Despite being over a hundred meters away, Hyuga Yu's low, indifferent voice reached the ears of everyone present with startling clarity.
This was a unique application of Wind Style—Wind Style: Streaming Sound. By manipulating the flow of the wind, he could carry his voice across vast distances. At this moment, that detached whisper sounding as if it were right next to their ears only served to heighten the god-like image of power Yu projected.
Hearing it, Munari Jinpachi felt a chill run down his spine. Under Yu's calm, dispassionate gaze, he felt exposed—like a defenseless girl stripped bare and seen through completely. The panic in his heart intensified.
However, for Kuriarare Kushimaru, who was rapidly circling Hyuga Yu with eyes full of killing intent, the corners of his mouth beneath his mask curled into a certain, cold sneer. "Finally starting to panic?"
"Hyuga brat..."
As Kushimaru ran, he kept his head turned toward the center of the circle, his eyes fixed on Hyuga Yu. As he moved, he continued to lay down the wire threads of his longsword, Nuibari. He was gathering more and more information, and throughout the entire process, Hyuga Yu remained motionless, making no move to stop him.
To an ordinary observer, this might make Yu seem more mysterious and confident. But to Kushimaru, it confirmed one thing:
Hyuga Yu could not move.
When Yu had walked slowly at the start, it wasn't a deliberate choice to prolong the encounter or a display of contempt. It was because he couldn't go any faster.
If one viewed Hyuga Yu's actions as the execution of a hand-seal-less jutsu that required preparation time and had strict restrictive conditions, then everything made sense to Kushimaru. The only thing he found incomprehensible was how Yu's state seemed to improve after using such a large-scale technique, showing no signs of exhaustion.
Nevertheless, Kushimaru believed he had already deciphered the mechanics of Yu's Wind Style: Heavenly Subjugation!
He stared coldly at Yu, drawing closer as he spiraled inward. When the distance between them closed to a mere twenty meters, Kushimaru suddenly spoke:
"Brat... that jutsu of yours—"
"It's achieved through that outer ring of wind surrounding you!"
"By altering the atmospheric pressure around yourself and increasing it to a certain point within a fixed range, you cause the air to stagnate, trapping Munari Jinpachi."
"When he attacked you with his Blastsword, you manipulated the pressure and the surrounding air, using the explosive force of instantaneous pressure expansion to repel both the enemy and his technique!"
"In that same instant, the layer of wind around you shifts, acting like a fine sieve that transforms the expanding high-pressure gas into countless wind blades, forming a river of destruction that surges outward!"
Kushimaru let out a cold, mocking laugh. "And that is the principle behind your so-called 'Heavenly Subjugation'!"
"Oh?"
Hearing this, Hyuga Yu narrowed his eyes slightly. He remained standing in place, composed and calm. "A brilliant deduction."
"However," Yu said, looking at the approaching Kushimaru with a flicker of playfulness in his eyes, "Hidden Mist ANBU... how do you plan to break it?"
Kushimaru ignored the mockery in Yu's tone, stating flatly, "I must admit, mastering an S-rank caliber Wind Style jutsu like this in just one month is impressive, you Byakugan brat. You've truly surprised me—"
"But," his voice turned icy, eyes flashing with murderous intent, "it ends here!"
As the words fell, Kushimaru's footsteps suddenly halted. He stopped circling and charged straight at Hyuga Yu!
He sprang off his toes, leaping into the air like a mantis. His lanky, reed-like arms gripped the longsword Nuibari high above his head. He aimed the needle-point of the blade directly at the face of the stationary Hyuga Yu and drove it down ruthlessly!
Although the mission was to capture the Hyuga boy, Kushimaru knew all too well that if he didn't fight with the intent to kill, he would be the one to die in a battle of this caliber.
As the needle-point closed in on Yu's face, Kushimaru took a perverse pleasure in aiming for the same left eye he had blinded once before!
The tip of the blade was less than a centimeter from the Byakugan.
Hyuga Yu calmly raised his hand, his five fingers spreading slightly.
"Wind Style: Heavenly Subjugation!"
The storm surrounding him roared in sync with his cold voice!
This time, there was no hesitation. He didn't try to trap Kushimaru with stagnant air. Yu had already noticed the countless hidden threads connected to the hilt of the needle-sword. If he tried to pin Kushimaru down like he had Jinpachi, the man would simply sever a thread to trigger a chain reaction, using the tension of the other wires to pull himself out of harm's way. In other words, a static trap wouldn't hit.
—Vrrrrm!!!
The river of wind roared once more, and this time, the scale was even more exaggerated. Having gauged his chakra recovery rate in this state, Yu decisively increased the output to avoid wasting any potential power.
He stared coldly at the slightly grimacing Kushimaru. An even larger 'high-pressure air ring' manifested in mid-air, and in the next heartbeat, it exploded with a deafening boom!
—BOOM!!!
Countless wind blades shrieked, merging into a torrent that looked set to crush and obliterate everything in its path!
However, at that exact moment, a cold smirk appeared on the face behind Kushimaru's mask. He pressed his palms together and swung his arms upward. Countless matte-colored metal wires shimmered in his hands, looking like a brilliant flash of light rising from his fingertips!
"If I've guessed correctly, brat, your Wind Style depends on you remaining stationary!"
"Which means, standing there, you're nothing but a sitting duck!"
"Once I endure the first burst of your Wind Style, the low-pressure environment created around you by such a massive displacement of air will become a quagmire that traps you!"
The moment his voice hit the air—Snap! Snap! Snap! Snap! Snap!
Countless threads tore through the surface of the 160-meter yellow-brown crater. They revealed themselves in the air, pulling taut and interconnecting, weaving together into thick, sturdy "ropes."
Several of these thick ropes formed a massive, three-dimensional spider web in front of Kushimaru, covering the entire 160-meter radius!
"Longsword Ninjutsu: Earth Spider Stitch!"
Kushimaru yanked the threads, his body flipping and leaping through the narrow gaps between the fine lines. He used the wires to anchor himself, preventing the wind from blowing him away while simultaneously manipulating the rising web to close in and strangle Hyuga Yu at the center of the field!
A moment later, the river of wind slammed into the layers of the spider web!
The surging wind blades continuously sliced through individual threads, and the sheer force of the wind pressed the entire web to the brink of collapse.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Kushimaru could hear nothing but the metallic screech of countless blades colliding. Sparks showered and drifted in the wind. He could only grip Nuibari tightly, squinting his eyes against the staggering pressure.
Relying on the agility honed over twenty-four years as a shinobi, his mastery of wire manipulation, and his uniquely thin, stick-like physique, Kushimaru darted through the web. He used the threads to deflect the oncoming wind blades, weaving through the chaos.
It felt like a split second and an eternity all at once, but through relentless trial and error, Kushimaru finally found a 'gap' in the river of wind. He moved to manipulate the remaining threads within that gap to garrote Hyuga Yu at the center of the stage!
However, before the look of triumph could fully form on his face, and before he could swing his blade to sever the thread that would "turn the tide"—
Kushimaru's expression froze. A suction force, far more terrifying than the previous blast, erupted from directly in front of him!
His body... was flying toward Hyuga Yu, completely out of his control!
As he hurtled toward the boy, Kushimaru saw a faint, slightly surprised expression on Yu's face. Then, Yu's mouth moved as he raised a palm, though no sound came out.
But with an elite ninja's mastery of lip-reading, Kushimaru discerned exactly what the brat said:
"Wind Style: Vacuum Heavenly Attraction!"
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