A Narrow Escape From Death

Facing Feng Xun's interrogation, Yuan Wu sneered and explained, "Considering that you are about to die, I will let you become a ghost who dies with clarity."

"Before pointing out your flaws, I must admit that the taijutsu you just used was very clever, leaving even me at a loss for a short while. But unfortunately, your meager experience made you commit a fatal mistake."

"A fatal mistake?" Feng Xun clenched his fists, his brows tightly locked, not knowing what he had done wrong.

"That's right. As a ninja, not only do you fail to conceal your presence, but at the very moment you make a move, that naked killing intent is more like a glaring light, allowing me to pinpoint your position in an instant."

Is that so?

Feng Xun came to a sudden realization. Indeed, the profession of a ninja was primarily one of assassination and stealth, and hiding one's presence was the most crucial priority of this role.

As for how Naruto and the others went about one-on-one open confrontations in his memories, he had to admit that plot armor was truly defying the heavens, managing to turn an assassin class into a warrior class.

"It seems I didn't lose unjustly." Feng Xun lowered his head and muttered, remaining motionless as if he had accepted his fate.

As for Yuan Wu himself, he was more than happy to oblige, not suspecting for a second that the boy before him was plotting any conspiracy.

After all, when it came down to it, the ninja before him was just a kid under ten years old. Even if his previous performance was astonishing, it was still hard for him to generate any real guard.

However, as Yuan Wu stepped closer and closer, he noticed that the kid in front of him was actually mumbling to himself. Yet because the voice was too soft, he did not hear what the other party was saying.

Putting on a mystery!

Yuan Wu felt a sense of disdain in his heart, still approaching the severely injured boy unhurriedly.

It wasn't until he got closer and closer that he gradually made out the murmuring sounds coming from the other's mouth!

"8, 9..."

Numbers? Yuan Wu frowned. For some reason, he felt a bit flustered inside, and reason told him that the numbers in the opponent's mouth definitely held some meaning.

Damn it! I won't be scared by a brat. Yuan Wu quickly calmed the flurry inside his heart, his face remaining calm without a ripple.

Yet just as the number 10 escaped Feng Xun's lips, the boy who had kept his head down suddenly raised it, offering a bizarre smile toward the confident Yuan Wu.

Not good!

Although he still didn't understand the meaning contained within that smile, years of experience told him that he must have walked into some kind of trap.

Pressed for time, Yuan Wu gripped the ninja tool in his hand and rapidly rushed toward Feng Xun's location.

No matter what trap it was, as long as the caster died, everything would naturally collapse on its own.

Yet just as Yuan Wu rushed in front of Feng Xun, Feng Xun, who had remained inactive all this time, leaped rapidly backward.

Naïve!

Seeing Feng Xun's movement, Yuan Wu stepped forward with his right foot as if he had anticipated it all along, once again swinging the kunai in his hand.

Facing the ninja tool close at hand, Feng Xun chose not to dodge again. Instead, he narrowed his eyes and stayed completely still, as if frightened stiff, and also as if all of this were within his plan.

Boom boom boom!!!

Continuous explosions completely erupted right beneath Yuan Wu's feet.

The fierce fiery light, like a dragon of fire sweeping across the firmament, instantly enshrouded both Yuan Wu and Feng Xun.

After a long while, the bright firelight subsided into stillness, and the stirred-up dust and fog gradually grew thin.

Two figures lay prostrate together in the shallow crater.

"Cough, cough, cough!"

With one leg blown off and his flesh mangled all over, Yuan Wu opened his eyes with difficulty.

Looking at the charred figure before him, he spoke with a hint of self-mockery and unwillingness, "I never expected that after a lifetime of shrewdness, I'd actually be dragged down to die together by a brat. Could this be the retribution belonging to me?"

After a long while, the figure belonging to Feng Xun spoke slowly, "Sorry, mister, but I have no intention of dying with you."

As soon as those words fell, Feng Xun's throat bobbed as if swallowing something down. Immediately afterward, under Yuan Wu's incredulous gaze, Feng Xun, who had previously been charred completely black, miraculously stood up from the scorched earth. Even the original burned skin continuously peeled off his body, revealing fresh skin underneath. Though the new skin still bore traces of burn marks, it was a thousand times better than before.

"How is this possible?" Yuan Wu whispered in disbelief.

"Nothing is impossible! You have to remember this is the ninja world, where all sorts of miracles can happen, right?"

Having recovered, Feng Xun shrugged his shoulders. Enduring the lingering stinging pain from his skin, he arrived at Yuan Wu's side. A cold gleam flashed in his eyes, and without a shred of hesitation, he stabbed the kunai into the other's chest.

"Mister, thanks for your reminder earlier. I have one final piece of advice for you as well: villains die from talking too much. You shouldn't have left me time."

With that, Feng Xun glanced at the other's corpse with eyes wide open in death, and turned to leave.

Following the markers Minato had left along the way, Feng Xun pressed forward continuously through the dense forest.

The fierce wind whipping against his face reminded him of that narrow escape from death just moments ago.

Reviewing the previous battle, honestly, it was already the absolute best standard he could achieve at present. During that period, had he hesitated for even a split second, or had his planned strategy had the slightest deviation, the one who died today would have been him.

Moreover, if not for his sheer luck in not being blown straight to smithereens, and instead managing to swallow the Senzu Bean he had hidden in his mouth just in time, the absolute best outcome would have been for the two of them to perish together.

(To prevent everyone from being completely confused, Old Cat will explain the entire process of the plan in detail.

First, while Yuan Wu was explaining things to Xun, he secretly dropped an Explosive Tag behind himself. Then, when Yuan Wu finished explaining and approached him step by step, he used the fabricated numbers to disrupt the other's train of thought. When he counted to ten, he pretended that a certain plan of his had succeeded, successfully putting pressure on the opponent.

Having failed to deduce the truth, Yuan Wu only had two choices at that moment: one was to quickly leave the spot and retreat backward, and the other was to charge forward and swiftly kill his opponent. Generally speaking, when facing someone weaker than themselves, people choose to kill the opponent. And Yuan Wu indeed did just that. As for the rest, Old Cat doesn't need to spell it out for you all to understand—the moment Xun jumped backward, the trap laid by the Explosive Tag was already primed and ready, and when Yuan Wu stepped forward onto it with one foot, the tragedy occurred.

Some people might say that Old Cat arranging it this way is just pointlessly padding the word count, and that even if Xun hadn't done that, Yuan Wu would have still rushed over to kill him.

However, viewed from another angle, if Xun hadn't forced Yuan Wu to make a choice midway, the guy very well could have used ninjutsu to finish Xun off from a distance. Old Cat arranging it this way was simply to make the opponent resort to close-quarters attacks subconsciously. After all, ninjutsu requires hand signs, and in a tense situation, it wouldn't allow him to make such an unrealistic move. Of course, if you all say the opponent could have used a hand-seal-less ninjutsu, then just consider everything Old Cat just said to be bullshit.)