Chakra had five basic nature types: water, earth, wind, fire, and lightning!
Ninjutsu was classified accordingly!
Kirigakure and Amegakure excelled at Water Release, Kumogakure at Lightning Style, and Sunagakure of the Land of Wind at Wind Style. Iwagakure was best at Earth Style, though plenty of Sunagakure shinobi could use Earth Style as well.
Konoha, the strongest shinobi village, had practitioners of every nature type and all kinds of Ninjutsu. Fire Style was its most famous.
After all, it was the Land of Fire, and Konoha's leader was even called the Hokage!
But if someone could use Earth Style at the level this boy had shown, he almost certainly wasn't a Konoha Ninja.
There were hardly any Konoha shinobi who could use Earth Style so skillfully and stand out so much.
To claim it was that man, the one hailed as the Shinobi Hero and Professor of Ninjutsu, would be laughable.
How could the leader of a great village stoop to such a furtive, underhanded act?
With Konoha ruled out, Kirigakure and Kumogakure could be ruled out too.
As for Sunagakure, Shaquan hadn't even considered it.
That left one possibility: if the kid wasn't a shinobi from Iwagakure, then who else could he be?
Shaquan was a clever man. Otherwise, he couldn't have kept Kitsuchi in check.
He'd confidently reached his conclusion and even made a few more deductions.
What was Kitsuchi's goal in pulling this while they were discussing cooperation? What did he stand to gain? What did Iwagakure stand to gain?
The human brain was remarkably advanced, and thought was the fastest thing of all.
Shaquan glared at Gong Yi, his expression cold and murderous!
"At such a young age, you're already this strong. You're a true prodigy!"
"Alone, you dared to turn around and ambush three Chunin and a Jonin. You're decisive, and you've got nerves of steel!"
Shaquan's gaze swept around, then lingered on the several shuriken stuck in Gong Yi's body.
"You took advantage of the soft soil in the Land of Rain and the dark, rainy night to use the Earth Style: Swamp of the Underworld, the technique best suited to the conditions. You're sharp-witted and exceedingly clever!"
"You lured your enemy in, pretended you couldn't hold out, and took several shuriken to the body, yet kept supplying Chakra to the Underworld Swamp. You're ruthless to both your enemies and yourself!"
Shaquan drew a deep breath.
Decisive, fearless, sharp-witted, exceedingly clever, and ruthless to both enemies and himself!
How could such a prodigy be allowed to live?
And if he wasn't one of ours, all the more reason not to let him live!
I'll kill him!
With a roar, Shaquan's Chakra surged wildly. Like a lion attacking a rabbit, he went all out!
He clenched one hand from afar.
Sand Binding Coffin!
Sand Waterfall Funeral!
Countless grains of sand burst from the earth and coiled around Gong Yi, winding upward like a python.
How did a python capture its prey?
It coiled around it! It squeezed!
Shaquan unleashed two advanced techniques in succession, determined to kill this not-yet-fully-grown prodigy in an instant.
But just then, Gong Yi's clear voice rang out from a distance.
"Shaquan, was it? Once you leave town, Kazama Heitetsu will be left alone to face Kitsuchi!"
Shaquan froze.
He'd wondered why Kitsuchi had sent someone to eavesdrop on their negotiations. He hadn't understood it before and had even thought it was pointless.
But when he heard Gong Yi's words, it suddenly clicked.
If he was drawn away, wouldn't Lord Kazama be left alone?
Kitsuchi was the son of the Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki, and the next person in line to lead Iwagakure!
He could muster enough forces to surround and kill Lord Kazama.
In the instant Shaquan hesitated, his Chakra briefly faltered. Gong Yi gave a violent shudder, shaking off all the sand coiled around him.
The shuriken that had been embedded in his body were also forced out by his muscles.
The moment he broke free, Gong Yi turned and fled.
Shaquan frowned, pulled out a signal flare, and fired it into the sky.
Bang!
Fireworks bloomed in the rainy night, breathtakingly beautiful.
