Battle Against the Two-Tails 3

At that moment, the fireball finally vanished. Li Yi stood right where it had disappeared. Takahashi's eyes widened as she stared at him, completely unharmed, and she fell into thought.

She had to remember, she'd used not only physical attacks but ninjutsu too. Yet her opponent hadn't suffered so much as a scratch. It was ridiculous.

"Is the Sharingan really that powerful? No, that's absolutely impossible. Could it be a Kekkei Genkai?" Takahashi immediately thought of the possibility.

After all, if the Sharingan were really that incredible, Kagami Uchiha wouldn't have died. He could have used it to completely nullify the Third Raikage's Nintaijutsu.

"Is it something like the Hozuki Clan's Hydrification Technique?" Takahashi had already formed a theory. The Hozuki Clan's Kekkei Genkai let them turn into water, so this Li Yi in front of her must be able to turn into flames.

Thinking of the Two-Tails Matatabi's attacks, most of which were fire-based, Takahashi felt a sinking unease. They couldn't harm Li Yi at all, so how could she possibly kill him?

Having gathered information on Li Yi, Takahashi no longer intended to keep fighting him. Since she couldn't kill him, she would need to find a water-style ninja to counter his fire-based abilities.

Still, learning about Li Yi's abilities already counted as a victory.

With that thought, Takahashi turned and ran.

Li Yi was taken aback, then realized that the Jinchuriki woman must have figured out his abilities and decided to flee.

But there wasn't much Li Yi could do right now. He couldn't break through her defenses, just as Takahashi couldn't do anything to him.

But this was also part of Li Yi's plan. He'd originally intended to leave himself after tossing out a couple of threats, but unexpectedly, Takahashi had turned and left on her own.

Li Yi leaped into the air, grabbed Kato Taka, and followed far behind the Two-Tails Matatabi. Surely she wouldn't keep running all the way back to Kumogakure's encampment.

Sure enough, after running for a while, Takahashi looked around. Only after confirming there was nothing unusual did she relax. She sat on a tree branch and took several deep breaths, calming herself down.

Just then, Li Yi suddenly dropped from the sky. The Three Tomoe in his eyes shifted into a Four-Point Pinwheel—the Mangekyo Sharingan form.

Takahashi was startled and tried to use Tailed Beast Transformation to defend herself, only to find she couldn't move. Then her vision blurred, and somehow, she had switched places with Li Yi.

The original Li Yi was falling toward the ground, where several Kunai had been planted upside down. They were buried deep in the earth, leaving only their sharp points exposed.

At that moment, Li Yi and Takahashi switched places. Takahashi appeared where Li Yi was about to land, while Li Yi appeared on the tree branch where Takahashi had been sitting.

This was the plan Li Yi had intended to carry out. If this Sharingan technique didn't have a range limit, it would be a divine art. Just imagine: Li Yi could use it high in the air to switch places with a ninja who couldn't fly. That would be a sight to behold—even Hashirama Senju would fall to his death.

At the instant she landed, Takahashi spotted the Kunai on the ground and gave a disdainful smile. Did he think these could kill her?

Sure, she'd get hurt, but as soon as she entered Tailed Beast Transformation, she'd heal in no time. Wouldn't everything be fine then?

Even so, when Takahashi landed, she chose to avoid her vital spots. Though the Kunai stabbed her, she entered her half-tailed-beast form the next second and charged away.

Li Yi had no intention of chasing Takahashi. Instead, he picked up a bloodied Kunai from the ground, went over to Kato Taka, and said, "I'll leave it to you!"

Kato Taka assured him it was no problem. After licking the blood, his whole body turned black and white. He began drawing a ritual circle, and once it was complete, he drove a Kunai into his own heart.

Li Yi watched, horrified. What a ruthless guy. No wonder he could become Immortal.

As Takahashi continued fleeing, she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her heart. She looked at her chest in disbelief. A bloody hole had appeared there. Then she slowly left her Tailed Beast state, her face filled with shock.

When? She had no idea when someone had stabbed her in the heart. This was completely beyond her understanding.

She thought of Li Yi. Could it have been that Sharingan? She'd apparently already been caught by its technique once, and inexplicably switched places. What a pity she couldn't send the information back.

Li Yi followed the direction Takahashi had fled and soon found her lying on the ground. He went over and checked. As expected, she was already dead. The Two-Tails inside her had probably died too. After all, when a Jinchuriki died, the Tailed Beast died as well—though it could be reborn after some time.

Li Yi took out Ryujin Jakka and tested it, wondering if he could absorb souls now.

Nothing happened. Just as Li Yi was about to give up, a thick strand of spiritual energy suddenly drifted through the air. It was remarkable, covered in plenty of bluish-black specks. More importantly, it was the thickest one Li Yi had ever seen.

"It must be the Two-Tails. Heh, blood really shouldn't be left lying around!" Li Yi muttered. There was nothing he could do. Look how inexplicably she'd died.

Li Yi took out the Sealing Scroll and sealed Takahashi's body inside. Then he headed back.

Kato Taka was lying in the ritual circle.

Li Yi didn't disturb him. After waiting a while, Kato Taka finally came out, his color restored to normal. "Is it done?"

Li Yi nodded. Up until now, he hadn't had a complete corpse. This Two-Tails Jinchuriki's body might provide plenty of useful information if he brought it back.

But then Li Yi froze. Who was he supposed to give the body to? Danzo? The village would definitely examine Takahashi's memories. Wouldn't they learn about his abilities then? There was no helping it. Konoha would become far too corrupt and dark in the future; there was no need to reveal all his trump cards.

Likewise, he couldn't let anyone from Kumogakure find the body. Every village had its own secret techniques. It seemed he hadn't been cautious enough earlier. He should have destroyed all the bodies without a trace.

Having made up his mind, Li Yi said nothing about bringing the body back to the village. He only needed to leave a sign so Konoha's shinobi would discover that he had killed Kumogakure's Two-Tails Jinchuriki.

Over the next few days, Li Yi and Kato Taka roamed the border between the Land of Hot Water and the Land of Moon.

The people of Kumogakure had been waiting for the Two-Tails Jinchuriki to return, and when she didn't, they knew something had probably happened.

When the Third Raikage found out, he exploded with fury. That was a Jinchuriki, not some nobody! How could she have disappeared without a trace?

She was truly gone without a trace, neither alive nor dead.

"Has Li Yi really grown this strong?" The Third Raikage fell silent. Li Yi had been operating in the Land of Hot Water and the Land of Moon, causing great losses to Kumogakure.

At that moment, the Third Raikage considered taking action himself. If he let things continue, he felt Li Yi would inevitably become a grave threat.