When it comes to ninja combat, any act of toying with an enemy by relying on superior strength shows tremendous disrespect for one's own life.
Just moments ago, when Yūshin was slammed against the floor, that had been his weakest moment. From here on, he would only grow stronger...
If the enemy failed to finish him off in that instant, they might never get another chance.
Ryo of the Earth Grudge Fear had been correct: when Yūshin was in an extremely disadvantaged position, his chakra-absorbing Spore Technique was indeed nothing more than a petty trick. But once Yūshin's power curve shot upward, the Spore Technique became lethal.
After seizing sufficient chakra, Yūshin's combat effectiveness would only continue escalating.
Previously, Yūshin could only attempt to steal bits of chakra during battle when enemies were distracted, but now he had begun openly plundering it.
After piercing the heart and draining all its chakra, the Earth Grudge Fear tendrils surrounding the "Fire Release mask" immediately withered like seaweed dried for weeks, losing all resilience, strength, and lethality—now barely stronger than hair strands.
Giving his opponent no time to react, Yūshin's chakra, boiling to near-plasma intensity, erupted once more.
BOOM!
With the chakra explosion beneath his feet, the entire wall—along with its structural connections—fractured and broke away. Like a massive chunk of debris, it was torn from the keep and plummeted from the heights, crashing into the castle town below.
The thunderous impact echoed through the city, jolting awake countless civilians and hired ninja. They finally noticed the disturbance on the keep's upper floors.
Using the recoil, Yūshin launched himself like a human projectile, slamming directly into another Earth Grudge Fear attribute mask. The collision sent both figures tumbling violently at high speed before crashing into the opposite wall.
With one arm still unresponsive, Yūshin's attack was clumsy, yet when the motion ceased, his palm had predictably pierced another mask.
"Fire Release: Intelligent Hard Work"
Having lost two attribute masks in mere moments, Ryo of the Earth Grudge Fear finally abandoned his composure—he could no longer hold back.
Another Fire Release mask opened its maw, gathering chakra before unleashing a torrential sea of flames.
Unable to form hand seals for a counter, Yūshin chose the most direct response to the approaching inferno.
With violent chakra eruption, his body propelled the room's air currents forward at tremendous speed. Instantly, the surging flames collided with an invisible pressure wave.
As fire met air current and was forced to roll back, Yūshin's form pierced through the flame wall like a swift arrow.
He passed through the fire sea untouched by a single ember.
Ever heard of fluid dynamics, kid?
Breaking through the flames, Yūshin charged another attribute mask. Ryo of the Earth Grudge Fear naturally controlled the targeted mask to evade.
But Yūshin was faster—his posture fierce as a lunging predator, movement lightning-quick, denying any reaction time.
Destroying another mask and seizing more chakra, Yūshin's previously broken arm finally reconnected.
Yūshin flexed his fingers lightly, feeling slight discomfort but nothing serious.
"Water Release: Exploding Water Shock Wave"
He formed seals and cast the jutsu; instantly, waves surged amid the sea of fire.
Springs gushed outward from Yūshin's position, expanding in successive layers, extinguishing surrounding flames before pouring through the massive wall breach, creating a cascading waterfall down the keep's exterior.
Splash!
"Water Release: Water Severing Wave"
Simultaneously, Yūshin found an unexpected angle, firing the Water Severing Wave like a projectile. In a straight line, it instantly pierced the fourth Earth Grudge Fear attribute mask.
Unfortunate—destroying masks with ranged attacks prevented Yūshin from absorbing their chakra.
At this point, Ryo of the Earth Grudge Fear finally recognized his error: against such an opponent, dispersing his masks like clones only provided opportunities for systematic elimination.
He swiftly recalled the remaining four masks, then flashed forward, charging Yūshin at equally high speed.
BANG!
Yūshin caught Ryo's full-force punch with one hand. Though the latter's arm remained ink-black, the technique that could have killed Yūshin earlier now seemed feeble and powerless.
In terms of physical strength, Yūshin now held absolute advantage.
"Cough... cough, Earth Release and Lightning Release—those are the two jutsu types your main body can use... Only those two? That's about the same as me."
After repeatedly employing violent high-speed combat techniques, Yūshin's dynamic vision was gradually matching his opponent's speed... But that was merely Ryo stimulating his body with Lightning chakra to achieve velocity—nowhere near comparable to specialized piercing jutsu like Chidori.
Yūshin clamped down on his opponent's fist, making withdrawal impossible.
Then he suddenly drove his knee into Ryo's elbow. With a sharp "crack," the attack bent the arm backward at an unnatural angle.
What had felt like an iron wall moments before now snapped like sugarcane.
But after this sudden impact, Yūshin's brow twitched involuntarily from the searing pain in his leg... Though he possessed absolute strength advantage, his body's durability—despite Boil Release enhancement—still couldn't match his opponent's defensive techniques in direct confrontation.
As expected, Yūshin's kneecap was now thoroughly shattered.
He'd been somewhat reckless. Considering Yūshin's current physical state, three of his four limbs were severely injured and barely functional... In gaming terms, his entire body would be flashing red except for one leg.
After breaking his opponent's arm, Yūshin maintained his grip. Supporting himself on his half-broken leg, he suddenly launched a vicious kick into Ryo's abdomen.
Ryo of the Earth Grudge Fear instantly spat blood, his body flying backward uncontrollably.
His broken arm was violently wrenched and mercilessly torn, snapping in two within moments.
Thud! Ryo's body crashed into the wall, experiencing what Yūshin had endured at the battle's start.
Yūshin didn't care whether his opponent could regain control of the severed limb. He tossed it lightly into the air and quickly formed hand seals:
"Fire Release: Flame Bullet"
Under relentless incineration, the arm was rapidly stripped to bone. Though not instantly vaporized, the porcelain-white bone showed no trace of Earth Grudge Fear tendrils.
Trading a half-broken, "regenerable" leg for his opponent's permanent arm loss—Yūshin considered this a profitable exchange.
Honestly though, Yūshin's "brute force" approach was somewhat reckless. For an Earth Grudge Fear user, losing an arm meant little; even if chopped into pieces, they'd remain as agile as ever.
"Cough, cough... cough..."
Ryo of the Earth Grudge Fear struggled upright against the wall, coughing blood as he spoke:
"Since you're a Kekkei Genkai user, why didn't you employ your abilities from the start?"
He'd encountered plenty of wolves in sheep's clothing throughout the shinobi world, but never someone who pretended weakness to the point of nearly dying. Was this some bizarre fetish?
Yūshin paused briefly, then coughed as well.
"Cough... cough."
"At the beginning... I didn't know how to use it yet."
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