Fulfillment

This tactic had some effect. Yichen, who was pretending to be an enemy and launching a sneak attack, seemed to have not expected Takuya to have this trick up his sleeve. He was unable to change direction immediately and was able to create some distance between himself Takuya.

But Yichen quickly adjusted his forward angle and closed in on Takuya again.

Although Yichen got close again, Takuya realized that the move he had unconsciously used earlier was effective. So he ran forward a few meters and repeated the method. This time he created some distance, but it wasn't as effective as the first time.

Although Yichen, who was prepared, was still left some distance behind by Takuya, he quickly adjusted his direction and chased after him again.

And so, the two chased and fled, circling back and forth on the nearby streets. Each time Takuya changed direction, he could increase the distance between himself and Yichen, but this distance would be quickly closed during the subsequent straight-line sprint.

Constantly threatened with death, Takuya couldn't concentrate on why no patrolling ninja had appeared for so long, or why there wasn't a single person on the surrounding streets.

He focused all his attention on sensing the murderous aura behind him and figuring out how to dodge and weave.

At this moment, Takuya seemed to have returned to his childhood, when he first entered the Ninja Academy. Back then, he quickly discovered his talent for speed, and he spent all the time others spent training on improving his speed. But unfortunately, without professional guidance, Takuya went astray. Although his speed was indeed much faster than his peers, his overall strength was gradually surpassed by those who were originally weaker than him.

Takuya once fell into self-doubt, but his stubborn personality made him persist on his path. Until Yichen pointed out his lack of foundation, after which many of his cultivation practices became less extreme, and he paid more attention to the basics.

Yichen's method was clearly effective; his strength improved rapidly, and he's now considered Chunin.

However, while solidifying his foundation, his special talent gradually faded into obscurity. Although he still had a certain advantage in speed among his peers, he was drifting further and further away from his goal of defeating opponents with speed.

Forced by the murderous intent of the person behind him, Yichen Takuya had no choice but to abandon the shackles that Yi Chen had placed on his heart and begin to look for a way out from some of his childhood ideas.

When he was a child, Takuya had many ideas that he couldn't try because of his physical limitations. Now, under the threat of death, he subconsciously put them into practice.

This put Yichen in a difficult position. Although Yichen could surpass Takuya in speed thanks to his Lightning Release Stimulation Method, he couldn't keep up with Takuya's pace when it came to quick maneuvers. The distance that Takuya had created for him earlier wasn't because Yichen was holding back; he genuinely couldn't keep up. Yichen had only slowed down during the straight-line chase, and hadn't caught up with Takuya immediately.

Now, Takuya is using all sorts of strange and unusual methods, Yichen is gradually falling behind. After all, Yichen is not Taijutsu Ninja known for his speed.

Fortunately, Takuya's state didn't last long. After dozens of consecutive close dodges, Takuya seemed to have found some tricks.

Suddenly, Takuya Si, who was in front of Yichen, shifted to the side again. This shift was not much different from the first one, except that he seemed to have improved his skill. Yichen responded in the same way as before, slightly changing his angle, and then accelerated again to catch up with Takuya's back.

Although he had lost the initiative and Takuya had created some distance between them, Yichen was confident that he could close the distance to Takuya again in the next moment and put the pressure of death on him once more.

However, Yichen miscalculated this time. Unlike the previous single lateral movement, Takuya did not stop after moving a few meters to the left and forward. He actually made two more shifts in succession.

Now, Yichen could no longer maintain close proximity to Takuya; the Lightning Release Stimulation Method could not support Yichen making multiple extreme deviations.

However, the Lightning Release Stimulation Method not working doesn't mean other methods are impossible. At least the Body Flicker Technique works. Yichen had already been able to use the Hand Seal Body Flicker, so when he saw Takuya trying to turn around after creating some distance between them, Yichen quickly circulated his Chakra and used the Body Flicker Technique.

As a result, just as Takuya had finally managed to shake off the enemy and was about to turn around to fight, the enemy suddenly launched an attack and rushed behind him.

Yichen, who had come up behind Takuya, felt a pang of regret. Takuya seemed to have no strength left to deal with his attack. Should he make a move? If he didn't, would he reveal a weakness?

As Yichen stood behind Takuya, hesitating whether to strike Takuya in a way that would injure him but not diminish his attack power, Takuya's reaction once again surprised Yichen.

Takuya truly hadn't expected Yichen to have this trick up his sleeve. Logically speaking, if the enemy had a backup plan, they should have used it long ago when he was desperately dodging earlier. Why wait until now? This is Iwagakure, after all.

However, Takuya's thoughts were clearly not normal at the moment, and he did not realize that something was wrong in time. Stimulated by Yichen's Body Flicker Technique, he almost Hon used the side-shifting technique he had just used.

This time, because he was standing still, this sideways movement didn't provide the speed boost needed for a forward lunge. Normally, Takuya have been able to move far under these circumstances, and Yichen could have killed him with just a little care during his attack.

