The Killer B Duo's Defeat

The two famous duos of the Shinobi World met at an unexpected time, and on their very first encounter, they were already forced into a battle to the death.

This was not only a test of their individual strength, but also a severe examination of their teamwork.

In response to Killer B's question, Long Ye and Shisui tacitly chose not to answer.

It was obviously a pointless question. The identities of both sides could not have been clearer.

"Long Ye..."

For Rin, who was watching from afar, this was the first time—excluding the Chunin Ninja Exams—that she had truly seen Long Ye fight someone to the death.

Their opponents were enemies from the war. No matter how one looked at it, this was a battle to the death.

"The two great duos that have shaken the Shinobi World have met today. I wonder who will win," someone in the group asked anxiously.

"Of course it'll be Long Ye and Shisui. They're the pride of Konoha. Besides, are Killer B and that A really so impressive? I've never even heard of them..."

Obito stubbornly refused to admit defeat.

In terms of battle records, the Killer B Duo was no weaker than Long Ye's duo—in fact, they might even have surpassed them. Moreover, the fact that the two had just fought Minato Namikaze without losing had already proven their strength.

"This battle will determine who is truly the number one duo in the Shinobi World."

At that moment, the killing intent of both sides reached an unprecedented peak.

Just as the battle was about to begin, Long Ye suddenly spoke.

"You two are from Kumogakure, yet you're rather strange. No matter which side suffered a crushing defeat in the war between Konoha and Kirigakure, you should have been happy to see it happen. Yet you came to obstruct Konoha's reinforcements. Could it be that Kumogakure has allied with Kirigakure?"

Long Ye's sudden words caused the two opponents, who had just been about to attack, to hesitate slightly.

Killer B was just about to say something when A's startled shout suddenly rang in his ears.

"Watch out for genjutsu!"

As Long Ye suddenly began speaking and drew their attention, Shisui, standing nearby, activated his Sharingan without warning and instantly unleashed a secret genjutsu technique.

The minds of Killer B and A were sucked into a vanishing space by an invisible force.

"Break free!"

Killer B shouted sharply.

The two somehow broke free in an instant.

That was only because their reactions had been fast enough. If they had been even a moment slower and entered the illusion, their bodies would have been unable to move. Even if that lasted only a blink, Long Ye could have seized the opportunity and killed them instantly.

"Earth-Shaking Bull!"

Long Ye reacted swiftly. Seeing them break free of the genjutsu in an instant, he abandoned close combat and punched the ground beneath his feet.

The punch landed on the ground without the slightest show of power. Apart from leaving behind a fistprint, nothing else seemed to happen. Yet this sight terrified the Killer B Duo out of their wits.

"Fall back!"

The moment the words left their mouths, countless arcs of electricity burst from the ground where they stood.

Then the earth cracked and suddenly bulged upward.

A thunderous boom rang out.

An explosion erupted beneath Killer B and A's feet.

It was as if a giant bull had been buried underground. The Earth-Shaking Bull rolled over, shattering the earth.

Although their reactions were fast enough and their movements astonishingly swift, the explosion covered too wide an area. The moment it erupted, it reached more than two hundred meters away.

The explosive shock wave formed a semicircular dome of light, like a massive bowl clamped over the ground.

No matter how fast Killer B and A's Lightning Body Flicker was, they could not escape the explosion's range in time.

Their Lightning Release Armor was blasted to pieces in an instant. Blood sprayed from their bodies, but the armor had still saved their lives. The shock wave sent them flying high into the air.

Shisui, whose coordination with Long Ye was flawless, drew the small Samurai Sword from his back. Using the Body Flicker Technique, he flashed toward Killer B, who was still in midair and briefly unable to fight back.

Blood sprayed!

Shisui's slash had been aimed at Killer B's neck, but after years of battle, Killer B twisted in midair, causing the blade to cut into his abdomen instead.

Shisui used the advanced taijutsu technique Swallow Return, reversing himself in midair before striking at Killer B's life once more.

At that moment, A's back suddenly appeared, blocking Shisui's path.

The slash tore through flesh, leaving a long, crimson wound from his right shoulder to his left ribs.

"Run!!"

The moment they landed, the two immediately used Lightning Body Flicker. With a flash, they vanished without a trace.

Killer B's furious voice came from the distant horizon.

"You two are far too underhanded! We refuse to accept this defeat. We'll repay this grudge the next time we meet!"

His voice grew fainter and soon disappeared into the distance.

Long Ye wiped the sweat from his forehead.

The Earth-Shaking Bull just now was his deadliest technique with the widest area of effect. It had used every last bit of his chakra as a full-power strike. Once unleashed, it left him with almost no chakra remaining.

It was only because Shisui was beside him that he had dared to use it without restraint. Otherwise, he would not have released such a technique lightly, because it was a desperate move in which either the enemy died or he did.

Of course, this technique had not originally been called the Earth-Shaking Bull. It had once been Shū's ultimate trump-card killing technique. After Long Ye had stripped Shū of his Kekkei Genkai, he had naturally inherited the secret art.

The people watching from afar were completely stunned.

Killer B had originally been blocking the road ahead. They had planned to flee back the moment things looked bad, returning to the Divine Tree Forest so that the entire team would not be wiped out.

But before they could escape, they witnessed this astonishing scene.

"No wonder the rumors say they can kill Jonin, and that even Elite Jonin can only struggle to survive at their hands. It really wasn't an empty rumor..."

Everyone was left parched with shock.

Rin's cheeks flushed with excitement. That distant figure had become an indelible mark in her heart.

"How are you? Are you all right?"

Shisui patted Long Ye's arm.

Long Ye did indeed look rather unwell now, showing signs of exhaustion.

"This isn't the first time. I'll recover after resting for a few hours."

"But those two really were troublesome. They were struck by my Earth-Shaking Bull and only suffered injuries. Their Lightning Release had truly reached an incredible level."

Although they had won the battle decisively, Long Ye was not overly excited. Only those who had truly exchanged blows with them could understand how powerful the two opponents were.

Even before the battle began, Long Ye and Shisui had understood each other without words and decided not to let the two unleash Double Lariat.

That was simply because the technique was so fast and powerful that even the two of them had no confidence they could receive it safely.

That was why they had ambushed the pair when they made their move, taking away their initiative and forcing them into a passive counterattacking position.

When true experts exchanged blows, victory or defeat hinged on the slightest margin. Seizing even a trace of initiative could instantly determine the outcome.

In other words, if the opponents had seized the chance to strike first just now and forced them into a passive position, their final outcome would absolutely not have been much better than that of the two men.