A Disadvantageous Battle

Hui Youling had been pursued the entire way. Looking back at the two men, their aggressive aura made it clear they were not to be trifled with. She wanted to widen the distance between them to observe their ninjutsu, so she increased the flow of chakra to her feet and leaped into the distance.

Seeing her attempt to flee, the tall Grass Ninja sneered. He quickly formed hand seals and slammed his palms onto the ground. "Earth Style: Earth Wall!"

Hui sensed a surge of chakra in front of her, and in the next instant, an earthen wall rose up, sealing off her path. She hurriedly changed direction, but a Meteor Hammer suddenly struck from the side, aiming straight for her head.

Hui turned her gaze toward the weapon, a flash of surprise in her eyes; it was her first time seeing someone use such a tool. She twisted her waist in mid-air to dodge the hammer, watching it whistle past her side. The spikes on it looked painful.

Before she could even catch her breath, a ninja suddenly emerged from the ground and grabbed at Hui Youling's feet. The speed was so great that her eyes could barely track it.

Hui was grateful she could sense chakra, allowing her to tilt her body and dodge the attack from below just in time. However, the Meteor Hammer swung back around as if it had predicted her evasion, firmly blocking her retreat.

Hui Youling's pupils constricted; she realized she was being targeted today!

Bang!

The man beneath her feet gripped her ankle tightly, pinning her in place, while the Meteor Hammer slammed into her chest. The Grass Ninja on the ground sneered, thinking how easy it was—a brat was just a brat.

In the next instant, with a poof and a cloud of smoke, Hui Youling turned into a wooden log and fell to the ground.

At the same time, the real Hui appeared behind the Grass Ninja, a kunai slashing toward his neck. Her eyes remained calm, her movements lightning-fast. In the distance, the Fat Ninja shouted, "Watch out behind you!"

The Grass Ninja was startled, but his reaction was swift. He drew a kunai from his sleeve and, in a surprising move, used it to block Hui's sneak attack with a backhand grip.

Hui missed her mark and immediately retreated to create distance, her hands moving rapidly. "Wind Style: Wind Blade."

Several wind blades formed in the air and sliced toward the Grass Ninja. He quickly dove back underground, and the wind blades carved deep, blade-like pits into the earth.

On the other side, the Fat Ninja was also quick; he threw several Explosive Tags at Hui Youling, triggering a series of blasts.

Hui had no choice but to retreat rapidly, staying clear of their attacks. Her Wind Style ninjutsu was hindered by explosions, as they would inevitably cause collateral damage that didn't distinguish between friend and foe.

Watching Hui Youling retreat, the Fat Ninja curled his lips into a smile. It was just as he had guessed: Wind Style was suppressed by fire, and his own physical attacks would be her bane!

Seeing the constant barrage of Explosive Tags, Hui didn't dare use Wind Style recklessly. If the fight continued like this, she would definitely be suppressed to death. Thinking this, she decided it was best to leave.

She accelerated, quickly fleeing the range of their attacks. The two men pursued her relentlessly, with kunai and Explosive Tags raining down—all launched by the Fat Ninja.

Hui was actually impressed by the Fat Ninja's agility; his pursuit speed was not slow, and the speed and accuracy of his thrown Explosive Tags were quite good. He was truly no simple opponent... her situation was becoming even more dire.

Fortunately, she used the surrounding trees to block the attacks. Behind her, the sound of constant explosions roared—it was quite a spectacle. Every tree Hui Youling landed on was blown to pieces, forcing her to drop into the forest and use the bushes to obscure the Fat Ninja's line of sight.

Yet, wherever Hui hid, a hand would emerge from the ground to grab her. The Grass Ninja moved as if he were tunneling through the earth, quickly catching up and popping out of the ground when she least expected it.

"Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu!"

Hui jumped away from the spot and chuckled at the hand emerging from the dirt. Although it was a surprise attack, everything was useless under her Mind's Eye of the Kagura. Even if the Fat Ninja caused her quite a bit of trouble, she could still escape if she chose to.

The Grass Ninja also realized that Hui Youling seemed able to detect his attacks. Failing to grab her several times made his mood turn sour. Seeing Hui Youling running further away, he narrowed his eyes and quickly formed seals. "Earth Style: Earth Wall!"

Hui Youling hadn't been relieved for long before she found earthen walls rising one after another in front of her. No matter which way she ran, a wall would rise to block her path, as if they had no intention of letting her escape.

This Earth Style user's skill is actually quite decent, Hui thought.

The Fat Ninja's movements were equally fast, continuously throwing Explosive Tags and kunai in her direction. The air was filled with bursts of explosions, and the Meteor Hammer seemed to have eyes of its own, relentlessly chasing her and smashing through trees and rocks. To achieve such a feat, the weight of that hammer must be significant.

Hui felt there was no point in running anymore. With them pursuing her so doggedly, it was time to strike back.

Hui formed seals rapidly, and wind blades continuously sliced toward the two men. The blades collided with the Explosive Tags, causing even larger explosions that caught both sides in the blast radius.

Hui ignored the collateral damage and continued to form seals. The wind whipped up stones and hurled them at the two, sweeping through the bushes along the way with unstoppable force.

The Grass Ninja was already annoyed by his inability to catch Hui Youling. Seeing this attack, he sneered. He quickly formed his own seals. "Fire Style: Phoenix Fire Jutsu!"

Several fireballs were blown toward Hui's direction, colliding with her Wind Style and igniting an even larger inferno that instantly swallowed the forest in front of them.

Hui looked at the raging fire, her heart feeling heavy. She was truly being targeted thoroughly today...

It wasn't as if she hadn't encountered Fire Style users before, but she had always assassinated them before they could act. She hadn't met anyone this troublesome since, but these two had quick reflexes and strong combat capabilities—not to mention their raw power. Her speed wasn't yet at the level where she could kill them instantly; attacks that didn't land were useless.

Unable to use Wind Style, Hui had to resort to the forbidden techniques Orochimaru had taught her. She formed seals rapidly, drawing upon the surrounding snakes. Many small snakes appeared on the ground and crawled toward the Grass Ninja. However, compared to the swarms Orochimaru could summon, this number was pathetic—all because she didn't know the Summoning Jutsu.

The Grass Ninja frowned as he watched the snakes crawl out. His intel hadn't mentioned this ability. Looking at the various snakes slithering toward him, he didn't want to be touched by them, regardless of whether they were poisonous.

He quickly formed seals, intending to burn the small snakes. A great fire erupted from his mouth, instantly engulfing the snakes. They hissed and writhed in place, the scent of charred flesh filling the air, making the atmosphere strange.

The Grass Ninja frowned at the writhing, charred snakes on the ground. He was disgusted, but at least he had stopped the swarm.

He looked up to see that Hui Youling had already hidden herself. To have this level of strength at her age—if he let her go, she would surely become a thorn in his side. Besides, he was tired of playing hide-and-seek. He formed seals slowly and pressed his palms to the ground. "Earth Style: Encirclement Jutsu!"

With the Grass Ninja as the center, massive earthen walls rose up, surrounding them in a confined area like a walled city. The Fat Ninja watched his teammate use this technique and curled his lips into a cruel smile. "Rare to see you use this jutsu. That brat is finished!"

"Prepare your technique. If we let her escape, there'll be no point in keeping our reputation!" the Grass Ninja said impatiently, no longer hiding the dissatisfaction in his eyes.