"Shhh!"
At the very last moment, the Suna Jonin arched his waist sharply backward, tightening his abdomen as he suddenly shot away.
Even so, Yan Uchiha still managed to tear through the Jonin's robes with a kunai.
As mentioned before, in terms of basic physical abilities, Yan Uchiha was still somewhat inferior to a Jonin. But ninja combat is not only determined by skill level; it does not solely decide the outcome between two opponents.
In that previous exchange, Yan held nothing back while the Jonin, on the other hand, was clearly overconfident and underestimated him.
Therefore, despite seeming at a disadvantage, Yan seized the initiative first.
After missing his initial strike, Yan wasn't about to let his opponent off the hook. He stomped down hard with his foot, immediately tensing both legs' muscles and unleashing tremendous strength.
The force even left imprints on the ground.
His speed surged again—like a tiger lunging for prey—as he charged the Jonin again.
As soon as Yan moved, the Jonin—who had previously been caught off guard—was already alert. A trace of anger showed itself on his face.
Naturally, he felt furious about falling into Yan's trap, but this wasn't enough to make him lose control. His eyes swept over the charging boy before him while his other hand moved behind his back.
Then, pretending to charge forward, the Jonin casually swung his kunai due to their difference in height—an attack aimed straight at Yan's temple.
Upon seeing this, Yan instantly halted his forward rush. The hand hidden behind his back shot forward without even looking, hurling out several dark shadows.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Several shuriken, launched with full force from Yan's single arm, flew like black streaks.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
However, the Jonin raised his kunai, striking left and right in swift motions, knocking all of Yan's shuriken aside.
Yan's pitch-black eyes flickered slightly. It was true he was weaker than his opponent, but the fact that the latter had so effortlessly deflected some of his shuriken indeed lived up to the rank of Jonin.
Still, his intention had never been to sneak-attack with the shuriken.
Swish!
After stopping abruptly in place, Yan took a few steps back. In his hands, the familiar sequence of hand seals—practiced countless times—was completed nearly in the blink of an eye.
The speed startled even the Jonin momentarily.
[Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu]!
Roar!
A roaring inferno erupted before Yan's eyes, swelling into a massive fireball. It rolled forward, churning out waves of heat that distorted the air itself.
Though just a C-rank fire technique, its power was impressive under Yan's control.
The Suna Jonin had originally begun forming seals for a Wind Release ninjutsu, yet upon witnessing the size of the Great Fireball, he immediately abandoned the half-finished seal in his hands.
He had originally intended to use the advantage of higher-ranked techniques to counter Yan's Fire Release ninjutsu with a Wind Release one.
However, he had underestimated the young boy's mastery of Fire Release techniques. Judging solely by that Great Fireball Jutsu, it was absolutely no less impressive than what some Jonin within the Uchiha clan could produce.
Whoosh!
His figure immediately leapt backward, putting some distance between himself and the attack, then dashed sideways to narrowly evade the fire technique.
Boom!
The giant fireball slammed into a nearby cliffside, instantly blackening the hard stone surface, which gradually began to melt.
If this fire technique had hit a human body, it would have instantly turned its victim into ash.
Just as the Jonin dodged, he looked up—only to spot a dozen shuriken engulfed in flames hurtling straight toward him.
Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!
This continuous onslaught left even him somewhat struggling to keep up. Ultimately, all of it stemmed from initially underestimating Yan Uchiha.
Seizing that opening without hesitation, his opponent launched a relentless stream of attacks.
Yet his speed in releasing jutsus was indeed quick enough!
The Jonin immediately used the Body Flicker Technique again to dash sideways—but even so, he couldn't completely escape the range of the Phoenix Sage Fire Technique.
However, while flickering away, the Jonin obviously didn't stay idle—his hands completed a sequence of hand seals.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Immediately, hurricane-like waves of wind began swirling around both fists and arms.
Wind Release: Cyclone Punch!
He clenched his fingers tightly into fists before unleashing a powerful strike. Layers of storm-force gusts launched outward like shockwaves.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
He swung out fiercely several times, sending multiple shockwaves crashing head-on against the Phoenix Sage Fire Technique.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Upon impact, the flames surrounding those flying shuriken were forcefully blown away entirely and fell onto the ground.
The Jonin originally wore a slightly complacent expression, but now his eyes narrowed sharply.
Because without even realizing it, he'd already been backed into a narrow crevice along the valley wall.
This fissure was barely wide enough for a single person—extremely cramped.
"So… He intended to push me here right from the start!"
Now that matters had reached this point, how could he not understand? Yan Uchiha's relentless offensive moves had actually all served one purpose—
To corner him where there was absolutely nowhere else to run.
That Uchiha brat... damn, his mind's like a strategist's!
In fact, Yan Uchiha possessed an extraordinary level of insight thanks to his Sharingan. When he had first targeted this Jonin, he'd already analyzed the entire terrain.
Everything done until now proceeded exactly as planned.
At the very moment the Jonin realized his predicament, Yan Uchiha finished forming another sequence of hand seals with both hands.
His face paled drastically—this technique was far stronger than the previous two fire techniques combined, easily several times more powerful.
Consequently, the cost on himself was equally immense.
Grrroar!
From Yan Uchiha's position came booming roars—one mighty, deafening growl after another reverberating across the battlefield.
[Fire Dragon Flame Bullet]
A massive fireball, more than double the size of an ordinary [Great Fireball], crashed toward the Jonin who had been forced into a desperate corner.
Within that blazing inferno, it seemed as if there was a ferocious dragon's head roaring toward the heavens.
Flames instantly filled the enemy's eyes. The terrifying heat felt capable of reducing him to ash the moment it touched him.
The [Fire Dragon Flame Bullet] closed in, making the Jonin's skin crawl. Death itself seemed to rush straight at him.
To think he'd been driven into such a corner by just this young man!
But his hands were already moving like afterimages. The approaching threat forced him to complete the seals for his Ninjutsu faster than ever before in his life.
"[Water Release]: [Water Wall Jutsu!]"
With no other choice, he leapt backward into the narrow crevice behind him—just wide enough for one person to squeeze through—and from his mouth spewed a torrent of water, surging into a towering water wall in front of the crack.
"Boom!"
In the next instant, a tremendous explosion erupted as water and fire violently collided, sending shockwaves rippling far and wide!
...
...
I'm really sorry for posting so late again, but I truly haven't had any time...
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