Utsusemi

Ninja Art: Mind Transfer Technique!

Suppressing the grief of his partner's death, Yamanaka Inoichi keenly seized this opening. His hands formed a seal as he unleashed a mental assault.

Yoru, who had been trying to evade, was forcibly frozen in midair for a single breath.

A single breath passed in an instant, but for someone of Jiraiya's caliber, it was enough to end this battle!

Although after that single breath, Yamanaka Inoichi's eyes flew open in disbelief. He coughed up blood, his face deathly pale.

Although after that single breath, clarity immediately returned to Yoru's eyes.

[Ding! Successfully completed A-rank target "Yamanaka Inoichi" mission (2): Reward: 5000 Points.]

The system's voice rang in his ears, but Jiraiya's Rasengan had already slammed heavily into Yoru's chest!

Yoru was blasted away by the force. At the same time, countless Kikaichū flew out from the surrounding undergrowth, instantly wrapping around and binding his flying body.

Jiraiya showed no hesitation after landing that blow. The moment his feet touched the ground and he steadied himself, his cheeks swelled.

"Fire Release: Great Fireball!"

A raging Fireball burst from Jiraiya's mouth, instantly swallowing the figure completely bound and wrapped by the Kikaichū.

With the oil condensed from Chakra, the power of this Fire Release was beyond imagination.

In but an instant, the swarms of Kikaichū and everything within them had been burned away completely, leaving not even ashes behind.

"Is it over?"

Akimichi Choza held the weakened Yamanaka Inoichi in his arms and stared solemnly at the empty clearing, where not even ash remained.

"No."

Jiraiya shook his head, his expression incomparably grave. "That kid escaped."

"The Body Flicker Technique he possesses is extremely unusual. Even with my Kikaichū continuously draining the Chakra in his body, they were unable to stop him from escaping."

Aburame Shibi adjusted his dark glasses. "The moment Lord Jiraiya unleashed his Fire Release, that man had already vanished. What my insects bound was merely a piece of clothing."

"He vanished directly from within the swarm rather than breaking free?"

Jiraiya fell silent. Such a method could only be Space-Time Ninjutsu!

Yet clothing had been left behind during his escape. It seemed he had not fully mastered that technique...

But.

Space-Time Ninjutsu was still Space-Time Ninjutsu. Even if it had not been fully mastered, it was still Space-Time Ninjutsu.

Someone who wielded Space-Time Ninjutsu could have an enormous impact on a war. He could see that clearly from his own disciple.

That was the power to instantly kill dozens of Iwagakure Jonin alone, sever the enemy's supply routes, and toy with two of Kumogakure's strongest fighters!

The thought that the threat his disciple posed to the enemy in this war might be turned against Konohagakure made Jiraiya's scalp tingle!

"Cough, cough, cough..."

A violent fit of coughing interrupted Jiraiya's thoughts.

Turning his head, he saw that Yamanaka Inoichi was in an extremely weakened state, his expression dazed.

This was clearly the result of a ninjutsu backlash!

That man had actually managed to break Yamanaka Inoichi's Mind Transfer Technique in an instant during a battle of this level—and inflict such a terrifying backlash on Inoichi...

Jiraiya's heart sank completely. They had failed to keep that man here this time. The next time they fought, they would likely be in serious trouble!

"Choza, Shibi, bring Inoichi and Shikaku. We're heading to Souta Village first!"

"Yes!"

Several kilometers away.

Having escaped with his life, Yoru continuously activated Shunpo as he darted through the forest.

His condition was equally terrible.

Although he had used Utsusemi to evade the final deadly combo, Jiraiya's punch had struck him solidly.

"Hiss..."

Yoru touched his ribs, and a piercing pain surged through him.

At least two of his ribs were broken, with some fragments even lodged in his internal organs.

The intense pain that periodically came from his right eye beneath the white bandages was also warning him that this freshly transplanted Sharingan was already somewhat overloaded.

"As expected of the Sannin and Konohagakure's ninja."

After confirming that no one was pursuing him and that there was nothing like Kikaichū nearby, Yoru grimaced and stopped beneath a massive tree, raising a hand toward his chest.

A gentle glow burst from Yoru's palm. A warm sensation welled up within him, followed by numbness and pain.

A moment later, Yoru lowered his hand. The pain in his chest had eased considerably.

"With my healing arts, treating injuries like these is still troublesome. This will have to do for now. I need to get back and have Yumi..."

Yoru was not particularly skilled in Kaido. Most of his time had been spent practicing Hado and Bakudo; the rest went toward Shunpo, Hakuda, swordsmanship, and other combat-oriented techniques.

As for supportive methods like Kaido, Yoru had only grasped the basics.

After slightly stabilizing his injuries, Yoru continued toward Kirigakure's encampment. But before he had taken more than a few steps, a thunderous roar suddenly erupted from the forest ahead, followed by a wave of Chakra rushing straight at him!

Yoru's steps came to an abrupt halt. As he looked toward the source of the surging Chakra, his pupils suddenly contracted.

He sensed several familiar presences!

Pipa Juzo, Suikazan Fuguki, Kushimaru Kuriarare...

Chakra sensing could not be wrong. The people fighting fiercely ahead were definitely the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist. In particular, there was the aura of Kushimaru Kuriarare—his superior—and there was no way Yoru could mistake it.

And anyone capable of fighting the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist to this extent, with the location being inside the Land of Fire...

"Damn it, it can't be that much of a coincidence, can it?"

Yoru cursed under his breath and turned around without the slightest hesitation.

What, go help the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist?

What kind of joke was that? That was the Father of Youth—the Father of Youth who could kick the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist into the Auspicious Three Treasures with one damn kick!

His clash with Jiraiya had made Yoru clearly realize his shortcomings.

His combat skills were in no way inferior to those top-tier ninja. Combined with Shunpo being superior to the Body Flicker Technique, as well as the unpredictability of Kido and the advantage of information disparity, Yoru's close-combat strength was enough to contend with the strongest experts in the Ninja World. But defeating them would be extremely difficult.

The reason was simple: Yoru's physical strength was not enough!

This body was only fourteen years old. Even though Yoru had done as well as he possibly could, which of the powerful figures in the Ninja World had not tempered their bodies through countless battles and Chakra?

Not to mention a monster like Might Duy, who had devoted his entire life to taijutsu.

How was he supposed to fight that? There was absolutely no way to fight that.

Yoru did not hesitate in the slightest and immediately turned to leave.

But just as he was about to depart, the forest before him was suddenly blasted apart by a terrifying force. Then, a familiar figure with an explosive hairstyle came flying backward directly toward Yoru's position.

"BOOM!!"

That figure crashed straight into the tree stump beside Yoru. The Nuibari he cherished most was now deeply embedded in his abdomen, pinning him firmly to the tree behind him.

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