Hui Youling had been chased for a while. Looking back at the two men, she saw that they were charging after her with fierce expressions and clearly wouldn't be easy to deal with. She wanted to put some distance between them and observe their ninjutsu, so she channeled more chakra into her feet and leaped far ahead.
Seeing her try to escape, the tall Grass Ninja sneered. He quickly formed Hand Seals and slapped his palm against the ground. "Earth Release: Earth Wall!"
Hui sensed a surge of chakra in front of her. The next instant, a wall of earth shot up and blocked her path. She hurriedly changed direction, only for a Meteor Hammer to come flying at her from the side, aimed straight at her head.
Hui glanced toward the Meteor Hammer, surprise flickering in her eyes. It was her first time seeing someone use a weapon like that. She twisted in midair and dodged it, watching as it whistled past her. The spikes looked painful.
Before she could breathe a sigh of relief, a ninja suddenly emerged from the ground and grabbed for Hui Youling's foot. He moved so quickly that her eyes could barely follow him.
Hui was glad she could sense chakra. She twisted aside in time to avoid the attack from below, but the Meteor Hammer swung back, as if it had predicted where she would dodge, sealing off her escape route.
Hui Youling's pupils contracted. She realized they had singled her out!
Bang!
The Grass Ninja beneath Hui also clamped onto her ankle, holding her in place. The Meteor Hammer slammed into her chest. The Grass Ninja on the ground sneered, thinking how easy it had been. A brat was still just a brat.
The next instant, with a puff of smoke, Hui Youling turned into a wooden log that fell to the ground.
At the same time, the real Hui appeared behind the Grass Ninja. Her Shuriken slashed toward his neck, her eyes utterly calm as her hand moved at lightning speed. From a distance, the Fat Ninja shouted, "Watch out behind you!"
The Grass Ninja's heart lurched, but he reacted quickly. He pulled a Shuriken from his sleeve and, astonishingly, blocked Hui's sneak attack with it in a backhanded motion.
Hui's strike missed. She hurriedly retreated to open some distance, rapidly changing her Hand Seals. "Wind Release: Wind Blade!"
Several Wind Blades formed in the air and cut toward the Grass Ninja. He quickly ducked underground again. The blades carved into the earth, leaving deep pits like knife marks.
On the other side, the Fat Ninja was just as quick. He flung several Explosive Tags toward Hui Youling, setting off explosions one after another.
Hui could only retreat quickly, keeping out of their range. Explosions were the worst kind of attack for her Wind Release Ninjutsu; if she used it now, the blast might hit both friend and foe indiscriminately.
Watching Hui Youling keep backing away, the Fat Ninja grinned. Just as he'd expected, Wind Release was countered by fire, and his own physical attacks would make him her nemesis!
With Explosive Tags flying toward her, Hui didn't dare use Wind Release Ninjutsu recklessly. If the fight continued like this, she'd be completely suppressed. Thinking it over, she decided it was best to get away first.
She sped up and quickly fled beyond their range, but the two men pursued relentlessly. Shuriken and Explosive Tags kept flying after her, all of them thrown by the Fat Ninja.
Hui had to admire the Fat Ninja's agility. He was fast on his feet, and his aim and speed when throwing Explosive Tags were impressive too. He really wasn't simple... Things were looking even worse for her...
Fortunately, the trees around her could block some of the attacks. Explosions rumbled behind her, a spectacular sight. The trees Hui Youling landed on were all blown apart, so she had to drop into the forest and use the bushes to obscure the Fat Ninja's view.
But wherever Hui hid, a hand emerged from the ground and reached for her. The Grass Ninja was like a burrowing animal, quickly catching up and popping out of the earth when she least expected it.
"Earth Release: Headhunter Jutsu!"
Hui hurriedly jumped away. Looking at the hand emerging from the earth, she smiled. The attack was certainly unexpected, but against the Mind's Eye of the Kagura, it was useless. Even though the Fat Ninja was causing her plenty of trouble, she could still escape if she chose to run today.
The Grass Ninja also realized that Hui Youling seemed able to detect his attacks. He'd tried to grab her several times and failed, leaving him in a strange mood. Watching Hui Youling run farther away, he narrowed his eyes and quickly formed Hand Seals. "Earth Release: Earth Wall!"
Hui hadn't had long to feel relieved before she saw walls of earth rising one after another in front of her. Wherever she ran, more walls sprang up, blocking her path. It looked like they had no intention of letting her escape.
"This Earth Release ninja really is pretty good," Hui thought.
The Fat Ninja was quick with his hands too, continually throwing Explosive Tags and Shuriken toward Hui. Explosions filled the air again, and the Meteor Hammer seemed to have eyes, relentlessly chasing her and smashing trees and rocks. It must have been heavy to do that much damage.
Hui decided there was no point in running any farther. They were pursuing her relentlessly, so it was time to fight back.
She quickly formed Hand Seals, sending Wind Blades at the two men again and again. The blades collided with Explosive Tags, triggering even bigger blasts that caught both sides in the explosions.
Hui ignored the blasts around her and rapidly formed more Hand Seals. Wind swept up pebbles and hurled them toward the two men, plowing through the bushes along the way.
The Grass Ninja was already frustrated that he couldn't catch Hui Youling. Seeing this attack, he sneered and quickly formed Hand Seals too. "Fire Release: Phoenix Fire Jutsu!"
Several fireballs shot toward Hui, colliding with her Wind Release and igniting an even greater blaze that devoured the forest ahead.
Looking at the raging fire before her, Hui felt a heaviness settle in her heart. She really had been thoroughly targeted today...
It wasn't as though she'd never encountered Fire Release users before, but she had always assassinated them before they could strike. After that, she hadn't run into anyone too troublesome. But these two reacted quickly and were capable fighters, to say nothing of their strength. She wasn't fast enough to kill them outright, and attacks that couldn't hit them were useless.
Unable to use Wind Release Ninjutsu, Hui could only resort to the forbidden technique Orochimaru had taught her. She quickly formed Hand Seals, drawing the snakes around her. Many little snakes appeared on the ground and crawled toward the Grass Ninja. But compared to the swarm Orochimaru could summon at once, the number she'd gathered was pitiful. That was what happened when she didn't know the Summoning Technique.
The Grass Ninja frowned slightly at the snakes crawling out. This ability hadn't been mentioned in the information he'd received. Snakes of all kinds slithered toward him, and there were quite a few of them. Though he didn't know whether they were poisonous, he had no desire to let them touch him.
The Grass Ninja quickly formed Hand Seals, intending to burn the little snakes. A great blaze poured from his mouth, instantly surrounding them. They writhed and hissed where they lay, while the smell of charred flesh spread through the air. The scent around them turned strange.
The Grass Ninja frowned at the writhing, charred snakes on the ground. At least he had stopped the swarm from getting close, even if the sight was a little disgusting.
He looked up into the distance. Hui Youling had already hidden herself. For someone so young to have that kind of strength meant that if he let her escape, she might come back to haunt him. Besides, he was already tired of playing hide-and-seek with Hui. He quickly formed Hand Seals and slowly slapped the ground. "Earth Release: Encirclement Jutsu!"
Centered on the Grass Ninja, enormous earthen walls rose around them, enclosing them in a single area like a walled city. Watching his teammate use the technique, the Fat Ninja curled his lips into a cruel smile. "It's been a while since I've seen you use that jutsu. That brat's dead for sure!"
"Get your technique ready. If we really let her get away, we might as well give up our reputation!" the Grass Ninja said impatiently, no longer bothering to hide the displeasure in his eyes.
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