A Narrow Escape and a Breakthrough (Please Bookmark, Vote, and Tip)

Hearing the voice, Taiichi broke out in a cold sweat. He slowly turned around and saw a Masked Man standing not far away, empty-handed.

What reassured Taiichi slightly was that the man had several wounds on his body, and his breathing was unsteady.

He had clearly been through a battle not long ago and had only just escaped, coming here to rendezvous with the other ninja.

Taiichi cursed inwardly. Was Konoha a sieve now?

That guy from before had been, at most, a Special Jonin. Taiichi had taken him out with a surprise attack.

But this one was clearly a Jonin just from his aura alone. Were Jonin this cheap now? They could just come to Konoha and wreak havoc?

The only thing that comforted Taiichi was that this Jonin was seriously injured as well. Maybe he could hold out for a while. He just did not know whether he could last until the pursuing ninja arrived.

"You mean that idiot from before? My teacher killed him. My teacher has already gone to get help and will be back soon, so don't come any closer." Taiichi put on a panicked expression. If I can fool him, great. What if it works?

The Masked Man sneered disdainfully. Without wasting any words, he flashed toward Taiichi.

Taiichi did not back down either. He swung his blade and charged forward as well.

The instant they clashed, Taiichi knew something was wrong. His opponent was far too strong. He was no match at all.

After only two exchanges, a kunai had already cut a wound into him.

This was the first time Taiichi had ever been suppressed so badly.

After another head-on clash, Taiichi was forced back to where he had started. He still did not dare retreat. The little girl at his feet was clearly the enemy's target. If he left, she would be in danger.

The Masked Man saw through Taiichi's concerns and charged at him without mercy. Taiichi could only grit his teeth and meet the attack.

Their blades flashed back and forth, but Taiichi was clearly a step weaker. Kunai cuts kept appearing on his body.

The explosive clang of colliding blades rang out along the riverbank. Blood had begun to seep from the web of Taiichi's hand gripping his sword.

The Masked Man's blood-scented kunai came chopping down again. Taiichi gritted his teeth and stepped back half a pace as Wind Style chakra suddenly hummed along his blade, barely blocking the heavy strike that could have split open stone.

"Annoying brat!" The Masked Man panted as he changed moves, his left leg sweeping toward Taiichi's waist like an iron whip.

As Taiichi spun aside, he caught sight of blood seeping through the bandages beneath the man's ribs—the penetrating wound left by the pursuing ninja earlier.

He deliberately exposed an opening. Just as the kunai grazed his left shoulder, he suddenly threw out three smoke bombs.

Purple smoke instantly swallowed them both. Relying on his senses, Taiichi swiftly circled behind his enemy. The moment his blade pierced the smoke, the Masked Man twisted his body with bizarre flexibility, and Taiichi's Short Sword only barely sliced across his right arm.

Taiichi's heart tightened. Even with such serious injuries, this man still possessed the reaction speed of a Jonin.

"Your blade is too slow." A cold voice brushed against his ear. The hairs on the back of Taiichi's neck stood on end, and he instinctively bent down and rolled away.

The Masked Man's kunai skimmed past his scalp, cutting off several strands of black hair. Taiichi took the chance to retreat back to the little girl's side.

After that exchange, Taiichi had gained two more wounds.

But it also confirmed something for him. Whatever the reason, the Masked Man could no longer use ninjutsu. Otherwise, a Jonin would not have dragged things out against him for so long without using a single technique.

With that in mind, Taiichi decided it was time to start fighting dirty.

He added an Attribute Point to his physique. Instantly, his exhausted stamina and nearly depleted chakra were restored to full.

Without hesitation, Taiichi planted his Short Sword into the ground and formed hand seals with both hands. He began alternating between his two max-level skills, Wind Release: Great Breakthrough and Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire.

First came a howling gale filled with countless Wind Blades, sweeping toward the Masked Man. Faced with such a wide-ranging attack, the Masked Man, unable to use ninjutsu, could only dodge rapidly.

