Not Cute At All

Yue and his opponent arrived at the outskirts of the district, a desolate mountain.

The lighting here was good, with no obstructions around. A silver moon had also appeared in the night sky, casting its glow.

After both sides took their positions, the man assumed a standard starting stance, facing Yue.

There was no contempt in his eyes; instead, he regarded Yue as a powerful enemy.

However, he still asked, "Are you just using that dagger of yours?"

"I'm proficient in more than one weapon," Yue replied calmly, gripping the short blade.

A cool night breeze brushed against their bodies.

A moment of silent eye contact passed between them.

Instantly, the man made the first move, his blade flashing with a surge of energy.

Yue's vision caught only the imposing gleam of the blade. He was about to sidestep to create distance and counter, but to his surprise, the arc of the sword suddenly vanished mid-flight, changing its trajectory from a slash to a thrust.

Furthermore, the man's footwork and movement were perfectly synchronized, making this attack catch Yue completely off guard.

It was a change of technique, and more importantly, a 'modulation' in the speed and rhythm of the blade and body during the attack.

A shift in velocity and frequency.

Unable to dodge... Yue could only block with his weapon.

Clang! A clash of metal sparked as Yue's dagger scraped against the man's blade. It seemed he had managed to block it momentarily. However, the opponent used his larger adult physique and superior positioning to close in, retracting and drawing his sword in one fluid motion, akin to a quick-draw strike.

A silver thread flashed and disappeared in the dark night.

So fast!

Yue's heart pounded.

This was... exceptionally skilled swordsmanship.

Not only did the enemy possess a solid foundation in swordsmanship, but he had also honed his killing techniques through countless battles.

Crack.

Yue's clothes were sliced open by the swift blade, and a gash appeared on the exposed skin of his chest, drawing blood.

But the opponent gave him no time to breathe, following up one attack with another, relentlessly.

The man's features were stern, and he now resembled an enraged tiger. His sword strikes came like a tidal wave, pressing forward, giving Yue no chance to evade.

His arms moved so fast they were a blur, the sharp blade light forming a sphere of silver threads that enveloped Yue's position.

All Yue could do was parry and maneuver within the limited space.

He wanted to retreat or dash away to create distance, but the man seemed to have anticipated his intentions. The angles and force of the descending blade strikes had already sealed off any openings, forcing Yue into a direct confrontation.

Clang, clang, clang...

The sounds of their weapons colliding were crisp.

But upon closer observation, it was clear that after each parry, the footprints Yue left on the ground bore distinct marks.

Not only was the opponent's swordsmanship superb, but his physical strength was also far superior to Yue's.

Yue had thought that having trained with the Fuma Clan's large ninja tools since childhood, even though his current body was still young and underdeveloped, his strength should have surpassed that of an ordinary adult. He was a ninja, after all. At least in the world of Naruto, age wasn't an absolute measure of a ninja's strength; it was merely a vague benchmark. In wartime, even students who hadn't graduated from the Ninja Academy in Konoha would join the battlefield.

This was the result of different environments and systems from two worlds.

But... the person before him was also a character who had absorbed some of the power system from the 'Soul Reaper world.' Even if he wasn't a true Soul Reaper and wasn't as proficient in Zanpakuto, Kido, and Shunpo, he could certainly be considered a top-tier villain from the lawless districts of Rukongai.

Finally, Yue seemed to be running out of stamina, struggling to evade the blade light, his steps faltering as he stumbled and fell.

His head was struck by a vicious blade energy, and a puff of white smoke erupted.

Substitution Technique.

As the wooden log hit the ground, Yue had already used the Substitution Technique to reposition himself behind the leader and leaped up, preparing to launch a surprise attack.

But he had still underestimated his opponent's strength.

Almost the instant the wooden log fell, the man twisted his waist and turned.

Along with his turn came the formidable blade energy.

The blade didn't hit Yue, missing by a hair's breadth.

But this reaction speed made Yue's heart race. If he had hesitated even slightly, his abdomen would have been sliced open, and his organs might have spilled out.

