Did the Protagonist Die in Chapter 4?

At this moment, Yun Yan had to stay alert for the Root ninja ahead firing kunai at him while also dodging three Vacuum Spheres launched in a sneak attack. He looked utterly bedraggled.

In the eyes of those two Root ninja, their prey had only narrowly avoided the three Vacuum Spheres.

Even the sleeve on Yun Yan's right arm had been torn apart when one of the Vacuum Spheres grazed past him, showing just how dangerous it had been.

Strike while he was down and finish him off.

The Root ninja, skilled in assassination, understood this principle well. Before Yun Yan had fully regained his footing after dodging the three Vacuum Spheres, one of them suddenly charged out of the woods, raised his kunai, and stabbed straight for Yun Yan's throat!

The ambush was swift and vicious, displaying the exceptional caliber of an ANBU ninja.

Still not fully steady on his feet, Yun Yan could only suck in a sharp breath, quickly draw his own kunai, block the thrust, and engage in a somewhat strained fight.

Fortunately, after retreating and blocking several strikes, Yun Yan quickly steadied himself and returned to his usual fighting rhythm, trading blows with the Root ninja.

This Root ninja was unquestionably jonin-level, and Yun Yan was displaying jonin-level combat strength as well. Once they clashed at close range, they inevitably became locked in a struggle, neither able to gain the upper hand.

In the dim forest, their figures darted and collided at high speed. Sparks flashed between every exchange, the result of two kunai striking one another.

For a time, Yun Yan and the Root ninja fought back and forth without a victor, and the battle seemed destined to drag on.

However, the overall situation was unfavorable to Yun Yan. The Root ninja who had ambushed him with Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere had yet to show himself.

Could that Root ninja be waiting for Yun Yan to reveal an opening before suddenly appearing and delivering a fatal blow?

Very likely. At that thought, a trace of anxiety appeared on Yun Yan's face, and his attacks became fiercer. He seemed determined to break free from the entanglement and escape this disadvantageous situation.

Unfortunately, such a loss of composure was the prelude to failure, even death.

At the very least, the Root ninja before him remained like an emotionless fighting machine, never showing the slightest fluctuation in mood.

Even when Yun Yan's attacks suddenly grew much fiercer, he still handled them with ease, stubbornly keeping Yun Yan pinned down and denying him any chance to flee or counterkill.

After more than a dozen exchanges, nothing had changed. Yun Yan seemed to grow impatient. He retreated a few steps to create distance, rapidly formed hand seals, and silently thought:

Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!

This was one of the most famous common Fire Release ninjutsu, and a technique that nearly every member of the Uchiha Clan was required to learn.

As he formed the seals, fire-natured chakra rapidly gathered in Yun Yan's mouth. He abruptly opened his mouth and exhaled forward, blasting out a massive fireball over a meter in both length and width!

After the Great Fireball shot forth, it even expanded with the wind. The flames grew more intense, its power rose again, and the surrounding dark forest was illuminated by blazing firelight!

A cold gleam flashed through the Root ninja's eyes. He had anticipated this.

The Root ninja's speed suddenly surged. At a pace nearly impossible for the naked eye to follow, he dodged aside and avoided Yun Yan's Great Fireball.

Yun Yan immediately realized what had happened. His opponent had used the Body Flicker Technique to evade.

Thus, the enormous Great Fireball missed its target and instead struck two trees opposite it. Upon hitting them, it violently burst apart, engulfing several nearby trees in towering flames!

The explosion and burning instantly made the firelight in this dark forest even more intense!

Though the Great Fireball had not hit its target, it had not been entirely ineffective. At the very least, the superb illumination of that instant allowed Yun Yan to catch the trajectory of the Root ninja's Body Flicker Technique with his eyes.

That guy... he circled to my side! He wants to ambush me!

Sure enough, a black shadow flashed, and the Root ninja suddenly appeared to Yun Yan's left. His sharp kunai thrust straight beneath Yun Yan's ribs!

That was the left side of the human torso, where the heart and left lung were located.

If either organ was pierced, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Realizing this, panic flashed through Yun Yan's eyes. He tried to dodge, but he seemed to be a step too late.

With a wet stab, the Root ninja's kunai viciously plunged between Yun Yan's ribs and into his left side!

Things had already reached such a terrible point, yet Yun Yan's eyes showed no greater panic, nor did the Root ninja show much delight.

