Power

In just a few exchanges, he killed two Iwagakure ninja, casting a heavy pressure on the others and making them realize a profound truth once again: in the world of ninja, age could never be a measure of one's strength.

"Earth Release, Rock Fist Technique."

An Iwagakure ninja appeared behind Ye Zi, his rock-encased fist slamming towards the back of Ye Zi's head.

The wind howled behind him, but Ye Zi acted as if he hadn't noticed, tilting his head slightly to look at Haihara, who was watching the courtyard from the second floor of the building.

Just as the rock fist was about to hit, he swung his sword backward with one hand. A flash of lightning, and Raiya, crackling with electricity, easily tore the rock-encased arm in half.

The Iwagakure ninja's charge stopped abruptly. He stared blankly at his severed arm, and only after a long moment did the intense pain hit him, causing him to cry out. The next second, another flash of lightning streaked across his neck, silencing his scream.

Witnessing this, the remaining Iwagakure ninja froze as if petrified, standing motionless.

On the second floor, Haihara's hand gripping the sword hilt tightened slightly. His now calm heart began to stir again because of Ye Zi; he felt threatened.

Two people stood beside him, a man and a woman: Tsuchiya Sanzo's students, Dick and Unohana.

Dick looked down at Ye Zi with a serious expression. This person, the same age as him, possessed terrifying speed, and his lightning-infused sword was simply the bane of Earth Release.

"Daiyan, you're responsible for immobilizing him," Dick shouted to a sturdy-looking young boy below the second floor.

This boy was also one of Tsuchiya Sanzo's students, the one who had used Rock Tomb to force Ye Zi to jump into the air to dodge.

Hearing Dick's words, Daiyan nodded heavily.

"Unohana, the Daimyo is yours," Dick said, turning to Unohana.

Unohana fiddled with the short hair at her forehead, not answering immediately. Her gaze remained fixed on Ye Zi. After a moment, she slowly nodded and said faintly, "Our mission is to protect the Daimyo, so we should choose to retreat rather than attack. But I know you won't choose to retreat, so do as you please. However, if you start losing, I'll take the Daimyo and leave immediately."

Dick glanced at her silently and leaped down from the second floor without a word.

Watching Dick head towards Ye Zi, Unohana's fingers moved faster through her hair. She suddenly plucked a few strands, blew them towards her mouth, and the strands slowly floated into the air.

"Facing an enemy like that, where does he get his confidence..."

She looked at Ye Zi, enveloped in lightning, and sighed softly. Turning to Haihara, she said calmly, "Prepare to escape at any moment."

Given the current situation, retreating with Haihara was the best option. As long as Ye Zi could be held off, by the time the outer forces of the Land of Ash converged, not only would Haihara be absolutely safe, but they might even be able to capture the enemy. However, she knew Dick, so she didn't even feel like trying to persuade him, only hoping that Dick and Daiyan wouldn't lose too quickly.

Hearing Unohana's words, Haihara's expression faltered. He couldn't understand why Unohana was so certain that so many people couldn't stop a single Konoha ninja, even if that ninja was very strong.

"If Dick and Daiyan can't defeat that Konoha ninja, what about adding me?"

Unohana glanced at Haihara and replied coldly, "If you add me, the win rate won't be zero, but your death rate will increase."

Haihara fell silent upon hearing this, his grip on his sword hilt tightening. He was a ninja too, not entirely without the ability to resist.

In the courtyard, Ye Zi, relying on his speed and the lightning that countered Earth Release, quickly killed several more Iwagakure ninja. At the same time, he noticed two individuals with ill intentions: Daiyan and Dick. One of them was the one who had initially used Rock Tomb against him.

Compared to the Iwagakure ninja he had killed earlier, these two, despite being around his age, gave him a sense of not being weak.

Daiyan silently watched Ye Zi weave through the courtyard, a look of admiration involuntarily appearing in his eyes. His speed was truly incredible. In Iwagakure, known for its taijutsu and defense, it would be hard to find many faster than this young man. It was hard to believe this boy was the same age as him.

However...

"Earth Release, Yomi Marsh!"

Daiyan formed hand seals and slammed his palm onto the ground. The courtyard, which had turned into scorched earth, instantly transformed into a muddy swamp.

"This move again!"

Ye Zi immediately stopped moving, condensing a fixed amount of chakra in his feet, allowing him to stand on the mud without sinking.

