Sharingan Under the Moonlight

The moonlight was like frost, its cold radiance spread across the land, adding a touch of solemn mystery to the tranquil night.

Beneath the pitch-black sky, Yan Hong 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 other side intended. Had they changed their mind at the last minute, or was there some hidden reason? Perhaps he would only learn the answer after taking down the woman before him.

Yan Hong instinctively reached for his waist with his right hand, only to grab empty air. Then he remembered that his blade had been ruined during the daytime match. With no other choice, he pulled a kunai from the ninja tool pouch behind his waist.

The mysterious woman merely stood where she was with her sword in hand, quietly watching Yan Hong's every movement.

Bang—

Without warning, Yan Hong pushed off with his toes. His body moved like an incorporeal ghost, 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 trace of mercy!

Clang—

At the same instant, 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 moment Yan Hong attacked. Her sword flashed, precisely striking the tip of the kunai!

Clink—

The crisp clash sounded like rain falling into a clear spring. Yan Hong felt as though his full-powered strike had hit a sheet of fluttering paper, receiving no force in return at all. Meanwhile, the woman used the momentum to widen the distance, her movements light and graceful!

Whoosh—

Yan Hong followed her like a shadow, his kunai swarming like a cloud of bees. In just a few seconds, he thrust dozens of times. Yet the woman's sword danced like a butterfly, sealing off every opening in her defense as she precisely blocked each of Yan Hong's attacks!

Clang clang clang—

A string of sparks burst through the air, filling the darkness around them with interwoven flashes of 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. After fighting with all his strength during the day and then being summoned again at night, the exhaustion on his face was impossible to hide. Hearing this, he replied helplessly, "Let them fight. That girl usually seems gentle as water, but she has been holding in a great deal of anger. It is good for her to vent it. Besides, both of them know their limits. There will not be any danger."

While they spoke, the two in the field had already exchanged nearly a hundred moves. As Yan Hong thrust forward again, the woman suddenly twisted aside to evade the kunai, tapped the ground with her toes, and leaped into the air. Taking advantage of her weapon's greater reach, she stabbed downward at Yan Hong's right shoulder!

A red gleam flashed in Yan Hong's eyes. His extraordinary dynamic vision instantly saw through the woman's movement. Holding the kunai in a reverse grip, he raised it from below to block the sword and forcibly altered the trajectory of her thrust!

Screech—

The three-foot blade scraped all the way down the kunai with a piercing sound. The edge grazed Yan Hong's shoulder, slicing open the cloth there without wounding his skin!

The woman's strike missed. Just as she was about to withdraw her sword and change moves, her wrist suddenly tightened. Her thrust halted sharply as she discovered that Yan Hong's left hand had precisely seized her wrist!

Whoosh—

The instant Yan Hong 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 Yan Hong's eyes. The woman did not release the hilt at all. Instead, she turned half a circle in the direction Yan Hong had twisted her, then raised one long leg and swept it across Yan Hong's shoulder!

"You can do that?" Yan Hong had not expected her reaction to be so swift. Sensing the sound of wind slicing toward his ear, he only had time to retreat a single step. His shoulder felt as if it had been lashed by a whip, and he could not keep his footing as he slid backward, leaving two dark trails beneath his feet!

Yan Hong raised a hand and squeezed his numbed arm. He felt that there was something strange about her, yet he could not put his finger on it. Before he could figure it out, the woman actually launched an offensive. Her body rose like willow fluff carried by the wind, her clothes fluttering in the moonlit night like a spirit beneath the moon—beautiful, yet concealing deadly intent!

Moonshadow Sword Style: Butterfly Dance!

Whoosh whoosh whoosh—

In an instant, Yan Hong's vision was filled with blade light. Unlike the Reality-Illusion Sword Uzuki Dekima had used during the day, every one of these strikes was real. It was pure speed!

Clang—

The Sharingan in his eyes immediately spun and merged into the Mangekyō Sharingan. He retreated at high speed, frantically blocking 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!"

Yan Hong's heart shook violently. He knew that if this continued, he would sooner or later be cut down. A fierce glint flashed in his eyes as he planted one foot behind him to halt his retreat. At the same time, he abandoned defense, risking being stabbed by the blade as his kunai carved a bizarre arc and hacked toward the woman's shoulder blade with the force of splitting a mountain!

The masked woman's expression could not be seen, but her abruptly stalled movement made her astonishment obvious. She had never expected Yan Hong to suddenly choose a trade-injury-for-injury approach. Startled, she could only stop her assault and leap backward to evade!

But in a clash between experts, victory and defeat were often decided in an instant!

Seeing that she did not wish to trade blows with him, Yan Hong stepped forward and pounced like a tiger descending the mountain. In a flash, he arrived before the woman, bent his left leg, and drove it forward in a powerful flying knee strike!

The woman reacted quickly, lifting a slender hand to press against Yan Hong's knee. However, her strength was clearly inferior to his. The moment she made contact, she was forced back, and the knee slammed viciously into her chest!

"Mmgh!"

The woman let out a muffled groan as force penetrated her body, sending her flying backward. She slid dozens of meters across the ground before barely managing to plant her feet and stop!

Bang—

Strike while the iron was hot. Yan Hong gave her no chance to catch her breath, closing in again with thunderous force. The kunai in his hand gleamed sharply, but to avoid escalating the conflict too far, he deliberately avoided vital points and stabbed at the hollow of her shoulder!

Moonshadow Sword: Half Moon!

Faced with the unstoppable thrust, the woman's longsword suddenly swept upward. Its tip precisely tapped the kunai. Rather than meeting force with force, she followed the momentum, guiding the kunai through a circle in the air before sharply flicking it upward!

Clang—

Yan Hong felt immense force travel through the kunai. Under this sword technique that used softness to overcome strength, all his force was redirected into his wrist. In a single instant, the kunai flew from his grasp and spun up into the sky!

"Sorry."

The woman murmured as her longsword stabbed straight toward Yan Hong's completely exposed abdomen. She intended to wound him, then use genjutsu to restrain him and uncover the truth she had long sought!

The two watching from afar sighed in unison, already considering how they should apologize afterward. Yet in the next second, the sight before them made their pupils dilate as they froze in shock!

Crash—

At the instant the kunai left his hand, Yan Hong did not hesitate in the slightest. He flipped his body upside down and, in a bicycle-kick posture, kicked the end of the spinning kunai in midair!

Swish—

Struck with tremendous force, the kunai instantly shot forth like an arrow loosed from a bow. The sound of it tearing through the air ripped apart the night as it plunged down toward the mysterious woman's head!

This sudden change was completely beyond the woman's expectations. She had no time to use her weapon to block. At the critical moment, she could only tilt her head aside!

Crack—

Thud—

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 kunai split the mask on her face into two halves. It slid from her face, revealing a stunningly beautiful visage!

Looking at the woman's face, Yan Hong felt stormy waves rise in his heart. His face was filled with disbelief!

"Hey, hey, hey... you have to be kidding me."

Beneath the moonlight, a cascade of purple hair danced in the wind. Behind those flowing locks were a pair of scarlet Mangekyō Sharingan!