Battle Against the Two-Tails, Part 2

So Takahashi wasn't in any hurry, because Li Yi would make a move sooner or later.

Of course, Takahashi was also thinking about how to defeat Li Yi. After all, Li Yi could fly, which was a real nuisance. Judging by his speed, he seemed pretty fast, too. If he weren't so fast, Takahashi could chase him from the ground. She had a Tailed Beast, after all; her chakra was definitely beyond Li Yi's, and she could wear him down.

Unfortunately, he flew too fast. Chasing him from the ground probably wasn't realistic.

Then she couldn't let Li Yi have time to take off. She had to kill him with one strike.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!" Several objects cut through the air. Takahashi immediately went on guard and looked toward the incoming attack. They were three kunai, which she didn't even bother worrying about. It wasn't that she looked down on kunai. Could something like that really kill anyone?

Sure enough, as the kunai flew toward her, she merely flicked her tail, swatting all three away.

That was when Takahashi noticed the steel wires trailing behind the kunai.

In an instant, black-and-red flames ignited along the wires and curled toward Takahashi.

Takahashi smiled disdainfully. A little trick like this was useless against a Jinchuriki like her.

Takahashi immediately underwent a Partial Tailed Beast Transformation, blue flames burning all over her body.

Her body grew larger in an instant, snapping Li Yi's steel wires. As for the black-and-red flames, they lasted only a moment before Takahashi dispersed them.

Takahashi turned into a streak of blue light and charged straight toward Li Yi's position.

The steel wires' position had already let Takahashi pinpoint where Li Yi was hiding.

"Crack!" A claw slammed into the tree where Li Yi was hiding. The tree, which would have taken two people to wrap their arms around, split apart instantly!

By then, Li Yi had already jumped dozens of meters back. The Three-Tomoe Sharingan in his eyes spun rapidly as he watched Takahashi, who no longer looked human.

In that instant, Takahashi appeared in front of Li Yi again. She was that fast. Li Yi's Sharingan had caught her movements, but his body couldn't keep up with his eyes. Takahashi had already swung a claw at him.

If that hit landed, Li Yi would probably be finished.

But Li Yi had chosen to fight for a reason. He had confidence in himself.

As the claw came down, Li Yi had already transformed his entire body into fire.

The enormous claw slammed Li Yi into the ground. Takahashi paused in surprise. Was he dead? Had he really been that easy to kill? Could it have been a clone? Then where was the real one?

Takahashi looked behind her. There was no helping it: people who used clones to draw their opponent's attention usually attacked from behind. So the moment she struck, Takahashi had already started turning around to look.

She could tell that what she had hit wasn't solid. If it had been a real body, she would have felt it.

But at that moment, Li Yi thrust Ryujin Jakka straight toward Takahashi's back.

This had been part of Li Yi's plan. His transformation into fire looked a lot like a Shadow Clone: when struck, it didn't feel solid. Li Yi had used that to let Takahashi's guard down and give himself a chance to land the strike.

Unfortunately, it was a good plan, but against anyone else it would have worked. This was Takahashi, who had already undergone a Partial Tailed Beast Transformation. When Li Yi thrust Ryujin Jakka at her, the thick layer of blue-black chakra surrounding her blocked the blade.

"What?" Takahashi turned around in surprise and swept her tail at him.

Li Yi leaped back, dodging the tail. Holding Ryujin Jakka, he felt helpless. He hadn't broken through her defenses.

If she kept up this state, he really would have a hard time dealing with her.

"Is this the power of your Sharingan?" Takahashi didn't keep attacking him. Instead, she asked casually.

She knew Li Yi possessed a Mangekyō Sharingan. The Third Raikage had specifically told her about it, and they had even looked into the Sharingan themselves. Once it reached the Mangekyō stage, it granted the user a special ocular ability.

The Third Raikage suspected that Li Yi had used such an ability to kill Yotsuki Hayate and Kujokawa.

Li Yi said nothing. Did she think she could trick him into revealing his abilities? How naive.

Takahashi didn't mind. No shinobi would be stupid enough to give that away. She would just keep testing him.

Takahashi pushed off with her leg and charged at Li Yi again. A blue orb had already appeared in Li Yi's hand.

"Big Ball Rasengan!" Li Yi slammed the Rasengan forward.

His movements couldn't keep up with Takahashi's speed, but with his Sharingan, he could still predict her movements to some extent. He knew she would charge in and use her Tailed Beast's advantage to attack him, so he began gathering chakra in advance and aimed the Rasengan at her as she came in.

Sure enough, things went just as Li Yi had expected. Takahashi ran straight into the Rasengan.

But with her Tailed Beast Cloak, even after being hit by the Big Ball Rasengan, Takahashi was merely sent flying. She wasn't hurt at all.

Li Yi sighed. This was what a Tailed Beast was like. As expected, it wasn't easy to deal with.

Especially when the person had completely mastered the Tailed Beast's power. No wonder it was called a weapon of war.

"Hand-seal-less ninjutsu. I didn't expect you to know so many techniques!" Takahashi remarked, silently committing Li Yi's abilities to memory.

Li Yi quietly aimed Ryujin Jakka at Takahashi. In her current Partial Tailed Beast Transformation, it was hard to hurt her. But he still had a chance: as long as he dispersed her Chakra Cloak, he could wound her.

"Let me show you my full power!" Takahashi let out a long roar toward the sky, transforming from her Partial Tailed Beast Transformation into a full Tailed Beast Transformation.

Matatabi appeared before Li Yi: a gigantic cat demon wreathed in blue-black flames.

"Damn, what a pain!" Li Yi sighed. He'd already been troubled by her partial transformation. Now she'd gone full Tailed Beast—how was he supposed to fight that?

"Roar!" Matatabi let out a long roar and charged at Li Yi in an instant, moving even faster than before.

Even Li Yi's Sharingan failed to catch a glimpse of her. A huge claw struck him.

But Li Yi had already transformed his entire body into fire. Even though the claw hit him, it didn't hurt him in the slightest.

"Fireball!" Matatabi, in Takahashi's form, opened her mouth. A huge fireball burst from it and engulfed the place where Li Yi stood, blazing fiercely.

The heat was so intense that Takahashi thought even the power of the Sharingan couldn't save him from being burned alive.

Unfortunately, she was completely mistaken. Li Yi had the Mera Mera no Mi, and his elemental form was fire itself. The fireball couldn't hurt him; it even let him absorb a considerable amount of chakra.

It was practically a gift of warmth for Li Yi.