Armor

Bang—

The pale blue sphere struck Gu Chuan Mu He squarely in the back, but it did not produce the result Yizhe wanted.

It was as though a protective barrier covered his body, blocking the Rasengan from reaching him.

"Ice Release? Ice Spike Hell!"

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

He pushed off the ground and leaped high backward, evading 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.

Though both Rasengan attacks had failed, Yizhe had not gained nothing.

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

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

Armor affected a ninja's mobility, so few people wore it.

Yet not only was Gu Chuan Mu He wearing armor, that armor was unlike ordinary armor.

Through the Byakugan, Yizhe could clearly see chakra light shimmering across it.

At first, he had thought it was merely a chakra ninja tool with stronger defenses than ordinary armor.

But after two Rasengan strikes, he could clearly see that the chakra glow on the armor had dimmed significantly!

From this, he inferred that the armor did more than enhance defense—it could completely negate the damage of ninjutsu.

His expression could not help darkening at that realization.

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

"Chief, that truly is an impressive method!"

"I never expected such powerful armor to exist—armor capable of blocking my ninjutsu!" Yizhe praised him loudly without restraint.

"Not bad, kid!"

"You noticed 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 the chief comes from?" Yizhe asked casually while remaining on guard.

"I truly envy you people! So young, yet already this powerful. Ninja raised by major villages really are different!" Rather than answer, Gu Chuan Mu He spoke with 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 their idle chatter as an opportunity, he recovered some of his strength and prepared to launch a new offensive.

The 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 matters!" Furukawa replied with killing intent, his movements not slowing in the slightest.

He retreated at high speed while hurling Shuriken at Yizhe, trying to stop him from getting close.

Perhaps his chakra was running low. Gu Chuan Mu He did not rashly use ninjutsu against Yizhe. Instead, he kept dodging while harassing him with Shuriken and Kunai.

He was too cautious. Every time he exchanged blows with Yizhe, he retreated after a single contact, leaving Yizhe no opportunity to use taijutsu.

Perhaps fear of the Hyuga Clan's reputation is only one reason he doesn't dare fight me in taijutsu! More likely, that armor can't withstand taijutsu!

The Eight Trigrams Palm needs only an instant of restraint to hit him. I need to find a way to hold him down, even if it's only for one second!

Yizhe pursued him while considering a countermeasure.

This kid has realized ninjutsu is ineffective. He's chasing me so desperately because he wants to use taijutsu against me! With that thought, Gu Chuan Mu He became even less willing to confront Yizhe head-on, choosing only to evade.

But this endless chase and stalemate can't go on. I don't have much chakra left! Gu Chuan Mu He's expression tightened as he formed a plan.

Just as Yizhe was racking his brains, 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 blasted snow into the sky.

Through the Byakugan, Yizhe could clearly see Gu Chuan Mu He rapidly forming hand seals behind the wind and snow.

"You're too slow!" Yizhe roared as he charged through the blizzard and threw a Kunai, attempting to interrupt the hand seals.

Unexpectedly, Gu Chuan Mu He did not stop forming hand seals this time. Instead, he slightly turned his body and used his armor to take Yizhe's Kunai head-on.

What was even stranger was that throughout his hand seals, Yizhe did not sense any chakra fluctuations in the surrounding environment.

Perfect!

Though Yizhe did not know what Gu Chuan Mu He was planning, he sensed no danger around him. Without hesitation, he rushed to Gu Chuan Mu He's side and deployed 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 had no other choice.

"One palm, two palms..."

Boom!

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

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

"Cough, cough, cough!" A grayish-white figure crawled out of the snow, coughing.

Though he wore a tattered suit of armor, his face covered in mud and snow, and looked utterly miserable, he could not conceal the joy on his face.

"Ha, ha, ha! Kid, let's see how you survive this time!" the grayish-white figure laughed wildly.

It was Gu Chuan Mu He!

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

Not far away, a youth clad in rags and covered in blood lay on his back, responding weakly.

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

The result was obvious, and he was extremely satisfied. Still, he regretted the loss of his armor. After taking several of Yizhe's palm strikes head-on and then enduring the blast's impact, it had become utterly ruined and completely lost its function.

He staggered slowly toward Yizhe and pulled out a Kunai.

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

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

Instead, he wore an inexplicably confident expression.

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

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

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

Actually, once you saw me emphasizing the armor, you should have understood where the Ice Release came from. (Snow Country) →_→ I had been writing about the snow accumulation many chapters ago, from it initially covering the ankles to it reaching above the knees on the other side of the bridge. I had been laying the groundwork for a suitable environment for Ice Release all along!

Every time I write a battle, I get a headache. It burns through so many 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 so mentally taxing to write T_T

If I wrote every battle like this, I'd probably die of exhaustion!

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