The man's other hand, raised to block, was pierced by the dagger, a bloody hole appearing in his entire palm. Yue had intended to stab it into the man's head, but the man had neutralized it by sacrificing his palm.

To block that fatal blow, the man had made an instant decision without the slightest hesitation.

After turning, the man grinned at Yue, actually biting the blade of the dagger with his teeth, pulling out the weapon deeply embedded in his palm. He even licked the blood from his palm, saying, "I saw that strange hand gesture you made just now. Although you hid it very skillfully, it didn't escape my eyes... Is this how you perform those peculiar transformations?"

Yue remained silent, narrowing his eyes.

"Now you don't even have your weapon..."

The leader chuckled sinisterly.

There was a sense of advantage in my favor.

Upon hearing this, Yue immediately formed hand seals, and a puff of smoke appeared and dissipated beside him as he used the Shadow Clone Jutsu.

The Three Basic Jutsu were the foundation of all ninjutsu for any ninja.

"Two?"

The leader's eyeballs darted around.

Immediately after, Yue reached behind his back with his free hand, pulling out another hidden weapon, a peculiarly shaped, spike-like weapon.

"What do you think... Since this is a fight to the death, how could I make such a fatal mistake?"

Yue responded with a mocking laugh.

"Still has a backup... Troublesome brat."

The smile on the leader's face vanished, and he cursed, "However, I've got a general idea of your skill level now."

"Next... I'm going to start feasting and 'devouring' you!"

With a roar, the man accelerated and charged forward.

Yue's clone went first, with the real body following, actively moving to meet the attack.

With the clone providing a distraction and cover, they began to grapple again, and his pressure immediately lessened considerably.

The two figures continuously circled the target, launching sneak attacks or flashing around, preventing the man from focusing his energy and attention on a single entity.

But Yue also knew that the clone wouldn't last long, and once it disappeared, he would immediately be at a disadvantage.

The opponent hadn't realized that the clone's attack was a 'feint'.

"Let's try that move."

His eyes flashed.

After a moment, seeing his chance, he immediately had the clone intentionally sacrifice itself.

The opponent had been observing him, but hadn't he also been familiarizing himself with the man's attack patterns and habitual body movements?

With a bang, the long sword sliced the clone apart.

The man's eyelids twitched, sensing something was wrong. He looked down and saw Yue's true body, having utilized the opening, had burrowed underneath him.

He then threw the spike in his hand, forcing the man to turn his head and shift his gaze.

Yue placed his hands on the ground, gathered his strength, and kicked, striking the man's abdomen... This kick, infused with all his power, sent the tall leader flying off his feet, suspended in mid-air. Immediately after, Yue on the ground vanished, launching himself upwards.

As a transmigator, his benefits weren't just familiarity with the plot, but mastery of most information from two worlds.

Not just a single, one-sided aspect.

For instance, as a ninja, besides ninjutsu, taijutsu was also one of the mandatory subjects at the Ninja Academy.

Although there wasn't any decent taijutsu to practice at the Grass Village's Ninja Academy, and his father hadn't taught him systematic taijutsu, it didn't stop him from exploring and practicing on his own, following the 'template' in his mind.

The premise was that he could do it with his physical condition and skills.

It wasn't technically complex.

The taijutsu he had his sights on was the Lion Combo, but this taijutsu was created by Sasuke, who had plagiarized Rock Lee's Front Lotus using the Sharingan, and it was displayed during the subsequent Chunin Exams. However, the current Yue couldn't compare to Sasuke at that time, nor did he have the Sharingan's cheat-like ability... Therefore, the taijutsu he used was essentially a severely downgraded version. It was something he had replicated after a long period of exploration and practice, combining it with his own habits and techniques.

As for its power... it was definitely weakened considerably. The target's aerial stability, as well as his own consecutive striking movements, were not as complex or powerful, but at this stage of the battle, it was enough to catch the opponent off guard and inflict some damage.

It didn't matter what kind of cat it was, as long as it could catch a mouse.

