Chapter 142: Breakthrough
Mieko also faced a formidable opponent—Ishimaru, a chunin specializing in Water Release.
Mieko immediately used Body Flicker to appear before him and instantly launched Fire Release: Fireball.
However, Ishimaru easily dodged her attack and countered with Water Release: Wild Water Wave!
He expelled large quantities of foamy bubbles that rushed toward Mieko, forcing her to use Body Flicker to evade.
The parts of the ground covered by these bubbles became extremely slippery.
Mieko tried to Body Flicker behind him, but he sprayed another Wild Water Wave at her, forcing her to dodge again.
She attempted to attack twice more, but both were countered the same way.
Mieko frowned, Body Flickered again, and used Fireball at medium range.
Ishimaru formed hand seals once more, casting the same technique!
In the exchange, his jutsu suppressed Mieko's and extinguished the flames.
At this point, the ground within a thirty-meter radius around him was completely covered in bubbles—extremely slippery!
Mieko noticed this and frowned. She analyzed, He's trying to create battlefield conditions favorable to him. And his chakra reserves are higher than mine, so he can use more jutsu. I need to end this quickly.
Mieko maintained her distance and began attacking with shuriken.
Ishimaru used Wild Water Wave again, but with much less chakra this time, producing only a small amount of bubbles.
However, this was enough to block Mieko's shuriken while further expanding the wet, slippery terrain.
Mieko continuously attacked with shuriken, kunai, and explosive tags. Sometimes she used Fire Release or Earth Release techniques.
But Ishimaru constantly neutralized her weapons and Fire Release with bubbles. As for Earth Release, he simply slid out of range!
Mieko kept her Sharingan active, waiting to cast genjutsu on him.
However, Ishimaru never made eye contact. Then he used Hidden Mist Technique to prevent any genjutsu attempts.
Mieko frowned. Her Sharingan couldn't see through the mist. She continued launching long-range attacks with little success. The stalemate persisted.
Inuzuka Hoka was the only one at a clear disadvantage. He hadn't learned any chakra nature transformations, while his opponent, Mitsumasu, was quite skilled in Water Release.
Mitsumasu maintained distance, constantly attacking Hoka from afar with water bullets.
Although Hoka persevered, both he and his ninken sustained numerous minor injuries.
Nevertheless, Hoka gritted his teeth and continued fighting. He refused to be the first defeated when chunin less than half his age were still holding their own!
Seeing he couldn't defeat his opponent quickly, Mitsumasu also used Hidden Mist Technique.
This was a common escape tactic among Kirigakure ninja—cover the battlefield with dense fog, then decide whether to flee or assassinate!
Inuzuka Hoka used his keen sense of smell to track his opponent and continued fighting.
However, the mist continued spreading across the entire battlefield!
Unlike the others, Renjiro was extremely aggressive. With a flash of Body Flicker, he immediately attacked Kazuki with overwhelming force.
Kazuki barely held on. He countered Renjiro's Water Release with his own Water Release, and Renjiro's Earth Release with Lightning Release.
His entire focus was on stalling Renjiro until one of his subordinates defeated their opponent, allowing them to escape.
However, if the others didn't achieve a breakthrough, it was only a matter of time before he fell to Renjiro.
Meanwhile, Renjiro's shadow clone was at a disadvantage.
The clone couldn't risk taking any hits, so it tried maintaining distance while blocking all attacks.
The clone's opponent, Hayaji, constantly tried to disengage and attack the other chunin, but Renjiro's clone continuously intercepted him.
He attempted using Hidden Mist Technique, but the clone dispelled it every time.
Thus, this matchup also fell into stalemate. Both sides knew that once one ninja achieved victory, the entire situation would reverse.
However, the Kirigakure ninja were under more pressure—they were in Konoha territory.
The stalemate continued until Mitsumasu's Hidden Mist Technique spread to the other battles.
Seeing this, the Kirigakure ninja breathed sighs of relief. They could finally escape.
However, it wasn't easy. Kaito and Renjiro easily dispelled the dense fog and continued their attacks.
They didn't give their opponents any opportunity to use the mist advantageously.
The breakthrough both sides awaited appeared in the battle between Mieko and Ishimaru!
When Mieko noticed another ninja also using Hidden Mist Technique, she realized, They're planning to use the mist to cover their escape!
She gritted her teeth and formed several hand seals, then jumped onto the slippery ground to confront her opponent directly.
As she entered the mist, her leg slipped and she fell.
Ishimaru heard the sound, and a malicious smile crossed his face. He quickly moved toward her.
"Today, an Uchiha prodigy will die by my hand!"
Mieko stood up, maintaining her hand seals. She analyzed, He must have heard me fall. Now I just need to wait for him to come find me!
Ishimaru silently slid across the ground, making almost no sound. He circled around Mieko, preparing to attack from behind.
Despite the Hidden Mist Technique, he wouldn't underestimate her Sharingan.
Mieko didn't feel or hear him at all.
However, when Ishimaru was about five meters behind her, she felt as if her back was about to be struck.
Her constant training with Kaito and Renjiro had made her extremely sensitive to ambushes! She immediately released her jutsu. "Fire Release: Intelligent Hard Work!"
A ring of fire instantly appeared around Mieko. Ishimaru felt the intense heatwave and became alarmed. What did she just do?
He immediately decided to retreat first and attack later. However, before he could move, the flames exploded outward in all directions! They expanded ten meters, engulfing Ishimaru!
The fire burned ferociously! Without any defense, Ishimaru was instantly incinerated!
He screamed in agony. The flames burned his skin and internal organs.
He tried forming hand seals to save himself but slipped midway. His internal organs cooked, his skin charred!
This technique scorched all grass and even the soil within a ten-meter radius, and the mist there dissipated completely.
Mieko's Sharingan saw Ishimaru burned alive, utterly defenseless. His charred corpse collapsed onto the blackened earth.
Mieko took a deep breath. This jutsu had consumed significant chakra. However, she smiled—she'd just provided the breakthrough everyone was waiting for.
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