"Naruto: My Ninja Skills"Chapter 164: Instant Refinement
Whether through prior intelligence gathering or exceptional battlefield judgment, once Ishikawa Suijin recognized the danger of the "mist," he decided to personally confront Yūshin.
Just like Yūshin's squad earlier—if they dared penetrate enemy lines alone, they must have something to rely on... In truth, ordinary ninja truly had no way to deal with them. Overwhelming them through sheer numbers wasn't impossible, but the cost would be more than the Ishikawa coalition could bear.
So following Suijin's orders, nearby allied ninja began withdrawing to avoid meaningless deaths.
As for command issues, the coalition wasn't without a command structure—even missing one person, the headquarters could still function smoothly... At least, that's what Suijin believed.
However, though he'd ordered the area cleared, it wasn't completely devoid of living souls.
Four ninja actually remained nearby to observe the battle, as they bore no other combat responsibilities. Theoretically, their duty was protecting the clan leader's safety... But since the clan leader refused their protection and insisted on personally handling the enemy, they could only remain as cheerleaders.
At least at this moment, they trusted their leader's strength.
"Isn't it somewhat rash for the clan head to directly expose his dual Kekkei Genkai abilities?"
"The enemy is also a Kekkei Genkai user after all. Bloodline users understand each other best—perhaps the clan head wants a quick resolution?"
"Don't worry. Ordinary Kekkei Genkai users are rare but not uncommon, yet ninja possessing dual bloodlines are extraordinarily scarce throughout the entire Shinobi World. In terms of both strength and experience, the clan head can definitely crush his opponent."
Due to blind confidence in their leader's abilities, these guard ninja had an amusing way of judging battlefield superiority... Whoever had more bloodlines would win.
Honestly, this seemed rather unserious. If they judged strength purely by cataloging such data, they should be Yūshin's staunch supporters instead—now that would be hilarious.
Atop the plateau—
Regardless, mastering two Kekkei Genkai did demonstrate Ishikawa Suijin's exceptional nature—he possessed the qualifications to become a "Kage."
In fact, he later did become a Kage. In the Land of Earth, his status was equivalent to Hashirama Senju... And given Hashirama's consistently good temper, if the Shinobi World had developed normally, this man would have clashed with Hashirama more than once.
However, Kage and Kage were ultimately different. Never mind comparing to Hashirama—even compared to his successor, the successor was somewhat superior... Dual Kekkei Genkai ultimately couldn't match a single Kekkei Tōta.
"Mastering two Kekkei Genkai, are you? Old ninja, how many do you think I've mastered?"
Two Kekkei Genkai certainly couldn't intimidate Yūshin, and his counter-question instantly made Ishikawa Suijin furrow his brow... Could what he'd just witnessed truly be Storm Release?
Wouldn't that make it dual bloodlines versus dual bloodlines?
Yūshin had merely wrapped lightning around himself without displaying other Storm Release characteristics, so Suijin's inability to confirm whether Yūshin used Lightning or Storm was understandable.
With Yūshin's counter-question, based on a ninja's instinctive "caution principle," Suijin's judgment decisively slid toward the unfavorable direction...
Could the Fireflies organization's rapid rise and their leader's fame throughout the Shinobi World be because he mastered two Kekkei Genkai abilities?
The possibility was quite high.
"I didn't expect to meet someone similar to myself here. You're undeniably talented, but... you chose the wrong enemy. Even among dual bloodline users, there are differences."
Suijin's words were rather shameless—who exactly had become whose enemy first?
"Even setting aside differences in combat experience, how could Storm Release plus Boil Release match Explosion Release plus Lava Release?"
Explosion Release needed no explanation—undoubtedly a bloodline emphasizing ultimate offense. As for Lava Release, depending on application methods, it combined offense, defense, and control—an extremely practical and versatile Kekkei Genkai.
"Getting old makes you preachy? Have you considered that two Kekkei Genkai might be your limit, not mine?"
Yūshin felt somewhat speechless. Comparing bloodline quantities, he surpassed Suijin—had he said anything? White Zetsu had contributed so much effort—had White Zetsu been proud?
However, despite saying this, Yūshin remained secretly vigilant, constantly reminding himself to act cautiously.
