In an instant, a white bone blade tore through Ye Liangnai's body, followed by three jagged bone spikes that pierced him clean through, leaving him skewered. The brutal sight unfolded before Terumi Mei's eyes.
Yet, she wasn't worried. A Chunin-level foe? Hardly a threat to her brother's life.
Sure enough, as the Kaguya clansman sneered in triumph, a white blade pierced his own chest. "Impossible!" he gasped, blood trickling from his lips, his eyes wide with disbelief.
The "Ye Liangnai" he'd impaled dissolved into a splash of water—a Water Clone.
Ringo Ameyuri, watching from the sidelines, felt her heart skip. "That seal speed… I didn't even see him weave! How's he pulling this off?"
Suigetsu Hozuki and Shima Isshin shared her shock. "Two days, and he's this much stronger?" Ringo muttered, a twinge of envy gnawing at her. She was locked in a stalemate with a Chunin-level Kaguya, while Ye Liangnai had already dispatched two foes with chilling ease. The gap was glaring.
Suigetsu gritted his teeth, his pride stung. Shima's fists clenched, his confidence shaken. Even Ye Liangnai's ANBU teammates, Haruha Yuya and Natsuka Rin, felt the pressure. They'd thought they were his equals—maybe even superior. Reality slapped them hard. Ye Liangnai was leagues ahead.
His prowess didn't go unnoticed by Kirigakure's elite. "No surprise he's Mei's brother," Biwa Juzo of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen mused. "With a sister like her, he was bound to be a monster."
Raiga Kurosuki grinned, lightning crackling around him as he cleaved through a foe. "This kid's got something special. Real potential."
Zabuza Momochi and Kisame Hoshigaki, too, took note. Ye Liangnai's performance was impossible to ignore—two kills in fifteen seconds, a feat unmatched by his peers and even some veteran ANBU. He was, without question, the standout.
Ye Liangnai sighed inwardly, sensing the weight of their gazes. So much for laying low. His strength wouldn't let him blend in. Fine. If I'm in the spotlight, I'll go all out.
He'd already cracked the Kaguya's fighting style. Their Shikotsumyaku made them tanks, but genjutsu was their Achilles' heel.
"Water Style: Hidden Mist Jutsu!"
A thick fog surged, swallowing several Kaguya clansmen in its suffocating embrace. Screams erupted from the haze—sharp, desperate, and bone-chilling. The sound sent shivers through nearby shinobi, their nerves fraying.
When the mist cleared, four Kaguya lay dead, their eyes wide with terror, frozen in their final moments. The entire massacre took mere seconds.
A collective gasp swept the battlefield. "What the…?"
Ringo's jaw dropped, her eyes locked on Ye Liangnai. Four kills in under a minute? He's not just a prodigy—he's a damn freak!
Suigetsu and Shima exchanged stunned looks, their egos bruised. Haruha and Natsuka, fighting nearby, felt a chill. This was no ordinary Chunin.
"Damn brat! You're mine!" a furious roar cut through the chaos.
"Ten-Finger Drilling Bullets!"
A burly Kaguya, his aura screaming Special Jonin, charged Ye Liangnai. His fingers fired ten bone bullets, each a deadly projectile.
Ye Liangnai dodged, his enhanced speed carrying him clear, but the Kaguya was already on him, his fist crashing forward with brutal force. Ye Liangnai had no time to react—the punch sent him flying, blood spraying from his mouth as he hit the ground.
"Dance of the Clematis: Vine!"
The Kaguya wasn't done. He ripped out his own spine, the bone morphing into a whip that lashed around Ye Liangnai, binding him tight. "Die!"
A bone spear formed in the Kaguya's hand, aimed at Ye Liangnai's heart.
"Ye, watch out!" Mei cried, her voice sharp with panic. She could tell—this was no clone. This was her brother's real body.
Her opponent, the Kaguya clan leader, seized the moment. "Distracted, Mei? You're begging to die!" He lunged, unleashing "Dance of the Larch," a storm of bone spikes.
Mei's lapse cost her. She summoned a Water Clone to evade, but a spike grazed her side, drawing blood. At the same time, Ye Liangnai faced his deadliest moment yet. The Kaguya's sneer was feral, his spear inches from piercing flesh.
But Ye Liangnai's mind was calm. Thank the system for that speed boost. Without it, I'd be too slow to pull this off.
"Genjutsu: Binding Illusion!"
Mei, reappearing and glancing at Ye Liangnai, saw the Kaguya's spear halt two centimeters from his chest. Relief flooded her. He's safe.
The onlookers were floored. "His seal speed… I didn't even see it!" Ringo gasped. How is he so fast?
Ye Liangnai yanked free of the bone whip, retreating as he began weaving seals. But the Kaguya, a Special Jonin, was too strong—Binding Illusion held Chunin for six seconds, but he broke free in two. He charged, interrupting Ye Liangnai's jutsu with a savage strike.
Ye Liangnai drew his katana, no time to dodge. Against the Kaguya's taijutsu mastery, his Chunin-level swordsmanship was outmatched. The Kaguya's blows were heavy, precise, relentless.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Ye Liangnai struggled, each parry straining his arms. This guy's a beast—strong, fast, and brutal.
"Give up, kid! There's only one outcome for you—death!" the Kaguya roared. "Name's Kaguya Yanagimura. Remember it!"
Bone spikes erupted from his body, forcing Ye Liangnai back. Yanagimura spun, his body a rolling buzzsaw of bone. Ye Liangnai couldn't block that. He wove seals: "Water Style: Water Formation Wall!"
Boom!
The collision shook the earth, the water barrier holding for two seconds before shattering. Yanagimura's bone storm hit Ye Liangnai, tearing his flesh in a bloody spray.
But as Yanagimura smirked, the "Ye Liangnai" dissolved into water—a Water Clone.
Ye Liangnai's voice echoed from behind. "Water Style: Hidden Mist Jutsu!"