Facing that descending blade, Yu Ye's body flickered at the critical moment, narrowly retreating out of its path.
Whoosh!!
Uchiha Yue pursued immediately, slashing again.
Yu Ye retreated once more.
He didn't rashly use his shockwave power. He still lacked a clear understanding of Uchiha Yue's true strength.
Besides—
Yu Ye wasn't afraid of genjutsu. And with Yue keeping his Sharingan activated, chakra consumption was inevitable.
Yu Ye could afford to stall.
After several consecutive strikes failed to even graze Yu Ye's clothes, a hint of surprise finally appeared in Uchiha Yue's eyes.
"Your speed is impressive."
He spoke calmly.
He was a jōnin—
And one who had devoted nearly all his effort to kenjutsu.
With swordsmanship at that level, his speed was naturally exceptional.
Yet even so, Yu Ye was still able to keep up with him—
In fact, he seemed slightly faster.
Otherwise, with the Sharingan's predictive ability, Yu Ye would have been cut down long ago.
It was precisely because Yu Ye was just that little bit faster that he could evade every strike at the last instant.
Seeing this, Uchiha Yue snorted coldly.
He finally decided to show his true skill.
Hummm—!!
Brilliant points of light gathered along the blade of his sword, like starlight converging.
This was chakra flow.
But there was no elemental transformation involved—
Pure, condensed chakra enhancement, similar to the White Fang's blade techniques.
Seeing this, a cold glint flashed through Yu Ye's eyes.
He reached out and drew a kunai.
As expected—
Uchiha Yue could use chakra flow.
But so what?
At a Distance
Might Dai watched intently.
His body was still weak and aching, but his mind was taut with tension, eyes locked onto the battlefield.
The Seventh Gate within him hovered on the verge of opening.
But in truth, that barely mattered.
If Yu Ye truly couldn't defeat Uchiha Yue, the outcome would likely be decided in an instant.
Victory or death.
He might not even have time to intervene.
That was why Dai was nervous.
Yet during the exchange just now, although Yu Ye seemed to be on the defensive, he showed no signs of collapse.
That alone filled Dai with shock at Yu Ye's talent and strength—and made him endure a little longer.
Unless absolutely necessary, he didn't want to open the Seventh Gate.
"Yu Ye…"
Countless thoughts raced through Dai's mind, but he stayed silent.
He didn't want to distract Yu Ye.
Yu Ye needed to stay focused—to fight at his very best.
Even if Yu Ye lost, it didn't matter.
Dai would step in at the end.
The Battlefield
Uchiha Yue's sword now flowed with dazzling, star-like brilliance.
The chakra did not disperse—it was tightly condensed, restrained, yet filled with terrifying killing intent.
It was beautiful.
And the result it would bring—
Would be the exact opposite of beauty.
A living hell.
"Let's end this," Uchiha Yue said flatly.
"Rare leisure time after a mission… and you had to ruin it."
He raised his sword slightly—
Then brought it down toward Yu Ye.
A simple strike.
No unnecessary movements.
Just a downward slash, as casual as waving a feather.
And yet—
In the next instant, brilliance erupted.
HUMMMM—!!!
Like thunder striking on level ground.
The starlight surged, converging at the sword's tip before exploding outward into a white blade of sword qi.
The slash fell like a meteor tearing through the sky, crashing down as if to split the earth itself.
Uchiha Yue's eyes were calm.
The three tomoe of his Sharingan spun, then stilled—
As if he had already seen the future.
Seen Yu Ye split cleanly in two.
But in the face of this strike—
Yu Ye's eyes burned with intense battle intent.
Chakra flow?
So what?!
Uchiha Yue was no Sakumo Hatake.
At best, this was chakra flow amplified by a special ninja sword.
Yu Ye tightened his grip on the kunai.
Silently, a strange distortion appeared along its edge.
No light.
No brilliance.
Yet the air on both sides of the blade warped subtly—
So strange it almost resembled spatial distortion.
Without hesitation, Yu Ye swung the kunai.
Shockwave Slash!
CLANG!!
In an instant, kunai and sword collided.
At that moment, it felt as though heaven and earth lost all color—
Two extremes of sharpness crashing together, splitting the world in half.
From afar, Might Dai couldn't help but show amazement.
Just moments ago, he'd nearly intervened.
But seeing the eerie distortion on Yu Ye's kunai—and the confidence in Yu Ye's eyes—
He chose to trust him.
If Yu Ye believed he could do it—
Then Dai would believe too.
A kunai.
A ninja sword.
One ordinary weapon.
One special blade.
Shockwave Slash.
Chakra Flow.
Two completely different forces—
Different tools, different principles—
Yet sharing the same purpose:
To cut through everything in their path.
And yet—
That purpose could not be fulfilled.
Shock flooded Uchiha Yue's eyes.
His sword—
Was blocked?!
He had never imagined Yu Ye could stop this strike.
"What… is this power?!"
Confusion and disbelief roared through his mind.
This technique was called Star Release.
His sword was named Star.
Releasing the power of the ninja sword Star—that was the origin of the technique's name.
With this strike, he had slain other jōnin.
He had heard their death cries.
Yet now—
It was blocked.
Not only that—
From Yu Ye's utterly ordinary kunai came a bizarre vibration, one that made Yue feel as if his body were being torn apart.
If not for the cutting force of his chakra flow resisting it, he might already be dead.
A common kunai.
A technique strong enough to block Star Release.
As the tearing sensation intensified, Uchiha Yue's disbelief turned into ferocity.
He gritted his teeth and poured chakra out wildly.
The sword qi flared brighter—
Yet it was still firmly held back by Yu Ye's Shockwave Slash.
Finally—
Everything dissipated into nothingness.
Yu Ye's Shockwave Slash had forcibly neutralized the chakra flow released through that special ninja sword.
From beginning to end, Yu Ye never once considered what would happen if he failed to block it.
He simply knew.
He could do it.
He would block it.
He would win.
Yu Ye's kunai—
Held in his right hand—
Was now locked directly against Uchiha Yue's sword.
And Yu Ye's lips curved upward slightly.
His left fist clenched tightly.
HUMMMM—!!!
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/FinalArcHero789