Half a Step Apart

The moment Xu Yue released Setsuna from the labyrinth’s restraints, Setsuna took the opportunity to fling out Kunai, scattering them like celestial maidens strewing flowers and covering every direction around Takagi as he evaded the Monster Strength.

The Kunai collided in pairs midair, forming an exquisitely perfect sealing formation. Xu Yue was clearly right in front of him, yet Kunai still rained down behind him as well!

Markers were everywhere.

Takagi had no idea which direction he should defend against.

The next moment, Xu Yue appeared at his side again.

A blue Rasengan slammed toward him!

Earth Style: Earth-Style Wall!

Takagi’s speed could not compare to the Flying Thunder God, but he had begun predicting and forming hand seals while dodging that Monster Strength Punch. Just as Xu Yue arrived, he completed the defensive ninjutsu.

The Earth Style used by an elite jonin completely absorbed the Rasengan’s damage.

The summoned Earth-Style Wall was shattered by the Rasengan, but it completely halted the Rasengan’s advance as well.

But in the next instant, Takagi’s expression changed drastically. With a seemingly impossible adjustment, he swung his ninja sword before him.

The Rasengan had only just vanished when Xu Yue’s palm clenched into a fist and smashed down with the momentum.

The Rasengan was fast, delivering the first wave of attack.

Once that attack was blocked, the Monster Strength Punch had finished charging as well.

The entire sequence flowed without pause!

Clang~

The fine ninja sword carried by an elite jonin was smashed into fragments by that savage force in the next instant, exploding outward like bullets.

Both Takagi and Xu Yue gained several cuts across their bodies.

Takagi’s hands trembled as he directly borrowed that force to fly backward.

His hands, numb and shaking from gripping the ninja sword against the Monster Strength Punch, were still rapidly forming hand seals through the sheer willpower of an elite jonin.

I’m faster than him, and my reactions are faster too. That last blow’s recoil will definitely require him to recover as well. With my willpower and experience, I can turn this around!

The distance has opened up now. Choosing a ninjutsu attack at this moment is absolutely correct, and so is the technique I chose! His hands probably still can’t adapt to forming seals after such an intense exchange!

As his hand seals swiftly neared completion, Takagi watched his opponent fail to recover through the same formidable willpower and knew that he had won this time.

Earth Style: Rock Lodging…

Kamui!

Xu Yue, likewise stalled by the violent recoil and lacking Takagi’s adaptability, raised his eyes and stared directly at him.

The shuriken symbol in his left eye spun rapidly.

In the next instant, half of Takagi’s body vanished into thin air just as he completed the final hand seal!

The hands before his chest and most of his torso disappeared into that twisted space!

Splat~

Even as a huge spray of blood suddenly burst forth, Takagi’s eyes remained filled with disbelief.

He had clearly been about to deliver the finishing blow, about to forcefully reverse the situation through his experience and adaptability.

So why had this suddenly happened…

With no information whatsoever on his opponent, he had relied on the extensive battlefield experience of an elite jonin to gradually find a way to break Xu Yue’s powerful Body Flicker Technique despite being injured after losing the initiative.

Yet just as he broke it, Xu Yue had countered with the Monster Strength Punch of Tsunade, one of the Sannin.

He found the weakness in the Monster Strength Punch and predicted it in advance, preparing a defense.

The very next moment, it was broken by that strange seal-less ninjutsu combined with that powerful Body Flicker Technique!

Even at that point, he had still relied on the willpower of an elite jonin to find the finest and most perfect method of counterattack.

His faster reactions, swifter hand seals, stronger willpower, and the distance that had opened between them after he was blown away.

He had been on the verge of landing the final blow!

And yet…

He would never be given another chance to break it…

With that overwhelming unwillingness, the remnants of Takagi’s corpse crashed heavily onto the ground, split into two pieces.

Covering his aching left eye, Xu Yue gradually returned it to its normal Three Tomoe state, and the hot blood boiling within him slowly cooled.

These elites who had endured countless life-and-death struggles on the battlefield were truly difficult to deal with.

If Takagi had not lacked intelligence on his abilities, Xu Yue probably could have done no more than use the Flying Thunder God’s speed to protect himself and flee this time.

Whether ninjas or Reincarnators, intelligence always came first!

Whew. Seal-less ninjutsu really is much more practical. Even if his hand seals are incredibly proficient and he can form them in nearly any condition…

He still has to go through the step of forming seals.

Kamui also requires a brief charge-up, so it isn’t completely instantaneous, but it doesn’t require hand seals. All it needs is a slightly earlier prediction!

When it came to the timing of starting preparations, I was half a step slower than him. But when it came to completing the attack, I was half a step faster!

That half-step difference was the difference between life and death!

Using his advanced Sage Body to ease the fatigue on his Mangekyō Sharingan, Xu Yue had also consumed nearly all the Chakra in his body.

The battle had not lasted long, but it had nearly squeezed dry most of Xu Yue’s trump cards aside from Wood Style.

And even if Xu Yue used Wood Style, its poor combat compatibility meant it might not have been of much effect or help.

Fortunately, although Xu Yue had less Chakra than Kakashi did now, his recovery speed was fast enough and his endurance was high enough.

Even after consecutively using the Chakra-devouring Monster Strength Technique and Mangekyō, he had managed to endure it.

Independently killed an elite jonin. Kill reward has been added to settlement.

Completed the triggered mission: Ambush. Received a high mission evaluation. Additional reward: Skill Scroll, Earth Style: Earth-Style Wall ×1. Additional reward: Intermediate Training Card ×1.

After receiving the two notifications, Xu Yue gained some understanding of where the skill books and training cards in the auction house came from.

Obtaining Earth Style: Earth-Style Wall probably had not been a coincidence. The skill book obtained might be related to the skills possessed by the enemy killed while completing such special missions. He just did not know whether the quality of the skill was drawn entirely at random or determined by the completion rating.

Considering that he had nearly killed his opponent independently, a random draw seemed more likely.

"First, you have to kill a powerful enemy. Second, you have to happen to trigger the relevant mission. Even then, it’s randomly drawn, and there might even be nothing at all. Tsk, this money-grubbing Space is really stingy."

After vaguely reaching that conclusion, Xu Yue was not too disappointed. Although Earth Style: Earth-Style Wall was not particularly high-level and overlapped somewhat with the functions of the Wood Style he had mastered…

It was still an "additional" reward, after all. Since the word "additional" had been specifically stated, it probably would not affect the mission settlement rating.

It would not be like when he received the Flying Thunder God reward before, where the Third Kazekage’s corpse mission was considered complete upon claiming the reward, leaving no settlement reward.

The Space might be a little stingy, but at least so far, its prices had been clear and fair…

Today’s first guaranteed update. Please continue to subscribe~