Chapter 120: My inferior horse against their superior horse

The answer was already self-evident.

As ninja cats who also cultivated Yin Release, the gap in the two ninja cats’ spiritual power was enough to explain everything.

In other words.

On that combat power assessment held by the Mist jonin...

The calico cat with the weakest aura was actually "Cat One."

The Yin Release cat with the strongest aura was actually "Cat Three."

And the remaining Yang Release cat was naturally "Cat Two."

The opponent had indeed tampered with the ninja cats’ auras.

Seeing this, a hint of realization appeared in Mizunuki Ryosuke’s eyes.

"Takeda, you go this round."

"Don't have too much psychological pressure."

Mizunuki Ryosuke turned and said to Takeda Yoichi on the side.

"Yes!"

Hearing this, a look of surprise appeared in Takeda Yoichi’s eyes.

He never expected that Mizunuki Ryosuke would actually let him lead the charge.

He had originally thought that Ryosuke would send the stronger Mizunuki Hikohiko and Terumi Mei to the arena.

And it was normal for Takeda Yoichi to think this way; as an ordinary chunin, Takeda Yoichi naturally didn't have the ability to discern the many details in this assessment, which was also due to the difference in thinking brought about by the difference in status and information.

"Takeda."

"Try your best to use what you are good at; remember, don't hold anything back."

Although he knew that the possibility of their side’s "inferior horse," Takeda Yoichi, defeating the opponent’s "superior horse" was extremely slim...

But there is no absolute in a ninja’s battle; examples of the weak defeating the strong are everywhere in the ninja world, and Takeda Yoichi naturally also had the possibility of "creating a miracle."

Ryosuke still secretly gave Takeda Yoichi a hint; as for whether he could comprehend it, it depended on Takeda Yoichi’s own aptitude.

Hearing Mizunuki Ryosuke’s words, a puzzled expression appeared on Takeda Yoichi’s face.

What he was best at?

What he was best at was Fire Release, could it be...

Thinking of this, a hint of enlightenment appeared on Takeda Yoichi’s face.

Subsequently, Takeda Yoichi walked onto the stage with firm steps.

After the contestants from both sides had taken the stage, the Cat Elder, acting as the referee, announced the start of the battle.

Having learned from Nekonosuke’s lesson, this ninja cat with three colors of fur appeared extremely cautious; it did not rush to test Takeda Yoichi, but instead adopted a steady and solid tactic.

In contrast, Takeda Yoichi first used shuriken and other bladed tools to test and feint against the opponent, and with the time delayed by the bladed tools, Takeda Yoichi began to weave hand signs on the spot.

Judging from the complexity of Takeda Yoichi’s hand signs and the time consumed, this was a high-level ninjutsu.

But the moment Takeda Yoichi began to weave hand signs, Mizunuki Ryosuke knew that Takeda Yoichi had already lost.

"Rat-Tiger-Dog-Ox-Rabbit."

Although Takeda Yoichi’s expression was tense, the movements of his hands were not slow at all; such a speed of weaving hand signs was faster than Takeda Yoichi had ever been.

Half a minute later, Takeda Yoichi, having finished weaving dozens of hand signs, raised his hands, and a large amount of heat appeared by his mouth.

Fire Release: Fire Dragon Bullet Jutsu!!

A fire dragon baring its fangs and brandishing its claws was spat out from Takeda Yoichi’s mouth, burning toward the caught-off-guard calico ninja cat on the opposite side.

From Takeda Yoichi’s perspective, the calico ninja cat on the opposite side seemed to have been scared silly, dazed on the spot, seemingly about to be buried in a sea of fire.

Not only that, many ninja cats in the audience couldn't help but retreat after seeing the bursting fireballs.

Fear of fire is a weakness of the ninja cat clan.

It was also the purpose of Mizunuki Ryosuke’s hint to Takeda Yoichi.

"Boom!!!"

The scorching fire dragon collided with the edge of the arena, exploding with sky-high flames.

"Did I win?"

Takeda Yoichi, somewhat exhausted, stood blankly on the spot.

But the next second, a cold glint came from Takeda Yoichi’s neck; he looked down to see sharp claws flashing with a cold light resting on his neck, and they could even cut his throat at any moment.

