Chakra Consumption

Bai Dun's grip suddenly intensified, using his shuriken to shove Shen Ye back with brute force.

Simultaneously dropping the shuriken to the ground, he began weaving hand seals at a speed so rapid that Shen Ye could barely track his movements.

As his body slid backward, Shen Ye found himself unable to make any extra maneuvers, forced to channel chakra into his feet to anchor himself.

"Fire Style, Gale Palm!"

Two visible whirlwinds erupted from Bai Dun's palms, expanding into massive vortexes the moment they left his hands, surging toward Shen Ye.

This guy can actually use two different elemental ninjutsu; no wonder he's a member of the Anbu.

Shen Ye furrowed his brows. It seemed he had underestimated this opponent all along; now, he wasn't entirely certain he could take him down.

But the die was cast. If he let Bai Dun go, the secret of his Wood Release would be exposed in an instant.

He had no idea what kind of schemes that old man, the Third Hokage, was cooking up. If he found out, the label of "lab rat" would be slapped onto his head for good.

"Chakra Perception!"

Expanding his sensory range to its absolute limit, a clear image of the tornadoes and their trajectories materialized in his mind.

Since the tornadoes were still manifestations of chakra even after leaving Bai Dun's hands, Shen Ye could use his perception to predict their path and dodge accordingly.

However, dodging blindly wouldn't be enough to keep Bai Dun here; he had to find a way to take the initiative.

"Fire Style, Great Fireball Technique!"

Moving his body laterally to narrowly graze past the tornadoes, Shen Ye opened his mouth to unleash his attack.

A massive torrent of flames erupted in the blink of an eye, leaving Bai Dun with nothing in his vision but an endless sea of fire.

He can even cast Uchiha clan ninjutsu with such ease—is he a freak of nature, or has he been hiding his true strength all along?

Bai Dun scrambled backward, attempting to put distance between himself and the flames, but he was quickly swallowed whole by the inferno.

The surrounding trees ignited into a raging blaze, yet the fire stopped at a safe distance, perfectly encircling Bai Dun's position.

"Water Release, Water Waterfall Technique!"

Suddenly, a massive waterfall descended from the sky, the collision of water and fire creating a thick, white mist.

The shroud of fog obscured Shen Ye's vision, making him feel as if he were standing in a fairyland.

"Partial Multi-Size Technique!"

With a loud bang, Shen Ye's arm swelled to a massive size, swiping through the air twice to disperse the thick mist with the resulting gusts of wind.

Bai Dun reappeared before him, his clothes singed with scattered burn marks.

It was clear that he hadn't fully evaded the flames earlier and had taken a heavy hit.

With Chakra Perception active, Shen Ye could clearly see Bai Dun's state; half of his chakra reserves had already been depleted.

Conversely, thanks to the continuous absorption of Sage Mode, the chakra Shen Ye had spent on his Wood Release was gradually replenishing.

Even so, Bai Dun still possessed far more chakra than Shen Ye—after all, there was a vast difference between a Chunin and a child who hadn't even graduated.

A war of attrition won't work. This guy has more tricks up his sleeve than I imagined. It would be disastrous if he pulled out a ninjutsu I couldn't handle.

Shen Ye's eyes darted around as he pondered how to end this endless battle in one strike.

Bai Dun curled his lips into a smirk; his initial indifference had shifted into focused caution. This kid was worthy of his full attention.

Whoosh. Bai Dun vanished from his spot, reappearing behind Shen Ye in an instant.

The reflection of the shuriken glinted against the tree trunk in front of Shen Ye, who tilted his neck just in time to dodge the lethal strike.

Shen Ye then lifted his leg and kicked backward with all his might, channeling the Strength of a Hundred into his heel.

To his surprise, the kick hit nothing but air, the momentum nearly causing Shen Ye to stumble to the ground.

Turning around, he saw Bai Dun perched atop a tree trunk, looking down at him with a mocking gaze.

"Little brother, I'm a ninja who has walked through the gates of death. You're just a flower in a greenhouse—how could you possibly be my match?"

"My experiences are likely things you'll never face in your entire life. Stop trying to intimidate me with your ignorant history."

Shen Ye lunged at Bai Dun, his movements wide and aggressive, abandoning all pretense of delicate technique.

In the face of absolute power, all combat skills were useless.

Bai Dun could only barely dodge; if one of Shen Ye's punches landed, he would lose half his life, if not his head.

He finally understood why everyone in the village feared Tsunade so much; no one could withstand such monstrous strength.

Except, of course, for Jiraiya.

He had been beaten black and blue by her since he was Shen Ye's age, and his body had long since adapted to that kind of force.

As Shen Ye unleashed a flurry of punches, countless tree trunks were shattered by his power, yet not a single blow landed on Bai Dun.

"Is a Chunin only capable of running away? Like a rat?"

This taunt undoubtedly ignited Bai Dun's desire to fight, and he stood his ground, waiting for Shen Ye's fist to land.

Just as the wind-buffeted fist was about to slam into his stomach, Bai Dun crossed his shuriken to block the blow.

BOOM! Bai Dun was sent flying, crashing through countless trees before finally coming to a halt, his shuriken bent into a mangled mess.

"Cough, cough. The power behind that punch is truly terrifying. It's a good thing I managed to block it by manipulating my chakra."

"You blocked one punch, but do you really think you have a chance to block a second?"

"Heh, I wonder how much chakra you have left in your body? Maintaining such exquisite control for this long would leave even Tsunade feeling exhausted."

Shen Ye nodded inwardly; so this guy had been calculating his chakra levels all along.

In truth, Bai Dun had miscalculated. The moment Shen Ye mastered Strength of a Hundred, he reached his peak state, and his control over chakra was so precise that he had consumed almost nothing.

Bai Dun's words actually provided Shen Ye with an opportunity; he prepared to feign exhaustion to bait an attack, intending to finish him off in one strike.

"You saw through that, did you? But do you really think you can defeat—or even kill—me just because I'm low on chakra?"

Light beads of sweat appeared on Shen Ye's forehead, perfecting the facade of fatigue, all to lure Bai Dun into attacking.

Yet, he never expected the man to make such an unexpected move.