"Zzzzz..."
It sounded as if a thousand birds were chirping at once. The dazzling blue-white light illuminated the Mist shinobi's face, frozen in a look of disbelief.
"So the one I kicked just now was the real one?!"
Yu had pierced the Mist shinobi through the back with Chidori. The Yu he had stabbed in front of him, however, had turned into a puff of smoke and vanished. The expression on the Mist shinobi's face was a sight to behold. "How is this possible? I refuse to accept this..."
"Refusing to accept it won't change anything. This is the reality of a ninja's life."
Looking down at his fallen opponent, Yu slowly withdrew his left hand, the one he had used to unleash Chidori.
Sensing the intense resentment in the Mist shinobi's heart, Yu said calmly, "You underestimated me, and you were too focused on my ninjutsu and Kekkei Genkai. You overlooked something crucial..."
"Besides ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and genjutsu... tactics are also a mandatory part of a ninja's training."
Tactics... huh...
"Thud!"
The Mist shinobi collapsed helplessly. His gaze began to blur, but before he died, he forced himself to think through the reasons for his defeat.
So the one I kicked just now wasn't a Substitution Technique...
He'd deliberately taken my attack, then used the Transformation Technique to turn into a wooden post and throw me off. After that, he'd sent a Shadow Clone to attack me from behind, making me think the clone was his real body!
He actually used an E-rank Ninja Academy technique to take down an elite jonin like me... What a terrifying kid!
"Whew... He was a jonin, after all. That kick really packed a punch."
Watching the Mist jonin finally die, Yu grimaced and rubbed his chest. He could clearly feel that one of his ribs had broken.
He was up against the strength of an adult jonin, after all. If he hadn't been trying to end the fight as quickly as possible, he wouldn't have taken such a risky gamble.
"Captain Suikyo?!"
"You've got to be kidding! Suikyo was killed by a kid like that?!"
Seeing the jonin who led their elite Kirigakure unit killed by a six-year-old like Yu, all the Mist shinobi nearby stared in shock at the absurd sight.
"Konoha Rock-Smashing Rise!!"
While one Mist shinobi stood stunned, Might Guy seized his chance and slammed a fierce elbow into his face, knocking him unconscious.
"Yu actually took down that jonin?!"
"That's incredible... We're his seniors. We can't let him down!"
Seeing that six-year-old Yu had killed a Kirigakure jonin, the hot-blooded Guy went wild, unleashing Taijutsu as he charged at a group of Mist shinobi with a series of battle cries.
"Yu's really amazing..."
"Damn it... I can't even take down these few guys."
Over on the other side, Kurenai Yuhi was struggling to hold her own against two chunin and several genin.
Feeling the enormous gap between them, the bright-eyed girl bit her lower lip and fought back with all her might.
"Heh heh... Give it up, little girl!"
Seeing the young, beautiful Konoha kunoichi retreating under the combined assault of their group, one of the Mist shinobi let out a sleazy laugh.
"That kid really is terrifying... He actually killed Suikyo."
"But you still don't stand a chance. You're outnumbered, after all..."
Another Mist shinobi chimed in, trying to break their opponent's spirit with taunts.
"Don't count us out! We'll definitely break through!"
Kurenai gritted her teeth and dodged a kunai slashing toward her. Anger burned in her red eyes.
"Heh heh, you should worry about yourself first!"
A Mist shinobi took the opportunity to circle around behind Kurenai. His sharp kunai sliced through her shoulder, exposing a patch of pale skin.
"Whoa! I didn't know Konoha's kunoichi were so soft and smooth!"
Seeing the tear in Kurenai's shoulder, the other Mist shinobi started hurling all sorts of filthy remarks at her.
"Damn it..."
Kurenai clenched her teeth, furious. But the truth was, she was already struggling to last against two chunin and several genin.
"Gah!!!"
Just then, the lewd words about to leave the Mist shinobi's mouth turned into a scream.
A hand crackling with violent currents had pierced his heart. Yu had somehow crept up nearby, Chidori blazing in his hand.
"Damn it!"
"Watch out! It's that kid!!"
Seeing the white-haired boy who had just killed the Kirigakure jonin suddenly appear before them, the Mist shinobi around him panicked.
"Die!!"
"Genjutsu: Three Absolute Cherry Blossoms!!"
Seeing Yu kill their comrade with a surprise attack in the blink of an eye, the other Mist shinobi turned their full attention to him.
Kurenai seized the opening. Crouching down, she formed hand seals and cast a genjutsu, then darted forward and slashed with her kunai in a flash of steel.
The Mist shinobi who had just taunted her were still lost in an illusion of cherry blossoms scattering through the air when she cut their throats, drawing blood with every stroke.
Chidori: Star Shatter!!
At the same time, Yu noticed several more Mist shinobi rushing in from the side. His gaze turned cold.
The lightning crackling around Chidori in his hand flared brighter. With a flick of his wrist, he hurled it straight at them!
"Rrrip!!"
"Boom!!"
The Chidori Yu hurled struck the Mist shinobi. Violent currents coiled around them, and in the next instant, the full force of the attack blasted them into charred husks!
Chidori: Star Shatter was another variation developed from Chidori.
Yu had developed the technique based on one used by Uchiha Sasuke in THE LAST.
After the final battle, Sasuke had used it to shatter the enormous half of a meteorite that was falling toward Konoha. Its power was far greater than that of an ordinary Chidori.
Yu couldn't come close to matching that ridiculous level of power yet, but it was still an incredibly powerful technique.
"Are you all right, Kurenai?"
Seeing that he had killed several Mist shinobi in an instant, Yu hurried over and helped Kurenai up from the ground.
"I'm fine. Good thing you got here in time, Yu."
After getting to her feet, Kurenai quickly tended to the wound on her shoulder, then smiled at Yu. "You don't have to call me Senior Kurenai. Just call me Kurenai. I'm only a few years older than you."
"Then I'll call you Kurenai."
Yu didn't stand on ceremony. Turning to look at the battle between Might Guy, Genma Shiranui, and the others, he said, "I'll treat you after the fight. First, I'll help them take care of the enemy."
Although they had already killed most of the enemy, nine chunin and more than a dozen genin were still surrounding Guy and the other two.
He had killed a jonin, used the S-rank ultimate Water Style: Hard Vortex Water Blade, and unleashed Chidori along with several other techniques.
After the fight, Yu had already used up a great deal of chakra and stamina. With no time to treat his own injuries or Kurenai's, he unleashed the power of the String-String Fruit.
"Overheat Whip!!"
Aiming at the group of Mist shinobi surrounding Might Guy and the others in the distance, Yu raised his hand and fired a massive strand of string.
It stretched over a hundred meters and carried an astonishing amount of power, cleaving straight through the ground before him.
Before you continue