One-handed Hand Seals

While Minato Namikaze and Yichen were clashing, the Konoha ninja watching the battle had time to chat.

But while the two were facing off, everyone else stood by, holding their breath and watching intently, afraid of making a sound that might disturb the other.

Everyone knows that this standoff won't last long, and the two might clash again at any moment.

As the two confronted each other, their auras locked together, and a chilling atmosphere permeated the surroundings.

Even the Jonin watching from the sidelines couldn't stand the atmosphere anymore.

It wasn't that the two had particularly strong auras, but rather that after what had just happened, everyone understood that if they put themselves in the position of either of the combatants, the only outcome would be death.

The psychological pressure stemming from this fear of life and death being beyond one's control is something most people cannot bear.

If everyone present had Jonin, with unwavering resolve, some might have backed down by now.

Fortunately, just before the weaker Special Jonin were about to collapse, the two moved.

Yichen surprisingly abandoned the advantage of ranged attacks Ninjutsu- type ninja and charged towards each other, just like Minato Namikaze.

Seeing that the two had finally moved, several people in the crowd couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. They had been holding their breath for fear of disturbing each other and almost choked.

These individuals realized their predicament and exchanged wry smiles. Fortunately, the others were not paying attention to them, as they were all focused on the direct confrontation between Yichen and Minato Namikaze.

During their clash, the two drew their preferred weapons; Yichen drew a long sword, Minato Namikaze used an ordinary Kunai.

Seeing that Minato Namikaze hadn't used Special Kunai, Yichen realized that he hadn't mastered the Wind Lightning God yet.

Minato Namikaze saw that Yichen's longsword was just a weapon made of ordinary refined iron, not a weapon made of Chakra Metal, and his heart stirred.

This Yichen is probably not good at close combat, otherwise, given Yichen status and strength, he should have obtained a better quality longsword.

At the very least, the weapons should have been crafted by skilled artisans, not the standard ninja weapons used today.

However, after the exchange, Minato Namikaze changed his mind. Yichen's swordsmanship was not particularly skillful, but the Sword Qi that Yichen occasionally unleashed made Minato Namikaze not dare to be careless.

Being hit by the water line of the Rain Style: Light Rain Jutsu will most likely only result in injury, but being struck by this Sword Qi will either kill or cripple you.

Therefore, Minato Namikaze was relatively cautious in his attacks on Yichen.

Yichen's B-rank Sword Technique is defensive in nature, so although Minato Namikaze had the upper hand with his superior reaction speed and Body Flicker Technique, which far surpassed Yichen's, he couldn't defeat Yichen in a short time.

This is the fighting style that Yichen has developed under Purple Lightning's guidance during this period. He uses B-rank Sword Technique for defense, uses Sword Qi to make up for the lack of attack, and relies on the length advantage of the long sword, where every inch longer makes him stronger.

With both offense and defense, plus the ability to use the Hand Seal Body Flicker, Yichen has developed a fixed set of tactics against close-combat ninjas who do not use swordsmanship.

The First Shinobi War against Minato Namikaze was the first time Yichen used this tactic, and it was very effective.

Although he was severely suppressed by Minato Namikaze, and although Yichen kept using the Body Flicker Technique to retreat, he ultimately managed to hold on.

Upon witnessing this scene, none of the Konoha Jonin could remain calm.

Originally, everyone was still thinking about how to get close to Yichen. Although there weren't many ways, they thought that using Clone Technique or coordinating with teammates to attack from both sides should be hopeful.

As for what to do after they get close, none of them gave it much thought. Instead, they assumed that as close-combat Jonin, they wouldn't be able to handle a Ninjutsu- type ninja at close range.

Reality, however, delivered a slap in the face. Yichen actually unleashed Sword Qi, a divine technique that most sword-wielding Jonin hadn't even mastered, yet a Ninjutsu Ninja could wield it with ease.

The Konoha Jonin, their confidence once again shattered, kept discussing among themselves what to do if they encountered Yichen.

They didn't care whether Yichen could hear them or not; at that moment, everyone just hoped that someone could come up with one or two solutions to dispel this feeling of helplessness.

Unlike the bewildered and confused others, Shibi Aburame Elite Jonin, took a deep breath; his main emotion was shock. Besides Ikura, Iwa ninja actually had such a genius.

"Everyone was fooled by the disguise that Yichen deliberately created."

Before this, Yichen was seen as a strategist by the high-ranking officials of various countries, similar to the Nara Clan of Konoha.

While such talents are important, they are not as highly regarded as true powerhouses.

Therefore, although Yichen received a lot of attention from other countries during his growth, he did not encounter any serious assassination attempts and safely passed through the most dangerous period of a genius.

"Such cunning, such a mature mindset."

Shibi Aburame admired Yichen's ability to conceal his strength and not be burdened by fame. Little did she know that Yichen's tactics were only recently developed.

The two most important components are: the Sword Qi to compensate for insufficient attack power, and combat experience to deal with Elite Jonin- level close-combat ninjas.

These two parts were things Yichen had only recently learned, especially the Sword Qi, which was completely accidental. If he hadn't used Genjutsu to experience the changes in Chuan Kawakita's state of mind up close while helping him comprehend Sword Qi, Yichen estimated that he would never have comprehended Sword Qi in his life.

