Armor

Bang—

The pale blue sphere slammed into Gu Chuan Mu He's back, but it did not produce the result Yizhe wanted.

A layer resembling a protective barrier covered his body, blocking the Rasengan from reaching him.

"Ice Release? Ice Spike Hell!"

A forest of ice spikes appeared once more, but Yizhe had been prepared this time. The instant his Rasengan struck his opponent, he sensed that something was wrong—the attack had been ineffective.

He pushed off the ground and leaped high backward, narrowly avoiding Gu Chuan Mu He's attack.

"Ha, ha, ha!"

"Kid, no matter what you do, it's useless! Your ninjutsu is ineffective against me!" Gu Chuan Mu He turned around and laughed smugly at Yizhe.

Although neither Rasengan had worked, Yizhe had not gained nothing.

After striking his opponent with the Rasengan, he noticed that the chakra glow on Gu Chuan Mu He's armor had dimmed considerably.

He had noticed Gu Chuan Mu He's armor from the start of the battle. Modern ninjas rarely wore armor.

Armor affected a ninja's mobility, so few people chose to wear it.

Yet Gu Chuan Mu He not only wore armor, but his armor was unlike ordinary armor.

Through the Byakugan, he could clearly see chakra gleaming across it.

At first, he had assumed it was merely a chakra tool with greater defensive power than ordinary armor.

But after being struck twice by the Rasengan, the chakra glow on the armor had visibly weakened!

From that, he deduced that the armor did not merely enhance defense—it could completely negate ninjutsu damage.

His expression darkened at that thought.

Because that meant all of his ninjutsu techniques were ineffective against Gu Chuan Mu He!

"Chief, you truly have impressive methods!"

"I never expected you to possess such powerful armor, capable of blocking my ninjutsu!" Yizhe praised him loudly without holding back.

"Not bad, kid!"

"You figured out so quickly that there was something unusual about my armor! You truly live up to the name of the Byakugan!" Gu Chuan Mu He said with feeling.

"You flatter me, you flatter me. May I ask where you come from, Chief?" Yizhe asked casually while remaining secretly on guard.

"I truly envy you people! So young, yet already this strong. Ninjas trained by great villages really are different!" Gu Chuan Mu He did not answer, instead revealing his admiration for Yizhe's background.

It seemed he was not from one of the Five Great Ninja Villages, but from a very weak village.

If ninjutsu won't work, then I'll try taijutsu!

Using the idle chatter as an opportunity, he recovered some of his stamina and prepared to launch a new offensive.

The fierce battle at Coldwind Bridgehead was nearing its end, and victory was beginning to tilt toward the merchant caravan, which held the numerical advantage.

"Chief, aren't you worried about the battle on the bridge?" Yizhe asked as he charged at his opponent.

"What is there to worry about? Once I kill you, the rest will be trivial!" Gu Chuan Mu He replied with killing intent, though his movements did not slow in the slightest.

He retreated rapidly while hurling shuriken at Yizhe, trying to keep him from getting close.

Perhaps he was running low on chakra. Gu Chuan Mu He did not rashly use ninjutsu against Yizhe, instead continually dodging while using shuriken and kunai to harass him.

He was far too cautious. Every time he exchanged blows with Yizhe, he retreated at the first contact, leaving Yizhe no chance to use taijutsu.

Perhaps he fears the Hyuga Clan's reputation, and that's only one reason he doesn't dare fight me in taijutsu! More likely, that armor can't block taijutsu!

Eight Trigrams Palm requires a moment of restraint before it can hit him. I need to find a way to hold him down, even if it's only for one second!

Yizhe chased after him while considering his options.

This kid has already realized that ninjutsu is useless. He's chasing me so desperately because he wants to use taijutsu on me! With that thought, Gu Chuan Mu He became even less willing to confront Yizhe head-on and simply kept evading.

But this endless chase and stalemate can't go on forever! I don't have much chakra left! Gu Chuan Mu He's face tightened as he made up his mind.

Just as Yizhe was racking his brain, Gu Chuan Mu He suddenly turned around and threw three kunai carrying Explosive Tags.

Yizhe had no choice but to dodge to the side, avoiding the kunai.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The shockwaves from the Explosive Tags' detonations blasted snow into the air.

Through the Byakugan, Yizhe clearly saw Gu Chuan Mu He rapidly forming hand seals behind the swirling snow.

"You're too slow!" Yizhe shouted as he rushed through the wind and snow toward him, throwing a kunai in an attempt to interrupt his hand seals.

Unexpectedly, Gu Chuan Mu He did not interrupt his hand seals this time. Instead, he shifted slightly and used his armor to take Yizhe's kunai head-on.

Even stranger, Yizhe could not sense any chakra fluctuations in the surrounding environment as Gu Chuan Mu He formed his hand seals.

A perfect chance!

Though Yizhe had no idea what Gu Chuan Mu He was planning, he did not sense any danger around him. Without hesitation, he rushed to Gu Chuan Mu He's side and unleashed the Eight Trigrams Field.

"Gentle Fist? Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!"

"Earth Release? Hardened Body Technique!"

As Yizhe launched his attack against Gu Chuan Mu He, he saw chakra gathering around his opponent's body. But he no longer had any choice.

"One palm, two palms..."

Boom!

Suddenly, a blinding flash of fire erupted beside him. A violent explosion rang in Yizhe's ears, and an enormous force hurled him away.

For a moment, wind and snow filled the battlefield, and neither of them made a sound.

"Cough, cough, cough!" A gray-white figure climbed out of the snow, coughing.

Though he wore shattered armor and his face was covered in dirt and snow, looking utterly miserable, he could not hide the joy on his face.

"Ha, ha, ha! Brat, let's see how you die this time!" the gray-white figure laughed wildly.

That person was Gu Chuan Mu He!

"Chief... you truly are... formidable! I... deeply... admire you... admire you!"

Not far away, a ragged, blood-covered boy lay on his back, replying weakly.

After Gu Chuan Mu He guessed that Yizhe intended to attack with taijutsu, he decided to take the risk himself. He used his remaining chakra to cast the Hardened Body Technique and strengthen his body, then followed it with a close-range Explosive Tag attack, intending to take Yizhe down in one stroke.

The result was obvious, and it pleased him greatly. Still, he regretted the loss of his armor. After taking several of Yizhe's palm strikes head-on and then enduring the explosion's shockwave, it was now utterly ruined and had completely lost its usefulness.

He staggered slowly over to Yizhe and pulled out a kunai.

"Go join my son and brothers in death, kid!"

He raised his kunai high over Yizhe's head, yet Yizhe's face showed none of the fear or terror he had expected.

Instead, it held an inexplicable confidence.

"This time, it really is over, Chief!" A faint young voice sounded from behind Gu Chuan Mu He.

"Gentle Fist? Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!"

Then a massive Eight Trigrams Field spread around him, and a familiar chakra presence burst forth from behind him.

Actually, when you saw me emphasizing the armor, you should have understood where Ice Release came from—Snow Country. →_→ I had been writing about the accumulated snow many chapters ago, from covering ankles at first to covering knees near the bridge. I had been laying the groundwork for Ice Release to appear in a suitable environment all along!

Every time I write a battle, I get a headache. It burns through brain cells!

When strength isn't enough, intelligence has to make up for it! Once their strength improves later on, it probably won't be this mentally taxing to write. T_T

If I have to write every battle like this, I'm afraid I'll be exhausted to death!

Please favorite, vote, and support! My Qidian account level isn't high enough, so I can't reply to your chapter comments. T_T