake immediately decided, "We'll rest for the night and enter the mountains tomorrow."
Xuan Yi and the other two nodded in unison: "Yes!"
The night passed without incident.
Early the next morning, after breakfast, the four of them, Xuan Yi, set off into the mountains.
The Air Ninja remnants' base was not hard to find; following the traces left by the eight people from yesterday, they soon found a valley.
Here, a row of wooden houses had been built along a stream.
On one side of the valley, hidden in the bushes, Yamanaka En performed a sensory Ninjutsu. A moment later, he made a hand gesture.
Thirteen people, correct.
Sakumo Hatake nodded, then made a hand gesture to Xuan Yi.
There's still a stream, water attack!
Xuan Yi nodded slightly, then disappeared using the Body Flicker Technique.
Inside the valley.
Xuan Yi landed on the surface of the stream, then spread his hands, forming the "Zai" hand seal, and immediately clasped his hands together.
The water beneath his feet swirled upwards, circling around Xuan Yi's body.
Water from the stream was continuously drawn away, and the momentum grew larger and larger.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Figures shot out from the wooden houses one by one, then landed on the rooftops.
"It's Konoha people!"
The Air Ninja remnants immediately saw the forehead protector Xuan Yi was wearing.
And Xuan Yi waved his hands forward, and the spiraling upward water current immediately surged forward with a rumbling sound.
Water Release: Water Surge!
However, the momentum was like Kisame's Exploding Water Colliding Wave.
Under the impact of the water current, the wooden houses exploded and collapsed.
One by one, the Air Ninja leaped up, then landed on the water's surface.
Just then, fireballs appeared in the air one by one, then smashed down.
"Watch out!"
The Air Ninja cried out in alarm, once again dodging one after another.
Rumble!
The fireballs struck the water's surface, and steam billowed.
And Xuan Yi formed hand seals again.
Zai – Snake – Tiger!
Water surged up, and a water dragon condensed. Accompanied by a roar, it bit an Air Ninja who had leaped up, then the dragon's head swooped down, knocking another Air Ninja flying along with it.
And taking advantage of the billowing steam, two figures, one after another, charged into the crowd.
Leading the way was Sakumo Hatake. Wherever his blazing white blade light passed, Air Ninja fell one by one.
Sakumo Hatake, having killed three people in a row, reached the Air Ninja Jonin, and a dense clanging of metal sounded.
Xuan Yi had no time to worry about the other people's battles; two Air Ninja charged towards him.
In their eyes, this brat was a particularly great threat.
Xuan Yi stood still, his hands forming seals so fast they left afterimages.
Genjutsu: Darkness Technique!
His vision was sealed off. Xuan Yi raised his hand and threw several Shuriken, but they were all blocked.
The two Air Ninja also stopped, standing back-to-back on guard.
Clap, clap, clap!
Xuan Yi ran on the water, then feinted, killing one person first with a Blade Drawing.
The other person felt his companion fall, and immediately became terrified, roaring, "Konoha brat, you bastard, come out!"
"I'll definitely kill you!"
While roaring, he formed hand seals, and a fireball roared out from his mouth.
But it clearly missed.
Xuan Yi closed in, attacking from different directions, but it was a feint.
This made the Air Ninja even more flustered, wildly swinging his sword, allowing Xuan Yi to easily find an opportunity and finish him with a single strike.
He easily killed four people.
And at this point, the battle was also over.
On the wet ground lay corpses one after another.
Yamanaka En walked out of the forest, giving Xuan Yi a thumbs-up.
Xuan Yi smiled, then flicked his sword back into its sheath.
In a watery environment, he could indeed unleash a different kind of fighting power.
If it were a waterless environment, with his Chakra, it would be absolutely impossible to use such a large-scale Water Release.
Well, he could actually use it, but he'd be exhausted after doing so.