Life and Death Duel

"Terumi Mei, we must end this quickly. That guy is too terrifying; I must go support Shinji immediately."

Watching from afar as Might Duy—surrounded by surging crimson energy and looking like a demon god descended to earth—fought alongside Terumi Mei against the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, Rin spoke with growing anxiety.

Terumi Mei nodded with a grave expression; such an enemy was truly not something any single ninja could handle alone, not even if the Mizukage were here.

Opposite Terumi Mei and Rin, Nara Suzaku, Akimichi Toshi, and Yamanaka Santen were already covered in wounds, their stamina nearly exhausted, appearing to have almost no strength left to counterattack.

Akimichi Toshi pulled a long, rectangular glass case from his robes, which contained three compartments. Two were empty, while the third held a single red pill.

Seeing his actions, Nara Suzaku and Yamanaka Santen both changed expressions, with Yamanaka Santen urging anxiously, "Toshi, don't be impulsive!"

The pill Akimichi Toshi had retrieved was known as the "Red Chili Pill." Though the name sounded like a condiment, it was actually a secret, forbidden medicine of the Akimichi clan that, when combined with their secret techniques, could multiply the user's power exponentially.

Once the Akimichi secret technique was activated, the naturally stout clansmen would rapidly lose weight as their body fat was burned into energy. To prevent this immense power from causing the body to collapse, two vents would appear on the user's back, venting energy outward and forming a shape resembling butterfly wings—much like a cocoon transforming into a butterfly.

This was the reason the Akimichi clan was known as the "Butterfly" among the Ino-Shika-Cho trio.

However, such immense power usually came with a brutal backlash. Once an Akimichi clansman consumed the Red Chili Pill and activated the butterfly transformation, the probability of death after the technique ended was over ninety percent!

Although Akimichi Toshi did not know the source of the power Might Duy was currently using, he could guess the price Might Duy would have to pay, just like the secret technique he was about to use himself.

A carefree smile appeared on his honest face as Akimichi Toshi said with firm resolve, "We have reached the most critical moment of the battle. Even Duy, who is only a Genin, has put his life on the line—how could I possibly fall here?!"

Without waiting for his partners to persuade him further, he crushed the glass case and tossed the Red Chili Pill into his mouth.

Nara Suzaku and Yamanaka Santen exchanged a glance. They sighed at first, but the sorrow on their faces quickly vanished, replaced by a soaring fighting spirit.

"In that case, let the three of us fight until the very last moment!"

Just as the battle between Terumi Mei, Rin, and the Konoha Ino-Shika-Cho reached a fever pitch, Might Duy was finally about to make his move.

"Konoha Genin, Might Duy!" Might Duy looked at Uesugi Shinji and said with a serious tone.

Uesugi Shinji was stunned; he could not believe that the guy before him was merely a Genin. However, the fact that his opponent had proactively stated his name showed at least a level of respect for this duel.

"Kirigakure Jonin, Uesugi Shinji," Uesugi Shinji said slowly.

The moment his words fell, Might Duy vanished. It was fortunate that he possessed the Light Brain, which granted him powerful dynamic vision capable of capturing every movement, otherwise he would not have even known from which direction the attack would come.

Clasping his hands together, a powerful surge of Ice Release chakra erupted from Uesugi Shinji's body, instantly forming a wall of ice crystals to his right.

Beyond its immense defensive capabilities, the ice crystal wall emitted a chilling frost that could freeze any enemy who approached; it was a formidable Ice Release defensive ninjutsu.

Unfortunately, this level of defense was simply unable to block Might Duy's attack.

In an instant, the ice crystal wall was shattered into powder, and the frost it emitted was vaporized by the scorching heat radiating from Might Duy's body before it could even touch him.

If the ice crystal wall had any purpose at all, it was to buy Uesugi Shinji a split second to prepare for the impact!

With a thunderous boom, Might Duy's fist, its momentum undiminished after shattering the wall, struck Uesugi Shinji directly, sending the latter flying backward.

Uesugi Shinji spat out a mouthful of blood. Although he was now at an absolute disadvantage in terms of raw power, there was not a trace of fear or tension in his eyes; instead, he appeared even calmer than usual.

A series of crisp cracking sounds echoed as ice shards continuously peeled off Uesugi Shinji's body. It turned out he had known the ice wall would only serve to weaken the blow, so his second layer of defense was an ice armor generated on his skin using his highest-intensity Ice Release chakra.

Even so, Uesugi Shinji had still sustained internal injuries. He was flying backward not because he couldn't stabilize himself, but to use the buffer to dissipate the force as much as possible, minimizing the impact of the strike.