Yue delivered a flying knee to the man's abdomen, causing him to spit out saliva.

Then, spinning like a half-top, he used inertia to deliver a powerful axe-like kick to the leader's neck.

He sent him crashing down like a cannonball.

Upon landing, while the opponent's consciousness was scattered, he quickly flashed closer, and casually picked up the spike stuck in the dirt, lunging forward.

He thrust the weapon into the man's heart.

This series of attacks was all premeditated by Yue.

Including the direction he threw the spike beforehand to successfully use the taijutsu, predicting its landing point.

And kicking the man towards the same direction as the spike, and so on.

His brain was operating and analyzing at high speed.

Yue sat on the fallen man, his hands gripping the hilt of the spike inserted into the opponent's chest, his expression weak.

His face was covered in sweat.

The execution of this taijutsu had nearly depleted all his stamina.

After all, he had been fighting these desperate individuals, both openly and covertly, for nearly a full day.

He hadn't rested much at all.

Moreover, in order to turn the tide with a single blow, he had put almost all his strength into the taijutsu finishing move.

"It's over..."

Yue muttered to himself, lost in thought.

He had won.

The man beneath him had stopped breathing.

A powerful sense of exhaustion washed over his entire body.

This was the closest he had ever been to death since his transmigration.

It was also the first enemy he had encountered who was significantly powerful and posed a life-threatening danger to his current self.

This kind of life-or-death struggle had indeed taught him a lot.

He could feel his own growth.

However, just as Yue's hands were about to loosen their grip on the spikes, a sudden change occurred.

The man lying on the ground suddenly opened his eyes, staring at him with bloodshot, furious eyes.

His face was contorted with a ravenous ferocity.

He looked like a demon.

As if in a final burst of energy, he erupted with formidable strength.

One of his arms instantly grabbed Yue's arm, rendering him immobile.

"Hahahaha... I'll take you with me, brat!"

"In the Soul Society, unless you dismember your enemy or cut off their head... never let your guard down. That's one of the rules for surviving here."

"Even if I die, I'll take someone down with me!"

"The battle between beasts allows for no slack!"

The man, shouting maniacally with blood gushing from his mouth, plunged his blade into Yue's body.

He gave Yue a "through-and-through" experience.

"Hahahaha..."

"What a shame... you'll have to wait until your next life for these things..."

Seeing that he had delivered a fatal blow to Yue, the man laughed triumphantly.

However, his laughter grew weaker and weaker.

And halfway through his laughter, it abruptly stopped.

Because... a familiar scene unfolded once more.

The 'corpse' riding on him had transformed into a log.

Raising his eyelids, he discovered Yue's true body standing beside his head, looking down at him.

"..."

In his dying moments, the man fell silent.

This brat had sensed the danger and held something back.

He... had been toyed with by a child, a humiliating defeat.

The leader released his grip on the sword, and it fell powerlessly to the ground.

"I lost,"

The man gazed at the moon in the night sky and uttered a few words softly.

"I enjoyed this battle with you."

"Thank you for your guidance."

Yue, his face pale, spoke two sentences before turning and walking away without delivering a finishing blow.

He knew the man wouldn't survive much longer and would soon breathe his last.

His words were spoken with genuine sincerity.

As the man listened to Yue's staggering footsteps fading away, his gaze began to lose its focus.

He felt the tranquility and quiet of the night, the residual sensations in his body, and the gently blowing breeze.

"How could a brat like you appear..."

"So meticulous, so cautious... not like a child at all."

"You're too seasoned... your depths are unfathomable, and not cute in the slightest."

"Am I going to die..."

"My eyelids feel so heavy... is this what death feels like? To be killed by a child, it's truly unacceptable."

"But... if it's you, you should be able to survive well in this 'hell.' Someone like you is perfectly suited for it."

"I really want to see with my own eyes... what you'll do, and how high you'll rise here... but alas, I won't get to."

"The streets of the future will surely become very interesting."

In the quiet outskirts, faint breaths, accompanied by the cooling temperature of a body, eventually faded into silence.