Ye Feng opened his eyes slightly, activating his Sharingan at once. The first gate of the Eight Gates Released Formation, the Gate of Opening, opened in an instant, and the world came into sharp focus before him. This was also the first time Ye Feng had brought his full strength to bear.
Ye Feng's right hand appeared before the Special Jōnin's eyes faster than the naked eye could follow, shattering the kunai. His left hand seized the Special Jōnin's right hand and dragged the Root ninja forward and down, while his right knee slammed into the ninja's neck. Blood instantly gushed out, splashing over Ye Feng's white robes. Some sprayed onto his face, lending his figure a touch of ferocity.
Ye Feng felt the warm wetness of blood spraying onto his face, and intense discomfort spread through his body. This was his first time killing someone. Though he had prepared himself mentally, when it actually happened, the sight of the dead man's wide, lifeless eyes brought on a wave of nausea. At the same time, a trace of familiar, sinister chakra flowed from Ye Feng's eyes through his body-a sign that his Sharingan was about to evolve.
But Ye Feng knew a powerful enemy still stood before him. He forced down his discomfort and fixed his gaze on the remaining Root jonin.
Seeing his companion die in an instant sent a violent tremor through the Root jonin's heart. A hint of fear appeared as he looked at Ye Feng's small, bloodstained face.
How could a child of only five possess strength like this? The Root jonin immediately dropped his contempt. If he remained careless, he really might die. He immediately hurled several shuriken, then used the Shadow Clone Technique to create three figures that charged toward Ye Feng.
As they drew near Ye Feng, the Root jonin threw a smoke bomb. Smoke instantly filled the surroundings, making it impossible to see anyone's position through it. Ye Feng thought:
Since even my Sharingan can't see clearly, his eyes can't either. If he's throwing a smoke bomb now, it must benefit him. That means he's a sensory ninja. Maybe I can play weak and catch him off guard.
When it came to sensing, Ye Feng's spiritual power perception was more precise than his opponent's. Now that Ye Feng knew his opponent's ability, while his opponent did not know he could also sense others, he would pretend he could not detect him and launch a surprise attack when the time came.
It was time for Ye Feng to put on a show. His eyes darted about, and he threw out punches and kicks from time to time, making his opponent think he was a clown to be toyed with at will. Suddenly, his opponent appeared behind him. Ye Feng pretended he could not dodge in time, letting the kunai slice through his robes and nick his skin, drawing a little blood. He also took the opportunity to leap up, turn, and kick his opponent into a puff of smoke.
Ye Feng had been prepared for that. The first to approach would definitely be a shadow clone. Another exchange of taijutsu attacks followed, and Ye Feng took an injury to his arm to eliminate two shadow clones, leaving only the real body. But he found it strange. His opponent's taijutsu was unremarkable, yet he had not used any ninjutsu at all. This puzzled Ye Feng greatly.
Ye Feng stopped worrying about it and charged toward a spot several meters beside the last figure. While his opponent's guard was down, he abruptly changed direction and attacked the figure's actual position. The Root jonin realized he had been tricked and hurriedly raised both hands before his chest to block the punch. Ye Feng pressed his advantage, sending another punch right after it.
"Die!" Ye Feng shouted.
But at that moment, the Root jonin gave a contemptuous smile. Ye Feng immediately sensed something was wrong and discovered that the Root ninja was covered in explosive tags. He meant to pull away at once, but it was already too late.
A tremendous explosion startled the nearby residents, but its impact did not reach far. The sound of the blast was drowned out by the fireworks overhead.
A figure then landed on the eaves of a nearby low house, his head lowered. Only scraps of cloth fluttered on his body, barely covering his private parts. He was covered in blood and kept panting heavily.
The figure raised his head and looked toward the site of the explosion. Most striking of all were his two scarlet Two-Tomoe Sharingan. It was none other than Ye Feng, who had escaped with his life.
Back when the Root jonin had detonated his explosive tags, Ye Feng had awakened his Two-Tomoe Sharingan at the critical moment. He used every bit of chakra in his body to protect himself and covered his vital areas with his hands. Flung aside by the blast, Ye Feng had narrowly escaped death, though the explosion had injured him in many places.
Still, Ye Feng found it suspicious. The battle had barely begun, and he had been hiding his strength the entire time. With the advantage in strength, his opponent had no reason to cover himself in explosive tags and prepare to take them both down at any moment.
Since he could not figure it out, he stopped thinking about it. Recovering came first. He took out the Natural Spirit Stone he had never been willing to use and began absorbing natural energy.
Suddenly, something unexpected happened again. Ye Feng felt a surge of spiritual power burrow into his body, attempting to take it over. He immediately fought back with his own powerful spiritual power, barely maintaining control of his body as he resisted.
Only then did Ye Feng notice that the Root ninja, who should have died in the explosion, had appeared in the shadow of a house not far away. Both hands were extended forward, his thumbs and index fingers joined and aimed at him.
"Isn't that the Yamanaka Clan's secret technique-the Mind Body Switch Technique?!" At the same time, Ye Feng understood where the spiritual power that had suddenly invaded his body and tried to possess him had come from. He immediately increased his spiritual power to resist.
But Ye Feng had just been severely injured by the explosive tags, and his mind had suffered damage as well. Even resisting with all his strength, he could only barely slow the advance of his opponent's spiritual power.
The Root ninja was surprised as well. This was the first time his Mind Body Switch Technique had failed to succeed completely, with his spiritual power's invasion meeting constant resistance. Fortunately, his opponent was a child. Though he could resist, he could not stop the invasion. Success had merely been delayed a little.
Ye Feng also realized the situation was turning against him, but he had exhausted his options and had no way out. Even after thinking for a while, he could not find a solution. Then he saw the Natural Spirit Stone, still glowing blue.
Heaven is helping me! Ye Feng took control of his body and began frantically absorbing the Natural Spirit Stone's natural energy. Without refining it at all, he directly controlled the natural energy to envelop the Root jonin's spiritual power.
Natural energy was a kind of poison to spiritual power. It would erode spiritual power and weaken the consciousness within it.
The Root jonin also felt his spiritual power being eroded and immediately withdrew it. But the damage to his spiritual power from that erosion injured him as well. He spat out a large mouthful of blood, his head buzzing.
Just then, the Root jonin suddenly heard the rush of a fist. He turned his head and saw a small fist flying toward him. It struck him squarely in the face, its tremendous force sending him flying.
The Root jonin struggled to his feet and threw a smoke bomb. Ye Feng went after him, but he could no longer sense his opponent's presence.
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