"I, I lost..."

Subsequently, Takeda Yoichi said somewhat distractedly.

It turned out that the calico ninja cat, which should have been "buried in a sea of fire," had actually appeared behind Takeda Yoichi at this moment; it was the one who had placed its sharp claws before Takeda Yoichi’s neck.

"Yin attribute" is essentially a spiritual attribute.

Most ninjas proficient in the Yin attribute have an advantage over ordinary people in genjutsu.

And what the calico ninja cat was best at happened to be genjutsu.

After the battle began, the calico cat’s caution was not fear of battle, but because it had already begun to cast genjutsu on Takeda Yoichi at that time.

Under the gap in strength, Takeda Yoichi didn't notice it at all.

Therefore, when Takeda Yoichi released the Fire Dragon Bullet, he had already fallen into the calico cat’s genjutsu.

The calico cat in Takeda Yoichi’s eyes was just an illusion.

And at this time, the real calico cat had already arrived behind Takeda Yoichi without any effort.

Even so, the Fire Dragon Bullet released by Takeda Yoichi had brought great pressure to the ninja cats.

If it could have hit this calico cat head-on, it would have inevitably led to victory.

Unfortunately...

No matter how powerful an attack is, it’s useless if it can’t hit anyone.

It could be said to be unexpected, yet within reason.

Among the three squads participating in the trial at this moment, only the ninjas in Ryosuke’s squad possessed the "Fire" attribute.

In Mizunuki Eiro’s team, they were all ninjas of the Mizunuki clan.

As everyone knows, the vast majority of the Mizunuki only possess Wind and Water attributes.

And Hozuki Mangetsu’s side was similar; the three people in the team also did not have the Fire attribute.

Hozuki Mangetsu, who had the passive "Hydrification," was even less likely to have the Fire attribute.

And this was actually normal; the environment of the Land of Water, surrounded by the sea on all sides, naturally created a large number of ninjas possessing Water Release characteristics.

The Fire attribute was inherently a scarce attribute within the Land of Water.

All in all, Ryosuke’s squad was the only squad that could use Fire Release.

Not only was Takeda Yoichi’s attribute Fire, but Terumi Mei and Ryosuke also possessed the Fire attribute.

Takeda Yoichi’s defeat was within expectations.

After Takeda Yoichi left the arena, Mizunuki Ryosuke patted Takeda Yoichi on the shoulder, signaling him not to be discouraged.

To this, Takeda Yoichi only gave a bitter smile.

Afterwards, it was Ryosuke’s squad’s turn to send a member to the arena first.

At this moment, Ryosuke had already used their own "inferior horse" to consume the opponent’s "superior horse."

Taken as a whole, Ryosuke’s squad still had the "superior horse," Mizunuki Hikohiko, and the "medium horse," Terumi Mei.

And the opponent still had the "medium horse," the Yang Release cat, and the "inferior horse," the Yin Release cat.

Takeda Yoichi’s defeat caused Ryosuke’s squad to lose the initiative; at this moment, Ryosuke’s squad still couldn't be said to have a guaranteed win.

(Wang ma de)

If Ryosuke sent Hikohiko to the arena, and the opponent sent their "inferior horse" to fight Hikohiko, it would eventually form a same-level contest between the two sides’ "medium horses."

And in terms of strength, this Yang Release cat of the opponent was slightly stronger than Terumi Mei.

If Terumi Mei were sent to the arena first, she would also potentially face the awkward situation of the opponent directly sending their medium horse.

At that time, it would still be possible to have a draw of two wins and two losses.

Because of the excellence of the same-level combat power, from the perspective of probability, the winning percentage of both sides was no more than fifty-fifty.

After pondering for a second, Ryosuke finally cast his gaze toward Mizunuki Hikohiko.

"Hikohiko, you go this round."

"Be sure to take it down quickly!"

For Mizunuki Hikohiko, Ryosuke’s requirements were naturally not as relaxed as they were when facing Takeda Yoichi.

"Yes, Master!"

"I will definitely bring back the victory."

Hikohiko said in a calm tone, his words full of confidence.

Seeing this, Ryosuke nodded with satisfaction.

As Hikohiko arrived on the stage, the opponent soon sent out a challenger.