Wind Transformation

"I finally can't take it anymore, huh? Let me think about what kind of death would be the most painful."

Taiyuan Zeng slowly walked over.

His left arm hung limp, as if it had no bones. It looked like Might Guy had broken it.

He approached one step at a time. Each step seemed to land right on someone's heart.

"Aren't you supposed to be so strong? How come you can't even move now? Hmph."

He kicked Might Guy away.

Fortunately, Ebisu caught him in time. Otherwise, he would have been badly hurt, since every cell in Might Guy's body was already exhausted.

"Kid, you're next."

After securing his broken arm against his body, Taiyuan Zeng smiled at Ye Yuexin.

Ye Yuexin tightened his grip on the short blade. As soon as Taiyuan Zeng activated Swift Release, Ye Yuexin vanished too.

The air rang with repeated clashes.

But after only a few moments, Ye Yuexin was sent flying.

He was at the end of his rope.

As he watched Taiyuan Zeng charge at him again, he felt unwilling to give up. He really couldn't accept it!

Roaring inwardly, he charged forward once more.

His body was weakening fast. The changes to his Wind Release nature grew stronger and more apparent with every moment.

But Ye Yuexin had almost no chakra left to use.

After falling to the ground once more,

he didn't even have the strength to stand up.

"Die, kid!"

Taiyuan Zeng said no more. All he wanted now was to finish Ye Yuexin and the others as quickly as possible.

He had never encountered people like them before.

They were unbelievably tenacious, struggling again and again.

And astonishing him time after time.

By now, he no longer felt like tormenting them. Too much time had passed, and the people at the main base had probably noticed he was missing.

He had to get away as soon as possible.

He pulled another kunai from his waist pouch. Taking no chances, Taiyuan Zeng activated Swift Release and charged at Ye Yuexin.

When Ye Yuexin sensed him, he smiled. It seemed he wouldn't find the opening he needed in this lifetime.

As expected, he couldn't stand up to the true strength of an elite Jonin.

As if giving up the struggle,

he slowly closed his eyes.

But the instant Ye Yuexin shut his eyes, he realized that everything had changed.

It wasn't pitch-black behind his eyelids.

Instead, countless little points of light shone there, like fireflies filling a dark night.

Ye Yuexin's Flying Dagger Mode had never been deactivated.

But what he saw now was completely different from what he'd seen before. What's more, he could see his own body.

The flesh and blood within him had begun to change, slowly turning into points of starlight.

It was as if he were merging with his surroundings.

When a ninja used a technique, chakra flowed through their chakra pathways.

But Ye Yuexin's footwork was different.

He could use the wind to propel himself whenever he wanted without forming Hand Seals because he had gradually infused the Wind Release nature into his body's cells.

This was all thanks to his deep understanding of the wind, combined with the Flying Dagger Mode that had arisen by chance.

He guessed that the Hozuki Clan's Hydrification Technique worked in much the same way.

But until now, he had never fully completed the transformation.

So the moment Ye Yuexin felt himself changing, he understood what was happening.

His eyes snapped open.

"Wind Transformation!!!"

He shouted as Taiyuan Zeng rushed toward him at incredible speed.

Then the points of starlight in the surrounding air streamed into Ye Yuexin's body.

At the critical instant, just as Taiyuan Zeng's kunai touched Ye Yuexin's carotid artery,

Ye Yuexin vanished.

A short blade appeared without warning at Taiyuan Zeng's right side.

Blood sprayed everywhere.

Ye Yuexin sliced off Taiyuan Zeng's right arm.

His first attempt at Wind Transformation was clumsy, and he misjudged the distance. That was why he cut off Taiyuan Zeng's arm instead of his head.

But it was enough.

Before Taiyuan Zeng could even cry out in pain, a gleaming flying dagger was already at his throat.

Ye Yuexin reappeared, then collapsed to the ground.

Taiyuan Zeng's face was filled with terror.

"How... is... that possible?"

Thud.

He fell to the ground.

Taiyuan Zeng had certainly given Ye Yuexin and the others more than enough credit. Even so, the outcome was something he'd never expected.

Perhaps this was what "Konoha Genin" truly meant.

A title for those capable of endless surprises and miraculous power-ups.

"Yuexin, how are you? Are you all right?"

Supported by Ebisu, Might Guy staggered over.

"I'm fine. I've just run out of chakra." Ye Yuexin smiled at them.

"I can't believe we actually won. I'd already figured out what to write in my will."

Ebisu joked, half-seriously.

"Right? How can there be such a huge gap between elite Jonin? The one I fought last time wasn't even a third as fierce as him." Ye Yuexin laughed too.

Nothing compared to the joy of surviving a close brush with death.

Ye Yuexin felt exhausted, but his mind was completely clear.

"You two go to the woods first. I'll take care of things here."

Ebisu was still supporting Might Guy, and Ye Yuexin was the only one who could move.

He could have left the bodies alone. It was perfectly normal for ninja to be left dead in the wilderness.

But Ye Yuexin had a feeling Taiyuan Zeng might have something valuable on him, so he decided to search him.

After Might Guy and Ebisu turned away, Ye Yuexin went over to Taiyuan Zeng's body.

He looked carefully and noticed a bulge in Taiyuan Zeng's chest.

He pulled it out. The two large characters on it immediately caught his attention.

"Swift Release."

So the iron plate Taiyuan Zeng had discarded earlier hadn't been meant to protect himself. He'd been using it to protect this scroll.

It contained instructions for training in Swift Release.

Everything suddenly made sense.

Taiyuan Zeng had been so fast because of this scroll.

But Ye Yuexin remembered that Swift Release was a Kekkei Genkai. How could it be written down?

There was no time to look through it for answers.

Ye Yuexin quickly dealt with Taiyuan Zeng's body. He placed it, along with the bodies of the other Rock Ninja, inside the base buried beneath the collapsed earthen sphere defense.

After taking one last look at Taiyuan Zeng's body, Ye Yuexin slowly headed toward Might Guy and Ebisu.

Thinking about what he'd gained this time, Ye Yuexin felt genuinely excited.

First, there was the rare short blade that could be infused with chakra.

Then there was Taiyuan Zeng's Swift Release. He still didn't know whether he could train in it, but Ye Yuexin felt that even studying it might improve the speed of his footwork.

Ye Yuexin felt he'd remember Taiyuan Zeng for the rest of his life.

This had been the closest he'd ever come to death.

But it was also thanks to him that Ye Yuexin had achieved Wind Transformation and mastered his self-created Conceptual Footwork.

Every cloud had a silver lining.

[My new book is out. I recommend bookmarking it first and letting it build up before you dive in. I need your support. Thank you, everyone!] We've reached the turning point in the story. I hope you'll continue to support me. Piaoxue thanks you all.