Yotsuki Clan 2

At this moment, Yotsuki Hayate had come to a halt, standing motionless as if time itself had frozen.

His eyes betrayed a trace of exhaustion and sorrow, but even more so, a burning anger and hatred toward his enemy.

He had already seen his three subordinates lying on the ground, no longer breathing. Though he was accustomed to life and death, this sight filled Yotsuki Hayate with immense pain and self-reproach.

However, Yotsuki Hayate did not let his anger cloud his judgment. As an experienced ninja, he knew well the impact of emotions on battle. If he were to succumb to rage now, he would not only fail to avenge his men but would also place himself in grave danger.

Therefore, he had to calm down. Yotsuki Hayate took a deep breath, forcing his heart to settle.

Moreover, since Konoha had displayed such bizarre Fire Style and bloodline limits, he had to bring this intelligence back to the village.

With that, Yotsuki Hayate made up his mind to leave.

Although he could not defeat Li Yi for the moment, it would not be easy for Li Yi to kill him either, and he would not grant Li Yi that opportunity.

"The Lightning Style: Chakra Mode is not something just anyone can learn. Tell me, what is your relationship with the Third Raikage?" Li Yi asked indifferently.

Yotsuki Hayate cast a deep look at Li Yi, then, with his entire body flickering in pale blue light, he bolted toward the distance.

Seeing Yotsuki Hayate dash away without a word, Li Yi was slightly stunned before he let out a dry laugh. Wanting to leave? Having finally encountered such a big fish, how could Li Yi let him escape so easily?

Yet, after chasing for a distance, Li Yi had to admit that the man's speed was truly immense. With every cell in his body activated, it was simply not something Li Yi could catch up to.

However, Li Yi was not one to only run. Suddenly, flames erupted from his feet, and he took to the air to pursue. With this, his speed increased significantly, and before long, he caught up to Yotsuki Hayate.

"Scorch Style: Great Flame Ball Technique!" Li Yi performed hand seals in mid-air, took a deep breath, and unleashed it.

A massive black-red fireball descended from the sky, slamming toward Yotsuki Hayate with incredible speed.

Sensing the terrifying heat of the flames, the blue lightning on Yotsuki Hayate's body surged even more violently, crackling with greater intensity.

Just as the fireball struck, Yotsuki Hayate narrowly dodged it. He looked up at the sky, his eyes filled with wariness. He had thought Li Yi was already troublesome enough, but he hadn't expected this guy to be able to fly as well. Generally, any ninja capable of flight was a major headache.

"Illusion: Bring Darkness Technique!" Li Yi performed rapid hand seals, and the surrounding space instantly plunged into darkness.

In reality, this was an illusion that deprived the target of their vision. Yotsuki Hayate clearly sensed the anomaly and began disrupting his own chakra to break the genjutsu, but by then, Li Yi had already swooped down, his long blade coated in a layer of black-red flames, slashing directly at Yotsuki Hayate.

In an instant, blue sparks flew everywhere, and even more dazzling blue arcs of electricity flared across Yotsuki Hayate's body.

Li Yi was forced to retreat, leaping back a distance before fixing his gaze on Yotsuki Hayate.

By now, Yotsuki Hayate had broken free of Li Yi's Bring Darkness Technique. His hair stood on end, his entire body was wreathed in dazzling blue arcs of electricity, and a long, charred gash had appeared across his chest.

Yotsuki Hayate touched his chest and said, "You are strong. It is a pity, however, that my Lightning Style Armor is stronger. If this is the extent of your power, you will never be able to keep me here."

Li Yi looked at Yotsuki Hayate and replied, "The Cloud Village's Lightning Style Armor is indeed impressive, but how long can you keep it up?"

Yotsuki Hayate sneered and sprinted in another direction. He had no intention of getting entangled with Li Yi; his priority was to bring the intelligence on Li Yi back to his village.

Seeing Yotsuki Hayate intent only on fleeing, Li Yi felt a headache coming on. He had originally thought that by developing the Mera Mera no Mi and chakra nature transformations, he would be able to roam the ninja world with ease. Instead, he had run into an inexplicable ninja from the Cloud Village whom he couldn't even kill.

Through this battle, Li Yi realized his own shortcomings. His ninjutsu was sufficient to bully most ninjas, but when facing those with extreme defensive capabilities, he lacked a finishing blow.

At the same time, his Scorch Style was not weak, but it was difficult to land hits. It was very hard to strike speed-type ninjas like those from the Cloud Village with standard ninjutsu.

Still, the pursuit had to continue. Li Yi took to the air once more, chasing after Yotsuki Hayate.

Glancing overhead, Yotsuki Hayate continued to sprint while remaining wary of attacks from above. Sure enough, Li Yi extended his fingers and fired off several flames.

Yotsuki Hayate sensed that these flames were not the black-red variety, so he stopped dodging and let them strike his body, continuing his run regardless.

Li Yi retracted his fingers, feeling speechless. Watching the guy run further and further away, he knew it would be troublesome if he ran into the main force of the Cloud Village.

He had no choice but to fly lower and begin performing hand seals. He was going to unleash a large-scale ninjutsu, though after this move, his chakra would be nearly depleted. At that point, it would be a true fight for survival.

"Scorch Style: Great Flame Destruction!" Li Yi took a deep breath and spat out a massive black-red fireball. The sphere, carrying a scorching aura, surged directly toward Yotsuki Hayate below.

At this moment, Yotsuki Hayate assumed Li Yi had used the Great Fireball Technique again, as they looked too similar. He intensified the current around his body, increased his speed by another thirty percent, and once again narrowly dodged the fireball.

However, this time was different. Upon contact with the ground, the fireball instantly transformed into a sea of fire, with the black-red flames radiating outward from the center.

Clearly, Yotsuki Hayate was caught in the middle of it. He had never imagined that this Fire Style could behave in such a way, still believing it to be the standard Great Fireball.

The result was obvious: Yotsuki Hayate was swallowed by the sea of fire, the black-red flames searing his body.

Although Yotsuki Hayate had a layer of blue lightning covering his skin, the flames were pervasive, and the black-red fire was over ten times more powerful than ordinary flames.

Having failed to escape immediately, it was no longer easy for Yotsuki Hayate to run.

Li Yi swooped down, stepping onto the flames, and slashed with his blade. All he needed to do now was pin Yotsuki Hayate down.

Because Li Yi maintained his elemental state, these flames caused him no harm; in fact, they provided him with a certain boost.

Yotsuki Hayate's face was twisted in agony as he was burned, his body turning bright red, with some areas scorched completely black.

He wanted to run, but he was held fast by Li Yi. As the flames burned ever brighter, the scent of charred flesh began to drift from Yotsuki Hayate's body.