Instant Kill

Four Rock Ninja quickly surrounded Ye Yuexin.

Facing the four of them, Ye Yuexin showed no trace of nervousness.

Flying Dagger Mode engaged. Every move the Rock Ninja made was etched into Ye Yuexin's mind.

"Kill him!" one of the Rock Ninja shouted impatiently.

Then all four of them moved.

Ye Yuexin moved at the same time, swiftly darting to one Rock Ninja's side. He was so fast that they didn't even have time to react.

Under the Rock Ninja's horrified gaze, the wind-enhanced short blade plunged into his chest.

Sometimes it was like that. You could watch helplessly as your opponent's blade pierced your chest, yet no matter how hard you tried, your hands and feet simply wouldn't respond.

Nothing could compare to that terror—the sight of watching yourself walk toward death, unable to do a thing.

The Rock Ninja border guards were also highly experienced fighters. Seeing their comrade wounded, they didn't panic in the slightest. Instead, their eyes widened with fury, and they swung their blades even faster.

Grief wouldn't solve anything. All they could do now was take revenge.

They would never let an attack opportunity bought with a comrade's life go to waste.

Unfortunately, they had truly picked the wrong opponent.

As they watched their blades cut through Ye Yuexin's body, delight at having avenged their comrade appeared in their eyes.

Only Tugang noticed that not a drop of blood flowed when the blades passed through Ye Yuexin's body.

Shock surged through him. "Everyone, get out of there!" he roared.

Hearing him, the Rock Ninja were confused.

They had clearly already won, so why did their captain still sound so urgent?

But the next moment, when a short blade plunged into his chest, he finally understood.

His gaze slowly traveled from the blade to Ye Yuexin's face, where he saw an expression full of regret.

There was no right or wrong, no good or evil—only different positions and beliefs.

The Rock Ninja hated Konoha's shinobi, believing they had shattered the peace of their country and killed their friends.

But didn't the people of Konoha hate the Rock Ninja just as much? The Rock Ninja had also killed their loved ones and destroyed the peace of the Land of Fire.

So when facing an enemy, you could feel pity and remorse—but you still had to strike just as hard and decisively.

Because everyone had dreams they had no choice but to pursue.

Ye Yuexin didn't have any particular dreams yet, but he already had people he cared about.

By then, the other three Rock Ninja had also realized what was happening.

They swiftly leaped backward.

Ye Yuexin's performance had been far too strange. They had all watched their blades pass right through his body.

Yet Ye Yuexin had been like a ghost, letting their blades pass through him.

Then, as if nothing had happened, he had killed another one of their comrades.

So, without understanding the ability Ye Yuexin had just used, they decided to retreat and observe before launching an effective counterattack.

But under Ye Yuexin's Flying Dagger Mode, how could they possibly escape?

A breeze swept by, and Ye Yuexin vanished.

Ever since Ye Yuexin had mastered his footwork, he had become even quieter when using it.

He no longer moved like he had during his fight with Taiyuan Zeng, with a hurricane swirling around him.

His movements had become far more subtle and elusive.

One of the fleeing ninja felt a breeze brush past him, but a moment later, he could no longer speak.

Ye Yuexin had slashed his entire throat open.

"Get behind me." Seeing Ye Yuexin's speed, Tugang decided to take action himself.

He shouted at once.

But the two remaining Rock Ninja were still about two meters away from Tugang—plenty of distance for Ye Yuexin to make his move.

With another quick flash, he charged toward the two fleeing Rock Ninja.

Just as he was about to reach them, Ye Yuexin twisted around in mid-stride, halting his momentum in an instant under Flying Dagger Mode.

A wall of earth suddenly surged up in front of him.

He had never seen a technique cast so quickly.

Normally, Earth Wall Technique required the user to gather chakra before the wall burst out of the ground.

But the technique Tugang used seemed to rise straight up from the earth itself.

Fortunately, Ye Yuexin's perception under Flying Dagger Mode was incredibly precise. Otherwise, the wall would have lifted him into the air or sent him crashing into it.

"Yuanshan! What happened to you?" an anxious voice called from behind the wall.

At some point, one of the flying daggers had disappeared from the pouch strapped to the side of Ye Yuexin's thigh.

Under Flying Dagger Mode, Ye Yuexin's thoughts and reactions seemed to stretch out, on top of his extraordinarily keen perception.

After sensing the chakra gathering underground, he had immediately thrown a dagger.

Even Chunin among the Rock Ninja couldn't dodge a dagger coming straight at them, let alone one thrown while their backs were turned to Ye Yuexin.

So, unsurprisingly, once the earth wall rose, the enemy's numbers had been reduced by one again.

After the earth wall crumbled, Tugang emerged with a grim expression. "Kid, I really underestimated you. I'll deal with you myself."

Seeing Tugang's furious expression, Ye Yuexin had already begun searching for an escape route under Flying Dagger Mode.

He might look impressive, but he still hadn't recovered his chakra, and now he'd wasted even more.

Although Wind Transformation could help him avoid defeat, he couldn't go head-to-head with the chakra reserves of an elite Jonin.

And Tugang was now determined to fight him to the death.

Ye Yuexin stared at Tugang as he slowly approached, pushing Flying Dagger Mode to its limit.

"The technique you used just now must be similar to the Hydrification Technique of the Hozuki Clan in the Land of Water, right?" Tugang said with an angry laugh.

An elite Jonin really was an elite Jonin. He'd seen the true nature of Ye Yuexin's technique at a glance.

This shocked Ye Yuexin and made him even more cautious. It seemed this fight wouldn't be as easy as he'd imagined.

Seeing Ye Yuexin fall silent, Tugang continued, "I've fought them before, you know. Let me think—what technique should I use to deal with you?"

"Your technique really is troublesome. After all, it's formless, unlike the Hydrification Technique, which has a tangible form. So, how about Fire Release? That's a formless nature too, isn't it?"

Tugang stared at Ye Yuexin's face and smiled.

At Tugang's words, Ye Yuexin's pupils visibly contracted. He hadn't expected Tugang to see through his technique so easily.

He had even figured out its weakness. Ye Yuexin was now extremely wary of Tugang.

He had never met anyone as terrifying as Tugang.

No wonder Tugang was one of the most renowned shinobi in all of Iwagakure. He was on a completely different level from someone like Taiyuan Zeng.

"You look nervous, kid. Heh heh heh."

Seeing Ye Yuexin's expression grow more and more serious, Tugang chuckled.

Then, as if putting on a ridiculous little act, he blankly scratched his head.

He muttered to himself, "Oh, no. I don't think I know Fire Release. What should I do now?"