Victory and Defeat Decided, Life and Death Determined!

What is the pinnacle of Taijutsu?

A single punch that shatters mountains and rivers!

A single kick that crushes the earth!

Or perhaps a realm where even Madara in his Six Paths mode cannot track the movement!

Gong Yi certainly cannot reach such heights yet, but at the very least, his Taijutsu has reached a level invisible to the naked eye and impossible for low-level Ninjutsu to track.

The chakra gathering in Kazama Heitetsu's hands gradually dissipated, his face turning grim.

His remaining chakra was no longer sufficient to unleash high-level Ninjutsu, meaning he could no longer pose a threat to Gong Yi.

In other words, he, a dignified guard commander of Sunagakure and the Third Kazekage, was now forced into close-quarters combat with his opponent.

And this was the very situation Gong Yi had painstakingly orchestrated!

In terms of chakra capacity, he could not compare to Kazama Heitetsu.

In terms of mastered high-level Ninjutsu, he was also far inferior.

But when it came to Taijutsu, Gong Yi was confident he could go toe-to-toe with him!

Whoosh!

The wind roared as Gong Yi moved at high speed through the jagged, broken forest, then suddenly leaped up, kicking toward Kazama Heitetsu.

Kazama Heitetsu hastily raised his arms to block, but in that instant, his eyes widened!

"Such immense strength!"

It wasn't over yet; Gong Yi's kick smashed downward with such force that the massive tree branch Kazama Heitetsu stood upon snapped instantly.

Kazama Heitetsu began to plummet toward the ground.

Strike while the iron is hot!

Mid-air, Gong Yi forcibly twisted his waist and abdomen, unleashing a barrage of strikes upon Kazama Heitetsu.

Bang!

The two landed simultaneously.

Enduring the pain in his body, Kazama Heitetsu forcibly released his final bit of chakra.

"Wind Style, Great Breakthrough!"

Gong Yi retreated slightly, his eyes narrowing as he looked at him.

"Out of chakra, are you? Then it's my turn now!"

Charging forward, amidst Kazama Heitetsu's horrified gaze, Gong Yi used his fists, feet, fingers, palms, elbows, and even his head, leaving no part of his body unused as he rained blows upon him.

The fierce offensive left Kazama Heitetsu unable to cope.

Gong Yi had never ceased his Taijutsu training.

Limited by the availability of knowledge regarding Taijutsu, Gong Yi had not learned any profound techniques.

After all, Taijutsu is usually passed down by word of mouth, from teacher to student.

Much like Might Guy teaching Rock Lee, or Hyuga Hiashi instructing Hinata and Hanabi.

However, over the years, Gong Yi had developed his own unique set of Taijutsu training methods.

Beyond basic physical conditioning, he had integrated the strike-resistance training of Muay Thai from his world before transmigrating.

Furthermore, he had conducted in-depth research into the joint locks of Huaxia.

Snapping fingers!

Dislocating arms!

Kicking the back of the knees!

Every single attack was aimed at vulnerable spots like the throat, eyes, and groin.

When had Kazama Heitetsu ever seen such a reckless, life-risking fighting style?

He usually completed his missions relying on Ninjutsu.

Especially after becoming a guard for the Third Kazekage, the number of times he had to take action personally was few and far between.

For a ninja, running out of chakra often meant being at the mercy of others.

Kazama Heitetsu was no exception to this rule.

After blocking over a hundred rounds of Gong Yi's attacks, he finally could not hold on any longer.

Boom!

With a domineering mid-air kick, Gong Yi sent Kazama Heitetsu flying into a tree trunk.

The great tree shook at that moment, leaves fluttering and raining down incessantly.

Kazama Heitetsu's appearance was miserable.

His left eye was a gaping hole, blood streaming down; the eyeball had been gouged out by Gong Yi earlier.

His hands were bent back at unnatural angles, and seven of his fingers had been snapped clean off.

"Haa... haa..."

Heavy, ragged breathing echoed in his ears. Kazama Heitetsu widened his one remaining eye, staring in terror at the boy who approached with heavy, lumbering steps.

He instinctively kicked his legs, trying to scramble backward, but was blocked by the tree behind him.

Watching his enemy struggle in such a pathetic state, Gong Yi grinned.

"My apologies, but I have won."

"You..."

"The outcome is decided, and so is your fate. Goodbye."

Without another word, Gong Yi stepped in front of Kazama Heitetsu and cleanly snapped his neck.

As the light faded from his eyes, all of Kazama Heitetsu's fear vanished, replaced only by a lingering sense of regret.

If only I could have sent the intel on this boy back to the village.

Unfortunately, his wish was destined to remain unfulfilled, as Gong Yi had no intention of leaving even his corpse behind.

After resting for a few minutes, Gong Yi gathered every ounce of his remaining strength to refine a bit of chakra, unleashing a small fireball to incinerate Kazama Heitetsu's body until nothing remained.

Gazing at the half-destroyed forest left in the wake of their battle, Gong Yi gritted his teeth and forced himself to move on quickly.

As a major transportation hub on the continent, the prosperity of the Land of Fire went without saying.

Even as evening approached, the streets remained bustling with people.

A young man wearing a Konoha headband walked calmly into the town and checked into a hot spring inn.

Gong Yi lay in a private bath, savoring the soothing sensation of the hot spring soaking into his body.

Ten days had passed since that day of the thousand-mile flight.

His injuries, sustained in the wilderness, had been mostly treated by Gong Yi himself.

Feeling the vitality returning to his body, Gong Yi exhaled a long, stale breath.

"Before I head back to the village, I should summarize the battle!"

Recalling the fight that night, Gong Yi's eyes narrowed involuntarily.