"Come out, you Konoha brat! You lured me here, but I wonder what master was behind those attacks."
Fujiwara Jicang did not retreat lightly. Those two attacks had indeed been formidable, beyond what an ordinary Jonin could manage.
But he was no weakling either. If he fled without even seeing his opponent, how could he ever face a Konoha Ninja again?
Whoosh!
Yechen appeared on the treetop opposite him. They faced each other from barely a dozen meters apart, neither speaking nor moving, as though they intended to stare at each other until dawn.
After a long while, Fujiwara Jicang frowned. He carefully sensed his surroundings, but there was no trace of a third person. If a Kage Level expert had truly arrived, there would be no need for them to hide.
That left only one possibility: the Shuriken that had attacked him had been thrown by this brat.
"I underestimated you, little brat of the Konoha Uchiha. You really surprised me, training your Taijutsu to this level."
There was only one explanation: his opponent's Taijutsu had already reached Jonin level. Had Fujiwara Jicang not seen it with his own eyes, he would never have believed it.
A Genin around ten years old had surpassed most Jonin in Taijutsu.
If word of this spread to the great ninja villages, who would believe it?
Yechen said nothing and merely watched him in silence. Ordinary Chunin no longer stirred his interest in battle; he fought them only for evolution points.
Now there was no one around but him and an enemy Special Jōnin. It was the perfect opportunity to test his true combat strength.
Suddenly, a strong wind swept through the mountain forest. Leaves danced wildly, blocking Yechen's vision.
In the next instant, a fierce rush of air came from his right. Relying on his senses, Yechen raised his right hand and blocked the incoming short blade with his Kunai.
Clang!
Fujiwara Jicang's pupils froze for a moment. He had not expected Yechen to react so quickly. He kicked his left foot against the air, twisted at the waist, and lashed out with a sideways kick from his right leg, aiming straight for Yechen's left cheek.
The howling air testified to the power behind that kick.
As it closed in, Yechen raised his left arm and blocked it.
But just then, Fujiwara Jicang smiled, as though he had already achieved his goal.
Seeing this, Yechen's brow tightened, and he immediately tried to put some distance between them.
But it was too late. Sharp whistles sliced through the air as Fujiwara Jicang raised his left hand high, holding it like a blade, a cold gleam flashing along it.
Wind Release: Gale Palm
Wind-nature chakra gathered in his palm, forming a powerful wind blade that increased its destructive force.
"Die, brat!"
At the critical instant, Yechen unleashed his strength and forcibly knocked his opponent away, but the wind blade still slashed across his chest.
The intense pain drew a muffled grunt from Yechen.
Blood quickly poured from the wound, revealing how deep it was.
His only consolation was that his body was strong enough that losing some blood would not rob him of his ability to fight.
What even he did not know was that the wound left by the wind blade was healing at a speed visible to the naked eye. This was the crucial advantage of Yechen's powerful physique.
"Brat, you're a capable fighter, but unfortunately, you lack experience. That may be your greatest shortcoming-and your fatal weakness. Today is the day you die."
Fujiwara Jicang now had a clear measure of Yechen's strength. A young genius like this could never be allowed to keep growing.
Yechen no longer concealed his strength. His right eye slowly closed, and with a thought, light shifted through his left eye.
In an instant, his left eye changed from black and white to blood-red, a pitch-black tomoe spinning rapidly within it.
Without forming hand seals, Yechen directly activated the Sharingan's unique hypnotic ability.
He knew this ability was unreliable. His mental strength was also weaker than his opponent's, making it impossible to fully hypnotize him.
All Yechen wanted was to buy time. The instant their eyes met, Fujiwara Jicang's gaze shifted from astonishment to confusion.
He froze in place, but soon regained his clarity. By then, Yechen had already retreated ten meters.
The pain around his wound was slowly easing. As though his blood had run dry, it no longer seeped out.
Yechen touched the wound, leaving traces of congealed blood on his fingers. He grinned, smeared the blood beside his lips, and watched the figure ahead.
Fujiwara Jicang's mental strength far exceeded Yechen's. Simple hypnosis could only work briefly, and once Fujiwara Jicang was on guard, the next attempt might not succeed.
Unless Yechen's mental strength surpassed his opponent's, or he used a secret Sharingan technique, it would be difficult to catch him again.
Fujiwara Jicang quickly regained his senses. Rather than attack immediately, he stared at Yechen in disbelief.
"Brat, you really are full of surprises." Looking at that scarlet eye, Fujiwara Jicang was both excited and frenzied.
His excitement came from the fact that Sharingan were in high demand not only on the black market, but also in his village, fetching outrageously high prices.
If he killed Yechen and brought his body back, he would receive a hefty bounty.
Ninja were not saints devoid of desires. They had wants of their own, and money could accomplish many things. Few could resist its lure.
Besides, killing a Sharingan genius gave Fujiwara Jicang an inexplicable sense of achievement. The Uchiha Sharingan was far too famous throughout the Shinobi World.
His frenzy, meanwhile, came from his fear of the Sharingan's reputation. Even though Yechen only had a one-tomoe Sharingan, he would have to fight with everything he had.
"Your life is mine... Uchiha brat!"