And as the fireworks burst overhead, Shaquan unleashed his undisguised bloodlust, bearing down on Gong Yi like a storm.
"I'll kill you first, then go back for Lord Kazama!"
Shaquan wasn't a fool. He knew Kazama Heitetsu mattered more than the kid in front of him, but he also knew the kid's potential was terrifying.
Once he came into his own, he'd become another powerhouse of Iwagakure—someone on the level of Konoha's Yellow Flash!
Compared to such a figure, Lord Kazama was merely a guard commander. He didn't seem so important anymore.
Besides, Shaquan was confident he could finish the kid quickly.
He'd been running for so long!
He'd used the wide-area Underworld Swamp!
He'd taken several shuriken!
How much Chakra could he possibly have left?
"Die, brat!"
Shaquan unleashed his full strength, leaped in front of Gong Yi, and formed Hand Seals.
He was going to use his strongest Ninjutsu, the powerful A-rank technique he'd created himself and named after himself, which the Third Kazekage had rated A-rank!
Shaquan Great Funeral!
But before he'd even finished half the Hand Seals, the kid stopped. There wasn't a trace of panic in his eyes.
Seven shuriken shot out at incredibly tricky angles!
Then Gong Yi crouched low.
Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu!
Earth Style: Rock Pillar Spear!
A tremendous force dragged Shaquan underground as a sharp rock pillar thrust skyward.
The threat of death engulfed Shaquan.
A-rank Ninjutsu were immensely powerful, but most required complex Hand Seals, and many needed time to build up power.
Chidori and Rasengan, for example: even without Hand Seals, they still required time to charge.
Shaquan sensed the danger before he could unleash his killing move and had no choice but to interrupt it.
Forcing the interruption sent his Chakra into a violent backlash, injuring him.
Ignoring his internal injuries, he leaped up with all his strength.
Midair, seven shuriken came whistling toward him.
Shaquan's eyes reddened. With nowhere to dodge, he could only block them.
These weren't like the shuriken from earlier, when he'd wanted to capture Gong Yi alive and had avoided his vital points.
Every one of them was aimed at a vulnerable spot.
His eyes!
His throat!
His heart!
His groin!
Shaquan thrust out his hands and tried to snatch the shuriken out of the air.
At worst, I'll lose both hands!
Gritting his teeth, Shaquan swept his arms across and, thanks to a Jonin's sharp instincts, managed to catch all seven shuriken hurtling toward his vital spots!
"Haha, I made it through—"
Shaquan choked out the words as a black Kunai pierced straight through his throat.
The point was at the front, the handle at the back.
There was only one way that could have happened.
The Kunai had entered through the back of his head and pierced his vulnerable throat on its way through.
Gong Yi let out a long breath and slowly walked over.
Shaquan lay on the ground, his body already pierced by the Rock Pillar Spear.
He stared wide-eyed at Gong Yi. Overcome with frustration, he forced out the words one at a time.
"Why do you still have Chakra..."
He never finished. With his throat pierced, even a shinobi's formidable vitality couldn't let him speak a complete sentence.
Shaquan was dead!
Torrential rain poured from the sky.
Gong Yi pulled the Kunai from Shaquan's throat, pried open his hand, and took back the seven shuriken.
Most shinobi tools carried the markings of their village.
Until he revealed his identity, Gong Yi did his best to avoid letting small details expose him as a Konoha Ninja.
He glanced at the Jonin named Shaquan, said nothing, and turned to leave.
He knew what Shaquan had wanted to ask at the end.
Wasn't it why he still had Chakra?
An eight-year-old boy who'd fought for so long shouldn't have had any Chakra left.
But Gong Yi's body had reserves that even a Jonin in his prime couldn't match. With his immense mental energy to support him, why couldn't he still have a little Chakra left?
Besides, his research projects through the Scholar System had cut the Chakra costs of all the Ninjutsu he knew by half. His actual expenditure hadn't been nearly as high as Shaquan imagined.
Gong Yi disappeared into the night once more, leaving the torrential rain to wash away every trace.
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