"What a troublesome opponent!"
Seeing that even his signature Vacuum Sword had failed to land a surprise attack, Shirokumo Hayama didn't pursue Uesugi Shinji. Instead, he brought his hands together and performed the Clone Technique, splitting into ten bodies that raced off in every direction.
Just then, a crosswind swept through, lifting fallen leaves into the air and sending them swirling around them.
Uesugi Shinji gave a cold snort and quickly formed Hand Seals as well. In an instant, he completed a ninjutsu that attacked a wide area.
"Ice Release: Ice Shard Rain!"
Countless ice shards instantly formed around Uesugi Shinji. With a series of sharp whooshes, they flew skyward, then rained down over a large area nearby.
Under the Ice Shard Rain's dense barrage, most of Shirokumo Hayama's clones were pierced. They weren't solid Shadow Clones, but illusory duplicates without physical form.
Shirokumo Hayama was cautious by nature. Though his stamina and chakra reserves were exceptional, he rarely used Shadow Clones or other solid clones that required him to divide his chakra.
Ordinary illusory clones were more than enough to sow confusion and draw the enemy's attention!
As he directed the ice shards to sweep through Shirokumo Hayama's clones, Uesugi Shinji watched coldly and quickly pinpointed one figure that could raise a weapon to block the shards. That was clearly his opponent's real body.
He pushed off hard with one foot and used the Body Flicker Technique to appear beside Shirokumo Hayama's real body. Dipping low, he thrust the Wakizashi in his hand toward the man's waist.
As the saying went, a longer weapon had its advantages, but a shorter one was more dangerous. Uesugi Shinji had chosen the Wakizashi, whose length fell between a standard katana and a dagger or Kunai, for its versatility.
The angle of this surprise attack was treacherous, and Shirokumo Hayama, busy blocking the ice shards, seemed unable to defend himself in time.
A cold arc flashed, and Shirokumo Hayama's body was cut in two at the waist!
What Uesugi Shinji didn't notice was that Shirokumo Hayama showed no fear of death. Instead, a glint flashed in his eyes.
With a soft sound, the body that had been sliced in two didn't spill blood or guts. It turned into a wisp of wind and vanished into the air.
"He mixed a solid Wind Release clone in with his illusory clones to fool me!"
Uesugi Shinji's expression darkened. He knew that the renowned Shirokumo Hayama wouldn't be so easy to defeat. So when he attacked, he'd held back some of his strength, but he also hadn't kept a constant watch on his surroundings.
Now he noticed hundreds of leaves circling and converging behind him. In the blink of an eye, they gathered into the shape of Shirokumo Hayama.
It turned out that the crosswind that had swept up all those leaves when Shirokumo Hayama used his illusory clones had also been his doing. He'd created it to conceal his real body with his signature ninjutsu, the Leaf Substitution Technique!
Shirokumo Hayama's expression was solemn, his eyes brimming with murderous intent. He aimed his katana at Uesugi Shinji's back and thrust with all his strength.
He'd struck so quickly that even though Uesugi Shinji saw him move, it was already too late to block. All he could do was twist away as much as possible, avoid a vital spot, and minimize the damage.
Having faced death many times, Uesugi Shinji remained calm. At the same time, he prepared to fight to the death.
"Shirokumo Hayama, you really live up to your reputation as an elite jonin of Konoha, the greatest village in the Shinobi World! Looks like I'll have to rely on that move I haven't used in a long time!"
He turned his body slightly, making Shirokumo Hayama's katana miss his heart and evade the fatal blow.
After landing his attack, Shirokumo Hayama stayed on guard against Uesugi Shinji's dying counterattack and prepared to strike again and finish him off. But then he suddenly saw Uesugi Shinji's body turn into an ice statue and topple stiffly to the ground.
"Ice Release substitution?" Shirokumo Hayama was startled. Just then, a gust of wind came from behind his head.
Shirokumo Hayama had no time to think. He instantly pulled his katana from the ice statue, deftly turned his wrist, reversed his grip, and spun around. He swept out a Vacuum Sword toward the oncoming gust, sending a sharp blade of wind that shattered his attacker on the spot.
The attacker looked exactly like Uesugi Shinji, but after being struck by the wind blade, he turned into a shower of ice shards. Clearly, this was another Ice Release Clone.
"Damn it!"
Shirokumo Hayama felt as if he'd fallen into an ice cellar. Now he realized he'd been tricked.
A sharp pain struck his chest. Looking down, Shirokumo Hayama saw the frost-covered tip of a blade protruding through his back and out of his chest.
The Ice Release chakra coating the blade froze the blood on his chest at once, making the wound seem less gruesome. But Shirokumo Hayama's heart had been pierced, and the Ice Release chakra had frozen his heart and the blood around it solid.
The heart pumped blood through the body. Now that this pump had been frozen, his blood stopped circulating, and he naturally lost the ability to move.
Shirokumo Hayama was not only at death's door, but also completely drained of strength. He couldn't even manage one last counterattack.
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