Yichen was unaware of the immense impact he had had on the Konoha Jonin, and even less aware that in Shibi Aburame's eyes, he was already a cunning and scheming manipulator.

Even if Yichen knew, he would probably still care; how the enemy viewed him was completely unimportant.

Yichen's current state of mind is far less relaxed than it appears to onlookers.

Although Yichen did not suffer any injuries during his close combat with Minato Namikaze, the pressure he faced was unprecedented.

Minato Namikaze was unlike any opponent Yichen had ever faced before. His impression of Yichen was that he was fast; his attack rhythm and frequency were too fast.

If it weren't for the Body Flicker Technique, which gave him a glimmer of hope in dire straits, Yichen would have died long ago.

That's right, Yichen is currently unharmed, but Yichen knows very well that he won't have the chance to get injured. If he's outmatched, the only outcome will be death in battle.

Now, Yichen, who seems to be handling things with ease in the eyes Jonin the Konoha, is facing a crisis.

That is, Minato Namikaze is adapting to Yichen's tactics at a rapid pace, especially Yichen's Body Flicker Technique. At first, Yichen was able to create opportunities to counterattack with the Body Flicker Technique, but now the Body Flicker Technique can only help Yichen temporarily escape Minato Namikaze's fatal blow.

At the beginning, after Yichen used the Body Flicker Technique to create distance between himself and Minato Namikaze, he had a little time to adjust his state.

But now, as soon as Yichen uses the Body Flicker Technique to leave, Minato Namikaze can immediately use the same Body Flicker Technique to get close again.

As the intervals between these events become shorter, Yichen has less and less time to adjust his own state.

I feel like I'm just giving the protagonist experience points. If this continues, Yichen is bound to fail.

Left with no other choice, Yichen had to reveal his Trump Card before Minato Namikaze could.

"Body Flicker Technique." Yichen used Body Flicker Technique to leave Minato Namikaze again, and as expected, Yichen Minato Namikaze followed closely behind using the same Body Flicker Technique.

However, unlike before when he used B-rank Sword Technique for defense, Yichen adopted a new tactic this time.

His right hand, wielding a long sword, continued its defensive posture, while his free left hand began slowly Hand Seals.

It's described as slow, but that's only relative to the speed of Hand Seals at 5.2-5.7 per second.

Yichen's left hand also formed Hand Seals at a speed of 3 seals per second.

Minato Namikaze was startled by Yichen's move. He didn't have time to attack again and immediately threw out the Kunai in his hand while quickly retreating.

Yichen easily deflected the incoming Kunai with his longsword, and continued Hand Seals with his left hand. After six seals, an ordinary stream of water shot towards Minato Namikaze's throat.

As Minato Namikaze retreated, he deftly shifted his body to the side, causing Yichen's Water Style: Water Line Jutsu to miss.

However, taking advantage of this opportunity, Yichen teleported twice at the limit distance, maintaining a distance of 100 meters from Minato Namikaze once again.

The two faced off again.

In the second round of the competition, Yichen was still at a disadvantage. Under Purple Lightning's tutelage, the tactics he had developed over a month of being beaten were surprisingly passive when facing Minato Namikaze.

Moreover, Yichen knew that the reason the two were able to go toe-to-toe earlier was entirely because Minato Namikaze was unfamiliar with his fighting style. If they were to fight again now, Yichen was certain that he would immediately be completely at a disadvantage.

Most importantly, in this round of confrontation, Yichen was forced to reveal his biggest Trump Card by Minato Namikaze in the end— One-handed Hand Seals —only then was he able to escape Minato Namikaze's surprise and gain a precious chance to catch his breath.

Minato Namikaze hasn't revealed a single Trump Card so far. If Yichen hadn't read the original work, he might feel quite self-satisfied.

But Yichen, who had read the original work, knew that Minato Namikaze was definitely not a melee ninja in the usual sense; in the original work, his One-handed Hand Seals were incredibly smooth.

Even if Minato Namikaze isn't at his peak yet, Yichen believes that his Hand Seals are definitely not bad, and even if his speed isn't as good as his, it won't be too much worse.

Although his One-handed Hand Seals looked intimidating, only Yichen himself knew the stringent conditions required to perform them. First of all, the only Ninjutsu Yichen could currently perform with One-handed Hand Seals, besides the Three Basic Jutsu, were the Water Style: Water Line Jutsu and the Water Style: Water Pressure Line Jutsu.

When performed with one hand, both of these Ninjutsu require approximately twice the number of hand seals. For example, the Water Style: Water Line Jutsu only requires 3 hand Hand Seals with both hands, and the Water Style: Water Pressure Line Jutsu only requires 4 hand seals when performed with both hands. However, they require 6 and 8 hand seals respectively when performed with one hand.

In addition, One-handed Hand Seals is much slower, so Yichen doesn't have many tactics at his disposal.

Yichen knew his own situation and that he was at a disadvantage, but the onlookers did not think so.

They only saw Yichen unbelievably perform One-handed Hand Seals, which was a truly divine skill.

With such incredible skill, no one paid attention to how fast Yichen could form One-handed Hand Seals or how powerful his Ninjutsu was.

At this moment, the Konoha ninja completely let go of their thoughts of comparing themselves to Yichen, and their mindset as spectators changed from putting themselves in Minato Namikaze's shoes to becoming true bystanders.

The gap between them and Yichen was simply too great, making it impossible for anyone to even think about comparing them.