Mizukage's Pokémon Ninja Scroll

Chapter 1 Jianchuan Orange

The Naruto world, Hidden Mist Village, Ninja Academy.

The midday sun seemed to only slightly dispel the fog over the training ground, but it couldn't dispel the chilly atmosphere.

A group of eight- or nine-year-old boys were quietly listening to their Chunin instructors' instructions in the training field.

Since the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, promoted the ninja academy system in Konoha, it has been widely imitated by other ninja villages. However, due to the different atmospheres in each village, significant differences have arisen between the ninja academies.

The knock-off ninja academy in Kirigakure is completely different from the original.

Since the Third Mizukage began implementing the Blood Mist Village policy, the strict hierarchical system among ninjas and the disregard for life have been deeply ingrained in the hearts of everyone in the village.

As the saying goes, "What the superiors do, the subordinates follow," and even the students at the ninja academy who had not yet graduated always had a gloomy look on their faces.

"Midterm practical test, Group 1, Jianchuan Tachibana, vs. Igi Ashito."

After the Chunin instructor finished his long-winded lecture, he finally began to check the roster and read out the first group of combatants, and the tense atmosphere among the students relaxed a little.

"I wonder where Jianchuan Ju got a summoning beast from, and whether its combat skills have improved?"

"Are you kidding me? Ashito has consistently ranked in the top ten in our class's combat tests. What kind of fighting power could that ninja beast, Kenkawa Tachibana, who's barely taller than a calf, possibly have?"

Amidst the students' whispers, a boy with black hair and black eyes, wearing a blue short-sleeved shirt and black ninja-style joggers, strode briskly towards the center of the training field with a cheerful smile.

The boy's handsome and sunny appearance seemed somewhat out of place with the atmosphere of Kirigakure.

But the most peculiar thing was that a light blue frog was perched on the boy's shoulder.

She is only about 30 centimeters tall, but her eyes are unusually large, and she has a ring of bubbles around her neck that look like clouds.

The boy walking towards the center of the field seemed to be whispering something to the little frog.

Seeing that his opponent was still dawdling, the somewhat impatient Igorus man spoke up with a mocking tone.

"Hey, Tachibana Kanagawa! Stop with that fake smile, are you planning to bring this tiny ninja beast up here to die?"

Before Tachibana could respond to the other side's taunts, the Chunin instructor, seeing that both of them were in position, shouted, "You two, get ready!"

Tachibana Kanagawa also stopped smiling, took out a kunai, and looked at the other person seriously.

In Kirigakure, there is no such thing as a seal of opposition or a seal of reconciliation.

Once the test begins, any carelessness or hesitation could cost you your life. Every practical lesson for upperclassmen has a death penalty.

"start"

At the teacher's command, the two rushed towards each other like arrows released from a bow.

However, although both were sprints, their approaches were slightly different.

Igarashi's forward charge is incredibly fast, yet his movements are light and agile, making him appear like a ghost. Simultaneously, he grips a short sword in his left hand, always ready to attack, displaying a distinctly Kirigakure (Hidden Mist) fighting style.

Kenkawa Tachibana's sprint was rather unremarkable.

However, as he sprinted forward, the blue frog on his shoulder lightly kicked its leg and leaped backward, vaguely disappearing behind Jianchuan Ju.

It was obvious that they were planning to launch a surprise attack in coordination with their master.

Jianchuan Tachibana didn't give his opponent much time to think. He burst out with chakra in his legs and accelerated forward, using a kunai to block Igarashi's fierce upward slash with a short sword.

Using the force of the opponent's attack, quickly move to the right to dodge the powerful kick that follows.

As Jianchuan Ju stepped aside, the little frog that had been hiding behind her was naturally revealed.

"Bluey, water gun!"

"Quack! (｀0′)===3"

A jet of water, as thick as an arm, spun rapidly and shot toward the Igorus people.

At the same time, Tachibana Kenkawa also threw out his kunai, aiming straight for Kenkawa's face.

