Moonlight lay like frost, its cold radiance spilling across the earth and adding a solemn mystery to the tranquil night.
Beneath the pitch-black sky, Enkō stared intently at the mysterious woman before him. He did not believe Uzuki Dekima knew nothing about this matter, yet he could not fathom what the man intended. Had he changed his mind at the last moment, or was there some hidden reason? Perhaps he would only get his answer after subduing the woman in front of him.
Enkō instinctively reached for his waist with his right hand, only to grab empty air. Then he remembered that his sword had been ruined during the daytime match. Left with no choice, he pulled a kunai from the ninja tool pouch behind his waist.
The mysterious woman merely stood where she was, sword in hand, silently watching Enkō's every movement.
Bang—
Without warning, Enkō pushed off with his toes. His body moved like an invisible phantom, leaving an afterimage beneath the dark night sky. In the blink of an eye, he was before the woman, thrusting his kunai forward without the slightest hint of mercy!
Shing—
At the same moment, a snow-bright blade flashed like a white rainbow piercing the sun. The woman, who had been standing still, drifted backward like rootless catkins the instant Enkō attacked. Her blade flashed, precisely striking the tip of his kunai!
Clang—
The crisp clash sounded like rain falling into a clear spring. Enkō felt as though his full-force strike had landed on a fluttering sheet of paper, receiving no force in return. Meanwhile, the woman used the impact to widen the distance, her movements light and graceful!
Whoosh—
Enkō followed like a shadow, his kunai darting like a swarm of bees. In a matter of seconds, he stabbed dozens of times. Yet the woman's sword danced like a butterfly, her defenses impenetrable as she precisely blocked every one of Enkō's attacks!
Clang, clang, clang—
A string of sparks burst through the air, filling the darkness around them with crisscrossing light and shadow!
On a distant rooftop, two figures silently watched the battle. Uzuki Riten frowned deeply and asked uneasily, "Clan Head, are we really not going to stop them?"
Uzuki Dekima was already advanced in years. He had fought with all his strength during the day, then been roused again that night. Unconcealable exhaustion showed on his face. Hearing this, he answered helplessly, "Let them fight. That girl usually appears gentle as water, but she has always been holding back a breath of anger. It is good for her to let it out. Besides, both of them know their limits. Nothing dangerous will happen."
While they spoke, the two in the clearing had already exchanged nearly a hundred moves. Just as Enkō thrust forward once more, the woman suddenly twisted aside to evade the kunai. Her toes tapped the ground, sending her body soaring upward. Using the advantage of her longer weapon, she drove her blade down at Enkō's right shoulder from above!
A red gleam flashed in Enkō's eyes. His exceptional dynamic vision instantly saw through the woman's move. Holding the kunai in a reverse grip, he raised it from below to brace against the blade, forcibly changing the trajectory of her thrust!
Screech—
The three-foot blade scraped downward along the kunai with an ear-piercing rasp. Its edge grazed Enkō's shoulder, slicing open his clothing without wounding his skin!
Her strike had missed. Just as the woman was about to retract her sword and change moves, her wrist suddenly tightened. Her thrusting motion came to an abrupt halt as she discovered that Enkō's left hand had accurately seized her wrist!
Whoosh—
The instant Enkō grabbed the wrist holding her sword, he twisted it fiercely without a second thought, almost reflexively trying to disarm her!
But in the next instant, surprise flashed through Enkō's eyes. The woman did not release her sword hilt at all. Instead, she rotated half a turn in the direction he twisted her, then used the motion to raise a long leg and sweep it into Enkō's shoulder!
"You can do that?" Enkō had not expected her reaction to be so swift. Hearing the wind whistle beside his ear, he only had time to take a hasty step back before his shoulder felt as though it had been lashed by a whip. He lost his footing and slid backward, leaving two dark tracks beneath his feet!
