"Water Release: Super Exploding Water Shockwave!"
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet!"
"Water Release: Wild Water Wave!"
Ino and her Shadow Clone coordinated seamlessly, unleashing advanced ninja techniques one after another, forcing the exhausted Raiga Kurosuki into a continuous retreat.
Her relentless, stand-and-fight style was effective, though it came at the cost of rapidly depleting her chakra.
Asuma, supporting her Water Release techniques, relied on his Chakra Blade and Wind Release Ninjutsu to engage the battered Raiga Kurosuki. In just four or five exchanges, Asuma had gained the upper hand.
Both were masters of close combat, moving with lightning speed. However, Raiga, weakened from severe blood loss, could no longer keep up with Asuma's pace.
Raiga swung his Thunderswords toward Asuma's neck with his right hand. Asuma swiftly leaned back, kicked off the ground, and before fully rising, delivered a powerful kick to Raiga's ankle.
With a strange cry, Raiga ignored the kick, reversed his grip on the Thunderswords, and thrust it toward Asuma's heart.
Asuma rolled to the side, and with a swift motion of his right hand, he slashed a deep wound across Raiga's left flank, taking advantage of his wide-open defense.
No blood flowed from the wound—Raiga's body was already drained of blood.
"Surrender. You can't win," Asuma said gravely.
"Lose? Win? Are you Konoha ninja still clinging to such narrow-minded views?" Raiga sneered. "I just want to survive!"
Before he could finish, Ino's Water Dragon Bullet crashed into Raiga's back, throwing him off balance. Asuma seized the moment, swinging his blade once more. Raiga's right arm, still clutching the Thunderswords, flew into the air. Dizzy from blood loss, Raiga staggered a few more steps before collapsing face-first into the mud, never to rise again.
"That was tough!" Ino wiped the sweat from her forehead in the distance.
Fighting an elite Jonin with such extensive combat experience was no easy feat. Fortunately, Raiga's madness, combined with Asuma's relentless suppression, had turned the tide. Otherwise, Ino and her team of three would have stood no chance against this lunatic.
Madmen were often harder to deal with than normal people because you could never predict their thoughts.
"Is this guy really the leader of the ronin from the Land of Rivers? Why is he so strong?" Choji was baffled. Throughout the battle, he had barely contributed, and the enemy's overwhelming strength had dealt a heavy blow to his confidence.
Shikamaru clarified for him, "Don't overthink it. If I'm not mistaken, he's a former member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist from Kirigakure. They're an elite force in their village. It's not that we're weak—it's that the enemy is strong."
Ino also comforted the chubby boy, "If it weren't for you running off with that boy Ranmaru, this guy wouldn't have lost his mind. A ninja who loses control of their emotions will inevitably see a significant drop in their strength. I couldn't have run as far as you did. In this battle, you were the key."
Choji, being childlike at heart, immediately perked up. He grinned and asked, "Really? Is that true?"
Asuma and Shikamaru both nodded with a smile. Overjoyed, Choji exclaimed, "Then let's go back to the village and celebrate with some barbecue!" Asuma chuckled dryly, "...Sure."
Returning to the village for a barbecue was just a plan for now. The current issue was how to deal with Raiga Kurosuki and Ranmaru, who were nearby.
The Thunderswords were confiscated immediately. Ino had Water and Earth Chakra Natures, both of which she had developed. Shikamaru had Fire and Earth, with his Fire Nature still in development. Choji only had an undeveloped Fire Nature, while Asuma was proficient in both Fire and Wind Chakra Natures. None of the four had Lightning Chakra Nature.
Kakashi could easily find a place to bury the Executioner's Blade, and the matter would be over without a word. If you asked me where it was buried, I would play dumb and say I didn't know. After all, Naruto and Sasuke wouldn't snitch. However, Asuma couldn't do the same—he couldn't hide the truth from his father.
Asuma lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and said, "We can't use the sword, so it'll definitely be handed over to the village. Don't worry, the village will surely reward us."
Ino felt a bit of regret. The power of the Thunderswords was undeniable, but without Lightning Chakra, she couldn't use them. Currently, she had no plans to learn Lightning Release, nor was she willing to abandon her long-range combat style for close combat. To use the Thunderswords like Raiga—releasing Lightning Release Ninjutsu without forming hand seals—she would likely need to significantly improve her Lightning Release level.
Moreover, the sword was too crucial to Kirigakure. Given the Third Hokage's consistent policy of appeasement, it would undoubtedly be returned unless Ino decided to become a rogue ninja for the sake of the sword. The Thunderswords were taken by Asuma, leaving the issue of how to deal with Raiga Kurosuki and Ranmaru.
"I'll send a message hawk to ask the old man for his opinion," Asuma said as he wrote a letter. Meanwhile, Shikamaru and Choji tied up the unconscious Raiga Kurosuki and Ranmaru.
Raiga Kurosuki had lost an arm, making it impossible for him to form hand seals. Could he perform one-handed seals like Uchiha Itachi or use foot seals like Jiraiya? No offense, but he simply didn't have that skill.
Without the ability to form seals, many ninja techniques would be unusable. Just look at Orochimaru to see how important hands are to a ninja.
Losing an arm meant this ninja was essentially half-crippled.
Asuma, being the son of the Third Hokage, wasn't an expert in sealing techniques, but he knew a bit. He placed a Sealing Technique on Raiga Kurosuki's abdomen, blocking his Chakra Pathways.
Without the ability to use Chakra, form seals, and missing an arm, being tied up like this, it would be a miracle if he could escape.
Ranmaru didn't seem to have much combat ability, but he could block Ino's Sense and disrupt Shikamaru's Shadow Imitation Technique, so he must have some skills.
Shikamaru and Choji were figuring out how to tie up this cute boy.
Ino had no interest in boys. She handed over the seven prisoners from the Black Hoe Clan to Asuma, claiming it was "cleaning up the battlefield," but in reality, she dashed into the Black Hoe Clan's base to loot their gold and treasures.
The Oxalis Mine was a gold mine. These guys used mercury to dissolve the ore and extract gold, clearly a small-scale refining method.
The mine was filled with a pungent smell.
Ino covered her nose and began by ransacking Raiga Kurosuki's room. The guy had collected quite a few Lightning Release Ninjutsu and Water Release Ninjutsu scrolls. Without examining them in detail, she gathered them all.
Within the Black Hoe Clan's stronghold, she found nearly five million in paper currency, along with various jewels, jade, and silk packed into twenty crates. However, she didn't come across much gold. Instead, in a hidden warehouse, she discovered a large pile of empty crates marked with the character for "fire."