"Kill..."
Yechen growled, flashing behind a Rock Ninja and thrusting his long blade straight at the man's back, aiming for his heart.
The other Rock Ninja saw this and moved to block the strike for his comrade. Just as he was about to act, a dark shadow silently stretched out from a corner, climbing up his legs and over his body.
A binding force instantly spread through him, leaving him unable to move.
Seeing his comrade about to be killed, he had no choice but to shout.
"Xiaoguang, dodge!"
Wu Xiaoguang had already sensed the danger. With the warning, he reacted even faster, using the Substitution Technique just before the blade's tip touched him.
He left a rock behind as cover and burst away at explosive speed.
Clang!
The blade's tip struck the rock, splitting it straight down the middle.
Using the resistance transmitted through the blade, Yechen twisted his wrist and pivoted, sweeping his sword toward the Rock Ninja beside him who was trapped by the Shadow Imitation Technique.
Wu Xiaoguang could not abandon his comrade either. Without that warning, he would never have escaped so cleanly. He immediately hurled a kunai at Yechen's throat.
A glance from the corner of his eye told Yechen the kunai's trajectory. He shifted his body slightly and dodged the attack.
But that movement also threw his blade slightly off course, preventing him from inflicting a fatal wound.
Slash!
The long blade carved a deep wound from the man's shoulder down to his waist.
"Aah...!"
The Rock Ninja let out an agonized scream. The pain unleashed his hidden reserves, allowing him to break free of the shadow's restraint.
The backlash made the Nara Clan Jonin grunt and stagger several steps before regaining his footing.
Yechen paid that no mind. When his first strike