Chapter 95: Torifū vs. Mū

"After this summit concludes, I will send a Wood Clone with you back to the Land of Wind," Hashirama stated. "That way, Sunagakure will also have forests."

Reto once again clasped his hands in gratitude. Regardless of his true intentions, his heart for his people was aligned with Hashirama's. Thus, Hashirama paid special attention to Reto; he was the only one among the other four Kage that Hashirama could truly converse with. The others were either old men or incredibly arrogant individuals, none of whom could connect with Hashirama.

The two chatted back and forth like this, and soon the other Kage arrived. Their successors followed behind them, each with eyes gleaming with confidence, as if victory was already theirs.

"Alright, since everyone has arrived, let's start today's sparring matches early," Hashirama, as the host, announced. The other Kage naturally agreed, taking their seats in the viewing stands, ready to observe the matches and see whose successor was superior.

Shamon, A, Mū, and Getsuji all stepped onto the field, with Torifū following behind them. Just as everyone was wondering which little kid this was, Hashirama spoke, "This is my disciple, Kumotsuru Torifū. He is still quite young, so I hope everyone will go easy on him."

[T/N: Third Mizukage is unnamed, in this fic he is named Getsuji]

The successors below the stands were somewhat confused by Hashirama's words. Even if he was a disciple, why would a seven-year-old come to spar with them? Wasn't this just sending him to his death? Some even let out faint sneers, perhaps thinking that Konoha Village had experienced a talent gap and no longer had any decent ninja.

Torifū ignored their gazes. After all, talking more was meaningless; in this situation, he just needed to beat them into submission. However, the older generation of ninja on the stands all looked over. They had at least heard of the Kumotsuru clan's renown, even if they hadn't witnessed it themselves. But when had the Kumotsuru clan joined Konoha? And become the Hokage's disciple, no less! This was not good news, but the Kage had already signed the peace treaty, and they were currently in front of the Hokage, so naturally, no one dared to make a move. However, even if they did, they might not be able to kill Torifū, as Torifū had plenty of trump cards.

"Today's sparring matches will have two rounds. The first round is a one-on-one draw."

"The second round is a five-person free-for-all. Anyone who draws a bye in the one-on-one can save their stamina and proceed directly to the second round."

"The final victor of the second round will receive a prize. I hope you all will show your best."

Hashirama announced the rules of the sparring matches on the stage, while those below were already eager to begin, with A being the most excited. He was itching to fight immediately, his entire body restless.

Kagami held the drawing box and walked up to the group. Each person reached in and drew a stick. Torifū flipped his stick over and saw "1" written on it. Everyone else also flipped their drawn sticks, revealing their characters. Torifū and Mū's sticks both had "1" written on them, while Shamon and A had "2." Getsuji seemed to be the luckiest, with "3" on his stick, allowing him to bypass the first battle and proceed directly to the free-for-all with conserved stamina. Getsuji's eyes remained narrowed, and he smiled slightly before turning and walking to the stands to sit down.

Torifū felt his luck wasn't very good today, encountering Mū. Was this a fated showdown? Two people with Kekkei Tota needed to fight to see who was stronger. However, Mū probably wouldn't use Dust Release in such a small-scale match, as that was a ninjutsu that could directly kill people.

Torifū was lost in thought, while Mū remained calm. He didn't know Torifū possessed Kekkei Tota, so he didn't pay much attention to Torifū. He was only disappointed that the man from Kirigakure hadn't shown up; they were the fated rivals.

Just then, Uchiha Kagami said, "Will the contestants who drew '1' please come forward."

Without hesitation, Mū strode forward, and Torifū followed closely behind him. The rest of the people retreated to the stands. On the training ground, Mū and Torifū stood on opposite sides, waiting for the sparring match to begin.

"Begin!"

"Earth Release: Light-Weight Rock Technique!"

The moment Kagami announced the start, Mū flew up from the ground, looking down at Torifū. The Iwagakure Kage's signature ninjutsu, Light-Weight Rock Technique, was one of the few ninjutsu in the Ninja World that allowed a person to fly.

Torifū, whose initiative was stolen, didn't panic. He had already anticipated Mū's move. He also had flying ninjutsu, but he couldn't use it yet. Without any hesitation, Torifū bit his finger, "Summoning Jutsu!"

A thick cloud of white smoke appeared, momentarily obscuring Torifū's situation. A moment later, a crane twice the normal size flew out of the white smoke, carrying Torifū towards Mū! Mū clearly hadn't expected Torifū to react this way, or that he would have such a large flying summoning animal.

"Earth Release: Rock Rain!"

Instantly, small rock fragments condensed around Mū's body, and under Mū's command, they rained down on Torifū. Torifū's hands moved continuously, quickly forming hand signs, "Wind Release: Wind Pressure."

A gentle breeze was exhaled from his mouth, but wherever it swept, the rock fragments immediately succumbed to immense pressure, disintegrating and bursting into fine dust.

"Interesting," Mū said calmly. He seemed to have underestimated this seven-year-old ninja. Torifū said nothing more, but pressed his advantage. Sharp wind blades spewed from his mouth, moving with incredible speed! In a flash of lightning, they cut Mū's throat. However, Mū then disintegrated into a pile of earth, a Substitution Jutsu.

Looking around, Torifū couldn't find any trace of Mū's movements, and the crane Aokumo also didn't detect anything unusual. Torifū knew that Mū had an ability that made his chakra undetectable, which, combined with his Dust Release, was extremely terrifying. Being unable to sense him meant he had to be cautious.

"Water Release: Merciful Rain."

Countless water droplets condensed around Torifū and then fell, like a gentle rain that nourished everything. There was no grand spectacle, seemingly just an ordinary light rain. But unbeknownst to others, every single raindrop was mixed with Torifū's cloud chakra. As long as a raindrop hit something, even just a tiny bit, Torifū could use it to locate his enemy. The range of this rain was extremely wide, covering the entire training ground; Mū would surely be hit. Torifū sat on Aokumo's back, closing his eyes and sensing quietly. In a short while, a smile appeared on his face.

"Found you!"

"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet! Fire Release: Fire Dragon Bullet Jutsu!"

His hand signs were so fast they were almost invisible to the naked eye. Fire and water swirled around him, forming two ferocious water and fire dragons! They roared furiously and attacked the direction he had sensed!