Method!

Hiss...

As they watched the flash of sword light before them, Hirohiko and Yukina felt as if even the night had been split in two. A soundless tearing, like cloth being ripped apart, seemed to echo in their hearts.

So fast!

The next second, their eyes widened slightly as they looked at Chiba, who had swung his sword, and could not help but feel startled.

That sword light had been fast—extremely fast! Even with the perceptive abilities of their Byakugan and Sharingan, they had almost failed to catch it if they were not careful. To anyone else, it would probably have looked as though Chiba's first movement had been to place his hand on the hilt, and then, in the next instant, the sword had already passed through, with the fleeting flash of sword light only appearing afterward.

Faster than Kento's sword!

After their initial surprise, the same thought surfaced in both their minds.

Crack!

At that moment, the pale yellow sphere before Chiba let out a faint sound. One-third of the sphere on Chiba's side suddenly split open, like a mouth with impossibly thin lips parting slightly.

He cut it open! A flash of delight passed through both Hirohiko's and Yukina's eyes.

"So it still won't work?"

But at that moment, Chiba, still holding his sword-swinging posture, sighed. A sigh full of regret drifted over.

It won't work?

The two of them froze.

What? Then, the thin crack running across a third of the pale yellow sphere visibly closed at a speed discernible to the naked eye. In an instant, it became perfectly round and seamless again, as if Chiba's sword strike had missed entirely.

Judging by this blood, I didn't hurt him.

Chiba slowly withdrew his extended hand and carefully sheathed his Ninja Sword. He glanced at the