What was the pinnacle of taijutsu?
A punch that shattered mountains and rivers!
A kick that split the earth!
Or perhaps a level of skill so great that even Madara in Six Paths Mode couldn't see the movements!
Gong Yi couldn't reach that level yet, of course, but at the very least, his taijutsu had become too fast for the naked eye to follow, beyond the tracking ability of low-level ninjutsu!
The chakra gathered in Kazama Heitetsu's hands gradually dissipated, and his face darkened.
He had too little chakra left to use any high-level ninjutsu, which meant he could no longer threaten Gong Yi.
In other words, the dignified leader of the Third Kazekage's bodyguards in Sunagakure now had to fight his opponent at close quarters.
And this was precisely the situation Gong Yi had painstakingly set up!
In terms of chakra reserves, he couldn't match Kazama Heitetsu.
In terms of high-level ninjutsu, he was far inferior as well.
But when it came to taijutsu, Gong Yi was confident he could hold his own against his opponent!
Whoosh!
The wind roared as Gong Yi sped through the forest, where broken tree trunks jutted out in all directions. Then he suddenly leaped up and kicked at Kazama Heitetsu.
Kazama Heitetsu hurriedly raised his arm to block, but in that instant, his eyes widened!
"What incredible strength!"
And that wasn't all. Gong Yi's foot came crashing down, snapping the enormous branch Kazama Heitetsu had been standing on.
Kazama Heitetsu began to fall toward the ground.
Strike while he's down!
Still airborne, Gong Yi forcibly twisted his waist and torso, launching a flurry of attacks at Kazama Heitetsu.
Bang!
They hit the ground at the same time.
Enduring the pain, Kazama Heitetsu forced out the last of his chakra.
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"
Gong Yi took a slight step back, his eyes narrowing as he looked at him.
"You're out of chakra, aren't you? Then it's my turn!"
Gong Yi charged in. Under Kazama Heitetsu's horrified gaze, he used his fists, feet, fingers, palms, elbows, and even his head to attack every part of his body.
The relentless assault left Kazama Heitetsu unable to keep up.
Gong Yi had never stopped training his taijutsu.
Limited by his access to knowledge about taijutsu, Gong Yi hadn't learned any particularly profound techniques.
After all, taijutsu was usually passed down by word of mouth, with a teacher instructing a student.
Like Might Guy training Rock Lee, or Hyuga Hiashi teaching Hinata and Hanabi.
But over the years, Gong Yi had devised a training method of his own.
Besides basic physical conditioning, he had incorporated the impact-resistance training of Muay Thai from the world he'd originally come from.
He had also studied Huaxia's joint techniques in depth.
Fingers twisted aside!
Arms wrenched out of place!
Kicks to the back of the knee!
He even aimed every attack at vulnerable spots like the throat, eyes, and groin.
Kazama Heitetsu had never faced such a reckless onslaught.
He usually completed missions with ninjutsu.
And after becoming one of the Third Kazekage's bodyguards, he'd rarely had to fight personally.
For a ninja, running out of chakra often meant being at the mercy of others.
Kazama Heitetsu was no exception.
After blocking more than a hundred of Gong Yi's attacks, he finally couldn't take any more.
Boom!
Gong Yi launched a mighty midair kick, sending Kazama Heitetsu flying sideways into a tree trunk.
The tree shook from the impact, showering the ground with leaves.
Kazama Heitetsu looked utterly miserable.
A gaping hole marred his left eye, blood streaming from it. Gong Yi had gouged out his eyeball earlier.
Both his hands bent unnaturally backward, and seven of his ten fingers had been twisted out of place.
"Haah... haah..."
Kazama Heitetsu's heavy breathing filled his ears. He stared wide-eyed at the panting boy approaching with labored steps, his heart gripped by terror.
Instinctively, he kicked his legs, trying to retreat, but the tree behind him blocked his way.
Gong Yi grinned at the enemy's pitiful, desperate struggle.
"I'm sorry, but I won."
"You..."
"The fight's decided, so now it's time to settle life and death. Goodbye."
Without another word, Gong Yi stepped in front of Kazama Heitetsu and cleanly snapped his neck.
When the light faded from his eyes, all of Kazama Heitetsu's fear disappeared, leaving only a trace of regret.
If only I could send this boy's information back to the village.
Alas, his wish would never come true, because Gong Yi had no intention of leaving even his corpse behind.
After resting for a few minutes, Gong Yi did his utmost to refine a small amount of chakra. He formed a tiny fireball and burned Kazama Heitetsu's body to ashes.
Looking at the half of the forest the battle had destroyed, Gong Yi gritted his teeth, steeled himself, and quickly left.
In a small town in the Land of Fire, a major transportation hub on the continent, the country's prosperity was plain to see.
Even as evening approached, the streets remained full of people.
A boy wearing a Konoha Ninja's Forehead Protector strolled into town and entered a hot-spring inn.
Gong Yi lay in a private bath, enjoying the soothing warmth of the hot spring as it enveloped his body.
Ten days had passed since the battle in which he'd fled for his life across a thousand miles.
He had managed to nurse his injuries back to health in the wilderness.
Feeling his strength return, Gong Yi let out a breath.
"Before I head back to the village, I should review the battle."
Recalling the fight that night, Gong Yi's eyes narrowed slightly.
PS: This chapter came a little late. I'm sorry. The building I live in caught fire, and it still hasn't been put out.
I took my computer and got out of the building. I've only just made it to a friend's house and started writing.
Well, I'm not joking. The address is in Taizhou, downtown. If any of you live around here, you probably know...
Before you continue