Enkō raised a hand and squeezed his numbed arm. He felt there was something strange about his opponent, yet could not put his finger on it. Before he could figure it out, the woman took the initiative. She rose like willow fluff borne by the wind, her clothes fluttering beneath the moonlit night like an elf under the moon—beautiful, yet concealing deadly intent!
Moonshadow Sword Style: Butterfly Dance!
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
In an instant, Enkō's vision was filled with blade light. Unlike the Reality-Illusion Sword Uzuki Dekima had used during the day, every slash was real. It was pure speed!
Shing—
The Sharingan in his eyes immediately spun and merged into the Mangekyō Sharingan. He retreated at high speed, frantically parrying with his kunai. The familiar scene repeated itself, except this time, offense and defense had switched places!
"The Uzuki Clan actually has another expert this powerful!"
Enkō's heart shook violently. Knowing that he would eventually be cut down if this continued, a fierce gleam flashed in his eyes. He planted one foot behind him to halt his retreat, then abandoned his defense. Risking being stabbed by her blade, he swung his kunai in a strange arc toward her shoulder blade with the force of splitting a mountain!
The mysterious woman's mask concealed her expression, but her abruptly halted movements made her shock obvious. She had never expected Enkō to suddenly adopt a strategy of trading injury for injury. Startled, she could only stop her assault and leap backward to evade!
But when experts fought, victory and defeat were often decided in an instant!
Seeing that she did not want to trade blows with him, Enkō stepped forward and pounced like a tiger descending the mountain. In an instant, he reached the woman. His left leg bent and drove forward in a devastating flying knee strike!
The woman reacted quickly, lifting a slender hand to press against Enkō's knee. But she was clearly not as strong as he was. The instant she pressed down, she was forced back, and his knee slammed hard into her chest!
"Mmgh!"
The force penetrated her body, knocking her flying backward. She slid dozens of meters across the ground before barely managing to plant her feet and stop!
Bang—
Strike while she was down—Enkō gave her no chance to catch her breath. He closed in again with thunderous force, his kunai gleaming sharply. Yet to avoid escalating the conflict too far, he deliberately avoided vital points and stabbed toward the hollow of her shoulder!
Moonshadow Sword: Half Moon!
Facing the unstoppable thrust, the woman suddenly flicked her sword upward. Its tip precisely struck the kunai. Rather than meeting force with force, she followed the momentum, drawing the kunai through a circle in the air before sharply lifting it!
Shing—
Enkō felt an immense force travel through the kunai. Under this sword technique that used softness to overcome strength, all his power was redirected into his wrist. In but an instant, the kunai flew from his hand, spinning up into the sky!
"Sorry."
The woman murmured as she thrust her sword straight toward Enkō's exposed abdomen. She intended to injure him first, then use genjutsu to restrain him and learn the truth she had long sought!
The two observers in the distance sighed at the same time, already wondering how they should apologize afterward. Yet in the next second, the sight before them made their pupils widen as they froze in shock!
Crash—
The moment his kunai left his hand, Enkō did not hesitate in the slightest. He flipped his body upside down and, in the posture of an overhead kick, struck the end of the spinning kunai in midair with his foot!
Whoosh—
Driven by the fierce impact, the kunai instantly shot forth like an arrow loosed from a bow. Its piercing whistle tore through the night as it plunged down toward the mysterious woman's head!
The sudden change was completely beyond the woman's expectations. Her weapon could not possibly block in time. At the critical moment, she could only tilt her head aside!
Crack—
Thunk—
With a crisp sound, the kunai met no obstruction and drove straight into the ground!
Before him, the woman narrowly avoided the attack, but the mask on her face was cut in two by the kunai and slid down from her face, revealing a beautiful countenance!
Looking at the woman's face, Enkō felt stormy waves rise in his heart. His face was filled with disbelief!
"Hey, hey, hey... you've got to be kidding me."
Under the moonlight, countless strands of violet hair danced in the wind. Behind that fluttering hair was a pair of scarlet Mangekyō Sharingan!
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