Disadvantage

"Hoo~"

"Hoo~"

Keep moving your feet, keep running, don't stop!

Her throat felt as if it were bleeding, the metallic taste spreading throughout her mouth.

Hui kept running; she did not have the luxury of stopping.

"Hahahaha!"

"This power, it's the best!"

The aura behind her was closing in relentlessly, and Hui couldn't help but glance back.

"Hey."

"What other uses does the Guardian's blood have?"

Hui's eyes widened, fixed on the man before her, his entire body pale, two small horns sprouting from his head.

Kuchiki Kurohane, that was the man's name.

The wind picked up, and blood dripped onto the ground, splashing upward---

Dang.

"Wind Style, Thousand Blades."

Yueshu and Sashizhen clashed once more, their blades locking together.

To Yueshu's surprise, Sashizhen was actually a master of the ninja sword, his swordsmanship skills not a whit inferior to his own.

Wind Style: Thousand Blades was a jutsu Sashizhen had created himself.

Sharp wind wrapped around the ninja sword; it was another way to utilize a chakra blade, as well as an extension of nature transformation.

Under the enhancement of this jutsu, every time Sashizhen's blade clashed with his opponent's, wind resembling sword energy would diffuse outward to strike them.

In just this short amount of time, Yueshu's body had already accumulated quite a few small cuts.

Sashizhen's jutsu was, it had to be said, truly troublesome; every time he swung his blade, it felt as if countless invisible knives were slicing at him.

Yueshu gripped the Kusanagi Sword, his eyes fixed on Sashizhen.

He was still the same, looking rather punchable; honestly, Yueshu felt like giving him a good beating right now.

"Well, for a mere brat to hold out against me for so long, you can certainly be proud."

Sashizhen nodded, the wind visibly swirling around the ninja sword in his hand.

Unlike the pure sharpness of a chakra blade, Sashizhen's jutsu was far more insidious and bothersome.

"Did you know?"

"The wind emitted by Thousand Blades can be continuously strengthened."

Sashizhen narrowed his eyes, and the moment his voice fell, Yueshu could feel the aura emanating from him surge once again.

"Well, that's quite a surprise."

Yueshu grinned.

"Take a good look, then."

"The power of the wind."

Sashizhen moved, and so did Yueshu.

Their figures constantly drew closer, the glint of weapons flashed, the sound of steel clashing rang out, and a symphony of battle was performed.

Puchi.

A gash opened on Yueshu's cheek, and blood sprayed out instantly.

"Tch."

Yueshu gritted his teeth and swept his sword horizontally, but Sashizhen dodged it with ease.

Blood trickled down his cheek, and Yueshu could feel the stinging discomfort on his face.

"What a pain!"

Yueshu cursed.

He looked incredibly disheveled now, covered in small wounds from head to toe, his clothes stained with blood.

"Fire Style, Dragon Flame Song Technique."

Yueshu didn't continue the melee; he flipped his hands and began weaving signs.

In an instant, he spat a fire dragon from his mouth, which flew toward Sashizhen.

Sashizhen smiled and charged straight at him, choosing not to counter with a jutsu.

"Do you know?"

Sashizhen spoke as if to someone else; although he was addressing Yueshu, Yueshu felt as if the man wasn't talking to him at all.

"Ninjutsu, when it comes down to it, is nothing more than the materialization of chakra."

Sashizhen spoke to himself, charging headlong toward the fire dragon.

Swish!

Yueshu's eyes widened.

His ninjutsu had been cleaved straight down the middle by Sashizhen!

"So, as long as you use chakra, ninjutsu or whatever else—a single blade is enough."

Sashizhen bypassed the split fire dragon and lunged at Yueshu.

Yueshu hurriedly drew his Kusanagi Sword to block, but the moment he made contact, he was sent flying.

Lack of raw strength!

This was Yueshu's fundamental weakness.

"Wind Style."

As Yueshu flew backward, his eyes remained fixed on Sashizhen.

He had to admit, Sashizhen had surprised him once again.

