Mountain Exhausted, Waters Dried

Ye Yuexin shouted in shock.

He had actually seen that hidden within the countless earth thorns was a translucent one, formed entirely from an earth-style nature transformation.

Just how formidable was this level of earth-style mastery?

To be able to use earth-style nature transformation to condense armor for self-protection, and then still be able to utilize ninjutsu on top of that.

What was even more terrifying was that such a horrific hidden strike was concealed within the ninjutsu itself.

Gritting his teeth, Ye Yuexin reacted instantly.

Otherwise, he felt he might be killed by Tugang at any moment.

He immediately began to mobilize all the chakra in his body.

The wind swirling around him suddenly transformed into a hurricane.

Ye Yuexin stopped using the Wind Transformation Technique and instead directly controlled the hurricane to lift him into the air.

Although he successfully pulled out the earth thorn formed by the earth-style nature transformation from his lower abdomen, the speed at which the hurricane moved was certainly not as fast as Ye Yuexin's own speed.

Consequently, Tugang seized the opening in an instant and sent Ye Yuexin flying once again with a single punch.

Blood formed a bright red fountain in the air.

Ye Yuexin crashed heavily onto the ground and rolled several times, staining the earth red.

In the blink of an eye, he had become severely wounded.

After stopping his momentum, Ye Yuexin immediately used his hand to plug the wound that was still spurting blood in small bursts.

The situation was dire; he must have damaged a blood vessel.

Otherwise, it would be impossible to lose this much blood.

The more critical the situation, the more Ye Yuexin's Flying Dagger Mode allowed him to remain calm.

He immediately began to condense chakra within his body, quickly sealing the damaged blood vessel.

With the level of control Ye Yuexin possessed in Flying Dagger Mode, this was something he could achieve.

Once the wound had stopped bleeding significantly, Ye Yuexin hurriedly took out a bandage to cover it.

He performed these actions while keeping his eyes fixed on Tugang, terrified that he might take advantage of his vulnerability.

However, Tugang did not seize the opportunity to strike, instead performing the same actions as Ye Yuexin.

Ye Yuexin's blade had stabbed directly into his chest. Although it hadn't pierced his heart, it still brought a sense of impending death.

Therefore, Tugang also prioritized treating his own wound first.

Secondly, he was very clear about the extent of Ye Yuexin's current injuries.

He already knew that Ye Yuexin could no longer stir up any significant trouble.

An experienced elite jonin like Tugang had a very sharp eye.

Indeed, it could be said that Ye Yuexin now possessed virtually no ability to resist.

The wound on his abdomen was simply too severe. Ye Yuexin could not even execute his footwork anymore.

If he forced himself to use it, it would likely lead directly to internal hemorrhaging, followed by death from blood loss.

He could truly be said to be at the end of his rope.

Yet, in Flying Dagger Mode, he felt not a shred of fear.

He stared coldly at Tugang, who had finished treating his wound.

Battles between ninjas were just like this; one moment you might hold the advantage, but the next, you could be facing death.

The lesson this time was too great; it was a lesson that now required his life as payment.

It was all because of Ye Yuexin's arrogance. No, it should be said that he was too confident in his own footwork.

After successfully developing the Wind Transformation Technique, Ye Yuexin's ego had begun to inflate.

He subconsciously believed that even if he couldn't defeat an enemy, he could use his Wind Transformation footwork to escape.

However, he had never realized that the Wind Transformation Technique was not an unsolvable ninjutsu.

There were many ways to break it. It could not be compared to Obito's intangibility from the original records; the difference between the two was more than a thousand miles.

And now, Ye Yuexin was paying the price for this lesson, finding himself on the brink of despair.

Ye Yuexin's mind was racing at high speed, trying to think of any possible chance to escape, but it seemed that nothing would work.

Seeing that Ye Yuexin's expression still showed no signs of cowardice, Tugang was slightly unable to fathom his current state.

After all, ever since the battle began, Ye Yuexin had yet to use that flying dagger which even he found daunting.

Tugang didn't know if he could dodge that miraculous speed, which was why he had donned the thick earth-style nature transformation chakra armor.

Now, he decided to use words to test him, so he stood with his hands behind his back and said:

"That ninjutsu just now was not bad. It's just that your theoretical knowledge of nature transformation is too shallow; although you can be intangible for a moment, it is ultimately just a manifestation of nature transformation."

"Some ninjutsu might be ineffective against you, but ninjutsu involving nature transformation is a different story. You don't really think you're invincible just because of the ninjutsu you used earlier, do you? Hahahaha, you naive little brat."

"Geniuses are geniuses, but don't you know that geniuses usually die from arrogance?"

Listening to Tugang's mockery, Ye Yuexin felt not a ripple of emotion within his heart while in Flying Dagger Mode.

Instead, he was pondering why Tugang had yet to launch an attack.

It wasn't until he saw Tugang casting a subtle glance toward his flying daggers that he formed a rough hypothesis.

It seemed Tugang was wary of his flying daggers.

But if Tugang could be dealt with using flying daggers, Ye Yuexin would have fired them long ago. Even when Tugang was bandaging his wounds earlier, Ye Yuexin had been sensing him.

Yet, the sensation of an unerring strike never manifested.

It appeared that even at that moment, Tugang had not lowered his guard against Ye Yuexin in the slightest.

For some reason, the elite jonin Ye Yuexin encountered were becoming more terrifying one after another.

Seeing that Ye Yuexin remained silent, Tugang continued, "Genius brat, you wouldn't happen to be unable to move now, would you? You look quite weak."

"If you really can't go on, just surrender. I'll arrange a position for you in the Rock Village. We in the Rock Village love geniuses the most."

Tugang began to employ psychological warfare.

However, Ye Yuexin's mental defenses were not so easily breached.

Besides, the situation had already reached a point of no return; he didn't believe a single word Tugang said.

He reckoned that the moment he surrendered, it would only prove he was spent, and what would greet him next would likely be one of Tugang's high-level Earth Style techniques.

Since Tugang seemed to be stalling for time, that suited Ye Yuexin just fine, as he had the same intention.

Although he felt it was unlikely for reinforcements from the Konoha main base to arrive so quickly, he still clung to a sliver of hope.

"The mere Rock Village, they can—"

"Brat."

Ye Yuexin's posturing was abruptly cut short.

He looked at Tugang's face, and his heart immediately screamed that something was wrong.

"Are you ready to die?"

At this moment, a smile appeared on Tugang's face. It was a smile Ye Yuexin was all too familiar with—the same one he wore whenever he had successfully baited someone into a trap.

Seeing that smile, Ye Yuexin knew things had taken a turn for the worse.