He had been incredible, and his opponent unimpressive. Then suddenly, he had fallen flat while his opponent became incredible. The gap between those two extremes was simply too great.
Even though Sasori of the Red Sands had faintly sensed something was wrong, he couldn't quickly correct his mindset. Jiang Feng had been targeting his state of mind all along.
"Quit your theatrics!"
Sasori's temperament had already developed a glaring weakness, but instead of quickly adjusting his state, he foolishly and arrogantly deceived himself. He controlled the Kazekage Puppet, its Iron Sand Wings spread, and sent it attacking Jiang Feng.
But the problem was right there. It wouldn't cease to exist just because he deliberately ignored it.
Among the crowd, Chiyo, who was also skilled in the Puppet Manipulation Technique, abruptly changed expression. As a fellow master of the Puppet Technique, she could easily see that something was wrong with Sasori.
The weakness in his temperament had already affected his puppetry, making the skills that had once reached perfection no longer so flawless.
This was the Heavenly Son's Qi Observation Technique.
It exploited an enemy's weakness of temperament to overcome their skills.
And then?
Then it exploited weaknesses in the enemy's skills and Chakra control to overcome their temperament in turn.
The cycle continued, like a snowball rolling downhill, until every aspect of the enemy that might reveal a weakness—their temperament, Chakra control, skills, and aura—had been broken down as far as it could go.
As the Kazekage Puppet was about to reach him, Jiang Feng suddenly pushed Konan aside, nimbly dodged the puppet's attack, and leaped down from the viewing platform. Neither rushing nor dawdling, he closed the distance to Sasori with unhurried ease.
Sasori nearly ground his teeth to dust.
If Jiang Feng had dodged in time, he could have easily evaded or blocked the Kazekage Puppet's attack. Even Sasori wasn't arrogant enough to think he could kill or seriously injure Jiang Feng with a single move.
But that damned man had waited until the Kazekage Puppet was right in front of him, until Sasori thought there was absolutely no way he could dodge, before moving aside. It was sheer humiliation.
His actions were telling Sasori: Your Puppet Manipulation Technique is nothing special. I've seen through every one of your skills, tactical ideas, and variations.
Sasori of the Red Sands couldn't possibly endure such humiliation. At least, not with his temperament already compromised.
Naturally, the flaws in his skills and tactics affected his temperament in turn, making its weaknesses more numerous and pronounced.
Then the worsening flaws in his temperament further compromised the precision of his puppetry...
Seven moves.
Six moves.
Five moves.
Four moves.
Three moves...
The distance between them steadily shrank. It happened quickly, yet seemed to drag on long enough for Sasori to control the Kazekage Puppet and launch seven or eight consecutive attacks at Jiang Feng as he advanced.
Without exception, Jiang Feng avoided every attack with such casual ease that it looked effortless.
Just how casual was it?
So casual that everyone thought Sasori was deliberately missing Jiang Feng, deliberately letting his attacks graze Jiang Feng's white robes as a warning, deliberately playing along with Jiang Feng's grandstanding.
But how could that be?
Of everyone present, Jiang Feng was the one Sasori most wanted to kill. He would never allow such a skilled swordsman to approach him so easily.
Sasori's parents had been killed at close range by Hatake Sakumo, one slash apiece.
Since Sasori wasn't doing it deliberately, the truth was obvious: Jiang Feng had practically foreseen every variation in Sasori's moves and every strategy he might use.
Not only had he seen through it all, but as he dodged the attacks and closed in on Sasori, he had also used the Heavenly Son's Qi Observation Technique to wear down Sasori's temperament, moves, will, and momentum in a repeating cycle...
At last, the young man in white reached Sasori. He drew the long sword at his waist and thrust it swiftly and fiercely at Sasori's throat, where openings abounded.
White Rainbow Piercing the Sun. Startling Radiance and Lightning.
In an instant, blood blossomed. The spring breeze passed through the hole in Sasori's throat, making a very pleasant sound.
The vast arena, which had been buzzing moments earlier, now held only one sound: the spring breeze passing through Sasori's throat. No one had expected Jiang Feng to win this way.
He had dodged all of Sasori's attacks, walked over at an unhurried pace, and killed the arrogant man with a single thrust—the same Sasori who had successively brought Pakura and Rasa to defeat.
Jiang Feng turned around without a change in expression, gently blew the beads of blood from his blade, and sheathed his sword. At the same time, Sasori's body and the Kazekage Puppet both toppled to the ground.
The Daimyo of the Land of Wind gazed at the young man in white, as brilliant as freshly fallen snow, and murmured. Even he, despite his absolute confidence in Jiang Feng and his lack of experience, hadn't expected Jiang Feng to kill Sasori with a single sword strike.
"Is this the legendary Heavenly Flying Immortal?"
Many people present wanted to know the answer too.
"It wasn't the sword. It was the person."
Konan dispelled her Angel Paper Wings and answered the Daimyo of the Land of Wind. Her eyes sparkled as she looked down at the young man in white.
She had once seen Jiang Feng use Heavenly Flying Immortal. That move truly deserved to be praised as the most beautiful sword technique: its splendor was dazzling, its brilliance magnificent, its beauty beyond compare.
This strike had been neither magnificent nor dazzling. Naturally, it wasn't Heavenly Flying Immortal.
It was just an ordinary sword strike.
But in today's Ninja World, Heavenly Flying Immortal no longer referred only to that particular sword technique. It could also refer to Jiang Feng himself. So it wasn't the sword; it was the person.
It was deeply ironic. Twice, Sasori of the Red Sands had tried to poison Jiang Feng to death because of the legend that Heavenly Flying Immortal was the most beautiful sword technique. Yet he had died without ever seeing the real Heavenly Flying Immortal.
Jiang Feng drifted back to the viewing platform as lightly as he had left it. He nodded to the Daimyo of the Land of Wind, then resumed his calm, aloof pose, hands behind his back.
A dozen Sunagakure Ninja rushed into the arena to confirm and collect Sasori's body and retrieve the Kazekage Puppet.
Rasa, Pakura, Chiyo, and the other Sunagakure leaders and experts soon came up to the viewing platform and gathered around Jiang Feng.
Acting Kazekage Rasa was the first to thank Jiang Feng. "We're deeply grateful that you helped Sunagakure protect its people, maintain order, and kill Sasori, that traitor. Sunagakure will always remember your help."
Pakura's expression was complicated. Her eyes held surprise, admiration, gratitude, and reverence, along with a hint of confusion. "How did you kill Sasori with just one sword strike?"
Jiang Feng raised his head to the sky and said, "Often, the longer and more complicated the story, the more suddenly it ends—and often in a way that others can't understand.
"Because its development has reached its end, while those watching haven't realized it."
That was how stories went, and battles were no different.
During the battle in Tanzaku Town, the Kumogakure Ninja couldn't see the psychological struggle between Jiang Feng and Young Bro, so they didn't understand why Young Bro had suddenly lost.
Today's battle was the same. The others didn't know what Jiang Feng had done with the Heavenly Son's Qi Observation Technique before delivering that thrust, so they likewise couldn't understand how he had killed Sasori with a single strike.
Before you continue