He saw Sashizhen forming hand seals with one hand while gripping his ninja blade with the other.

Performing hand seals with one hand was a technique not everyone could master; it demanded an incredibly solid foundation as a ninja.

Without a doubt, Sashizhen was one of those elites.

"Great Wind Blade."

Sashizhen finished his seals, but instead of the customary wind blade spat from the mouth, he opted for a different method.

The ninja blade in his other hand flashed, and Sashizhen swung it directly through the air.

A faintly visible wind blade flew from the blade, looking just like a physical slash.

Yueshu couldn't believe it; in the original story, no one had ever used a ninja blade to such a level.

Despite his shock, Yueshu didn't forget his situation. He raised the Kusanagi Sword in his hand and forcibly blocked the wind blade.

Another wave of impact hit him, sending Yueshu flying even further.

Bang!

His body slammed into a tree, and Yueshu could feel his internal organs groaning in protest.

A mouthful of blood sprayed from his lips.

Yueshu knelt on the ground, gasping for air. He had to admit, the impact of that strike was far too much for his still-developing body to handle.

"Wind Style, Cross Slash."

Sashizhen looked calm. He formed seals with one hand and swung his ninja blade with the other.

Yueshu lifted his head, and the ninja blade slashed out in tandem.

It wasn't very clear, appearing like a flickering, ethereal shadow. A cross-shaped wind blade flew from the edge of the sword, overlapping as it surged toward Yueshu.

The wind parted to either side; the blade seemed to slice through the very air, and Yueshu couldn't even feel the breeze in front of him.

"Iai Slash!"

Yueshu stared unblinkingly, his Kusanagi Sword flashing out in response.

A gale erupted, rippling outward in circles.

Sashizhen narrowed his eyes again; Yueshu's move had piqued his interest.

He can unleash a slash without using chakra?

Sashizhen watched as Yueshu was blown away by the gale once more.

But on the other side, Yueshu wasn't thinking about any of that.

His thoughts were simple.

That was—

Sakumo Hatake was definitely holding back!

When sparring with him, he hadn't used chakra nature transformation at all. As someone who stood at the absolute pinnacle of swordsmanship in the ninja world, his mastery of imbuing chakra into blade techniques would certainly not be inferior to Sashizhen's.

But right now, Sashizhen was suppressing Yueshu in swordsmanship, even if it was bolstered by chakra nature transformation.

Gritting his teeth, Yueshu panted.

I refuse to lose to anyone when it comes to the blade!

Increasing the strength in his grip, Yueshu stood back up and assumed a combat stance.

"Not bad, kid!"

Sashizhen shouted and charged straight at him.

"Come!"

Yueshu called out as well, rushing forward to meet him.

This was a war song belonging to weapons; the two men wove through the notes of this battle, the blades in their hands articulating the fighting spirit of their masters.

"Cough, cough."

Minato Namikaze spat out a mouthful of blood, leaning his entire body against a tree as his head slumped forward.

"Damn it."

Minato Namikaze's hands trembled, his grip too weak to even hold onto his kunai.

Facing a Jonin-level rogue ninja, even he, hailed as a genius, was no match for his opponent.

In just a few exchanges, he had already been wounded, and by now, he could barely move at all.

"Let go!"

Hui's voice reached his ears. Minato Namikaze lifted his head to see that Ono Ishi had already reached Hui, while Kushina and Mikoto were being swarmed, the two of them standing back-to-back against a sea of enemies.

Gritting his teeth, Minato Namikaze hurled the kunai in his hand toward Ono Ishi.

But reality was cruel; such a childish attack was easily swatted away by a wave of Ono Ishi's hand.

Squelch!

Minato Namikaze looked down at his abdomen, only to be met with the sight of a kunai embedded deep within it.

It was the very same one he had thrown.

"No!"

Hui's voice rang in his ears, followed by the cries of Mikoto and Kushina, and finally, the sound of blades clashing.

I can't lift my head... my eyes feel so heavy.

Minato Namikaze felt his strength slowly slipping away.

The next moment, Minato Namikaze plunged into darkness.