Two were killed, one escaped, and the mist was left unattended, slowly dissipating.
Thus,
the Daimyō saw the entire process clearly.
"This... what kind of ninjutsu is this?"
He was stunned.
The entire river seemed to surge, with water crashing in all directions.
The others were dumbfounded as well.
They had never witnessed such a ninjutsu.
"It should be an Earth-Style wall."
Minato's mouth twitched slightly.
Although the scale resembled Earth Style: Earth-Style Rampart, the sheer size and force were exaggerated beyond the norm.
"Is that really an Earth-Style wall?"
The Daimyō remained speechless for a long while, his heart filling with awe and admiration.
As expected of the descendant of the Senju Clan!
Forcing the enemy into the open, Jingyi immediately formed hand seals. The surrounding water vapor condensed and, in an instant, formed a Water Dragon.
The Kirigakure jōnin was dumbfounded.
His Hidden Mist Jutsu had been dispersed in an instant, yet the enemy's Water Dragon remained unaffected, charging straight at him.
What the hell?
Who exactly is from Kirigakure here?
Why is his Water Release stronger than mine?!
He couldn't comprehend it.
But there was no time to dwell on such thoughts.
The young man before him was clearly dangerous.
At such a young age, Konoha had nurtured such a monster?
He had to get this information back to the village.
Before the mist had completely cleared, the Kirigakure shinobi dashed away at top speed, hoping to escape.
However—
Not long after his retreat, he sensed something amiss.
An illusion!
He quickly drew a kunai.
Clang!
A crisp metallic clash.
Sure enough, there was a blade!
He was terrified and immediately attempted to dispel the mist completely.
Konoha's reinforcements were appearing.
At this point, he had no intention of fighting Jingyi anymore.
He only wanted to escape and report back.
As he fled, he performed hand seals, landing on the river surface, and slapped it with his palm.
From the water, five sharks leapt forth
Water Release: Five Feeding Sharks.
Jingyi thought of the mangled corpses from earlier.
He knew that Kirigakure had techniques like Self-Destruction Clone Jutsu, but this shinobi probably wouldn't resort to that yet.
"Forget it, the corpse will suffice."
Jingyi abandoned the idea of capturing him alive.
In the next moment, his blade was unsheathed.
A blinding slash.
The Kirigakure shinobi realized it was too late. He immediately submerged himself, trying to block with Water Release: Water Wall.
But it was futile.
The slash cut through both water and riverbed, leaving a temporary vacuum.
Blood dyed the river red as the corpse floated to the surface.
"So strong..."
The Daimyō's eyes gleamed.
He wasn't a shinobi, but even he could sense Jingyi's overwhelming strength.
Such a genius at that age...
If only he could recruit him under his banner...
Many thoughts ran through the Daimyō's mind.
Meanwhile, Minato had already used a shadow clone to assist Yamashiro Aoba, but the two previous corpses were already mangled beyond recognition. Only the one Jingyi killed was intact enough for examination.
Yamashiro Aoba rejoined the team. His summoning crow was still scouting ahead as the group pressed forward.
Jingyi, meanwhile, briefed Minato's clone.
"Their plan was to blow up the bridge and then launch an ambush.
When I crossed the bridge, I detected a subtle chakra signature below it.
Afterward, I found this."
Jingyi presented a detonation tag he had retrieved.
Minato's expression darkened.
All three attackers had scratch marks on their headbands symbols of missing-nin.
But they didn't act like typical rogues.
Someone was clearly orchestrating this, targeting the Daimyō.
"If they had succeeded in killing the Daimyō, the Land of Fire would have plunged into chaos.
In that vacuum, Kirigakure, Iwagakure, and Kumogakure would have seen their chance to strike."
Minato's face was grim.
Konoha was still licking its wounds after the war with Sunagakure; it couldn't handle another war against three major villages.
Wuyin Village was playing a dangerous game.
"Clearly, Wuyin Village has planted deep agents in the Land of Fire for a long time."
Jingyi added.
Though even he suspected this plot couldn't be purely the Third Mizukage's doing.
Without precise information on the Daimyō's location, Wuyin wouldn't have made such a decisive move.
Even the single preserved corpse now held invaluable clues.
"Let's get the corpse back immediately for Anbu to examine.
Maybe there's still some memory residue."
Minato used the Flying Thunder God Technique to instantly teleport the sealed body back to Konoha.
The team resumed their journey.
Along the way, Yamashiro Aoba found traces of more infiltrators.
Jingyi also spotted lurking figures,but they stayed at the edge of his perception, unwilling to engage.
They clearly weren't ordinary spies.
Probably other hidden forces from various villages.
Such was the way of the shinobi world.
Even the movements of the Daimyō couldn't be hidden from other villages.
It was a prelude to war.
Not long after the Third Great Ninja War with Sunagakure had ended, it now seemed likely that Iwagakure and Kirigakure would soon provoke conflict once again.
Once they confirmed no further ambushes after the bridge, the Daimyō ordered a rest stop.
Jingyi and the others complied.
But during this break, the Daimyō requested to see Jingyi.
Jingyi was reluctant.
This Daimyō was still young, appeared gentle, but was rumored to be ambitious.
If not, the Twelve Guardian Ninja wouldn't have existed later on.
I'm no Sarutobi Asuma.
I have no desire to get entangled with him.
Seated inside his palanquin, the Daimyō lifted the curtain.
"Are you a descendant of the Second Hokage?"
"That's right."
Jingyi didn't deny it.
His grandmother once served under Tobirama Senju, and the Kanda clan heirloom was also passed down from him.
"I've always admired the Second Hokage.
Many revere Hashirama, but I believe Tobirama was equally great.
Without him, there would be no Konoha as it is today."
The Daimyō spoke with heartfelt admiration.
He was clearly attempting to foster a closer connection.
Had it been Tsunade before him, he would probably have praised the First Hokage instead.
Jingyi smiled faintly.
"The Senju Clan is no more. Their glory belongs to the past. It has nothing to do with me."
"With strength like yours, perhaps the Senju's glory could be revived through you."
"That depends on Lady Tsunade.
If she desires it, of course, I'll do my part."
Jingyi remained noncommittal.
The Daimyō was silent for a moment before nodding, no longer pressing the subject.
Instead, he casually inquired about Jingyi's age, rank, and past missions, asking for anecdotes to pass the time.
Once rested, the Daimyō ordered the group to move out again.
He did not summon Jingyi afterward.
The mission was under Minato's leadership.
Once back in the village, Jingyi parted ways and took Asuma and the others out for ramen.
Yamashiro Aoba, still a little tense, offered to pay, but Jingyi refused.
He could afford ramen himself.
Asuma, however, was distracted.His thoughts still on Jingyi's earlier conversation with the Daimyō.
What exactly did the teacher and the Daimyō talk about?
I'm so curious!
"Alright, everyone, keep training hard.
Once this mission is over, we might not get much more free time.
Be mentally prepared."
Jingyi stretched lazily.
Asuma thought of his teacher asking him to study the Hiding in Mist Technique.
Combined with today's events...
He had a realization and whispered,
"Sensei, is it going to be the Mist that attacks next?"
"Too early to say.
But...
I'm already feeling restless."