Ruthless Brat

Clang, clang, clang.

Yue and Masada's blurred figures clashed in an instant.

The blades in their hands struck each other nonstop.

Masada was a little stunned.

He had not expected Yue to be so fierce, showing no fear even when facing a Chunin like him.

He had thought Yue would be intimidated. Although he had been injured by the initial sneak attack, his strength was still far beyond that of a Genin brat.

"This strength!"

What Masada found even harder to believe was that when he pressed forward and used Taijutsu—

He actually found himself evenly matched with Yue.

Yue's strength, reflexes, and speed were no weaker than those of an adult like him. They were even slightly stronger.

He was completely different from how he had been at the academy.

This brat hid himself that well? He has such outstanding Taijutsu... Yet he never seemed to study Taijutsu much at the academy. By all rights, the physical abilities of students from their class should all be weak. And this brat... he seems to have considerable combat experience. That presence is nothing like a rookie's.

A thought flashed through Masada's mind, stirring his focus.

He was not the only one. The two grass ninja in the distance also sensed that something was wrong.

Not only had every killing move Masada launched with his kunai been blocked by Yue's oversized ninja tool, but its strange shape and unexpected attack patterns had even forced the Chunin Masada to retreat again and again.

"That strange thing... is that the kind of ninja tool the Fuma Clan excels at using?"

One of the grass ninja stared at the weapon in Yue's hand.

"For a brat his age to wield it so skillfully... he's no simple kid."

The other echoed him.

The ninja tool Yue used was one he had diligently practiced with at home. It looked like a large blade, but its center was connected by a chain, allowing it to split into two heavy blades. He had struggled to control it before mainly because his physical capabilities had been lacking. But after growing in Bleach, his physical qualities had improved considerably, and his mind had also been strengthened. He could now control this weapon quite well.

It was not only his body that had grown stronger. The amount of Chakra within him had increased as well.

The evolution of flesh and spirit naturally caused energy like Chakra to surge.

And although the fighting methods in Bleach differed from those of ninja, close-quarters combat techniques ultimately led to the same destination... So it would not be easy for Masada to find an opening in Yue's defense and suppress him.

"Damn it!"

Moments later, the spinning blade knocked the kunai from Masada's hand. He cursed and barely managed to lean backward.

Because the large blade in Yue's hand suddenly split apart, one half lashing toward him from a strange angle along a trajectory like a whip.

Luckily, he dodged in time. Otherwise, his head would have been cut off.

"You little bastard, I'll kill you!"

He had thought Yue was an easy target, only to find himself the one looking bad. Masada immediately lost his composure, his eyes reddening as he roared.

He instantly performed the Earth Style: Earth Clone Jutsu.

Yue formed hand seals at the same time and used the Clone Technique.

The Earth Style: Earth Clone Jutsu was not on the same level as an ordinary Clone Technique. The most obvious difference lay in the clones' capabilities. One was an illusion, while the other possessed a certain degree of physical attack power.

After all, his opponent was a Chunin. Yue's clone was destroyed by Masada's clone the moment it appeared.

Then Masada and his clone turned into two blurred figures, attacking from the front and back.

The advantage Yue had gained through his special ninja tool was gone as well... The Earth Clone seized an opening and pinned one blade at the end of the chain beneath its foot, while Masada himself took advantage of Yue's restricted movement to circle behind him and thrust his kunai toward a vital spot.

If this strike landed, it would not kill Yue, but severe injury would be unavoidable.

White smoke rose as Yue used the Substitution Technique to evade.

An Explosive Tag burned on the wooden log that appeared in his place.

The next second, tremendous fire and smoke erupted with considerable force.

Yue flipped through the air and landed, his gaze sweeping over the battlefield shrouded in black smoke.

"Did I get him?"

"Hehe... you don't think a mere Explosive Tag can kill me, do you?"

Suddenly, a familiar cold laugh came from one direction.

"The gap between us is far too great."

"Earth Style: Earth Release Bullet!"

With a slap, the ground in front of Yue immediately fractured, breaking into a mass of rubble.

The destroyed earth spread toward him at an astonishing speed.

Yue could barely keep his footing.

"A C-rank ninjutsu!"

Yue's expression changed.

This was the most troublesome part... The level and power of the ninjutsu his opponent possessed surpassed his own.

His body was swallowed by the flying rocks. Before his back had fully hit the ground, Masada had already flashed to one side and kicked his torso away.

There was no sensation of impact. Yue's figure dissipated in midair as it flew away.

"The Clone Technique again?"

Masada froze for a moment.

He had attacked with ninjutsu so quickly, yet Yue had reacted in advance and formed hand seals?

