For every 30 POWER STONES there will be an extra chapter! Just 5 more left to reach the goal!
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The blade, radiating deadly intent, filled Kotoe's green eyes, and just as it was about to strike, a familiar figure, surrounded by crackling lightning, stepped in and blocked the attack. Ye Zi had arrived just in time. His body surged with lightning as he descended swiftly between Kotoe and the horse-faced Iwa-nin. Gripping his sword, Chijin, in reverse, he angled it downward and intercepted the lethal strike.
Clang!
Chijin firmly held back the incoming long sword, immobilizing the horse-faced Iwa-nin in place.
At the center of their clashing swords, a fierce wind blew, pushing back Yezi's hat and revealing his black hair.
As Kotoe, who had been knocked into the air, saw the familiar silhouette and the lightning crackling around him, she froze in shock. She landed awkwardly, stumbling and falling to the ground.
For a brief moment, she thought she saw the person she most longed to see, but the short hair blowing in the wind was black.
How could it be him? He's already dead…
Kotoe stared at Ye Zi, cloaked in black, her lips lightly trembling. Even though logic told her that her wish was impossible, a flicker of hope ignited in her heart.
Who is this person? And why save me?
"Who are you?"
The horse-faced Iwa-nin shared the same confusion as Kotoe.
This person had appeared out of nowhere without a trace, and when their swords clashed, the Iwa-nin felt an overwhelming force coming from Ye Zi's blade, enough to make his wrist go numb. And his sword stance—holding it in reverse, blade downward—was too casual. There was no solid point of support, yet… his attack had been blocked so easily?
As the horse-faced Iwa-nin's twisted face stiffened in shock, Ye Zi stood motionless, his arm steady. From beneath his mask, a cold voice emerged: "So ugly."
Before the words even finished, Ye Zi's arm bent, transferring force through Chijin and pushing back the horse-faced Iwa-nin.
The Iwa-nin's face contorted in surprise as Ye Zi's push forced him to stumble back several steps.
After forcing the Iwa-nin back, Ye Zi released his grip on Chijin, spun it around, and gripped it properly, casting a cold glance at his opponent.
"Who are you? Are you a Konoha ninja?"
The horse-faced Iwa-nin, now filled with hatred, scowled at the wooden mask Ye Zi wore. He had been so close to enjoying his twisted pleasure, but this man had ruined everything.
Ye Zi didn't bother answering. His figure vanished in a flash, and in the next second, he appeared in front of the horse-faced Iwa-nin. Chijin, wrapped in lightning, slashed down swiftly.
The distance was so short that it was almost impossible to react.
"!"
The horse-faced Iwa-nin, relying purely on instinct, barely managed to raise his sword and block the descending strike.
"Oh?"
Seeing the Iwa-nin react in time, Ye Zi was slightly surprised. However, the lightning on Chijin suddenly surged, like boiling water, its intensity increasing dramatically. The lightning leapt from their swords and engulfed the Iwa-nin's body.
"What is this…?"
The sudden burst of lightning blinded the Iwa-nin. Despite his mastery of Earth Release, the electricity overwhelmed him before he could counter it. His entire body convulsed violently as the electricity surged through him.
"You…!"
The electrical current paralyzed him completely, causing him to collapse at Ye Zi's feet.
The horse-faced Iwa-nin weakly raised his head, staring at Ye Zi's masked face, his mind clouded with unanswered questions. However, his thoughts were cut short as Chijin swung in a swift arc across his neck.
Shk!
The blade made a soft slicing sound as it cut through the Iwa-nin's throat.
The Iwa-nin's eyes twitched as a thin red line appeared on his neck, and then, slowly, his eyes dimmed and closed forever.
After killing the Iwa-nin with a single slash, Ye Zi sheathed Chijin and turned his gaze toward Kotoe, who was still sitting on the ground.
Half of White Zetsu's body emerged from a tree, watching the scene unfold. He had seen Ye Zi use his signature Lightning Release to not only save Kotoe but also kill the horse-faced Iwa-nin. Still, he couldn't understand why Ye Zi had done it.
"What are you planning?" he silently wondered.
Kotoe quickly scrambled to her feet, holding a kunai in one hand and gripping three senbon in the other, assuming a defensive stance.
Even though the man had saved her, his masked appearance and mysterious presence made it clear that he wasn't a Konoha ninja.
"It's been a while."
The muffled voice that came from beneath the mask wasn't one that Kotoe recognized. But the tone of the next sentence struck deep into her soul.
"Kotoe."
The way he said her name—calm but not distant, cold yet somehow familiar—shook her.
Kotoe's body trembled as the small flicker of hope she had allowed herself to feel began to grow, expanding into something that overwhelmed her senses. Her green eyes widened in disbelief.
Her face was filled with shock, her lips slightly parted. She struggled to voice the question in her mind, but at the last moment, silence took over.
Could it be you… Ye Zi?
The question remained unspoken, out of fear that the answer might not match her hopes.
"This isn't like you."
Ye Zi gazed at the stunned Kotoe and removed his mask, revealing his face.
A gentle breeze blew past, lifting Kotoe's short green hair as it passed by her and stirred Ye Zi's bangs, exposing his familiar black eyes.
Her trembling gaze gradually calmed, and her slightly parted lips closed as the confusion caught in her throat dissipated like the wind. Tears silently streamed down her cheeks. As the tears crossed her lips, she looked at Ye Zi, smiling through her tears.
It had been nearly a year since they'd last seen each other, and they had crossed the line between life and death. But he was still here…
Unlike Kotoe, who was overwhelmed by emotion, Ye Zi felt no such complexity. He quietly observed Kotoe as her silent tears fell, feeling a subtle but undeniable connection to the joy she expressed at his return, a joy stemming from the fact that he was alive.
This touched something within him, a faint tremor in his heart that stirred his previous thoughts into discomfort.
The reason Yezi had come to find Kotoe was specific. As a Grass ninja, Kotoe had stayed in Konoha on loan for quite some time, earning their trust through her contributions. But in Ye Zi's mind, Konoha would never truly be her home.
He intended to recruit Kotoe as his spy within Konoha, revealing his true identity as a necessary step. If she refused, he might have to kill her.
But seeing her smile so genuinely from her heart made him question his original plan.
"I need your help," Ye Zi said quietly, staring at the smiling Kotoe.
"Okay."
No questions. No hesitation. Without even asking what kind of help he needed, she agreed immediately.
Ye Zi stood in silence, slightly taken aback by Kotoe's decisiveness.
"I… want to stand beside you."
Kotoe's face, now marked by maturity, held a look of determination.
I don't want to just watch your back. I want to stand by your side, to see the same world you do, even if it costs me my life.
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Currently on Chapter 240 - Hidden Thoughts and Relics of the Past