Critical Situation

Hanzo, seated to one side, was also somewhat surprised as he watched the half-grown Ibuse on the field. He apparently had not expected his disciple to summon such a large Spiritual Beast this time. Shi and Rain beside him cried out in shock, "Has Qianbai already grown to this extent?!"

On the field, the situation was clearly extremely unfavorable for Zhou Yang. The difference in size between the two was enormous. It was not quite the difference between an elephant and an ant, but at the very least, it was like a cat facing a tiger.

Qianbai did not make a move yet. He seemed to be enjoying the feeling. But enjoyment aside, he kept a close eye on the small figure not far away. That kid felt genuinely strange to him.

Yet after twenty seconds, Zhou Yang was still sitting where he was. Qianbai could not help thinking, Could that kid have been scared stupid by my Spiritual Beast? But on second thought, that was unlikely. He was probably just stunned for the moment. How much could a kid his age have seen? Especially something like a Spiritual Beast. At that moment, Qianbai realized his oversight. 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 not that just a bunch of pointless words? 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 him another chance.

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

Zhou Yang did not answer him. Charging forward was a better answer.

"Tch, stubborn fool! Ibuse!"

Ibuse completely understood Qianbai's command. It opened its massive, blood-filled mouth and sprayed out a column of water, directly blocking Zhou Yang's path of attack and forcing him to change direction. But Ibuse was not about to let him escape so easily. It swung its head, guiding the water jet after him and making it impossible for Zhou Yang to get close.

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

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

"Damn, this is too troublesome. That little test just now found me no opening and instead wasted a lot of stamina. I rested for a bit, but I barely recovered anything. Damn it, the main problem is that I have not had a proper full meal since coming to the Ninja World. Otherwise, I would not be in this state. And I already used up plenty of stamina taking those two down earlier. This is really dangerous."

Just as Zhou Yang was at a loss, he suddenly realized something. Qianbai, standing on Ibuse's head, had not launched a single attack. Qianbai had used a long-range Lightning Release ninjutsu before. Even if he knew no other Lightning Release techniques, that one alone would be enough to give Zhou Yang a hard time. And at a time when a single hit could practically decide victory or defeat, Qianbai was actually just standing there watching. That did not fit at all with his earlier claim that he intended to kill him. Unless he thought he could not hit Zhou Yang—or perhaps he simply could not use ninjutsu?

The moment that thought appeared, Zhou Yang felt it was the true explanation. How much Chakra could a Lower Ninja have? How much Chakra would it take to summon such a massive Spiritual Beast? If Qianbai could still use ninjutsu afterward, then that kid's Chakra reserves would be absurd. Besides, judging by his hair color, he was clearly not a member of the Uzumaki Clan!

But that did not solve the immediate crisis, because the key was still how to get past Ibuse's Water Release.

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

The enormous water column slammed into Zhou Yang's body and hurled him into the wall. Zhou Yang felt as though a car had struck him head-on. The parts of his body that had already been injured suffered even worse damage. A huge hole had been torn through the clothing on his chest, revealing a broad, dark-red bruise beneath. Numerous places were also scraped with deep wounds. Under such tremendous force, Zhou Yang spat out blood. After coughing up that mouthful, he tried to stand, but the instant he forced his legs to move, he felt as if 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.

When Qianbai saw that Zhou Yang could no longer stand, he commanded Ibuse to walk over. Every step Ibuse took came with a dull thud, thump, thump, striking at Zhou Yang's heart as though announcing the arrival of the victor.

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

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

"Aaaah!!!"

With Zhou Yang's scream, the pants on his legs instantly vanished, along with the skin on his legs. The tremendous impact had stripped his skin away. Everyone could see Zhou Yang's muscle fibers, swelling visibly before trembling in rhythmic spasms.

Even Shi and Rain watching from the side felt their scalps go numb. They both said, "Isn't that kid being too ruthless?!"

Hanzo did not see it that way. He considered it the safest approach. When one did not understand the condition of an opponent's body, being more ruthless increased one's own safety. What was wrong with that?

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

This time, Zhou Yang seemed to have completely lost any chance of turning the tables. Both his legs were utterly fractured, and his internal organs had shifted. A critical situation! A truly critical situation!

"Looks like I really have lost this time." Zhou Yang was unwilling to accept it, but in his current situation, he could see no chance to reverse it. In fact, he had still possessed the strength for one final strike earlier. He had taken that attack to make his opponent lower his guard and lure him closer. But it seemed his opponent had already become familiar with that trick.

"There really is no way now." Those words echoed in the hearts of everyone present.