Before the Wind Style technique had even ended, the next Fire Style attack arrived. Fireballs filled the sky, chasing after the Masked Man and exploding without end.

A Jonin truly was a Jonin. Relying on his speed, he dodged and weaved through the attacks, slowly closing in on Taiichi despite everything.

But what the Masked Man had not expected was that Taiichi's ninjutsu seemed to cost no chakra at all. One technique after another poured forth without pause, gradually forcing him to remain at a fixed distance, unable to advance.

Damn brat. I refuse to believe you have that much chakra. Once you run dry, I'll chop you into pieces, the Masked Man thought viciously.

Under normal circumstances, Taiichi's chakra would have run dry long ago. In these few short minutes, he had already cast more than a dozen C-rank ninjutsu.

And these were not basic techniques. They had all been enhanced by Taiichi, making them as powerful as B-rank enhanced ninjutsu. Even a Jonin's chakra could not withstand such consumption.

But Taiichi had a cheat. In just this short time, he had already added another Attribute Point to his physique.

As he continuously unleashed ninjutsu, Taiichi discovered the benefits of the two skills he had obtained yesterday. His chakra responded faster, his techniques activated more quickly, cost less, and were more powerful.

The repeated use of Fire and Wind Style techniques also gave Taiichi a faint understanding of how to combine the two elemental styles.

On the battlefield, those incremental improvements showed in the Masked Man being forced farther and farther back. Taiichi was now a true ninjutsu turret!

The Masked Man was utterly frustrated, feeling himself being driven farther away.

That brat's chakra still poured out like a bottomless well. He knew he no longer had any chance of capturing the target. Now, he had to think about how to retreat.

He should not have held back earlier out of concern for an ambush. He should have launched a sneak attack and killed that brat right away.

Before the Masked Man could come up with a plan, the rustling sound of leaves rubbing together came from the distance. Ninja were rapidly approaching.

The Masked Man hesitated no longer. Ignoring the incoming Fireballs, he quickly turned to flee.

How could Taiichi let him have his way? Without a second thought, he swiftly changed his hand seals. Water Style: Water Formation Wall. But this Water Formation Wall did not rise in front of Taiichi—it rose behind the Masked Man.

Caught off guard, the Masked Man slammed into the Water Formation Wall. His face twisted as the high-pressure current hurled him back. Before he could think, he instinctively tried to circle around the Water Wall and continue fleeing.

But at that moment, inspiration seemed to strike Taiichi. Maintaining the Snake Seal, he continued channeling chakra. The two-meter-wide Water Wall rapidly stretched outward, forming a ring around the Masked Man and trapping him inside.

Then the top of the Water Wall quickly closed, forming a sphere of water. As chakra continued to drain away, the sphere rapidly filled and expanded. Turbulent currents churned within it, trapping the Masked Man tightly in the water and leaving him unable to escape.

This was clearly a variant of the Water Prison Technique.

By then, the pursuing ninja had arrived as well, surrounding the entire area.

Taiichi gritted his teeth and said, "Hurry! I can't hold it any longer."

Two Masked Ninja immediately rushed to the side of the water sphere. Only then did Taiichi dare release the Snake Seal and stop channeling chakra. The water sphere collapsed with a roar.

The Masked Man inside fell out. Just as he tried to resist, a Masked Ninja who had been waiting struck him unconscious in a single blow—they had actually captured him alive, a major accomplishment.

Taiichi dropped to the ground on his backside, panting heavily. Only then did he feel intense pain spreading through every part of his body, inside and out. His chakra pathways throbbed with waves of stabbing pain.

This was damage from overworking his chakra pathways at high intensity for too long. He would need to recuperate for quite some time before recovering.

At that moment, the two ninja who had gone to check on the little girl and examine the Scar-faced Man's corpse returned to report to their leader.

Hearing that the little girl was unharmed, the leader let out a breath of relief. Then he looked around at the battlefield, which had been wrecked by ninjutsu and was filled with traces of flames and Wind Blades, and he secretly marveled.

"Kid, do you still have any strength left?"