Escape

Eye Technique: Kagami no Mitama!

Bzz—

The fluctuations of ocular power trembled faintly through the air. Shuiwu's expression turned extremely ugly, his eyes full of disbelief. The Kekkei Genkai he had been so proud of could no longer be used!

"Pfft!"

Elsewhere, Yan Hong suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. The enormous Susanoo around him instantly collapsed, and its vast chakra dissipated into the heavens and earth in an instant!

"Hmm?" Shuiwu looked at Yan Hong, a thoughtful look in his eyes. "So that's it. This must be your ocular technique. It can invalidate an opponent's ninjutsu? But it seems the price isn't small."

"Pant, pant, pant..." Yan Hong gasped heavily. His vision had already become a blur, but he forcefully suppressed the endless, tide-like pain and said in a hoarse voice, "Not a bad release. Let me borrow it!"

Shuiwu frowned, a bad feeling rising in his heart. "What did you say?"

Blood Release: Blood Like Rain!

Gurgle, gurgle—

Shuiwu's pupils suddenly contracted. Behind Yan Hong, countless droplets of blood rose into the air. After condensing, each droplet began to stretch, forming blood-red needles that densely filled the sky!

Swish, swish, swish—

In the next instant, all the blood needles shot forward like a swarm of locusts, sweeping toward Shuiwu at incredible speed without leaving him a single blind spot!

Water Release: Water Formation Wall!

Though shocked by Yan Hong's methods, Shuiwu would not stand there waiting to die. As his hands formed seals, an eight-meter-high wall of water rose before him. As the inheritor of Blood Release, Shuiwu understood its power better than anyone. He knew the Water Formation Wall alone could not stop it, so he leaped backward at the same time!

Puff, puff, puff—

The blood needles instantly pierced through the water wall and continued shooting after Shuiwu. Rows of craters were punched into the ground, while the buildings along the way became riddled with holes in an instant!

After that wave of attacks, Yan Hong's pain from the Mangekyo Sharingan eased somewhat, and he began to carefully sense the Kekkei Genkai he had seized.

Blood Release was a powerful Kekkei Genkai that infused chakra into blood and used it for battle. It was somewhat similar to the Taketori Clan's Shikotsumyaku, except one altered bones while the other altered one's own blood.

"Wait! This is!"

A gleam suddenly burst from Yan Hong's eyes, as though a drowning man had seen his final lifeline. The way he looked at Shuiwu carried unconcealed fervor and desire!

"Hmm?" Shuiwu felt his skin crawl under that gaze. He was also very familiar with such a look. Whenever he saw a strong opponent, that same longing would appear in his eyes.

"I finally understand what you said before." Yan Hong stared at Shuiwu with blazing eyes. "Now, even if I have to give up this Hidden Crafts Village, I'll still keep you here!"

"Hahaha..." Rather than feeling fear at those words, Shuiwu burst into laughter, as if he had encountered a kindred spirit in life. "Good, good, good! This is exactly the feeling! Looks like you also want something from me. Our goals have become the same once again, so come on!"

Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!

Crash—

Drawing on the rain falling from the sky, a Water Dragon roared into existence and slammed headlong toward Yan Hong!

Swish—

Yan Hong's eyes did not ripple in the slightest. Blood surfaced in his hand and rapidly condensed into a crimson sword. With a slight lift of his wrist, he swept out with the blade and cleaved the entire Water Dragon in two!

Swish—

But the moment the Water Dragon was split apart, he saw a black figure had already reached him through the opening!

Shuiwu moved at astonishing speed, as if flying just above the ground. Chakra condensed in his hand as he fiercely struck toward Yan Hong's chest!

There was no fancy technique behind this palm strike. It was simply fast, giving Yan Hong no chance to react!

Yan Hong had never expected Shuiwu to be so bold. Even after having his Kekkei Genkai taken, he still dared to fight him at close range. Caught off guard, Yan Hong had no time to dodge and could only throw out a palm strike of his own to meet it!

Bang—

The two palms collided with the force of a mountain collapse!

The curtain of rain around them was blasted outward by the earth-shattering impact, forming a spherical void centered on the two of them!

Yan Hong had reacted in haste. The force of that palm strike made his entire body shudder, and his feet lost their grip on the ground as he flew backward!

But at the moment he was sent flying, the blood in his hand turned into a blood whip. With a flick of his arm, it wrapped around Shuiwu's right arm and violently dragged him over. At the same time, Yan Hong raised his right leg and struck Shuiwu squarely in the chest!

Boom—

In an instant, the two men flew in opposite directions. Shuiwu smashed straight through the wall of a house and only stopped after grabbing onto the stones embedded in it. Yan Hong, meanwhile, turned blood into a blade, thrust the blood blade into the ground midair, and steadied himself the moment he landed!

Shuiwu wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, amazement in his eyes. "I didn't expect this guy to wield my Blood Release so skillfully. But how long can his ability to seize ninjutsu last?"

Yan Hong also felt the chakra within his body churning violently. One more minute. I have to finish him within this minute!

Boom—

A great amount of blood suddenly erupted from Yan Hong's body. It floated into the air, ignoring the downpour as it connected into a vast mass overhead, its imposing presence resembling the end of hell itself!

"He can even use this move?!" For the first time, fear appeared on Shuiwu's face. No one knew his own trump card better than he did. His figure flashed as he charged rapidly toward Yan Hong. "I absolutely can't let him use it!"

The immense chakra likewise drew the attention of the other ninjas in the village. Figures swiftly appeared nearby, and as they watched the blood floating in the air from afar, horror appeared on every face. "What kind of ninjutsu is this?"

Yan Hong looked at Shuiwu charging toward him at top speed, the corner of his mouth curling slightly. "Taste your own ninjutsu!"

Blood Release: Blood Burial!

Boom—

The blood floating above exploded through the air, transforming into countless massive spikes that crisscrossed one another, forming a killing barrier with nowhere to escape!

Slash, slash, slash—

Centered on Yan Hong, every building within five hundred meters was ground to dust by the countless blood spikes. In an instant, the entire world was dyed blood-red, and the pungent stench of blood filled every corner!

After a single strike, the dust settled!

The entire ground was dark red, rainwater mixed with blood flowing in every direction.

Shuiwu lay face down on the ground, his limbs pierced through as streams of scarlet blood continued to flow beneath him. Yet he still retained a thread of life.

Yan Hong dragged his exhausted body to Shuiwu's side, unable to suppress the excitement in his eyes. Through this special Kekkei Genkai, he might be able to find a way to make the Mangekyo Sharingan eternal without sacrificing his two older brothers!

"Five minutes..."

!!!

Yan Hong suddenly took a step back. Although the ninjutsu seized through Kagami no Mitama did not consume his own chakra, activating this ocular technique consumed a great deal of ocular power. Shuiwu was not much weaker than him, so Yan Hong's current condition was actually quite poor as well.

"Looks like your ocular technique's effect lasts five minutes at most." Shuiwu still lay on the ground. "This time, you won, Uchiha Yan Hong. I look forward to our next meeting, hahaha..."

"Not good!" Realizing Shuiwu was about to flee, Yan Hong immediately reached out to grab him, only to discover that Shuiwu's entire body was rapidly swelling before finally exploding!

Bang—

After the explosion, Shuiwu turned into a cloud of blood mist that vanished into the heavens and earth in the blink of an eye!

"Damn it, he still got away." Yan Hong stared at the dissipating red mist and clenched his fists unwillingly, only to suddenly hear a dense series of footsteps coming from all around him.

Qingming's gloomy voice rang out. "It seems the exchange between you two has ended. Then it's time for us to have a proper talk."