Turning the Tide

"Screech, screech, screech..."

It sounded as if thousands of birds were chirping in unison. The dazzling blue-white electric light illuminated the expression of disbelief frozen on the face of the Kirigakure jonin.

"So the one I kicked earlier was the real body?!"

His body had been pierced from behind by Yu using Chidori, while the Yu he had just stabbed through with his blade vanished into a puff of smoke. The expression on the Kirigakure jonin's face was incredibly vivid. "How is this possible? I cannot accept this..."

"Acceptance is useless; this is the life of a ninja."

Watching his opponent collapse before him, Yu slowly withdrew his left hand, which was still crackling with Chidori.

Sensing the intense unwillingness in the Kirigakure jonin's heart, Yu said calmly, "You were too arrogant, and you focused too much on my ninjutsu and bloodline limit, while ignoring one crucial point..."

"Beyond ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu... tactics are also a mandatory subject for every ninja."

Tactics... huh...

"Thud!"

As his body collapsed limply to the ground, the Kirigakure jonin's eyes began to glaze over. In his final moments, he desperately gathered his last shred of consciousness to calculate the reason for his failure and death.

So, the one I kicked earlier wasn't a Body Replacement Technique...

He had intentionally taken my strike, used the Transformation Technique to turn into a wooden log to confuse my vision, and then had his Shadow Clone attack from behind, making me mistake the clone for his real body!

To think he used an E-rank Ninja Academy technique to finish off a jonin like me... what a terrifying brat!

"Hiss... he really was a jonin; that kick packed quite a punch."

Watching the Kirigakure jonin finally expire, Yu couldn't help but wince as he rubbed his chest, clearly feeling that one of his ribs had snapped.

After all, it was the strength of an adult jonin. If he hadn't been desperate to end the fight in the shortest time possible, he wouldn't have taken such a dangerous gamble.

"Captain Suikyo?!"

"Are you kidding me? Jonin Suikyo was actually killed by a brat like that?!"

Seeing the jonin who led their elite Kirigakure unit killed by a six-year-old child like Yu, all the Mist Ninjas present were stunned by the absurd scene.

"Konoha Rock-Smashing Rise!!"

Caught off guard by the shock, one Mist Ninja was seized by Might Guy, who delivered a fierce elbow strike that smashed into his face, knocking him unconscious instantly.

"Yu actually took down that jonin?!"

"He's too amazing... as his seniors, how can we afford to hold him back!!"

Seeing the six-year-old Yu kill a Kirigakure jonin, the hot-blooded Might Guy immediately went wild, unleashing his taijutsu as he lunged toward a group of Mist Ninjas with a roar.

"Yu is truly too strong..."

"Damn it... and here I am, unable to even handle these few guys."

On the other side, Kurenai Yuhi was struggling to defend herself under the siege of two chunin and several genin.

Feeling the vast gap in ability, the bright young girl bit her lower lip and fought back with all her might.

"Hehe... little girl, just give up the resistance!"

Seeing the young, beautiful Konoha kunoichi retreating step by step under their combined assault, one of the Mist Ninjas let out a series of lewd laughs.

"Come to think of it, that brat is truly terrifying... to actually kill Jonin Suikyo."

"But you still have no chance; after all, the difference in numbers is right here..."

Another Mist Ninja spoke up, attempting to use verbal pressure to hasten his opponent's collapse.

"Don't you dare dream of it! We will definitely break out of here!"

Kurenai Yuhi gritted her teeth and dodged a kunai swung at her, her red eyes filled with fury.

"Hehe, you'd better worry about yourself first!"

A Mist Ninja seized the opportunity to circle behind Kurenai Yuhi, his sharp kunai slicing through the fabric of her shoulder and revealing a patch of snow-white skin.

"Wow! Who would have thought a Konoha kunoichi would be so tender!!"

Seeing the exposed part of Kurenai Yuhi's shoulder, the other Mist Ninjas immediately spewed all sorts of filth.

"Damn it..."

Kurenai Yuhi bit her lip in anger, but in reality, she was already at her limit after holding out this long against two chunin and several genin.

"Argh!!!"

Just then, the lewd words on the lips of the Mist Ninja in front of Kurenai Yuhi turned into a scream.

A palm wreathed in violent electrical currents had pierced his heart. Yu, who had been far away just a moment ago, had quietly closed the distance, his hand glowing with the brilliant light of Chidori.

"Damn it!"

"Watch out! It's that brat!!"

Seeing the white-haired boy who had just killed the Kirigakure jonin suddenly appear before them, the surrounding Mist Ninjas were struck with terror.

"Go to hell!!"

"Genjutsu: Three Absolute Cherry Blossoms!!"

Seeing their companion killed by Yu's sneak attack in the blink of an eye, the surrounding Mist Ninjas were shocked, their attention entirely drawn to Yu.

Kurenai Yuhi seized the opportunity, crouching down to weave hand seals and cast her genjutsu, while simultaneously lunging forward with a kunai to slash out a chilling, sharp edge.

The Mist Ninjas who had just been taunting her were still immersed in the illusion of countless scattering cherry blossoms when she slit their throats, drawing blood instantly.

Chidori: Star Shatter!!

At the same time, seeing several other Mist Ninjas rushing up to take advantage of the situation, Yu's gaze turned cold.

The violent, electric light of the Chidori in his hand surged, and with a flick of his wrist, he launched it directly at them!

"Sizzle!!"

"Boom!!"

Struck by the Chidori launched from Yu's hand, the Mist Ninjas were first entangled in a violent surge of electricity, and in the blink of an eye, they were blasted into charred remains by the full power of the Chidori!

Chidori: Star Shatter—yet another shape transformation derived from the Chidori.

It was a technique Yu had developed based on the ninjutsu used by Uchiha Sasuke in The Last.

After the final battle, Sasuke had used this technique to completely shatter a massive fragment of a meteorite falling toward Konoha. Its power was vastly superior to that of a standard Chidori.

Although Yu was still far from reaching that exaggerated level of power, it was already an incredibly formidable technique.

"Are you alright, Senior Kurenai?"

Seeing the Mist Ninjas killed in an instant, Yu stepped forward to help Kurenai Yuhi, who was sitting on the ground, to her feet.

"I'm fine. It's a good thing you arrived in time, Yu."

After standing up and briefly tending to the wound on her shoulder, Kurenai Yuhi gave Yu a smile. "Don't call me Senior Kurenai anymore; just call me Kurenai. I'm not that much older than you."

"Then I'll call you Sister Kurenai."

Yu didn't stand on ceremony. He turned to look at the battle involving Might Guy and Genma Shiranui. "I'll treat your wounds after the fight ends. I'm going to help them finish off the enemies first."

Although they had already taken out the majority of the enemies, there were still nine Chunin and over a dozen Genin surrounding Guy and the others.

Having killed a Jonin, used the S-rank ultimate Water Style: Hard Vortex Water Blade, and continuously employed the Chidori and other ninjutsu, Yu's chakra and stamina were heavily depleted. He couldn't afford to worry about his own injuries or Kurenai's for the moment, so he unleashed the power of his String-String Fruit.

"Overheat Whip!!"

Aiming at the group of Mist Ninjas surrounding Might Guy and his team, Yu raised his hand and fired a thick, massive string.

Over a hundred meters in length and possessing incredible power, it sliced directly through the entire ground before them.