Trailing Fire (Part 2)
Yu Gongyuan emerged from the debris in a disheveled state, forced out of his concealment and back into the enemy's sight.
In truth, the enemy's decision to self-destruct had been the correct tactical choice—its only flaw was timing. The best counter to techniques that allow underground movement or high-speed concealment, such as the Mayfly-type infiltration ninjutsu, is always area-of-effect attacks. No matter how well someone hides or how fast they shift positions, overwhelming force can still pin them down.
A kunai sliced through the thinning mist and buried itself into Yu Gongyuan's shoulder with a dull thud. Blood splattered across the dirt. The sharp pain jolted his senses awake, clearing the lingering haze from the earlier blast.
A figure appeared in the mist—fast, precise—a cold gleam cutting in from Yu Gongyuan's blind spot.
"Earth Release!" the enemy shouted while lunging forward.
He wasn't warning allies—he was announcing what he thought Yu Gongyuan was using. In his understanding, Yu Gongyuan's concealment and mobility came from some special Earth Release technique.
Such a wrong assumption would end up misleading his entire unit.
Yu Gongyuan planted his left foot and forced his staggering body upright. He twisted backward, narrowly avoiding the decapitating slash, though the blade still grazed his upper arm.
The enemy flipped his wrist, smoothly reversing his grip and thrusting again. Yu Gongyuan was forced to sidestep sharply, avoiding the follow-up strike by a hair.
The gleaming blade heightened every one of his senses. The cold air brushing his wounds sharpened his breathing, making each inhalation slow and controlled.
But under the relentless onslaught, even he faltered. His body tilted backward, and only by planting one hand on the ground did he prevent a fall.
The next instant, the enemy's foot slammed into his abdomen. The impact lifted him off his feet and sent him crashing backward.
His spine struck a protruding boulder. The shock stole his breath, but he had no time to grimace. He rolled instinctively.
Clang!
The short sword stabbed into the ground where he had lain seconds earlier. The enemy pressed the attack relentlessly, offering no pause, no room to counter.
Yu Gongyuan rolled forward and adjusted his stance, finally regaining stability and facing the enemy head-on.
The opponent's attack speed was impressive—clean midline strikes, sharp angles, disciplined form. He was clearly a taijutsu-oriented Chūnin, using constant pressure to prevent Yu Gongyuan from forming hand seals.
A solid strategy… but also arrogant.
Yu Gongyuan had never relied solely on ninjutsu in the first place. There was a reason he had survived this long on real battlefields.
A continuous barrage like this couldn't maintain killing pressure forever. The moment the enemy's breathing hitched, Yu Gongyuan slipped to the side, his hand hooking a kunai from his pouch.
The enemy shifted from slashes to a forward thrust—overcommitting.
Yu Gongyuan struck the blade upward with his kunai's ring.
Clink!
Metal rang sharply. In the same motion, Yu Gongyuan twisted his wrist, catching the enemy's weapon with the kunai's ring and pulling with the enemy's own momentum.
The short sword flew from the Chūnin's hand.
Yu Gongyuan released the kunai and yanked the enemy forward, driving his knee into the man's abdomen.
A dull, sickening thud.
Blood spilled from the Chūnin's lips as his legs buckled. He staggered back, struggling to stay upright.
He looked up—only to see Yu Gongyuan's hands completing a final seal.
"Fire Release: Phosphorus Flame Technique!"
Heat warped the air as orange-red flames erupted outward like waves being thrown from a bucket. Though fire, the technique moved like splashing liquid—scattering in wide arcs of rippling heat.
The taijutsu ninja had no time to dodge. No time to even react.
The fan-shaped phosphorus flames engulfed him instantly. Once they clung to flesh, they could not be extinguished.
A piercing scream tore through the battlefield. The flames intensified as they fed on the target's chakra. Within twenty seconds, the screaming stopped. His charred limbs twitched faintly before the body collapsed into ash.
Yu Gongyuan did not look at him again.
His gaze shifted to the final enemy in the distance.
That enemy had intended to rush forward… until he heard his comrades' screams. Horror rooted him to the spot. Yu Gongyuan's expression—void of anger, hatred, joy, or sorrow—was colder than killing intent.
It was the kind of gaze one gave a corpse.
Seeing his comrades die one after another in moments, the low-ranking ninja finally broke. Overwhelmed by terror, he turned and fled.
But—
He didn't get far.
A kunai struck cleanly into his heart.
This ninja was even younger than Yu Gongyuan. But on the battlefield, mercy only guaranteed your own death.
"…What… secret technique… killed… the captain…?" he asked, voice trembling.
Their captain's sudden death had set this entire spiral in motion. If he hadn't been eliminated so quickly, none of this would have happened.
"Secret technique?" Yu Gongyuan repeated softly.
"No… I just used ordinary ninjutsu."
He paused, reconsidering.
"…No secret technique. Just standard ninjutsu."
The steam from the earlier Water and Fire Releases thinned, and his damp hair clung to his forehead. His clothes were soaked, clinging heavily to his skin. The battle hadn't been long, nor exceptionally intense—but it had kept him at full vigilance from start to finish.
Still, the mission objective was achieved.
Yu Gongyuan inhaled deeply, letting the cool, damp air soothe his tightened chest.
It was time to support his remaining comrades.
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