Dick and Daiyan exchanged a look and nodded at each other.

"Earth Release, Mud Ball Barrage!"

Dick formed a few hand seals, clasped his hands together, and with a cold shout, mud balls erupted from the swamp and flew towards Ye Zi.

At the same time, two other Iwagakure ninja used the Earth Dragon Bullet Technique on Ye Zi, two dragon heads opening their bloody maws to bite at him.

Ye Zi moved his feet, preparing to dodge to the right, but a strong suction suddenly came from beneath his feet, preventing him from moving for the first moment.

His heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively looked at Daiyan's palm, which was still pressed against the ground.

Seeing the mud balls and earth dragons about to reach him, Ye Zi had no choice but to waste chakra to defend against this wave of attacks.

"Fire Release, Great Fireball Technique!"

Ye Zi spat out a massive fireball from his mouth, its scorching heat incinerating the earth dragons and mud balls into nothingness.

Then, he unleashed a burst of chakra beneath his feet, breaking free from the suction of the swamp. He immediately charged towards the two Iwagakure ninja, and before they could react, Raiya slashed left and right, ending their lives.

Passing through the two fallen ninja, Ye Zi pulled a Soldier Pill from his ninja pouch and swallowed it. Maintaining lightning release for extended periods consumed a lot of chakra and stamina. With his current chakra reserves, the lightning shroud couldn't last much longer, and the remaining enemies seemed quite formidable.

"No choice, I just have to grit my teeth and endure."

Ye Zi looked coldly at Daiyan and Dick, then moved. He instantly appeared before Dick and thrust his sword towards his chest. Dick only formed one hand seal, and the mud swamp in front of him suddenly rose from the ground, hardening into an Earth Wall.

However, lightning countered earth.

Ye Zi didn't feel much resistance as he easily tore through the Earth Wall, but this brief pause allowed Dick to dodge the thrust. He knew very well that the Earth Wall couldn't stop Ye Zi's lightning-infused sword.

"Daiyan!"

Dick, having dodged the attack, shouted.

Understanding, Daiyan's eyes widened. He poured nearly half his chakra into using his strongest sealing ninjutsu.

"Earth Release, Earth Corridor Technique!"

Suddenly, the ground shook. Dozens of meters around Ye Zi, earthen pillars shot up from the ground, instantly forming four high walls that enclosed him. Once the pillars stopped growing, more pillars shot out from their tops, interlocking and sealing the enclosure in the blink of an eye. That wasn't all; the mud from the swamp was manipulated by some force, smearing itself onto the stone pillars of the corridor.

"Petrification!"

After Dick coated the stone pillar corridor with mud, he then petrified it.

Having done all this, a proud curve appeared on Dick's lips. He clasped his hands together, a deep, cold killing intent flashing in his eyes, and shouted, "Crushing!"

The stone pillar corridor let out a rumbling roar as it violently closed in.

"Phew, he's definitely dead now." Daiyan and Dick panted, having expended a large amount of chakra.

On the upper floor, Haihara breathed a sigh of relief at the sight. He also believed Ye Zi would die from the ultimate move unleashed by Dick and Daiyan's combined effort.

Unohana's beautiful face also showed a look of surprise.

They had sealed Ye Zi within the stone pillar corridor, then Dick had solidified it from all sides. While Ye Zi was still trapped, they applied pressure to the pillars.

With such a coordinated assault, Dick and Daiyan didn't believe Ye Zi could survive.

Therefore, Dick and Daiyan's tensed nerves relaxed.

Just then, the stone walls cracked without warning, and a bolt of lightning surged from the gap.

Zzzzt!

Like the chirping of a thousand birds, a dazzling bolt of lightning shot out from the gap, heading towards Dick and Daiyan, whose faces were etched with astonishment.

Squelch!

Ye Zi's hands, crackling with lightning, plunged into Dick and Daiyan's chests respectively.

"How... is this possible..."

Dick and Daiyan stared at Ye Zi in disbelief. He slowly withdrew his blood-stained hands and said coldly, "I can do more than just Fire Release and Lightning Release..."

The astonishment in Dick and Daiyan's eyes froze. They collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

After killing Dick and Daiyan, Ye Zi didn't immediately retrieve Raiya, which was trapped within the earth walls. Instead, he looked up at the attic, but it was already empty.