Watching Might Duy charge at him again—his skin already cracking and peeling—Uesugi Shinji knew time was on his side. As long as he could withstand the opponent's most violent onslaught, he would be the one to emerge victorious!

Retrieving three scrolls, Uesugi Shinji activated them all at once. As the scrolls unfurled, massive amounts of water gushed out.

"Water Release: Water Vortex Tornado!"

The water pouring from the three scrolls swirled around Uesugi Shinji. In the blink of an eye, a massive tornado composed of water vortices, reaching a hundred meters in height and nearly ten meters in diameter, had formed.

Standing at the center of the tornado, Uesugi Shinji stared fixedly at the pursuing Might Duy, while countless complex numbers scrolled frantically through his mind. Relying on the Light Brain's powerful simulation and calculation capabilities, he gained a precise, quantified understanding of his ninjutsu's defensive capacity versus the strength of Might Duy's previous attack.

I can defend against this!

Having reached this conclusion, Uesugi Shinji felt even more resolute. He clasped his hands, and his Ice Release chakra surged wildly into the surrounding water tornado.

Just as Uesugi Shinji finished this movement, Might Duy charged into the water tornado, roaring as he threw another punch toward him.

Every time Might Duy threw a punch, a massive volume of water would surge from the tornado to block his path. These currents not only used their rotational force to weaken the power of the blow but, under the influence of Uesugi Shinji's Ice Release chakra, would rapidly freeze, providing a second layer of mitigation.

When Might Duy's fist broke through this defense, it bought Uesugi Shinji just enough time to dodge. Even if Uesugi Shinji couldn't avoid the hit entirely, the damage was significantly reduced, and combined with the ice armor on his body, the injuries were kept within a range he could tolerate.

Because Uesugi Shinji and Might Duy were enveloped by the massive water tornado, the others on the battlefield could not see the situation inside.

Inside the vortex, however, the battle was completely one-sided. Might Duy held the absolute initiative, his body constantly shifting around Uesugi Shinji, landing powerful attacks every time he changed position.

Uesugi Shinji remained entirely on the defensive. The barriers formed by the water tornado were constantly shattered by Might Duy, and the ice armor on his own body was shattered and reformed repeatedly, leaving him looking incredibly disheveled.

Yet, Might Duy soon realized that no matter how he attacked, he could not land a fatal blow. Although Uesugi Shinji appeared increasingly injured, there was no sign of him collapsing.

"Aahhh!"

Might Duy unleashed a heavy punch. The ice armor covering Uesugi Shinji was shattered once more, and he spat out another mouthful of blood. But despite the blood, Uesugi Shinji stumbled only for a moment before immediately controlling the water and ice to guard his sides, maintaining a stance of dragging the fight out for as long as possible.

As they brushed past each other, their eyes met. Might Duy saw only the extreme calmness in Uesugi Shinji's eyes, while Uesugi Shinji saw the anxiety in his opponent's.

Might Duy, who had been attacking relentlessly, suddenly stopped. He knew he could not drag this out any longer. He had originally hoped to conserve some stamina to help the Konoha side clear out the remaining Kirigakure ninjas after finishing Uesugi Shinji, but now he was powerless to do so.

"It seems your time is running out," Uesugi Shinji said faintly.

Might Duy, who had not been struck a single time, suddenly opened his mouth and spat out a large mouthful of blood. The blood didn't even hit the ground before it was vaporized by the scorching chakra mixed within it.

"Indeed, only at a moment like this can one truly understand the preciousness of life!"

Might Duy suddenly revealed a look of relief, and then a violent aura erupted from within his body, with scorching, flame-like currents surging out frantically. This current contained a dark red hue that had not been present in the air swirling around him before; it was, in reality, caused by the evaporation of the blood within his own body.

Might Duy's skin, which had already begun to crack and peel away, was burned directly into ash, making him look like a demon crawling out from a hell of molten lava.

"But it is precisely because people dare to sacrifice their own precious lives to protect everything they hold dear that they can unleash this peerless power!"

In this moment, Konoha appeared in Might Duy's eyes, along with scenes of the time he spent with the villagers. Finally, the image settled on the spirited, determined smile of his son, Guy.

The crimson aura around his body gathered rapidly, and behind Might Duy, a massive, dark red dragon head actually coalesced. The giant dragon's eyes snapped open, its pupils burning with golden flames as it locked onto the expression of Uesugi Shinji, who now wore a look of extreme gravity.

"Eight Inner Gates: Night Dragon!"

Might Duy let out a roar and leaped high into the air, raising his foot to kick violently forward. The massive dark red dragon head let out a roar like a dragon's cry, surging toward Uesugi Shinji's position with boundless momentum!