Sure enough, with a bang, white smoke burst forth, and Yun Yan before the Root ninja transformed into a wooden log.

This was the Substitution Technique, one of the ninja's basic three techniques. It was an extremely basic ninjutsu, but when mastered, it was immensely useful—just like now.

Pulling his kunai from the log, the Root ninja swiftly turned around. By locating the sound, he determined that Yun Yan had already flashed behind him and was fleeing.

After turning, the Root ninja indeed found that Yun Yan had escaped and opened a distance of nearly twenty meters from him.

That distance was not encouraging. He might not be able to catch up.

The Root ninja stepped on chakra and suddenly accelerated, still chasing after him without hesitation!

Yun Yan now seemed to have a chance of escaping successfully, but would things really go as he wished?

Just as one pursued and the other fled for less than fifty meters, the other Root ninja, who had remained hidden all along, finally appeared!

The second Root ninja practically descended from the sky, landing before Yun Yan and blocking his path.

What else was there to say? He had to turn!

The second Root ninja seemed to have already predicted Yun Yan's next move. He acted ruthlessly and precisely, rapidly formed hand seals, then crouched and slammed his hand onto the ground!

The moment Yun Yan saw the second Root ninja appear and noticed the movements indicating he was using ninjutsu, he sensed that something was wrong.

His body paused, and he immediately tried to change direction and flee another way.

Unfortunately, he was still slightly too late.

Before he could turn, Yun Yan suddenly felt both feet sink, nearly causing his entire body to lose balance.

Looking down in alarm, Yun Yan immediately understood. Damn!

Both his calves had sunk into a rotten, soft swamp, making it difficult to pull himself free.

This was Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld, a common but effective Earth Release technique.

Escaping from this technique without expending some effort and time was impossible.

But would his opponents give Yun Yan enough time? Obviously not.

Just as Yun Yan tried to pull his legs from the swamp, the Root ninja opposite him remained crouched. One hand pressed against the ground to maintain the ninjutsu and chakra output, while his other hand aimed at Yun Yan and violently flung five kunai.

Five kunai were not much of a problem. The key was that each kunai had an actively burning explosive tag tied to its tail.

Explosive tags! Those were serious trouble! They were basically the Shinobi World's version of grenades!

The moment Yun Yan noticed them, his entire face turned green. Fortunately, he was not without a response.

Yun Yan reacted swiftly, seized the timing, and flicked both hands, sending five kunai flying in different directions ahead of him.

The five kunai shot forward and accurately struck the incoming explosive-tag kunai, blocking all five of them. The five explosive tags detonated in midair, causing Yun Yan no harm whatsoever.

He had survived this crisis, but the situation had not improved in the slightest. Yun Yan was still in a terrible predicament.

That was because Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld and the five explosive-tag kunai had successfully delayed Yun Yan long enough for the first Root ninja behind him to catch up.

The situation was extremely urgent. Yun Yan gritted his teeth and explosively released chakra through his left leg. At the cost of losing one shoe, he finally pulled his left leg out of the Yellow Springs Swamp.

However, the Root ninja behind him had already rushed up, his sharp kunai stabbing straight at Yun Yan's back.

In such a desperate situation, Yun Yan could not worry about anything else. With one leg still trapped in the Yellow Springs Swamp, he sharply twisted aside to dodge while raising his kunai in defense.

The Root ninja's strike missed again. Yun Yan had evaded it once more.

Had Yun Yan really been so lucky all along? Escaping by a hair every single time?

In truth, that was not the case. After passing Yun Yan, the Root ninja realized he had missed, but instead of becoming angry, he curled his lips into a cold sneer.

In an instant, within an extremely brief moment, the Root ninja decisively discarded his kunai and drew a short blade from his clothes at an inconceivable angle!

Yes, this short blade was the true killing move!

Moreover, the Root ninja was now very close to Yun Yan!

And Yun Yan's other leg had yet to be pulled from the Yellow Springs Swamp!

Gripping the short blade, the Root ninja gave a faint, savage grin. He bent his body, gathered all his strength, and fiercely swung the blade upward in a reverse slash at Yun Yan!

Yun Yan had already dodged once in such a short span of time. He had no way to dodge a second time!

Thus, the short blade flashed with cold light as it entered through Yun Yan's throat and emerged from the back of his neck, the entire blade slicing across Yun Yan's neck!