However, faced with such a pincer attack, the Igarashi only slightly opened his right hand, and the short sword drew a perfect semicircle in his palm.

He switched from a backhand to a forehand and delivered a swift downward chop, easily scattering the rapidly approaching water column.

And his right hand subconsciously rose up to block in front of him, precisely catching the kunai less than five centimeters from his cheek.

Without time to think, the two simultaneously raised their feet to kick each other.

"Bang!" x2

After two muffled thuds, the two men who had been kicked once again chose to distance themselves.

After they separated, the two rubbed the spots where the other had kicked them and caught their breath.

Jianchuan Ju remained relatively calm. Although it was a pity that the pincer attack failed, she was well aware of her disadvantage in physical skills before the battle even began.

Lanzi has only recently signed a contract and is far from having a good working relationship with Lanzi.

It would be enough if this attack could gain even a slight advantage.

On the other hand, the Igorus people found that the back of their necks was covered in a fine layer of cold sweat after they moved away.

Actually, all of his actions just now were done subconsciously.

Neither the water jet attack nor the kunai aimed directly at his face were things he was absolutely certain he could stop. Even though he managed to escape, he accidentally cut his right hand while grabbing the kunai.

That guy, Tachibana Kanagawa!

"That's it? This summoning beast's ninjutsu isn't even as powerful as my fist. You're just a bunch of weaklings!!"

Despite his nervousness, the Igorus man stubbornly continued.

Seeing his opponent's expression, Tachibana Kenkawa simply smiled his signature smile and remained silent.

He pulled out another kunai from his ninja tool bag.

"Lanzi, let's go!"

As the two faced off again, the students on the sidelines, who had regained their senses, began to discuss animatedly.

"It seems that Tachibana Kanagawa's ninja beasts are still somewhat useful."

"Not just the ninja beasts, haven't you guys noticed that Tachibana's attacks are much more ferocious than before?"

"I think so. A lot of people have seen this guy training alone after school this past month."

As the surrounding students discussed the situation, the battle on the field became increasingly intense.

The two sides exchanged blows several times in a short period of time.

Although at this point it seems that the two sides are evenly matched.

However, Jianchuan Ju knew that even with Lanzi using water guns to distract the opponent from a distance, he still couldn't defeat the Igarashi people.

Several times during his dodges, his clothes were even torn by his opponent's sharp dagger.

"It seems we still need to stick to the plan."

With that thought in mind, Jianchuan Ju no longer hesitated, and pushed off with his feet again, suddenly widening the distance between them.

At the same time, he reached into his ninja tool pouch with his right hand, as if he wanted to throw a shuriken to distract his opponent.

The Igorus people, naturally, would not stand idly by while their opponents attacked, and threw out three shuriken at an even faster pace.

He pushed off with his feet and strode forward quickly, intending to close the distance and take advantage of his close-combat skills.

Three shuriken, arcing slightly, came hurtling towards them in a triangular formation, blocking any space to dodge.

Jianchuan Ju seemed to be frightened and was struck straight by one of the shuriken.

However, before the Igorus people could even show a joyful expression...

When it was hit, Tachibana Kanagawa exploded into a cloud of white smoke with a "bang".

When the smoke quickly dissipated, it was not Kenkawa Tachibana who appeared.

A short, thick wooden stake, like a sword driven into a hand, suddenly appeared in mid-air.

"A substitution technique?! When did that happen?"

The Igor looked around in slight surprise.

The ordinary substitution technique is, after all, only one of the three basic body techniques.

Not only does it require hand seals to release ninjutsu, but it also requires preparing a substitute wood in advance to predict the attack. To put it bluntly, it is just a crude illusion.

It is usually only used subtly in a duel where there is a huge gap in strength, when the strong are toying with the weak.

I didn't even notice when Tachibana Kenkawa formed hand seals and used a substitute!

Just then, a gust of wind came from behind me.

