radicalducati Chapter 88 Intermediate Water Magic
Chapter 88 Intermediate Water Magic
country of earth
——Iwagakure Village
The short-statured Tsuchikage Onoki sat on a large chair, several battle reports spread out in front of him, each seemingly soaked in the thick stench of blood.
"Where's Kari?"
"Why didn't he come back by himself?"
Onoki spoke slowly, his voice hoarse yet carrying the weight of a mountain.
The office was deathly silent.
The Iwagakure ANBU member in charge of the report knelt on one knee, his forehead pressed against the cold ground, barely daring to breathe.
"I see."
"They're afraid to come back, aren't they?"
Onoki's voice was icy:
"None of the men he took with him returned, including Sumashi!"
"Overnight, three strongholds that Iwagakure had been cultivating for five years were destroyed!"
"Hundreds of elite ninjas!"
"The village's core Jonin!"
"Supplies stockpiled at the base!"
With each word he spoke, the atmosphere in the office grew increasingly tense.
In the end, the air seemed to solidify into rock, making it hard to breathe.
"Konoha..." Onoki placed his hand on the battle report. "Good Konoha, good... Shadow Guard."
He raised his head, his cloudy eyes burning with a cold, furious rage.
"Order all border troops to enter Level 1 combat readiness!"
"Also, the intelligence squad is to be dispatched immediately. I need information on all members of the Konoha Shadow Guard, especially that brat named Qingwu."
"I want all information about him, from his birth to the present, what he has eaten, what he has said, and who he has been in contact with. I want to know everything."
"Also—tell Huang Tu that he will be in full charge of the village while I'm away."
"Lord Tsuchikage!?" The ANBU looked up in horror and exclaimed, "You're going to personally..."
"Great!" Onoki jumped off the chair and onto the floor.
"Konoha's revenge is so fierce, huh? Hiruzen Sarutobi has honed a fine sword; this time, I'll break it! Ouch!!"
Ōnoki let out a miserable scream, his eyes bulging out.
The ANBU member quickly stood up: "Tsuchikage-sama, your back!"
"..."
Onoki slowly climbed back into his chair. "Go and give the order. It seems I need to rest for two days and won't be able to take action in person for the time being."
The secret service breathed a sigh of relief and was about to leave—
call out!
Another Iwagakure ANBU member appeared in the office. "Tsuchikage-sama, urgent information."
Onoki received the intelligence and quickly finished reading it.
boom!
He slammed his fist on the table: "Wenya! Wenya has been killed!!"
The documents were swept all over the floor.
The two secret agents trembled and knelt on the ground, not daring to make a sound.
Every elite Jonin is a core component of the ninja village.
Moreover, he's a commander-type talent like Wen Ya!
If the loss of Jonin had already made Onoki decide to take action personally, then the death of Bunya... they dared not imagine how far the situation would develop.
However… the two Anbu members didn't understand. Unless it was the Hokage of Konoha who intervened, how could Wenya, who commanded the border garrison,…
"I want to kill—"
Click!
"Ouch--"
In his haste, Onoki's movements were too forceful, triggering his old back problem once again.
However, this time he disregarded everything and declared, "Pass on what I just said: leave all village affairs to Huang Tu!"
The two secret agents dared not ask any further questions, "Yes!!"
Onoki, supporting his aching back, barely made it to the window and turned back to signal to the remaining ANBU member.
"..." The ANBU member was stunned for a moment before he realized what was happening and went over to open the window.
A cold wind blew in.
Onoki's beard and hair flew wildly, but he suddenly floated up into the air, passing through the window and soaring into the sky...
A moment later, the majestic loess arrived at Tuying's office.
"Nonsense! How can we let Father leave the village!"
The secret agents were suffering inside, their mouths agape beneath their masks, unable to utter a single word.
……
Takigakure Village
Shibuki, who had finally found someone her own age to spend time with, didn't leave until late at night.
Qingwu breathed a sigh of relief.
Since waking up, I finally have time to take stock of what I've gained from my battles.
Upon opening the panel, he discovered that the percentage of experience points had already exceeded expectations by a significant margin.
Many Iwa ninja were killed in the battle to eliminate the three Iwagakure strongholds in the Land of Grass.
There was also the subsequent ambush, the pursuit, and most importantly, the killing of Wenya!
"upgrade!"
The command was issued, and a series of upgrade prompts sounded.
【Ding! 】
[Level +1, gain attribute points: Attack +1, Knowledge +1]
【Ding! 】
[Level +1, gain attribute points: Defense +1, Strength +1]
【Ding! 】
【…】
The experience points he gained from the battle ended allowed him to level up to level 30 in one go.
【Ding! 】
[Level 30 reached!]
[Level Reward: Purification (Intermediate Water Magic)]
"Um?"
"The first intermediate-level water spell?"
Qingwu was overjoyed and opened the [Magic Book] to take a look.
【Purification】: Intermediate water-based magic that uses pure magic to dispel all negative statuses on the target, including but not limited to poisons, curses, mind control, and energy erosion.
"Energy erosion?"
Qingwu's first thought was of the "gravity field" he encountered during his previous battle with Iwagakure.
The Iwagakure's Heavy Rock Technique can influence the environment and affect the human body; isn't that just a form of chakra energy erosion?
If we can get rid of the "gravity field" control, then the effect of this newly acquired intermediate spell will be very useful.
"Oh, right!!"
He then thought of Orochimaru, "The effect of magic is to dispel all negative statuses..."
Qingwu reached out and touched the back of her neck.
There is a black mark there, a simplified version of the "Heavenly Curse Mark" left by Orochimaru.
Over the past few months, he tried several methods, including using the upgraded [Healing] to try to remove it, but all of them failed.
Although the curse mark on him never erupted due to the suppression of natural energy.
But he could clearly feel the cold, sticky, and malicious chakra deep within the cursed seal.
This is why he didn't dare to leave the village on his own after gaining the ability to fly, because he wasn't sure when Orochimaru would come knocking on his door.
"Give it a try!"
Qingwu raised his hand, palm facing upwards, and released the intermediate-level water magic he had just acquired.
There was no color, no light, only a pure, transparent energy, like a clear spring, gathering in the palm of the hand.
Without hesitation, he placed his palm on the mark on the back of his neck and gently pressed it down.
"laugh--"
Qingwu felt a burning sensation on the back of his neck, and the sudden pain almost made him cry out.
It's not burning, it's not driving away, it's erasing.
Just as an eraser wipes away pencil marks, just as water washes away stains.
The black curse mark began to disintegrate and dissipate from its edges the moment it came into contact with the purifying energy.
Deep within the cursed seal, Orochimaru's chakra emitted a silent shriek, as if attempting to resist and erode.
However, in the face of intermediate magic that can "dispel all negative statuses," it is like ice and snow meeting the scorching sun, quickly melting away.
Ten seconds later.
The curse mark that had existed for months, keeping Qingwu constantly on guard, completely disappeared.
Qingwu could clearly feel that the "marked feeling" that had been lingering on the back of her neck and was faintly hot had also disappeared.
Orochimaru…
He muttered to himself, "I've pulled your claws out!"