Countering Every Move

"To take revenge, I spread news in taverns and inns that an entrance to Ryuchi Cave had appeared in this place."

Hearing this, Zhou Yang felt as if lightning had flashed through his mind. Was this guy trying to draw in a large number of ninjas with this news, drag the Land of Rain into war, and achieve his revenge that way? Yes, that seemed to be the only explanation for why the other man had stayed here for so long, and why so many ninjas had come to this place.

"Unfortunately, no stronger ninjas seem to have come here." Zhou Yang seemed to hear a sigh in the man's voice. "But it doesn't matter, because you came before me."

"You want to kill me, then fake the traces of ninjutsu from ninjas of another country?"

"Hahaha, your skills may be nothing special, but your brain works well!" Just as the man said this, he suddenly heard a sound. It seemed to have come from that kid who did not even know how to track someone.

Curiously, he poked his head out from behind the tree. At the very instant he did, he saw something—he actually saw a streak of blue light shoot from the kid's hand!

"What is that?" He did not believe that what had been fired was merely a glowing mass, so he instinctively tried to dodge. After all, he was a fugitive from Rain Ninja Village—or rather, a rogue ninja. His speed truly bore the style of Rain Ninja Village: fast.

Though he was fast, Zhou Yang's Kamehameha was not slow either. The instant he dodged aside, the blue wave had already struck where he had been standing. Tu Wu had no time to look back. He only knew that this was an attack he absolutely could not withstand, so he desperately tried to evade it. However, he had been given too little time to react, and the explosion caused by the attack still injured him. His back burned with pain, as though it had been scorched by fire.

As Zhou Yang looked at the Kamehameha he had just fired, he suddenly realized that it was not without an attribute. It simply was not one of the usual five attributes—it was explosion. But why had Hanzo failed to see that it possessed the explosion attribute? He thought about it for a while, then decided not to dwell on it. After all, the battle was not over yet.

Although he had only used it once, the move still placed a burden on Zhou Yang. After releasing it, he did not continue his assault. Instead, he remained where he was and observed his surroundings, using the chance to rest as well.

After dodging and suffering a graze, Tu Wu immediately used the Hidden Rock Technique. Zhou Yang had to admit that this technique was everywhere, but he had no way to deal with something so commonplace, which left him somewhat embarrassed.

"Too bad I haven't fully mastered using the qi in my body. Otherwise, I could imitate Tsunade's Monster Strength Fist and punch him out of the ground." Zhou Yang crouched where he was, vigilantly watching his surroundings for a sneak attack. At the same time, he feared that the other man might run away. If he escaped, when would Zhou Yang ever find him again?

Zhou Yang observed the area for ten minutes, yet there was still no movement at all.

"Did he really run away? Is that guy really that cowardly?"

Tu Wu had not run. He simply did not dare to approach. The kid seemed far too strange to him. He even suspected that the kid was not a Rain ninja at all, but someone from the Hidden Leaf Village, because in his memories, only Hidden Leaf Village had such bizarre ninjutsu. Then, still shaken, he looked back at where he had stood earlier. The tree there had been completely obliterated, and a clear crater marked the ground. Thinking that if he had been one step slower, not even ashes would have remained of him, he became even less willing to emerge.

"Fortunately, this kid has obvious weaknesses. His speed and sensory abilities are both utterly terrible. Otherwise, with that one move alone, he could probably become a Chunin." Tu Wu sighed as he watched the little figure standing in an open clearing.

After another five minutes or so, Tu Wu finally relaxed once he confirmed that the other side truly possessed no special sensory ninjutsu. He had now seized absolute control of the battlefield. As long as his chakra did not run out, he could fight whenever he wanted and leave whenever he wanted.

Zhou Yang, who stood before him, also seemed to have grown impatient from waiting. He actually sat down right where he was.

"Hm? What is he doing? Does he think I've left, so he's boldly resting? Didn't his teacher tell him that being a ninja required enough patience? Especially for people like us, who specialize in assassination—the patience required should be even greater. Why is this kid like this? And if he accepted this mission, his teacher should have reminded him what to watch out for. Why did he suddenly let his guard down?" The unease Tu Wu had just set aside rose again. Having been a rogue ninja for some time, he fully displayed the temperament of someone who became a frightened bird at the slightest disturbance.

Just like that, Tu Wu remained underground for another ten minutes.

"Heh, I forgot. Judging by this kid's height, he seems to be only seven or eight years old. What patience could a seven- or eight-year-old child possibly have? I was actually being this cautious. I really am getting old. Still, they sent such a young kid out on a mission like this without assigning any bodyguards? That really does sound like Rain Ninja Village's style! I wonder what this kid's teacher was thinking. Someone with such obvious strengths and weaknesses was not even put into a team with others. If there had been a speed-type ninja and a sensory-type ninja here today, I really would have fallen here."

With that thought, Tu Wu could only blame the person opposite him for having bad luck. He slowly approached Zhou Yang. Being an old schemer, he remained cautious even now. He did not rush in all at once. Instead, after suddenly closing part of the distance, he would retreat again. After testing several times like this, he finally arrived behind Zhou Yang.

He quietly rose from the earth bit by bit, then raised his kunai.

"Goodbye, kid."

Clang!

The sensation of piercing flesh never came. Instead, there was the sound of metal striking metal.

"Did I hit the sword on his back?"

He had no time to think about it. The moment that sound rang out, it meant his sneak attack had failed.

Trouble! Run!

But Zhou Yang had waited for this moment for a long time. How could he allow the other man to easily slip underground again? Though he could not stomp the ground like Tsunade and shatter a huge expanse of earth, breaking open part of it was still possible.

Bang!!

Bang bang!!

Bang bang bang!!

He turned and viciously smashed the ground where the other man had just disappeared with six punches.

Tu Wu had just entered the ground and had not even had time to mock him—You can't hit me. Aren't you mad?—when a massive force came crashing down from above.

Even though he promptly coated himself in chakra, he was still struck so hard that his head spun.

After the six punches, he had just managed to believe that the other side had finally given up when he suddenly heard the sound of a sword leaving its sheath. Damn it, is he trying to stab me to death by luck?

He had no way to dodge now. The soil structure in this patch of ground had been packed even tighter by the other man's blows, and he had been injured by the previous attack. He could not keep hiding any longer and could only cancel the ninjutsu.

"Oh, I didn't expect you to come out. I thought you were going to stay in there forever." Before he finished speaking, Zhou Yang took the lead and slashed at him with his blade.

Tu Wu had already anticipated such a scene before emerging, so he did not panic in response. The two clashed at close range.