Yoru Ryo stood amidst the mist.
"Good thing the Kaguya Clan are battle maniacs and not skilled in perception techniques."
"Otherwise, my Hidden Mist Jutsu wouldn't have been this effective!"
"If this were a similarly ranked ninja with strong sensory abilities, this fight would have been much more difficult!"
After all, without the Hidden Mist Jutsu, he could barely hold his own. And even then, he'd likely be severely injured, with his chakra almost completely drained.
"Alright, it's time to finish him off. Just to be safe, I'll test the waters with a Water Clone first!"
As the saying goes, a centipede dies hard.
Better to be cautious—his life wasn't something to gamble with.
Swish!
The Water Clone dashed forward.
Just as it got close, Kaguya Yanagimura suddenly roared, "I won't fall for that again! The attack must be coming from the opposite direction of the sound!"
"Don't think you can fool me just by distorting the way sound travels!"
Then, under Yoru Ryo's dumbfounded gaze, Kaguya Yanagimura resolutely rushed in the opposite direction of the Water Clone.
Squelch!
The outcome was obvious—he completely missed.
Meanwhile, the Water Clone attacked from behind, launching two water bullets straight into his heart, gravely wounding him.
"You… weren't you supposed to… attack from the opposite… direction of the sound? Why… why aren't you following the script!?"
Kaguya Yanagimura glared at Yoru Ryo, eyes filled with both confusion and fury.
This time, Yoru Ryo had done exactly what was expected—his attack came from the same direction as the sound.
"Well, I didn't expect you to make such a weird choice either!"
"I was planning to use the Water Clone as a frontal decoy while I attacked from behind for a sure kill!"
Yoru Ryo rubbed his nose awkwardly, feeling a little speechless.
Then, without further ado, he delivered the final slash, cutting Kaguya Yanagimura's throat and ending his life. With that, he finally dispersed the Hidden Mist Jutsu.
Maintaining it had drained a lot of chakra!
"Wait, wait, wait… No way, did that kid really just take down a Special Jōnin-level Kaguya Yanagimura!?"
The surrounding Mist Ninjas stared at the lifeless body by Yoru Ryo's feet in disbelief.
"This guy… is he cheating or something?" Juzo Biwa thought to himself.
"What I'm even more concerned about is… he actually managed to cross ranks and kill a Special Jōnin using Hidden Mist Jutsu alone."
"When I was his age, I was probably only half as monstrous as he is…"
Momochi Zabuza frowned, his gaze toward Yoru Ryo turning serious.
He realized—a new genius had emerged!
—
"This gap… is way too big! It's frustrating!"
Ringo Ameyuri tightened her grip on her sword, feeling a sense of helplessness.
"I knew it! That guy wasn't going all out during the graduation exam!"
Suigetsu Hozuki gritted his teeth, unwilling to accept it.
Meanwhile, the Kaguya Clan members were outright furious as they glared at Yoru Ryo.
"You damn brat! Hand over your life!"
In an instant, several figures charged straight at him.
Yoru Ryo had become too much of a threat—he had to be eliminated!
But wanting to kill him? Not on her watch.
Terumi Mei stepped forward.
"Water Release: Water Colliding Wave!"
A massive surge of water roared forth, carrying the force of a thousand tons, sweeping away all the Kaguya Clan members who had rushed at Yoru Ryo.
Splash! Splash! Splash!
Yoru Ryo, of course, didn't miss his chance for some cleanup.
Since they were trying to kill him, there was no reason for him to show any mercy.
Across the battlefield, the Kaguya Clan was losing ground.
Against the entire Mist Village's forces, a single clan was simply too small and weak.
There were too many elite Jōnin in the village—this wasn't a battle the Kaguya could win alone.
They were constantly being pushed back, their defenses collapsing, their situation growing increasingly dire.
…
"Damn you, Yagura Karatachi! You'll die a horrible death!!!"
With a final, venomous curse, the Kaguya Clan met their tragic end.
—
Haah…
Haah…
Haah…
As the battle finally ended, Yoru Ryo slumped to the ground, gasping for breath.
Sweat poured from his head, dripping onto the ground.
He was completely drained—he had not a single drop of chakra left in his body.
And this feeling was seriously unpleasant.
—
"Cluck, cluck, cluck… what's wrong? Is that all you've got, oh great genius of the Hidden Mist?"
Terumi Mei's teasing voice rang out.
But she was just as exhausted—her current condition wasn't much better than his.
Yoru Ryo was so drained that he didn't even have the energy to reply.
Once Sky Armor gave the retreat order, he barely managed to drag his tired body home alongside Terumi Mei.
Then, with great effort, he stripped off his battle-worn clothes and sank into the hot spring.
At this moment—this was the only place that could bring him happiness.
—
Elsewhere…
If there was one thing the Kirigakure Shinobis took away from today's battle, it was this:
A monster had just emerged.
And Terumi Mei's insanely powerful Water Formation Wall had been burned into their memories.
No one had ever seen such an impenetrable defense before—not even the Kaguya Clan could break through it.
"I don't think her Water Formation Wall has ever been breached throughout the entire battle."
"As expected of the ANBU Commander—her strength is enough to make anyone's scalp tingle!" Juzo Biwa muttered to himself.
"Terumi Mei… a candidate for the Fifth Mizukage, huh? Heh, doesn't matter to me."
"As long as she can offer me enough benefits, I wouldn't mind pledging loyalty to a woman."
The fierce-looking Fuguki Suikazan smirked as he spoke.
The others shared similar thoughts.
But one person…
He had his eyes set on something else entirely—Yoru Ryo's Hidden Mist Jutsu.
That person was Momochi Zabuza.
"Most of his achievements today came from his Hidden Mist Jutsu. There's definitely something special about it."
"I have to find a way to visit him… This might be my biggest chance to improve my own strength!"
In the Hidden Mist Village, when it came to mastering the Hidden Mist Jutsu, no one surpassed Zabuza.
His entire reputation had been built on it—along with his Silent Killing Technique.
But today, he had witnessed someone who used it even better than he did.
And that… sparked an intense desire to learn.
—
Meanwhile, in the Mizukage's Office…
"Terumi Mei and Yoru Ryo, huh? What an excellent pair of siblings."
"In that case… we should give Yoru Ryo some 'proper training.'"
Fourth Mizukage Yagura Karatachi spoke with a dangerous smile.
Yuanlong froze for a moment before nodding in understanding.
But deep down, his thoughts were completely different:
"Has the Mizukage gone completely insane!?"
"Instead of rewarding a war hero, he's sending him on even more dangerous missions?"
"This is just going to breed resentment!"
Yuanlong knew exactly what "training" meant in Yagura's vocabulary.
It meant any high-risk mission—no matter how deadly—would be handed to Yoru Ryo.
The more dangerous, the better.
But all this would do…
Was sow distrust, resentment, and unrest.