The Strength of a Rogue Ninja

The Grass Ninja tilted his head toward the fat ninja and complained, "I told you to finish this quickly, but you insisted on using these roundabout methods."

The fat ninja retorted with equal irritation, his eyes cold and brimming with killing intent, "My trap was perfect. If she hadn't gotten lucky, we would have already collected the bounty."

"Just do it. I don't want to hear your excuses now. If he finds out, none of us will have a good time," the Grass Ninja said coldly, a look of gravity crossing his eyes.

"I know, I know!" The fat ninja, too impatient to keep arguing, knew the consequences of failure all too well and began moving his hands rapidly.

The Grass Ninja let out a cold snort and began to accumulate chakra, his hands weaving seals at high speed. Blue chakra surged from his body, wrapping around him like a cloak.

Hui was just preparing to sneak away when she sensed a cage of chakra descending to surround the area, trapping her within it. She looked toward the distance in shock, disbelief filling her eyes; something seemed to be breaking through the earth, and the ground began to tremble.

With a thunderous rumble, several high walls erupted from the ground. In the blink of an eye, the perimeter was sealed off, and Hui Youling's path forward was completely blocked.

Hui Youling looked around in alarm, her eyes widening. Under the Mind's Eye of the Kagura, she could see layers of chakra crisscrossing beneath her feet, rapidly forming a web. She was like prey caught in a spider's web, every movement she made instantly detected.

Watching the chakra web take shape beneath her, her breathing grew shallow. With this level of ninjutsu and such monstrous chakra control, what kind of people had she provoked!

The chakra beneath her feet suddenly began to fluctuate, and the entire web trembled. She sensed that her position had been exposed. Sure enough, the next instant, she heard the sound of a heavy object smashing through the air—the meteor hammer was closing in.

Hui Youling dodged just in time. The meteor hammer flew past her and slammed into a distant wall, leaving a deep crater and spreading cracks throughout the surface.

Seeing the spreading cracks, Hui Youling paused, a thought sparking in her mind. She quickly gathered strength in her hands and leaped toward the spot where the meteor hammer had struck. If she could smash through it, she could break the defense of these earthen walls.

But as she reached the edge of the wall, she witnessed the surface regenerating before her eyes. Her pupils dilated, and her heart began to pound uncontrollably.

Immediately after, Hui Youling heard the clanking of chains. She turned her gaze to the meteor hammer embedded in the wall, only to see it retracting, flying straight toward her face.

She leaped high into the air, pushed off the wall, and landed on a tree not far from the Grass Ninja.

Around him lay the twisted, charred corpses of snakes, the air thick with the stench of burnt flesh. In her direction, the fires were still burning; the battlefield was, in a strange way, quite spectacular.

Hui Youling steadied her breathing and glared coldly at the Grass Ninja. Even the snake swarm couldn't hold him back, and he had saved this ultimate move just for her—she had truly underestimated them.

The fat ninja retracted the chain of his meteor hammer, spinning it continuously as he waited for an opportunity to strike. The Grass Ninja curled his lip in a sneer, "Regretting it now, kid?"

Hui frowned at the two of them, her eyes darkening as if something were brewing. She had never liked unexpected battles, because when she focused too hard on fighting, she risked Zhan taking over her body. It seemed she had no choice but to take this seriously; she could no longer afford to look down on these people.

"Regret isn't the word. I just didn't expect to be targeted by you, and I certainly didn't expect your strength to be this high."

"Hmph." The Grass Ninja let out a cold laugh, a flash of malice in his eyes. With wind at his heels, he leaped from his spot, his hand lunging toward Hui Youling's throat with force.

Hui Youling didn't hesitate for a second. She pulled a weapon from her pocket and swung her shuriken toward the Grass Ninja's neck.

The Grass Ninja narrowed his eyes, surprised that she could react at such speed. However, being equally experienced, he dodged her attack and immediately drew his own shuriken to counterattack.

Hui Youling backflipped off the tree trunk, throwing her weapon, but the Grass Ninja, who had his back to her, dodged it and continued his assault.

Seeing the shuriken stabbing straight toward her, she drew her own to block his attack, sparks flying where the blades met.

All of this happened in mere seconds. The Grass Ninja hadn't expected the child before him to have such reflexes, parrying his strikes and countering with such speed and force. It was clear now that her strength was far beyond what her appearance suggested.

After another clash, neither had managed to wound the other. The Grass Ninja changed his tactics, weaving seals rapidly, "Earth Style: Earth Spike!"

Sharp stone spikes erupted from the ground toward Hui Youling. She leaped through the forest, the spikes piercing even the tree trunks. Every time she tried to close in on the Grass Ninja, the spikes disrupted her footing, and she was nearly caught by surprise several times.

Of course, Hui wouldn't let the Grass Ninja off easily. Pushed to this point, she wouldn't be Hui Youling if she backed down. Her gaze turned increasingly icy, and a cold smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

She wove seals quickly, drawing the surrounding snake swarm toward them. The bushes rustled as the snakes emerged, turning the silent forest into a chaotic scene.

"Hiss!!!" Snakes of all sizes slithered over. Hui Youling stood in the distance against the moonlight, surrounded by small snakes that glided past her, baring their fangs at the Grass Ninja.

The Grass Ninja looked around with a grave expression, realizing the number of snakes was increasing. They seemed to be acting under Hui Youling's command, slowly encircling him. Several small snakes coiled around his ankles, while venomous snakes in the distance hissed and spat venom from their fangs.

The Grass Ninja hurriedly hacked away the snakes on his ankles, narrowly dodging a spray of venom. He looked at Hui Youling, who remained completely untouched by the swarm, and his eyes filled with growing astonishment. Just who was this kid!

The Grass Ninja's eyes turned bloodshot, his gaze toward Hui Youling becoming vicious. How could he be pushed to this point by a brat? He was a renowned bounty hunter, and this kid was nothing more than a child!

"You little brat, you're asking for death!!" The Grass Ninja roared, weaving seals at high speed. The ground suddenly split down the middle, and the snakes crawling toward him fell into the gap, biting and writhing as they plummeted into the deep pit.

The ground beneath the Grass Ninja's feet rose rapidly, isolating him from the surrounding swarm.

Chakra accumulated beneath his feet and exploded; the ground beneath him cracked and sank, and the Grass Ninja lunged toward Hui Youling, his weapon aimed directly at her heart.

Seeing the shuriken closing in, Hui Youling's pupils constricted. She bent backward into an arch, narrowly dodging the surprise attack. The Grass Ninja flew over her, his eyes filled with shock.

Before Hui Youling could even straighten up, she controlled the surrounding snakes to pounce on the Grass Ninja. As soon as he landed, he was swarmed by the small snakes. While he struggled to shake them off, Hui pushed off the ground to stand straight, seizing the chance to counterattack with a strike that held no mercy.