Not long ago, Ōnoki had regretted not using Dust Release to directly kill Ye Zi, but now, seeing the severely injured Ye Zi struggling forward at a pace he considered slow, Ōnoki felt a sense of fairness from fate. He had no intention of using Dust Release to quickly end Ye Zi's life.
As an enemy, as someone who had wronged him, Ōnoki did not want Ye Zi to die easily. He wanted him to suffer, to die painfully, as a tribute to the many souls lost tonight.
Hovering in the air, with a condescending view, Ōnoki could see Ye Zi's figure in the distance and was certain that Ye Zi could no longer escape.
From afar, Ye Zi felt a piercing gaze on his back, like a needle. He instinctively turned his head and looked up, seeing Ōnoki flying toward him.
Ye Zi's face, pale from his injuries, showed a grim expression. If it hadn't been for that Iwa-nin squad, if it hadn't been for that man's unexpected self-detonation, he wouldn't be in this dire state. And he wouldn't now be facing being caught by the Tsuchikage of Iwagakure.
In his current condition, how could he possibly survive?
For the first time, Ye Zi's heart was gripped by fear.
The terror of death lies in having attachments, in having unfinished business.
He turned around, sheathed Raiga, and suddenly dropped to the ground, using his remaining arm and leg to crawl desperately toward the border.
Using his foot to push off the ground, he moved like a rabbit, leaping forward a great distance. His hand hit the ground to steady himself, then he leaped again. Compared to hobbling on one leg, this method doubled his speed, though it made him look even more pitiful.
When death's scythe looms over you, the desperation to escape it makes you willing to abandon many things.
Ye Zi could feel the imminent threat of death, and so he used every last bit of his strength, trying to escape that descending scythe.
If his leg was gone, he would use his hands to crawl. If his hands were gone, he would wriggle like a fish—this was the manifestation of his survival instinct.
But despite using all his strength to try and escape Ōnoki, it was ultimately futile.
Ōnoki, gliding effortlessly through the air, moved much faster. In no time, he overtook Ye Zi and landed directly in his path.
The short, stocky figure before him now seemed like an insurmountable mountain, standing cold and unyielding.
Ye Zi stopped. He rose, unsheathing Raiga, and silently faced Ōnoki. His opponent stood there, making no move to attack, his confidence absolute.
"You look pitiful and ridiculous in this state," Ōnoki said coldly, arms crossed, his eyes fixed on Ye Zi, who was missing an arm and a leg. He silently thanked Tekiren, who had sacrificed his life at the critical moment to trap Ye Zi.
In fact, Ye Zi and Tekiren were indirectly connected. The spy that had infiltrated Konoha, who had been planted by Ōnoki himself, was none other than Tekiren's father—operating under the alias "Kimura Takuyoshi." That same spy had been exposed and killed by Ye Zi.
Ōnoki had been deeply dissatisfied with Kimura Takuyoshi's final choice. Like his son, Kimura could have chosen to self-destruct when discovered. Even without chakra, he could have caused significant trouble for Konoha. But Kimura didn't, and so he had died pointlessly.
The irony now was that Tekiren had unknowingly avenged his father by capturing Ye Zi, securing his fate.
Ōnoki, contemplating these fateful events, coldly regarded Ye Zi, now a man doomed to die in his eyes.
"Once a person dies, nothing matters anymore. Why worry about looking pitiful?" Ye Zi replied calmly, his face expressionless. Despite his outward composure, his mind was racing, searching desperately for a way out of this situation.
"True enough," Ōnoki agreed with a nod. Then, with a cold smile, he said, "So, are you ready to die?"
Ready to die?
That kind of resolve had never mattered to Ye Zi.
Because he had a reason he could not stop here!
Ye Zi's eyes narrowed sharply, and in that instant, he unleashed a violent surge of lightning from his body—more intense than ever before. The lightning scorched his cells, burning his skin and hair. Before the acrid smell could even dissipate, he had already become a bolt of lightning, charging headlong toward Ōnoki.
This was his final move, his last burst of power, his final chance at life!
The thick lightning tore through Ōnoki's form, ripping it to shreds as Ye Zi surged past. But soon after, the blinding lightning dimmed rapidly, then vanished altogether.
The lightning faded from the air, and Ye Zi's body slammed into the ground, rolling a great distance.
The pain was unbearable. The exhaustion was overwhelming.
From the tearing of his cells to the rupture of his blood vessels, to the snapping of bones, and the scorching of his skin—from inside to out, Ye Zi's entire body screamed in agony.
He had used everything in his final gambit, enduring inhuman pain—all driven by his will to survive.
Even the slightest movement brought searing pain, but Ye Zi forced himself to his feet. Throughout it all, he had never let go of Raiga.
He took a painful step forward, then another, and another, as if heading toward some distant place—perhaps his destination, or perhaps the beginning of a new journey…
The pieces of the figure torn apart by Ye Zi's lightning quietly crumbled into dirt.
That burst of lightning, terrifying in its speed, was fast enough to catch anyone off guard. But from the very beginning, Ōnoki had anticipated it and had already prepared a counter. Ye Zi's final attack hadn't touched him at all.
He now stood in front of Ye Zi again, looking down at the crippled figure before him—charred skin, blood oozing from numerous wounds, a body beyond repair. And yet, even in this state, Ye Zi had managed to stand and take a step forward. For a brief moment, Ōnoki's old face showed a hint of respect.
This was an enemy worthy of admiration, a young man deserving of respect.
The title "Little White Fang" did not suit him. Ye Zi should not be defined by someone else's shadow.
Someone like him deserved his own title.
"Do you feel despair?" Ōnoki asked quietly, watching Ye Zi's pitiful state.
Ye Zi's peripheral vision darkened as Ōnoki appeared before him again. The encroaching darkness seemed to swallow his sight, leaving no trace of emotion in his eyes.
He didn't respond with words. Instead, he slowly raised his arm, pointing Raiga at Ōnoki in a silent act of defiance.
And then, that arm, still gripping Raiga, was severed by a sharp stone blade. It fell to the ground, kicking up a small cloud of dust. The blade remained clutched in his severed hand.
Ye Zi's charred and bloodied face twisted in agony as blood gushed from his shoulder, his life force ebbing away.
How could he not feel despair?
He was truly despairing.
His head drooped, hiding everything beneath it.
At that moment, the pursuing Iwa-nin began to arrive, one after another, taking in the sight of the shattered figure of Ye Zi and the towering figure of Ōnoki standing before him.
More and more Iwa-nin gathered, encircling the two. Among them was Han, the jinchūriki of the Five-Tails. Seeing Ye Zi in such a wretched state, Han finally felt satisfied.
This night would be unforgettable.
Konoha's Ye Zi might fall here, ending his story in this cruel manner.
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Currently on Chapter 201: Severing of Bonds...