Chapter 204: Iwagakure Earth Style Clone
Boom!
Twenty meters in front of Huito, a figure dropped from the sky like a cannonball, smashing into the ground. Li Yao made a dramatic entrance, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"Who is it?!"
Huito and the young ninja named Iwagaki shouted in unison, their expressions tense, fully alert.
As the dust cleared, a tall figure emerged—handsome features, a lean frame, dressed in a long black coat that amplified his presence and charm.
"Someone from Akatsuki!"
Both Huito and Iwagaki's expressions changed when they saw the coat on Li Yao. They immediately assumed that the recent attacks they'd launched on Akatsuki members had been discovered. Their guard rose even higher.
But they didn't strike immediately.
The pressure emanating from the man before them was immense—clearly a Kage-level powerhouse.
"Who is this guy?"
Huito searched her memory frantically. Kage-level shinobi should be documented by the Hidden Villages of all major nations, yet she had no intel on someone like this.
So young… Could he be a newly emerged Kage-level shinobi?
Before joining Akatsuki, Li Yao had deliberately altered his appearance and figure. He looked significantly different from five years ago, so Huito didn't recognize him as the man she once swore to personally take revenge on—the man she thought was long dead.
"Huito… You've become even more feminine."
Li Yao looked at Huito. It had been five or six years since they last had a "friendly exchange."
The woman once known as the most beautiful in Iwagakure was still stunning. Time had only refined her aura—her figure more mature, her charm deeper, like a perfectly ripe peach begging to be devoured.
But Li Yao only spared her a glance before locking eyes on the boy beside her.
Compared to the beauty, it was this youth that truly tempted Li Yao.
He was the reason Li Yao had ignored White Zetsu and come here.
The Earth-nature chakra within the boy was immensely powerful—on par with Ōnoki.
Clearly, the boy's Earth-style chakra had been refined to the level of Black Lightning.
From what Li Yao sensed, the boy's chakra was likely that of the Ultra-Weighted Boulder Technique.
After acquiring the Third Mizukage's memories, Li Yao had learned both the Ultra-Weighted and Lightened Boulder Techniques through them.
In fact, both jutsu used the same chakra nature.
It was simply the reversed hand seal order that produced opposite effects—Li Yao was very familiar with this chakra type.
That's why he was certain: the Earth chakra within this boy belonged to the Ultra-Weighted Boulder Technique.
A boy in his teens able to manifest such chakra? His Earth-style talent was undeniable.
This was exactly the Earth-style clone Li Yao had been seeking.
"You're the ones who've been killing our people lately, right?" Li Yao suddenly said with a smile.
"Attack!" the moment Li Yao spoke, Iwagaki sensed that there was no room for negotiation. He shouted a warning to Huito while already forming hand signs for a ninjutsu attack.
But someone moved even faster.
Even before Li Yao's words fully landed, Huito had already finished her seals with both hands clasped together.
"Steel Release: Blade Fang Technique!"
Shing shing shing… Countless massive, gleaming blades burst from the ground, like a beast covered in razor-sharp spikes emerging from the earth and charging toward Li Yao.
"Die."
Huito thought.
Back then, used as bait by Li Yao, she had nearly died to the Third Raikage's Black Lightning. In that moment between life and death, she gained new insight into Lightning Release chakra. After being rescued, and fueled by her hatred toward Li Yao, she had worked tirelessly, eventually fusing Earth and Lightning natures to develop the Steel Release kekkei genkai.
Sadly, just when she felt strong enough to exact revenge, she learned her father had already killed Li Yao.
"Still as impulsive as ever."
While that thought passed through Huito's mind, Li Yao suddenly appeared behind her, exhaling warm breath into her ear. Both Huito and Iwagaki turned pale with shock.
So fast!
Such insane reflexes!
The blade attack had clearly surged toward Li Yao from in front of Huito—yet here he was behind them.
There could be only one explanation:
Li Yao's reaction speed was so fast that the moment Huito began forming seals, he had already charged toward them.
And his speed had been so great that before the blades even emerged from the earth, he was already behind them.
Realizing this, the two instantly understood the massive gap in speed between them.
"Earth Style: Earth—"
"Steel Release: Steel—"
In an instant, both tried to use defensive ninjutsu to reinforce their bodies, but before they could finish their hand signs, wham—Li Yao's feet flew out, one kick for each, sending them hurtling like cannonballs.
Boom boom boom… After crashing through multiple trees, both passed out.
That was the level of Li Yao's taijutsu now—utterly terrifying.
Even White Zetsu, sensing this from underground, was slightly stunned. He couldn't help but marvel at the increasing terror of Li Yao's physical prowess.
"What is he trying to do?"
While White Zetsu wondered, Li Yao used Shunpo to flash before the Iwagakure youth, grabbed his head, and leapt skyward.
Knowing the Lightened Boulder Technique, he could naturally fly freely in the sky like Ōnoki.
"So that's it. He hasn't finished developing his jutsu yet… Wait—why didn't he bring the woman?"
White Zetsu was momentarily puzzled. When he saw Li Yao taking someone into the sky again, he assumed it was for more experimental jutsu development. But oddly, the woman was left on the ground.
Rising past the clouds, reaching ten thousand meters, Li Yao created a shadow clone and began the clone creation process.
Step one: Purify and erase the will from Iwagaki's soul.
Step two: The shadow clone's spiritual form took possession of the now-empty soul.
Step three: Li Yao himself removed the lingering will fluctuations of Uchiha Madara and Black Zetsu from the clone's soul.
With that, Li Yao's first perfect clone—Earth Style Clone—was complete.
"From now on, you are Earth Style Clone—Iwagaki."
Li Yao nodded in satisfaction at the clone. Then, carrying Iwagaki by the head, he descended back to the surface and dropped him beside Huito, pretending he was still unconscious.
Li Yao sat calmly on a nearby rock and waited in silence.
Though the Earth Style clone appeared unconscious, it was actually absorbing Iwagaki's soul memories—for use in perfect mimicry.
Only by flawlessly impersonating Iwagaki could the Perfect Clone Technique be truly considered perfect in Li Yao's eyes.
Meanwhile, underground, White Zetsu was full of speculation.
This was the first time Li Yao had brought someone into the sky and returned them alive.
"What did this guy do to that Iwagakure brat?"
Li Yao had flown too high for White Zetsu to observe anything directly. He could only track Li Yao's position via chakra fluctuations—not what he was doing up there.
And it seemed… Li Yao didn't plan to kill the two Iwagakure shinobi.
That was unusual for him.
"What the hell is this guy plotting?"
White Zetsu kept watching silently from the shadows.
After a while, the Earth Style clone finished absorbing Iwagaki's memories. It even cast a minor jutsu on itself to temporarily forget its identity as a clone, using Iwagaki's memories as the basis for behavior and decisions.
The Earth Style clone opened its eyes. The moment it saw Li Yao, a flicker of fear crossed its gaze. Its eyes darted about instinctively, searching for Huito. When he saw her nearby, blood trickling from her mouth but still breathing—her chest rising and falling—he sighed in relief.
Then he suddenly realized the situation. His expression tensed, and he pushed off the ground, instinctively trying to get Huito away from Li Yao.
"Don't worry. I don't intend to kill you."
Li Yao gave a faint smile. He was extremely pleased with the clone's reactions—everything from its expression to its movement reflected Iwagaki's own personality, with not a hint of Li Yao's own will.
Even White Zetsu, hidden underground, hadn't realized that the young Iwagakure ninja had already become one of Li Yao's Earth Style clones.
(END CHAPTER)
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