Chapter 70: Resolution (Part Two)
Baishi waited, feeling almost bored enough to yawn when a sudden, sharp scream broke through the silence.
The sound caught his attention, and he turned his head slightly in its direction. At that very moment, a rush of wind approached from behind.
Yumura Ki, holding a kunai, seized the opportunity created by Baishi's distraction and aimed a precise strike at his back.
As the kunai closed in on its target, several vines burst from the ground, wrapping tightly around Yumura Ki and halting his attack.
Baishi had anticipated this move all along.
Yumura Ki, however, was equally prepared. His extensive combat experience had taught him to always account for the possibility of failure.
It wasn't that he lacked confidence in his Silent Killing Technique, but Baishi's previous displays of power—his strength, speed, and ability to teleport instantly while delivering precise kills—had made Yumura Ki cautious.
Thus, his attack was made with only seventy percent force, leaving enough strength to execute a substitution technique if things went wrong.
As expected, Baishi's counter had forced Yumura Ki to use a water clone substitution at the critical moment.
Watching the vines crush his watery double, Baishi clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Fast on your feet, aren't you?"
A sudden whistling sound pierced the air as a shuriken flew toward Baishi. Without looking, he raised his right hand, catching the projectile between two fingers.
Spinning it back toward its source, Baishi's counterattack forced Yumura Ki, hidden within the thick mist, to halt his movement. The shuriken grazed his cheek, leaving a shallow cut.
A chill ran down Yumura Ki's spine, not from the injury, but from the realization that Baishi could pinpoint his exact position even through the obscuring mist.
He was constantly on the move, yet Baishi's attack had not only found him but had also predicted his next step. Had he not stopped when he did, the shuriken would have dealt a far more serious blow.
As fear coursed through him, Yumura Ki heard the whistling of more kunai cutting through the mist. Before he could fully process what was happening, Baishi materialized in front of him, kunai in hand.
Dodging the thrown kunai, Yumura Ki raised his own weapon to block Baishi's strike.
Clang!
The kunai clashed, sparks flying. Baishi's strength was evident, pushing Yumura Ki back even though the latter had been ready for the encounter.
In the stalemate, Yumura Ki gritted his teeth and twisted his wrist, deflecting Baishi's kunai in a desperate attempt to counterattack.
But Baishi anticipated the move. Retracting his weapon, he pivoted and unleashed a powerful roundhouse kick.
Having already suffered from Baishi's overwhelming strength, Yumura Ki wasn't foolish enough to block the strike head-on. He ducked low, narrowly avoiding the kick, feeling the wind whip over his head.
Cold sweat dripped down Yumura Ki's back. He didn't want to imagine what would have happened had the kick landed.
Wasting no time, he retaliated, aiming an upward slash at Baishi's throat.
Baishi calmly raised his left hand to guard his neck while his right hand reversed its grip on the kunai and drove it downward, aiming for Yumura Ki's skull.
"This guy doesn't fear death?" Yumura Ki thought, his heart racing.
From his perspective, Baishi's defense was suicidal—there was no way a bare hand could block a kunai. If both stayed their course, they would undoubtedly perish together.
But Baishi knew better. His body's enhanced durability gave him the confidence to attempt such a risky move.
"Should I continue?" Yumura Ki questioned himself, his resolve wavering.
Faced with Baishi's unflinching determination, Yumura Ki's instincts screamed at him to retreat. Convincing himself that it was a trap, he broke off his attack, rolling away to safety.
However, Baishi capitalized on the moment, delivering a devastating kick as Yumura Ki tried to escape.
Crack!
The sound of bones breaking echoed as Yumura Ki's left arm, raised in defense, snapped under the force of Baishi's blow. The impact hurled him five or six meters back, his body tumbling across the ground.
"Cough! Cough!"
Blood spattered from Yumura Ki's mouth as he struggled to his feet. His shattered arm hung uselessly at his side, and his chest heaved painfully from the earlier strike.
Baishi gave him no chance to recover. In a flash, he was in front of Yumura Ki, slamming his palm onto the man's head.
Instantly, black sealing patterns spread from Baishi's hand, binding Yumura Ki's entire body with the Curse Seal: Paralysis Binding.
Rendered immobile, Yumura Ki glared at Baishi in helpless frustration.
Without hesitation, Baishi added the Curse Seal of Ultimate Suppression to ensure silence and then placed a Flying Thunder God Mark on Yumura Ki's body.
Satisfied, he pressed his palm against Yumura Ki's forehead and activated the Mind Reading Technique of the Yamanaka Clan.
The mental intrusion, rough and forceful, proved too much for the gravely injured Yumura Ki, who promptly passed out.
Baishi paid no mind to his condition, focused solely on extracting information from his memories.
Moments later, Baishi opened his eyes, a smile forming on his lips. "Not bad... I got lucky this time."
He had learned that this group of Mist ninjas had not been sent by the Hidden Mist Village but had stumbled upon Moonlight Island by chance.
This meant that as long as he handled the aftermath carefully, he could look forward to some much-needed peace.
Initially, Baishi considered simply killing Yumura Ki, but he hesitated.
"If I can turn him into an asset, wouldn't that be better?"
While Yumura Ki had been outclassed, his defeat wasn't due to a lack of skill. Baishi's unique abilities had completely neutralized Yumura Ki's techniques, leaving him with no effective countermeasures.
In a fairer fight, Yumura Ki's strength and experience would undoubtedly make him a formidable opponent.
Moreover, Baishi had other reasons for wanting to keep him alive. Certain experiments required test subjects, and Yumura Ki might prove invaluable in that regard.
Decision made, Baishi prepared to take Yumura Ki with him.
(End of Chapter)
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