Mutual Destruction

Chirp, chirp, chirp...

It was as if a thousand birds were crying out. Rising from low to high, the threadlike lightning slowly thickened to the size of a little finger, raging and shooting through the air around Ye Zi. Moments later, a faint scorched smell drifted through the air.

A tingling pain spread throughout Ye Zi's body, making him frown slightly. He immediately realized that the lightning transformed from Chakra was too powerful, to the point that it had charred his cells and skin. He consciously tried to reduce his Chakra output, and the little-finger-thick lightning slowly thinned back to threads. It continuously stimulated every cell in his body without scorching him through excessive energy.

The scorched smell floating through the air made Jiu Xiao realize something. He stared at the strands of lightning wrapped around Ye Zi's body, identical to his own, his eyes filled with nothing but shock.

Using the change in Chakra nature to transform it into lightning, stimulating cells to divide at high speed and thereby activating the body—this ability was not something everyone could master. Even among the Cloud ninja, who excelled at Lightning Release, only some could skillfully use such a technique. The most outstanding among them was, of course, the Raikage of Kumogakure.

Yet the Konoha village brat before him had learned to use it immediately after merely seeing a rough template. Such a reality was simply unbelievable, but the scorched smell that had yet to dissipate forced Jiu Xiao to acknowledge it.

In the short span of roughly ten breaths, he had tried and used the technique, immediately discovered its flaws, and improved it, reaching an almost perfect level. It was terrifying.

At this thought, Jiu Xiao's killing intent surged. Such a junior was far too frightening. He would certainly become a terrifying enemy in the future, and now might be the only chance to kill him easily.

Stimulating cell division can indeed increase speed, but it consumes a huge amount of Chakra. At most, he's only a brat of a ninja, so he definitely doesn't have much Chakra. Even if a swift assault can't kill him, as long as I suppress him and exhaust his Chakra, that'll be enough.

Jiu Xiao thought silently. At this moment, he truly began treating Ye Zi as an opponent on the same level, and he became more serious in every respect.

He did not know how many more Konoha ninja would soon come to reinforce them. Knowing he could no longer delay, Jiu Xiao flashed forward and appeared directly before Ye Zi, the short blade wrapped in lightning stabbing straight at his face.

Ye Zi could see the blade, and his body could react in time. He immediately slipped sideways and evaded the thrust.

Jiu Xiao seemed to have anticipated that Ye Zi would dodge. The instant his thrust missed, he rotated the hilt, turning the blade toward Ye Zi's neck and sweeping it across.

Before the blade arrived, its sharp wind already stung his neck.

The corner of Ye Zi's eye filled with cold glint. He abruptly lowered his head and evaded the blade sweeping toward his neck. Then his arm moved, and his Kunai slashed directly toward Jiu Xiao's wrist. Jiu Xiao's eyes narrowed. He swiftly raised his foot and kicked Ye Zi's wrist aside. Then he spun, borrowing the force of his twisting waist to slash at Ye Zi's side, apparently intending to cleave him in half diagonally from the shoulder.

That slash was fierce and heavy.

Ye Zi reacted quickly, hurriedly adjusting his stance and withdrawing his arm as he raised his Kunai to precisely block the blow. However, the tremendous force transmitted through the blade instantly made his wrist ache.

Ye Zi frowned slightly. For the first time, he realized the difference between a Kunai and a standard weapon. If he had a blade like Jiu Xiao's, then even if his swordsmanship was unfamiliar and he was relatively weak on offense, he could still rely on his excellent reflexes and bodily coordination to defend well against an enemy skilled in swordsmanship.

As things stood, though he had defended against every one of the opponent's attacks, the burden on his wrist was steadily accumulating.

Even if my body can keep up with my reactions, I still can't defeat him?

The unwillingness in his heart vanished in an instant. Ye Zi shoved Jiu Xiao's blade away with force, but the moment the short blade was deflected, it shot toward Ye Zi's face at even greater speed.

Ye Zi's expression changed. He planted his foot on the ground, leaned his head slightly backward, and swiftly leaped back with a step.

Slash!

Blood sprayed!

A deep wound appeared on Ye Zi, running from his chest to his abdomen.

Despite reacting and dodging in time, he still failed to evade the slash.

The smell of blood spread through the silent night. Ye Zi endured the pain and staggered backward. The damage from that slash was enough to leave him completely overwhelmed in the attacks that followed.

How can I win? What can I do to win?

A mad light flickered in Ye Zi's eyes. His vision focused on Jiu Xiao and the bloodstained short blade in his hand. Faced with an enemy who crushed him in every respect, how could he possibly win?