"What about the back?"

The Igor people didn't have time to think much about it.

With his right foot as a support and his waist exerting force, he unleashed a standard upper backhand slash, aiming to strike the attacker's neck and force them back.

At the same time, he followed up with his left leg as if to kick.

However, the Igor's short sword did not hit its target as expected.

The frog that attacked me was the one that had been squirting water next to me since the beginning!

The blue frog stretched out its tiny white hand, barely bigger than a cat's paw, and was about to slap itself.

At this moment, due to the failure to hear the sound of water and misjudging the incoming target, the short sword's counterattack missed its mark.

It was too late to change tactics.

The Igorus could only forcibly adjust the angle of their side kick.

Because of the last-minute change of tactics, the little frog was only kicked away by a kick that wasn't very powerful.

But none of this matters anymore.

A sharp kunai had silently been placed against the neck of the Igarashi man from behind.

And on the arm holding the kunai, there was a bloodstained shuriken sticking out.

"The winner of the first practical test group is Jianchuan Ju."

[Ding! First victory against a ninja academy student, unlocking the achievement "Lollipop? Here you go!"]

Kanakawa Tachibana naturally ignored the system notification.

He nodded to the Chunin teacher who had spoken, then put away his kunai and walked towards his little frog that had been kicked away.

Seeing that the Chunin instructors had already announced the results, the Igarashi people dared not utter any objections.

In the end, he could only glare resentfully at Jianchuan Ju before returning to his class's line in a somewhat disheveled state.

The outcome of this match was clearly unexpected by all the students watching.

The ninja academy students watching immediately erupted in uproar.

They saw it clearly just now. Just as the Igaru man turned around to attack the blue frog that had ambushed him, the wooden stake that had fallen to the ground behind him suddenly turned into a kanakawa orange with a "bang".

That wooden stake wasn't a substitution technique, but a transformation technique.

The little frog followed the tactics agreed upon before the start of the battle, and immediately attacked when it saw Jianchuan Ju use her transformation skill to attract the enemy's attention.

Finally, Tachibana Kanagawa, dispelling the shuriken still stuck in his hand, charged forward and subdued Igarashi with a kunai, achieving final victory.

"Tachibana Kanagawa actually beat Ashito Igarashi? That summoning beast that looked so weak was actually that useful?"

"Pfft~ Is that how you understand it? No wonder your grades are so bad! Jianchuan's summoned beast is just for restraint, how strong does it need to be?"

"Is that the point? Seriously, performing hand seals with one hand inside a ninja tool pouch is just too ridiculous, isn't it?"

Ignoring her classmates' discussion, Jianchuan Ju comforted the little frog that had just been kicked.

"Lanzi, the timing of your strike was excellent, thanks to you!"

After saying that, Jianchuan Ju put it back on his shoulder, and with a sunny smile back on his face, he walked back to the group.

"Tachibana, how did you manage that last transformation technique?"

A classmate who had a good relationship with Jianchuan Ju immediately went up to him and asked when he saw him return.

Tachibana Kanagawa didn't hold back either, taking out a bandaged bullet from his ninja tool bag and showing it to the other person.

"Some underhanded tricks, like the failed smoke bombs made by the Ninja Tools Division, were later discovered to have an explosion effect that was somewhat similar to the smoke used in the Three Body Technique."

"Just now, I detonated the smoke bomb first, and then formed hand seals and released the transformation technique in the smoke."

"What? A failed smokescreen. Was it just good luck?"

Jianchuan Ju glanced at the other person, returned a smile, and didn't say anything more.

He then took out a bandage and began to bandage his arm.

Despite her injured arm, Tachibana Kanakawa did not intend to go to the infirmary to rest.

After a simple bandage, they prepared to continue watching the next match.

Even though we have won, now is not the time to relax.

"Midterm practical test, Group 2, Zabuza Momochi vs. Nobita."

New author, new book, please offer your guidance.

(End of this chapter)