Be Ruthless with Yourself to Survive

"Since you won't choose, I'll choose for you. The throat it is!"

As soon as he spoke, the sound of something slicing through the air came from somewhere, yet its direction was impossible to pinpoint.

Without sensory abilities, he was practically fish on a chopping block, able only to react passively.

"Damn it, I'm not admitting defeat so easily!"

He tightened his grip on his longsword. He refused to believe that Ye Liangnai could get close without him noticing.

"Hiss!"

All of a sudden, he sensed an intense danger from his left.

A dark shadow also appeared on his left, and he immediately swung his sword at it.

"Slash!"

The shadow was cleaved in two, but his expression immediately changed. That had not felt like cutting through flesh.

"Wrong. I'm behind you!"

A white blade brutally pierced through his chest.

But just as Ye Liangnai was about to pull out his blade and retreat, his expression changed instantly.

His blade was stuck!

Without a second thought, he hurriedly formed Hand Seals, but he was still a step too late.

"Water Release: Water Prison Technique!"

A massive surge of water enveloped both of them.

Ye Liangnai felt his body become restrained, and the Mist Concealment Technique was interrupted as well.

Youkou Mitsuda turned to face Ye Liangnai and smiled. "The Mist Concealment Technique isn't invincible, brat. I win!"

With that, he stabbed his blade through Ye Liangnai's chest.

Yet just as his blade pierced Ye Liangnai's chest, Ye Liangnai suddenly shouted, "Binding Technique!"

It turned out that the technique Ye Liangnai had formed Hand Seals for earlier but had not released was the Binding Technique.

Ye Liangnai's speed had saved him once again!

Youkou Mitsuda felt a powerful force rapidly invade his mind.

His body instantly froze, and the Water Prison lost control and dispersed at once.

A chill ran through Youkou Mitsuda's heart. How could Ye Liangnai cast a genjutsu without forming Hand Seals?

Truly terrifying!

He immediately prepared to unleash all his Chakra and break through the genjutsu.

It was only the Binding Technique. It could not restrain him!

But—

"Why is it so hard to break through?!"

Before, whenever he was hit by this move, he only needed to unleash his Chakra to break free.

Yet today, it had only weakened the effect by half.

And Ye Liangnai had already closed in, slashing open his carotid artery with a kunai.

"No!!!"

Youkou Mitsuda cried out in despair.

But the Binding Technique was still in effect. He could only watch blood gush from his neck as his life rapidly slipped away.

"Urgh!"

But Ye Liangnai had no time to concern himself with him.

He was in terrible condition. The wound in his chest had cost him half his life.

Even his vision was beginning to blur!

This... is bad. I might... die here!

Looking at the blood that would not stop flowing from his chest, Ye Liangnai gritted his teeth.

Then, he actually pulled out a needle and thread from his ninja tool pouch.

"Hiss!"

The instant the needle pierced his flesh, the raw pain seemed to bore into his bones and pierce his soul.

Ye Liangnai's body trembled violently.

But short pain was better than prolonged pain.

Enduring the intense agony, Ye Liangnai steadied his trembling arm and crudely stitched the wound shut with the needle and thread.

"Cough, cough!"

By the time he finished, Ye Liangnai looked as if he had been pulled out of water, drenched in cold sweat.

His face was extremely pale, but fortunately, the dizziness from blood loss had eased considerably.

"How ruthless!"

That was Eagle and White Wolf's assessment of Ye Liangnai.

Stitching up a wound while still alive was not something an ordinary person could do.

This guy's ability to make snap judgments is truly incredible, Tian Jia thought as he assessed Ye Liangnai.

The instant his longsword had become stuck, he had immediately responded.

Such a calm mind was truly frightening.

Tian Jia knew he could not have done the same.

If it had been him today, he would definitely have fallen into Youkou Mitsuda's hands because of a momentary panic!

Yet Ye Liangnai had successfully killed the enemy instead.

"And that terrifying endurance... The pain of stitching up a wound must be comparable to having all ten fingers connected to the heart!"

"Though it can only hold for two days, and further treatment will be necessary after that, or he'll die from infection!"

"But this is undoubtedly the best solution for now."

"Such decisive ruthlessness... He's truly a chilling subordinate!"

Tian Jia could not help but feel a trace of admiration for Ye Liangnai.

"That guy actually killed Youkou Mitsuda? This has to be fake!"

Asakura Iori and Nobuyuki Suke both shuddered at the sight.

That was Youkou Mitsuda, a missing-nin designated A-rank.

Even in the entire ninja world, he was a notable figure.

Yet he had been killed by a brat like Ye Liangnai. It was far too unreal.

Run!

The same thought arose in both their minds.

Not to mention Tian Jia, who was watching them like a tiger from the side without making a move.

Even Ye Liangnai alone was an enemy capable of posing a tremendous threat to them.

A fierce tiger might be severely injured, but it still could not be underestimated.

"Don't even think about running!"

Eagle and White Wolf shouted at the same time, "Watch our ultimate move!"

"Water Release: Water Pool!"

After Eagle formed Hand Seals and slammed his palm onto the ground, a watery vortex appeared beneath Asakura Iori and Nobuyuki Suke's feet.

Their bodies immediately sank, as though they were being swallowed into it.

"Not good!"

Both cried out at once and began forming Hand Seals to stop it.

"I won't let you get away with it—Water Release: Water Fang Bullet!"

Two sharp streams of water shaped like fangs emerged from the vortex behind them and pierced through both their chests.

Yet the two immediately turned into streams of water. They had only been Water Clones.

"You think childish ninjutsu like that can keep us here? Keep dreaming, little brats!"

Asakura Iori and Nobuyuki Suke appeared at the entrance to the forest and said smugly.

"Don't run!"

"We won't let you escape!"

Eagle and White Wolf's expressions changed drastically. They shouted and immediately rushed after them.

But the distance was simply too great. It was already too late.

"Hahaha, give it up!"

Seeing this, the two could not help but laugh. Just as they turned to leave—

Two icy flashes of light rapidly grew larger in their eyes before streaking past them.

"Multi-Hawk Flash!"

Behind them, Ye Liangnai sheathed his blade and said coldly.

"Slash!"

Blood immediately gushed from both their necks.

Ye Liangnai, meanwhile, spat out another mouthful of blood and collapsed to his knees.

Using such a high-intensity technique while severely wounded only worsened his injuries!

"Nicely done, Cold Light!"

Tian Jia praised him, then looked at Eagle and White Wolf. "Learn from him, understand?"

"You couldn't even catch two B-rank missing-nin. Your performance is truly disappointing!"

The two could only nod in acknowledgment, though their gazes were somewhat unfriendly.

Ye Liangnai had stolen their kills, and they still had to thank him for it. It was truly stifling!

"Clean up the battlefield and leave quickly. It'll be troublesome if the Cloud Ninja arrive!"

After Tian Jia collected the heads of Asakura Iori and the other two, he led the team away in haste.