No. There was no chance of victory. None!

The only advantage he could gain... was to use his body to die together with him.

Is this the only way...? Is this really the only way?

A pale curve appeared at the corner of Ye Zi's lips. The madness in his eyes grew more intense, but beneath that madness was a powerful unwillingness.

"I won."

Jiu Xiao coldly looked at the long, horribly deep wound across Ye Zi's chest and let out a slight breath of relief. Then his eyes trembled faintly. Only now did he realize that he had actually relaxed slightly after an attack that decided victory or defeat—for the sake of a brat...

He raised his head slightly and drew a deep breath. Relying on a short blade, he had walked over the corpses of countless formidable enemies to reach this point, yet he had never felt this way before. For an instant, a fleeting pang of unease blurred past, almost like an illusion.

"No matter what, killing him is enough."

Jiu Xiao stopped for a moment. The lightning surging across his body intensified several times, and the strands of lightning leaping over his short blade grew thicker.

Sizzle!

A faint hiss sounded in the air.

Jiu Xiao vanished in an instant. The next second, he had already appeared before Ye Zi. This was the speed he had erupted with after exhausting all his remaining Chakra. He did not believe that Ye Zi, gravely wounded, could evade it this time. However, he did not know that Ye Zi had never intended to dodge this time.

The blue lightning shone like daylight, reflected deep in Ye Zi's madness-filled eyes. The short blade wrapped in lightning easily pierced his left chest—the location of his heart.

The feeling of the sharp blade effortlessly penetrating his body traveled from the knife into Jiu Xiao's palm. He was almost pressed against Ye Zi's body, a cruel smile appearing at the corners of his mouth.

"Go to hell."

The cold whisper slowly reached Ye Zi's ears. His expression twisted slightly, and his lips trembled faintly.

You're the one going to hell...

Pfft!

The pleased expression slowly spreading across Jiu Xiao's face suddenly froze. Pain from his heart brought a moment of fear and disbelief.

Before he could investigate the question that had surfaced in his mind, he let out a howl and used the last of his undissipated strength to kick Ye Zi.

Ye Zi was sent flying backward. As the blade piercing his body was pulled free, it caused a second injury. The intense pain made him cry out in midair, but even so, he never released the Kunai that had slid out from Jiu Xiao's heart.

Bang!

His battered body slammed into a tree trunk. After remaining suspended for a second, he slowly slid to the ground, leaving a thick, vivid smear of blood on the trunk.

"You... How is this possible?!"

The strength rapidly drained from Jiu Xiao's entire body like a receding tide. He glanced at the blood gushing from the left side of his chest. Then, in the final moment before darkness consumed his vision, he looked at Ye Zi, who sat slumped against the tree trunk with his head lowered and the Kunai clutched in his hand.

I actually... after having victory within my grasp, got dragged to hell by a brat?

The doubt in his eyes instantly froze. His sturdy body crashed heavily onto the grass, and within a few breaths, bright-red blood dyed the lush green blades scarlet.

Ye Zi lowered his head, then looked up ahead. He happened to see the unwillingness and confusion filling Jiu Xiao's face before death, and gave a silent laugh.

"My heart isn't on the left... I won."

Blood continued to pour from his wound. With injuries like these, no matter how strong his constitution was, he would die cleanly and decisively before long.

Although he had won in the end, he still had to face death.

As he felt his strength gradually disappearing and weakness clinging to his limbs like a bone-eating parasite, he seemed to clearly sense the despair of the cells within his body and the fading of his life force.

Deep sorrow appeared on Ye Zi's face...

"I don't want to die. I can't die. I can't die..."

The aura of death drew closer and closer, as if pressing down on the surrounding air and making it increasingly difficult to breathe.

His frenzied will to survive occupied every corner of his mind.

"I can't die, I can't die, I can't die...!"

Ye Zi slowly raised his bloodstained Kunai and suddenly looked at his arm. The last remaining glimmer of hope flickered in his eyes.

Cut off the flesh and eat it.

This thought had been produced instinctively beneath the aura of approaching death. It was the plank Ye Zi, drowning in despair, could cling to in the vast ocean.

Using the strength he had left, Ye Zi sliced away a large piece of flesh. His faintly trembling face moved closer. Without chewing, he directly swallowed the large piece of flesh clinging to his arm. Then he lost all his strength, and darkness consumed everything.

Minato and Kushina, who had hurried over with Minato carrying Kushina in his arms, happened to see Ye Zi sitting against the tree trunk from far away, his head suddenly lolling to one side.

That movement instantly struck at both their hearts.