A False Move

When things reached an impasse, change was the only way forward.

Facing the combined assault of Kumogakure's many experts, Jiang Feng was gradually losing ground and had fallen into a Desperate Situation. He began to seek a change on his own initiative. For the first time since the battle began, he used [Moon-Treading Fragrance] to leap into the air, making the battlefield more three-dimensional.

But in front of nearly a hundred Kumogakure experts, this attempt to change things up seemed foolish.

The dozens of Ninjutsu-type Ninja stationed at the edge of the battlefield had so far only been able to seal off the area and intimidate their foes. At last, they had a chance to act. Like a row of anti-aircraft guns, they opened fire the moment they saw Jiang Feng take to the air, without needing an order from Young Bro.

Lightning Release, Fire Release, Water Release... Kumogakure Ninja didn't only use Lightning Release; there were just more of them, and they were more famous for it.

Dozens of Ninjutsu soared into the sky. Some shot toward Jiang Feng, while others blocked his routes of escape and movement, preventing him from fleeing through the air.

It was a dead end. The air was even more dangerous than the ground. At least on the ground, the Ninjutsu-type Ninja had to worry about hitting their own people and wouldn't fire at will.

Just as Tsunade was about to close her eyes and await death, Jiang Feng—suspended in midair with nowhere to push off from—suddenly changed his position as if walking on level ground. He did so again and again, dodging one powerful Ninjutsu after another with effortless grace.

But in the end, he still fell back to the ground. The Kumogakure Ninja worked together too perfectly; they had sealed off nearly every route through the sky, leaving Jiang Feng not a single opening.

Back on the ground, Jiang Feng once again fought Young Bro and the others, only to be suppressed again. He took to the air again, was forced back down by a barrage of Ninjutsu again, and the cycle repeated.

Young Bro wasn't in a hurry. He was observing Jiang Feng's "strange" Body Technique.

When Ninja were in midair, it was difficult for them to change position repeatedly because they had nothing to push off from. Taking to the air therefore left them with a fatal weakness—unless they knew some sort of flight technique, such as Iwagakure's Light-Weight Rock Technique.

Earlier, when Kurenai Yuhi had fled, she'd changed position once in midair. Taking the most cautious approach, Young Bro assumed Jiang Feng knew the same technique, and that he'd mastered it more skillfully than Kurenai Yuhi, moving faster and able to change position more times.

As it turned out, Young Bro had been right to take the most cautious approach.

Jiang Feng had taken to the air several times, and his agility as he dodged and weaved through the sky was indeed greater than Kurenai Yuhi's. He could also change position more times in succession.

Six times.

Four times.

Five times.

Six times...

On his longest leap, Jiang Feng had darted through a hail of gunfire like a swift, changing position six times in rapid succession. The sheer grace of it left the Kumogakure Ninja in awe.

So, was six times the limit for changing direction in midair?

No. As a Ninja, and a powerful Ninja with exceptional combat intelligence, Young Bro would never believe anything an enemy chose to show him. He would never believe Jiang Feng could only change direction six times in midair.

It was quite possible he was deliberately holding back to lull Young Bro into a false sense of security.

Often, two Ninja could fight for a long time without either gaining the upper hand—until one of them suddenly died in an unexpected moment.

Because one side had finally let their guard down.

If Young Bro believed Jiang Feng's limit was six changes, when in fact he could change direction more than six times, Young Bro would leave himself open during the fight.

So he had to assume Jiang Feng could change direction seven times, eight times, or even nine or ten times!

Young Bro was preparing a finishing move. It was time to end the battle and send the young genius he admired and respected to hell.

Once again, Jiang Feng leaped into the air. Once again, under the Kumogakure Ninja's barrage, he changed direction six times in a row.

Die!

Lightning flashed and thunder roared. Young Bro's golden slicked-back hair suddenly stood on end like a Super Saiyan's. In an instant, he unleashed astonishing speed and rocketed toward Jiang Feng as he drifted back down.

Lightning God Armor!

This was the ultimate technique of Lightning Release Chakra Mode. In this state, Young Bro's speed, explosive power, strength, defense, the power of his Lightning Release, and everything else would be enhanced to their limits.

It was simple and brutal: he was just going to beat you with better stats.

Like a shooting star streaking across the sky, he moved so fast that even Jiang Feng, with his Three-Tomoe Sharingan activated, couldn't see him clearly. Only by relying on a combination of sight, instinct, and other senses could Jiang Feng faintly make out Young Bro's shape and movements.

The seventh change of direction. The eighth.

Faced with Young Bro's killing blow, Jiang Feng—with a beauty in his arms—suddenly changed direction twice in succession. He pulled off who knew how many consecutive jumps, enough to make Vergil weep, and narrowly evaded Young Bro's deadly attack.

"I knew you were holding something back, you little brat!"

Young Bro had been ready for this. He changed his move without changing direction and punched at Jiang Feng again, moving like a thunderclap, his blow rumbling like thunder.

The ninth change of direction. The tenth.

Jiang Feng dodged Young Bro's attack again, still moving with effortless grace. But he no longer looked as relaxed as before. A fleeting sheen of sweat had even appeared on his fair, jade-like forehead.

"Muda!"

Two more changes of direction? You've been hiding that deep in your pants, huh? But I saw it coming. You've reached your limit now, haven't you? And I can still change my move!

Realizing Jiang Feng had reached his limit for changing direction in succession, Young Bro roared and changed his move again. He rose a little higher, raised one leg high, gathered all his Chakra into it, and brought it crashing down toward Jiang Feng.

Raging Thunder Axe!

It was an unmatched, mighty strike, like the wrath of a Thunder God. Even if Jiang Feng suddenly awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan at that very moment and immediately managed to manifest the initial form of Susanoo, he would have no chance of blocking it.

He was as good as dead.

Yet not only was he still alive, he was completely unharmed—and even higher in the air than Young Bro, who had just risen.

Young Bro's heart sank to the bottom of a valley. His conviction that the blow would kill Jiang Feng crumbled in an instant, and bone-deep cold enveloped him from within.

The eleventh change of direction. The twelfth.

He'd been outplayed by one move.

Even though he'd tried to account for Jiang Feng's abilities as much as possible, leaving himself plenty of leeway and backup plans for this killing blow, he'd still been outplayed by one move. The Konoha prodigy's hidden card had bested his by a hair.

What awaited him now was certain to be a killing blow that Jiang Feng had also spent a long time preparing, concealed behind several rounds of psychological warfare.

What kind of move would it be?

Young Bro tilted his head back. He wanted to see clearly the young genius he admired and respected, the one whose skill he wholeheartedly acknowledged. He wanted to see what dazzling move this prodigy would use to defeat him.

A full moon hung high in the dark night sky. With the beautiful woman in his arms, Jiang Feng still hadn't drawn his sword. Instead, he pressed two fingers together like a blade, pointed them at Young Bro, and began to descend.

Breathtaking.

Absolutely breathtaking.

It wasn't the Tsunade in Jiang Feng's arms who was beautiful. Tsunade was undeniably beautiful too, but as a Sigma man, Young Bro would never be tempted by shallow beauty.

The one who was truly beautiful was Jiang Feng, descending from the sky.

His speed was at its peak, yet he still moved as lightly as an immortal, graceful and transcendent, as if a celestial maiden had descended from the heavens. It was dreamlike, almost unreal.

His two fingers carried a chill that seemed to pierce to the very marrow of one's bones. They were like startling radiance and lightning, like a rainbow spanning the sky, like the Third Raikage's signature Hell Stab, One-Finger Nukite—razor-sharp and unstoppable.

Young Bro already knew the name of this move.