He'd discovered he had some "Deadpool-ization" tendencies... Since gaining relatively strong recovery abilities and not being so easily fatally wounded, he'd begun personally testing enemy strength and methods.
Directly trading attacks and injuries with enemies might not be disadvantageous, but it wasn't a good habit—it made capsizing in small ditches too easy.
Yūshin's twenty-plus water clones deployed throughout the forest continuously provided feedback. The main battlefield's offensive was progressing according to plan, so he'd better finish quickly here.
Yūshin's words made Ishikawa Suijin's expression somewhat uncertain. For the latter, he'd never heard of ninja capable of mastering three Kekkei Genkai... Actually, Suijin's thinking wasn't wrong—neither person present could possess three Kekkei Genkai.
"Anyway, let me first extract you from your shell..."
Yūshin shifted lightly, again displaying fierce speed. In a blink, he appeared beside Ishikawa Suijin, rapidly forming hand seals, then twisting his neck to release ninjutsu:
"Water Severing Wave: Enhanced and Modified Version!"
Defenses that Storm Release couldn't penetrate could be cut open by Water Severing Wave!
Though Senju Tobirama wasn't present, Tobirama still steadily played his role. The acidic high-speed water blade didn't disappoint Yūshin—it instantly bisected the spherical defensive barrier surrounding Ishikawa Suijin.
Suijin leaned left to avoid the Water Severing Wave, but immediately retreated to his original position... Fortunately, he had a good habit: never letting his vision stray from the enemy's hands during combat.
Seeing Yūshin's empty right hand after releasing Water Severing Wave still thrusting forward as if gripping something, he sensed something amiss and dodged very timely.
Combat experience proved useful—this old ninja hadn't lived so long for nothing.
The invisible blade in Yūshin's hand diagonally sliced the other half of the defensive barrier, but still failed to harm the enemy at all.
After dodging left and right, Ishikawa Suijin advanced instead of retreating, charging forward one step to throw another punch at Yūshin's chest and abdomen.
"Got him!"
Facing such an attack, Yūshin surprisingly neither dodged nor evaded—tantamount to seeking death!
However, before Ishikawa Suijin could show a smile, tremendous recoil instantly sent him flying.
He tumbled embarrassingly across the ground for a considerable distance. After barely stabilizing, he immediately looked up at Yūshin... He couldn't understand what had just happened.
Then he saw a floating "ice mirror" had appeared before Yūshin.
"Ice Release... Truly three bloodlines..."
Ishikawa Suijin finally discovered Yūshin was someone who disliked lying and habitually treated others with honesty.
After receiving advance intelligence about confronting highland ninja clans, Yūshin had prepared for the worst, considering he might encounter "Dust Release" users, necessitating extensive preparations.
Given Kekkei Tōta: Dust Release's nearly imagination-defying offensive attributes, Yūshin had to maximize his own strength.
Therefore, during the recent "afforestation" period, he'd fused his remaining wind and water attribute chakra into Ice Release, which he'd previously undervalued.
Though Yūshin was still far from fully mastering Ice Release, he could attempt to use it.
Explosion Release's impact created some cracks on the ice surface but didn't shatter it... Indeed, Ice Release still had its uses—not a wasted synthesis.
A chill surrounded Yūshin, making him seem several degrees colder than before.
After mastering Ice Release—or rather, before mastering it—Yūshin had developed certain composite ninjutsu concepts. He just didn't know if they'd succeed...
"Old ninja, have you heard of 'Swift Wind and Thunder, Flowing Water and Light'?"
What did this mean? Was he from the Hagoromo Clan, or after the Hagoromo Clan's destruction, did anyone dare claim "Swift Wind and Thunder, Flowing Water and Light"?
As Ishikawa Suijin frowned in thought, accompanied by a series of crackling glacier-splitting sounds, ice mirrors condensed from midair, enveloping this area.
Due to Yūshin's currently poor Ice Release level, these mirrors varied in shape—crooked and densely packed in midair. Their only commonality was exceptionally smooth surfaces.
How to describe the current situation?
Like a giant "solar cooker" inverted over the ground.
Unlike a solar cooker, the ground was also covered with identical ice layers.
