C23 I Don't Even Need to Use the Ninja Technique to Kill You!

"Let's head up and secure the high ground first," Master Huo Xuan instructed Chu Koichi.

Chu Koichi gave a slight nod, and together they leapt onto a towering tree. From their elevated position, they surveyed the land below.

"Your setup is quite effective. This dense forest provides excellent cover, and with our forces concealed within, it gives us a significant edge against the ninjas," Master Huo Xuan observed, nodding in approval at Chu Koichi's strategic deployment.

"You're too kind, Master Huo Xuan. In truth, these precautions are unnecessary. With you here, Mizunoki doesn't stand a chance; it's a dead end for him," Chu Koichi replied with a modest smile, careful not to overstep in the presence of Master Huo Xuan.

Master Huo Xuan returned the smile, and a hush fell over the forest.

"They've arrived!"

Roughly fifteen minutes later, the forest erupted in a flurry of movement, followed by the clash of combat.

Clearly, the enemy had made their move.

Yet the commotion was fleeting, lasting only for the duration of seven breaths before the forest was shrouded in deathly silence once more.

"Hmm?"

Chu Koichi's face darkened at the sight, the enemy's strength evidently surpassing his expectations.

In the span of seven breaths, his well-placed allies had been vanquished!

Master Huo Xuan's expression grew grave as he peered into the forest below.

He hadn't anticipated such formidable opposition. Even for him, dispatching those in hiding would require considerable time, certainly more than a mere seven breaths.

Just then, a blue silhouette flashed into view, perching on a tree opposite them, eyes fixed on the pair with a chilling gaze.

The figure was a youth clad in blue, similar in stature to Chu Koichi, yet his demeanor bore a worldly shrewdness, and the energy he radiated was palpably more intense.

This was Mizunoki, Chu Koichi's sworn nemesis.

"Chu Koichi, it's been a while. To think my welcome back would be met with such a grand gesture. Tell me, should I be thanking you, or should I really be thanking you?"

Mizunoki eyed Chu Koichi with scorn.

The kunai in his grip was still smeared with blood, clearly from the person he had just slain.

The forest had fallen eerily silent; those who had been hiding were undoubtedly dead.

Yet Chu Koichi, the talent prized by the Grass Kage, remained composed. He fixed his gaze on Mizunoki and spoke with gravitas.

"Mizunoki, you stand in the sacred grounds of Grass Village, from which you've been banished. Though the magnate hasn't branded you a traitor, you've forfeited any right to be here. By trespassing, you've declared yourself an enemy to all of Grass Village!"

"An enemy of Grass Village? Ha! Chu Koichi, you haven't changed a bit over the years—still so naïve. In this world, might makes right, and the weak are voiceless. Besides, once I've eliminated you all, who's to say I was ever here?"

With a derisive laugh, Mizunoki regarded Chu Koichi with contempt.

"Kill me? Do you truly believe you're capable? Mizunoki, I may not be your equal in combat, but make no mistake—it's not possible for you to take my life."

Chu Koichi returned a cold, dismissive smile.

He then turned to Master Huo Xuan at his side, his confidence swelling.

"Chu Koichi, you're giving yourself too much credit. I am not the same man I once was. These years of life-and-death battles on the front lines have hardened me, unlike you, the greenhouse flower sheltered within the village. You'll never grasp the gulf between us. Now, to kill you, I don't even need to resort to ninja techniques."