However, the fire dragon that followed gave Ueno Kei no chance to evade. He had no choice but to take the incoming Fire Release head-on, and Orochimaru pressed his advantage, a flicker of killing intent flashing through his eyes.
His figure swiftly closed in on the retreating Ueno Kei, stabbing diagonally from an extremely tricky angle. Ueno Kei knew there was no way he could avoid it. He could only protect his vital areas and forcefully twist his body at an incredibly unnatural angle.
With a squelch, the sound of a blade piercing flesh rang out.
Ueno Kei frowned, but this was no time to dwell on it. He moved swiftly, pushing off with both feet as the Lingyu Blade in his hand swept toward Orochimaru with unstoppable force.
Orochimaru swayed slightly and easily avoided the strike. Using that opportunity, Ueno Kei caught his breath and took the opening to move away from Orochimaru.
But as the blade was pulled free in that instant, it scraped through Ueno Kei's body once more.
Ueno Kei knelt on one knee atop a tree trunk some distance away, his left hand covering the wound at his waist. Blood continuously poured from it. His breathing had grown exceedingly weak, cold sweat covered his forehead, and his face was pale.
"Cough, cough... Still not enough? Even using the speed of Lightning-nature chakra and Cloud Shadow's concealment properties... it still wasn't enough? And I ended up in such a sorry state..." After the failure of that strike, Ueno Kei calculated that even if he could not win, he should at least have been able to retreat unharmed.
But unexpectedly, Ueno Kei gave a bitter smile. His body was covered in blood. The moment he tried to move, he bared his teeth in pain; every part of