What was this for—establishing a barrier?
Ishikawa Suijin thought Yūshin would again use mist attacks, so he took a deep breath, preparing for breath-holding combat.
However, Yūshin had no such intention.
First, a crucial point: by adjusting the ratio of water and lightning attribute chakra in Storm Release, it could transform between controllability and pure energy impact—strictly speaking, Storm Release could become an energy beam with laser properties.
After all, some Storm Release users bluntly named their ninjutsu "Laser Circus."
Yūshin rapidly formed hand seals—first "Ox" representing lightning attributes, then "Rooster" for water attributes, followed by Rabbit, Monkey, Rabbit, Boar, Dragon, finally concluding with a special personal seal.
He extended both arms forward, right fist slamming into his open left palm.
The next moment, countless white lightning bolts surged from between his hands in radial patterns like endless torrents.
Simultaneously, Yūshin retreated. His body passed through the mirror surface, reaching outside the "solar cooker," with his arms extending through an ice mirror, leaving only his hands as the "power source" inside the ice mirror space...
Yūshin lacked the ability to hide within mirror surfaces' two-dimensional space—honestly, that challenged his spatial cognitive thinking too much.
Under continuous discharge, the energy density within the ice mirror space naturally became increasingly exaggerated.
Meanwhile, after the lightning bolts chaotically surged in all directions, they were then reflected by mirror surfaces toward other directions. They reflected and split simultaneously, gradually filling this space like a color-block game.
Ishikawa Suijin wasn't foolish either. He again cast "Lava Release: Protective Jade" to completely shield himself.
Initially, the lightning indeed couldn't damage the Lava Release protective barrier. However, as the lightning became more dispersed, more minute, more sharp...
With a soft pop, finally one lightning thread penetrated the barrier.
Then came the second, third, and countless more.
At this point, the lightning in this space seemed to transform into countless micrometer-scale "eight-spoked light wheels," continuously reflecting between ice mirrors until they completely pierced everything inside.
Though this original ninjutsu's killing mechanism differed completely from Dust Release, during the intensive attack phase, both presented somewhat similar appearances... Both enveloped attack targets in white light.
The difference was that Dust Release's "white light" appeared in regular geometric shapes, directly annihilating everything within the attack range. Comparatively, Yūshin's attack seemed twice the effort for half the result.
But no matter—as long as it produced sufficient lethal effects, Yūshin was satisfied.
When all white light dispersed, Yūshin dismissed the ice mirrors. Ishikawa Suijin, trapped within, was already riddled with holes, looking like he'd been fished from a blood pool...
If the attack had continued longer, Suijin might never need anything besides dumpling wrappers for the rest of his life.
"How... how many... many?"
When Yūshin returned to the enemy's side, the man asked as if possessed by some obsession.
"A bit more than you—I have four."
"..."
So this person's death didn't seem particularly unjust. 4 > 2—no problem there.
Yūshin crouched down, originally intending to move this corpse. However, he immediately discovered that without professional tools, such a task was difficult... Professional tools like shovels.
Wait, he had an idea.
Yūshin thought of something. He placed one hand on the corpse, and instantly dark red ice crystals covered the body... Condensing water into ice, Suijin quickly froze solid.
After freezing the target, Yūshin stuffed it into a storage scroll, then immediately headed toward the main battlefield.
Subsequently, he encountered reserves conducting maneuvers.
"Lord Yūshin..."
Yūshin nodded to the assembled ninja. Without time to rest, he immediately addressed everyone:
"I still have four clones left unexploded, so prepare to deploy formation and break into the battlefield."
"We understand, Lord Yūshin."
Yūshin handed the scroll to a Nara ninja, continuing:
"When necessary, throw what's inside at those Ishikawa coalition ninja. This will definitely strike at their morale."
"Lord Yūshin, what's inside this...?"
"It's the corpse of their highly respected, tremendously powerful, consistently victorious clan leader."
"..."
Indeed, this could serve as a spiritual "shock grenade."
🔥 Want to read the next 50+ chapters RIGHT NOW?
💎 Patreon members get instant access!
⚡ Limited-time offer currently running...
👉 [Join on - patreon.com/GoldenLong]