However, Takuya managed to dodge five times in a row this time. Although each time the distance was not far, the five times combined did indeed evade Yichen's attack range.

Although Yichen is not Taijutsu Ninja, his eyesight is not bad. Although lateral deviation during high-speed movement puts a lot of strain on the body, it is not impossible. Although the triple flash was rare, Yichen could understand the principle behind it.

However, to suddenly dodge five times in a row from a stationary state is incredible. This move is more useful than the Substitution Technique and its effect is comparable to the Hand Seal Body Flicker.

However, after observing closely, Yichen was certain that Takuya had not used the Body Flicker Technique, and Yichen knew very well that Takuya's Body Flicker Technique was far from reaching the level of the No-Seal Technique.

This time, Yichen did not pursue. Firstly, he needed time to process the information he had just received, and secondly, Takuya had reached his limit. After two consecutive overexertions, Takuya's body was in great discomfort. If it weren't for the solid foundation he had laid at Yichen's request, Takuya probably wouldn't even be able to stand up.

Sensing that Yichen was not pursuing, Takuya quickly turned around with somewhat unsteady steps.

Turning around, Takuya saw a Konoha Anbu, who was looking at him with a strange gaze, which puzzled Takuya. He felt something was off; this Konoha Anbu gave him a familiar feeling, and the murderous aura that had been pressing down on him earlier had disappeared.

After a while, Takuya, having calmed down, realized that he had been entangled with this Konoha Anbu for so long, yet not a single Iwa ninja had come, and there had been no movement nearby. This was very abnormal.

Having spent a year in the Anbu, Takuya finally guessed the reason. He tentatively called out, "Teacher Yichen?"

Yichen was pondering the abilities Takuya had just displayed when he heard Zhuo Si call his name, so he reached out and removed his mask.

Upon seeing that it was indeed Yichen behind the mask, Takuya's legs went weak, and he could no longer hold on, collapsing to the ground.

Yichen didn't help Takuya up; instead, he walked over and sat down beside him.

"Don't rush, rest for a while, and then recall what you just learned."

Takuya wasn't stupid. When Yichen appeared, he understood that Yichen was probably testing his strength. This kind of sparring wasn't unprecedented; the only difference was that Yichen hadn't hidden his identity before.

After a long while, Takuya finally came to his senses and asked, "Teacher Yichen, were you testing my strength?"

Yichen nodded, then shook his head, and said, "Yes and no. My purpose is not to test your strength, but to force you to find your own path."

"I previously hoped you could learn the Body Flicker Technique and the Lightning Release Stimulation Method, and follow the path I've walked. With your speed talent, you'll definitely become an excellent ninja. At least in terms of speed, you'll surpass me and most of the village's ninjas."

"But reality proved me wrong. You have your own path, and you shouldn't be bound by the goals I've laid out for you. So I want to put some pressure on you, to let you find your own path under the fear of death."

"That was a good performance. Those last two moves, if you think about them carefully, you should be able to forge a different path."

Takuya was somewhat stunned by Yichen's words. Yichen thought he was thinking about the two moves from before and was about to analyze them for him, but then stopped. Yichen suddenly realized that Takuya's state seemed off; although he didn't show any expression or say anything, his emotions were fluctuating intensely.

Yichen hesitated for a moment, then asked, "What's wrong?"

Takuya lowered his head, rubbed his eyes with his sleeve, and replied softly, "Nothing?"

After a while, Takuya added, "I know my attributes are different from yours, Teacher Yichen. Ogura Saki is the more suitable person to be your disciple. So I thought you would care more about Ogura Saki than me, but now I know I was wrong."

"Teacher Yichen, I'm sorry. I'm useless. I've disappointed you and caused you a lot of trouble."

Yichen was taken aback. To be honest, he didn't know much about the disciples' inner thoughts. He hadn't realized that Takuya was thinking this way before.

Reaching out and patting Takuya on the shoulder, Yichen said, "What are you thinking about? You can actually ask your Tomoko about this. She has three disciples now. Go ask her what she thinks. A teacher's feelings for their disciples are the same. There will be some disappointment, but the worry will definitely outweigh the disappointment."

"Your teacher is helping you improve your skills because she's worried you might encounter danger in the future, not because she's afraid you'll embarrass her." Yichen took the opportunity to give Takuya a pep talk.

Takuya looked up at Yichen, nodded, and then turned his gaze to the end of the street.

Yichen had no idea what the boy was thinking. He was pondering whether to say something more encouraging when he suddenly heard Takuya laugh.

Yichen turned his head to look at him with a questioning gaze, then his gaze froze. Another one?

That's right. Yichen went to great lengths to test Takuya, pushing him to the brink, but couldn't make him transform. Yet, after this bowl of chicken soup, he, like Matsutani Shinya, overcame that hurdle?

Watching Takuya lost in some beautiful fantasy, Yichen sighed inwardly. Well, no matter what, it's a good thing.

At this point, all three members of the Team Two had achieved Yichen's expected goals.