Besides, although they were all part of the Three Basic Jutsu, using them in such a short time required extremely precise Chakra control, as well as a sufficient amount of Chakra.

At that moment, a gust of wind swept in.

Masada twisted aside repeatedly to evade.

Several shuriken...

After missing, they landed by his feet.

Masada identified the direction the shuriken had come from and charged over.

The moment he burst from the smoke and caught sight of Yue, another enormous shadow entered his vision. A terrifying edge was less than four inches from him.

Yue seemed to have predicted where and when he would emerge.

The Fuma Clan's signature ninja tool—the Fuma Shuriken!

Whether through its weight or sharpness, if it touched him, his entire body would be sliced in half.

But that was not all. From the corner of his eye, Masada saw Yue pull another ninja tool scroll from his backpack. Once manifested, it was thrown at him like an iron fishing net. It had already sealed off his path of movement, with several fluttering Explosive Tags hanging from it.

Clearly, Yue had prepared quite a few things in advance for this mission.

Masada had just dodged the Fuma Shuriken when the iron net descended over him.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

"Ninja Art, Earth Style, Ear..."

Like rolling thunder, Masada's voice was swallowed by the explosions.

Yue immediately widened the distance to avoid being caught in the blast.

"Where's that brat?"

"He didn't die, did he?"

"I didn't expect things to reach this point. We should have stepped in long ago."

The explosion's power and aftermath had filled the area with black smoke, limiting visibility. For the moment, they could not see what had happened.

The two grass ninja could no longer remain calm and hurried into the field to search.

Yue's gaze pierced through the black smoke toward the center of the blast.

The place where Masada had just been.

There was a round wall of raised earth there, shaped like a small dirt mound.

Clearly, at the critical moment, Masada had used ninjutsu to hide inside it and avoid being engulfed by the explosion and flames.

"He's still alive..."

Yue's breathing shifted slightly.

The instant the thought crossed his mind, a dark figure appeared behind him like a ghost.

Scarlet eyes stared at him.

They radiated an uncontrollable killing intent.

"My excellent student... Teacher is truly pleased by your growth."

Masada, covered in soot and bearing burns across his body, had developed murderous intent.

After saying that sinisterly, he instantly drove the kunai in his hand toward the back of Yue's head.

According to the instructions above, he should not have dealt Yue a fatal blow. But now, he had clearly been enraged to the extreme and no longer cared.

However... his arm stopped in mid-swing.

Looking closely, Masada's eyes were wide open. A tiny shuriken had precisely pierced his throat.

With his back to him, Yue slowly raised his right hand. A very thin steel wire was tied around his fingers.

The other end of the wire connected to the shuriken that had killed his teacher.

Puppet Shuriken Technique.

Yue had drawn inspiration for this hidden weapon technique from Sasuke. He did not have the Sharingan, so he could not control them with such precision, nor could he manipulate so many shuriken. But with only one or two, diligent practice was enough... After all, as a member of the Fuma Clan, he had certain special insights into ninja tools and comparatively suitable conditions for developing in that area.

Ever since arriving in the Ninja World, Yue had maximized his advantages in order to secure a place for himself in this world. He never overlooked any opportunity to arm himself.

The more trump cards he had, the more assured he felt.

That was true of the simplified Lion Combo, and it was true of this rough Puppet Shuriken Technique.

The several shuriken he had thrown at Masada earlier had been for this strike.

One steel wire was attached to the shuriken, while another was hooked onto the target, confirming his position and enabling a fatal strike.

In the end, those shuriken had never been meant to injure Masada in the first place.

Besides, by now, Masada had already lost too much blood...

The flow of the entire battle had actually been guided by Yue's mind and careful planning.

"If I hadn't gotten the first strike with that sneak attack, killing you... really wouldn't have been so easy." Yue turned around and looked at his teacher, whose throat moved but who could not make a sound, only coughing up blood. His voice was calm.

After speaking, he swiftly leaped up and wrapped the wire in his hand around Masada.

Then he vanished.

Less than a minute later, as the thick smoke dispersed, the two grass ninja finally reached Yue's previous position.

"His presence is still here. That kid is most likely nearby."

One grass ninja waved away the smoke and spoke coldly.

"Hey."

"What is it?"

"Look."

"This..."

The other suddenly called to his companion, his voice trembling.

The two looked upward to see drops of blood falling from the air.

Above them, Masada's corpse hung from a tree branch like a puppet on strings, swaying slightly.

His neck had already been sliced halfway through by the sharp steel wire.

Gulp.

The two grass ninja involuntarily swallowed at the same time.

A chill rose from the soles of their feet.

"He... he was killed..."

And in such a manner...

That brat's methods were exceptionally ruthless.