Tricked in Turn

Yang Xing, under the effects of the Hardening Technique, raised his arms to barely block the first attack. However, the sheer force of the blow sent him stumbling back several steps. The numbness in his hands made him realize that if he took another hit like that, the stinger might truly pierce his arm.

Gritting his teeth, he waited for the Queen Bee to dive once more.

Yang Xing abandoned the Hardening Technique and the idea of relying on speed to decide the outcome.

He immediately formed hand seals, choosing a conservative method to evade.

"Water Clone Technique!"

Poof!

The Queen Bee struck empty air. Unfortunately, the creature's momentum did not cease; driven by animal instinct and predatory focus, it whipped its head around and lunged toward Yang Xing, who had suddenly reappeared ten meters away in mid-air.

"Damn, this creature actually has that kind of perception? Fine, if you want to play, I'll keep going. Substitution Technique, rapid-fire!"

Poof! Poof! Poof!

The air became a chaotic mess as man and bee engaged in a high-speed duel, locked in an inextricable struggle.

The few people watching from the ground were drenched in sweat.

"To be able to use the Substitution Technique like this... I'm afraid he's the only one," Kakashi said, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead as he watched Yang Xing's constantly shifting position. "But this is truly monstrous. I never want to fight a guy who can chain over a dozen substitutions without even catching his breath."

"Hey, this kid isn't human, is he? How many times has he used the Substitution Technique? Just how much chakra does he have?" Watching Yang Xing continuously transform into puddles of water high above, Yama Kaede of the Water Flow Clan gritted his teeth, his expression turning vicious. "Damn it, it's a pity my Bee King can't keep up. Dammit, if I'd known, I would've brought another Queen Bee to swarm him to death."

Shunsuke Mizunagare, who had been silent until now, suddenly changed color. Realizing something was wrong with his Queen Bee, he couldn't help but shout, "No, if this continues, my Queen Bee will be exhausted! Come back, stop chasing!"

Not knowing exactly how many times Yang Xing could perform the Substitution Technique, Shunsuke did not want to watch his Queen Bee be worked to death.

Unfortunately, his shout, intended to give the Queen Bee a moment of respite, caused it to completely forget that Yang Xing was a freak of nature.

"Opportunity!" After dodging the Queen Bee's attack with a Water Clone and shifting his position, Yang Xing saw the Queen Bee attempting to retreat. His eyes lit up, and without a second thought, he formed hand seals: "Fire Style, Great Fireball Technique!"

"Shit! Don't turn around, he's behind you! Fly, fly higher!" Shunsuke Mizunagare jolted. He had completely forgotten one crucial detail: the kid in front of him didn't just know how to dodge; his offensive ninjutsu was also terrifying.

While he realized the gravity of the situation, it was already too late.

The enhanced Great Fireball was simply too massive.

Even if the Queen Bee tried to fly upward, in that mere 0.1 seconds, it could not clear the ten-meter-high radius of the fireball.

The moment it grazed the edge, it was completely engulfed. The rolling sphere of flame carried the Queen Bee directly into a large tree.

BOOM!

In an instant, the Queen Bee was reduced to a Charred Bee.

The suddenness of this event left some people completely stunned.

Especially the Water Flow Clan; the usually calm Shunsuke Mizunagare's eyes turned bloodshot in an instant. The moment the Queen Bee turned to ash, a heaven-shaking shriek erupted from his throat.

"My bee! My Queen Bee! Ahhh! I won't spare you! I absolutely won't spare you, you brat! I'm going to kill you! I'll make you pay with your life for my bee!" Shunsuke was nearly driven mad, and in that moment, he wanted to summon all his bees to swarm Yang Xing.

He glared at Yang Xing with blood-red eyes.

Yang Xing, who was quietly meeting his gaze, simply extended a finger and shook it with a calm smile: "Unfortunately, the only ones dying today will be you. Hey, Uncle, you can make your move now."

That final shout was directed toward the nearby woods.

"There are others? What?" The ninjas of the Water Flow Clan and the Land of Earth changed expressions. They never imagined there was someone else nearby.

But when they looked over, the person did not emerge, leaving them confused.

"Brat, I've had enough of your posturing. Just die here! Bees, tear this kid to pieces!" Shunsuke's rage boiled over. He lost all composure, commanding his bees to swarm Yang Xing.

But just as he moved, someone grabbed his arm. Feeling the strength of the grip, he became irritated: "Yama Kaede, what are you doing? Let go, let me finish him!"

"Shunsuke, don't be impulsive. Something isn't right."

"What do you mean? This brat killed my summon, I have to kill him... Wait, what is that sound?" Shunsuke finally noticed something amiss. A buzzing sound like mosquitoes surrounded them, making him immediately alert.

At the same time, both men realized their thousands of bees were acting abnormally; they had completely lost their initial aggressive momentum.

Some bees began flying erratically in the sky, as if being chased by something.

"Why do the bees look so strange?"

"Yeah... it's like something is entangling our bees."

"What is that?" Shunsuke focused his gaze, his pupils dilating: "Tiny insects? Impossible. How could such small bugs be a match for our bees?"

Splat!

No sooner had he spoken than blood sprayed from the body of a large bee.

The giant bee was sliced directly into several pieces. The scene was so spectacular that it shocked Shunsuke Mizunagare into swallowing the words he had just spoken.

The event happened too suddenly and too bizarrely, leaving the furious Shunsuke Mizunagare frozen in place.

The mutation began right then and there, and the sudden change was swift.

In an instant, thousands of bees fell into chaos. Attacked by countless tiny insects, they were bitten to death one by one. Bee blood covered the ground, and large bees continued to fall from the sky.

The entire scene descended into a state of turmoil.

The members of the Water Flow Clan could only watch the chaos in silence, unable to do anything at all.

They didn't even know who had released these insects.

"Impossible, this is impossible! My bees are invincible; no creature could kill them like this. Who released these bugs? Who is behind this?" Junsuke clutched his head, his face twisted in tragic despair. The moment he turned his head and saw the smiling Yang Xing, he suddenly realized the source of it all: "You brat, it was you who called them, wasn't it? You deceived us, stalling for time and clouding our vision while the person behind you was the real threat."

"Correct, but it's too late. Besides, I don't think I mentioned it yet, but none of you are getting away." Yang Xing smiled, his expression tinged with a hint of cruelty.

The moment those words fell, Yang Xing formed hand seals and activated the Clone Technique, instantly manifesting four solid Water Clones.

The Water Clones leaped toward the left and right, leaving the Water Flow Clan members confused as to what Yang Xing was planning.

Several clones were already forming hand seals with their hands.

Feeling the ground tremble, Kakashi's expression shifted. As he retreated rapidly, he shouted to Anko and Rin Nohara: "Fall back! This freak is trying to use multiple clones to unleash a large-scale Earth Style ninjutsu."