A Dire Predicament

Seeing the half-grown Ibuse in the arena, Hanzo, seated to one side, could not help but look surprised. He apparently had not expected his disciple to summon a Spiritual Beast of such size this time. Beside him, Shi and Rain exclaimed, "Has Qianbai already grown this much?!"

On the field, the situation was clearly extremely unfavorable for Zhou Yang. The difference in size between the two was simply too great. Though it was not quite the difference between an elephant and an ant, it was at least the difference between a cat and a tiger.

Qianbai did not attack right away. He seemed to be enjoying the feeling, though he still kept a close watch on the little figure not far away. That kid felt rather strange to him.

Yet twenty seconds later, Zhou Yang was still sitting where he had been. Qianbai could not help thinking, Did this kid get scared stupid by my Spiritual Beast? But on second thought, that was unlikely. He was probably just stunned for the moment. After all, at his age, how much could he have seen? Let alone a Spiritual Beast. Only then did Qianbai realize his mistake. His earlier warning had not taken into account whether the kid even understood what a Spiritual Beast was. Warning someone who knew nothing about it was just a load of pointless nonsense. It was all because the kid was too strong; Qianbai had unconsciously treated Zhou Yang as someone on his own level. So Qianbai decided to give his opponent another chance.

"Hey, Zhou Yang, you finally understand the gap between us now, right? You should know that I'm not an enemy you can defeat. Merciful as I am, I've decided to give you another chance. What do you think? I've been patient enough with you, haven't I? But everyone's patience has its limits, so don't disappoint me."

Zhou Yang did not answer him. His charge was a better answer.

"Tch, stubborn fool! Ibuse!"

Ibuse understood Qianbai's intent perfectly. It immediately opened its massive, bloodthirsty jaws and spat out a jet of water, blocking Zhou Yang's path and forcing him to change direction. But Ibuse had no intention of letting him escape so easily. It swung its head, guiding the water jet after him and preventing Zhou Yang from getting anywhere close.

Zhou Yang was getting anxious. As a close-range fighter, he could not even get near his opponent. How was he supposed to fight?

So he began circling Ibuse, trying to find an opening. But after making several rounds around it, he found no opportunity at all. Ibuse was indeed not particularly fast, but its body was incredibly flexible. Even when Zhou Yang ran behind it, its head or upper body could still turn to face him. How was he supposed to fight this?

Damn, this is too troublesome. That last attempt found no opening and only wasted a lot of stamina. I rested for a bit just now, but I haven't recovered much. Damn it, the main problem is that I haven't had a proper full meal since coming to the Ninja World. Otherwise, I wouldn't be in this state. Besides, taking those two down earlier already cost me plenty of stamina. This is really dangerous.

Just as Zhou Yang was at a loss, he suddenly realized something. Qianbai was standing atop Ibuse's head, yet he had not launched a single attack. Qianbai had previously used a long-range Lightning Release ninjutsu. Even if he knew no other Lightning Release techniques, that one technique alone would be enough to give Zhou Yang a hard time. And in a battle where a single hit could practically decide the outcome, Qianbai was actually just standing there watching. That did not match his earlier claim that he would fight to kill. Could it be that he did not think he could hit Zhou Yang? Or could it be that he could not use ninjutsu at all?

The moment that thought arose, Zhou Yang felt that it was the real explanation. How much chakra could a Lower Ninja have? How much chakra would it take to summon such a huge Spiritual Beast? If Qianbai could still use ninjutsu afterward, then his chakra reserves would be absurd. And judging by his hair color, he clearly was not from the Uzumaki Clan.

But that did not solve his current crisis. The key issue was how to get past Ibuse's Water Release.

At that moment, Zhou Yang charged again. Ibuse still spat out Water Release to block him, but to everyone's surprise, Zhou Yang did not dodge Ibuse's attack. Everyone present had seen what happened: it was not that Zhou Yang had not tried to evade. His footing had suddenly slipped as he made a sharp turn.

The enormous water jet slammed into Zhou Yang and blasted him into the wall. Zhou Yang felt as if a car had crashed head-on into him. The injuries to the parts of his body that had taken the brunt of the blow were especially obvious. A huge hole was torn through the clothing on his chest, revealing a large, dark-red bruise beneath. There were even numerous gashes across his skin. With such terrifying force, Zhou Yang spat out a mouthful of blood. After coughing up blood, he tried to stand, but the moment he exerted force with his legs, he felt as though his organs had shifted out of place and all strength left his body.

"Not good. This time, my internal organs are injured." Zhou Yang spat out another mouthful of blood.

Once Qianbai saw that Zhou Yang could not stand, he directed Ibuse toward him. Every step Ibuse took came with a deep, heavy thud, each boom striking against Zhou Yang's heart as though announcing the arrival of the victor.

But when it came within five meters of Zhou Yang, Ibuse suddenly stopped. Qianbai smiled. "Oh~ I suddenly remembered that your body has freakish endurance. So I've decided to hurt you once more at this moment, just in case you shatter my expectations again."

As soon as Qianbai finished speaking, Ibuse spat water again. This time, the target was not Zhou Yang's body, because Qianbai feared that attack might kill him outright. Its target was Zhou Yang's legs!

"Aah!!!"

With Zhou Yang's agonized scream, the fabric around his legs vanished instantly—along with the skin on them. The tremendous impact had stripped away his skin, exposing his muscle fibers for all to see. They visibly swelled, then trembled in a rhythmic, intermittent pattern.

Even Shi and Rain, watching from the sidelines, felt their scalps go numb. They both said, "Is Qianbai being too ruthless?!"

Hanzo did not think so. He considered it the safest approach. When one did not know the extent of an opponent's physical condition, being crueler only increased one's own safety. What was wrong with that?

Zhou Yang had endured even worse pain before, so his scream did not last long. But the pain remained, leaving his whole body trembling as sweat dripped down drop by drop.

Zhou Yang now seemed to have completely lost any chance of turning things around. Both his legs were completely fractured, and his organs had been displaced. A dire predicament! A complete and utter dire predicament!

This time, it really looks like I've lost. Zhou Yang was unwilling to accept it, but he could see no chance of reversing the situation. In truth, he had still possessed the strength for one final strike earlier. He had endured that previous blow to make his opponent lower his guard, then lure him closer. But it seemed that his opponent had already become familiar with that tactic.

There's really no way out this time. The same thought echoed in the hearts of everyone present.