In a flash, a white bone blade viciously pierced Yoru Ryo's body.
Three bone spikes followed, skewering him through, chilling his core!
Watching from Afar...Terumi Mei's heart clenched for a brief moment—
But then, she relaxed.
She wasn't worried.
A Chunin-level foe could hardly land a fatal blow on Yoru Ryo.
Sure enough, as the Kaguya clansman crowed in triumph, a white blade punched through his chest.
"Impossible!"
His eyes bulged, blood trickling from his mouth, voice thick with disbelief.
The impaled Yoru Ryo dissolved into a splash of water.
A Water Clone!
"This guy's seal speed is insane—no one saw him weave signs for that!"
Ringo Ameyuri and others tracking Yoru Ryo were stunned.
"And it's only been two days—how'd he gets this much stronger?!"
Ringo Ameyuri felt a pang of imbalance.
She was still locked in a stalemate with a Chunin-level Kaguya, evenly matched.
Yoru Ryo? He'd already killed two enemies flawlessly.
The gap was glaring.
Hozuki Suigetsu, Shima Isshin, and Yoru Ryo's teammates Haruha Yuya and Natsuka Rin felt it too.
Pressure.
They'd thought they were on Yoru Ryo's level—or even above him.
Reality slapped them hard.
Yoru Ryo had outstripped them by a mile.
Naturally, his prowess caught the eye of Kirigakure's heavy hitters.
"No surprise he's Terumi Mei's brother. With a sister that strong, the kid's no slouch!"
Biwa Juzo of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen mused.
"Interesting, interesting—this kid's got some real chops!"
Kurosuki Raiga grinned, unleashing a torrent of lightning.
Others—Momochi Zabuza, Hoshigaki Kisame—noticed Yoru Ryo too.
Hard not to.
Fifteen seconds. Two kills. No one his age matched that.
Even his Anbu seniors couldn't boast such a record.
The flashiest badass? Yoru Ryo, hands down.
"So much for laying low!"
Yoru Ryo caught the stares, sighing inwardly.
"Fine, fine—if that's how it is, I'll go all out!"
He wanted to stay under the radar, but his strength wouldn't allow it.
Besides, he'd cracked the code for fighting the Kaguya.
"Water Style: Hidden Mist Jutsu!"
A thick fog engulfed several Kaguya clansmen nearby.
Screams—shrill, frantic—erupted from the mist.
They sent chills down spines.
When the fog cleared, four Kaguya corpses lay sprawled, eyes wide, frozen in terror.
The whole thing took mere dozens of seconds.
Hiss!
The crowd gasped.
This was too freakish!
Ringo Ameyuri and the others gaped at Yoru Ryo, their eyes changed.
Four kills in dozens of seconds? This guy was a prodigy incarnate!
"Damn brat, I'll end you!"
"Ten-Finger Drilling Bullets!"
A furious roar exploded from ahead.
A burly, uncle-like Kaguya charged, his aura screaming Special Jonin.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Ten bone bullets fired—Yoru Ryo dodged them all.
But the enemy closed in, smashing a brutal fist.
Yoru Ryo had no time to react. The blow sent him flying, blood coughing from his mouth.
"Dance of the Clematis: Vine!"
Not done, the Kaguya yanked out his spine, whipping it like a lasso to bind Yoru Ryo, locking him in place.
"Die!"
The man lunged, a bone spear materializing, aimed to skewer Yoru Ryo.
"Careful!"
Mei's heart raced, panic flaring.
She could tell—this was Yoru Ryo's real body.
If that hit landed, not even god could save him!
"Jie jie jie, Terumi Mei, distracted during our fight? You must be tired of living!"
Mei's opponent—the Kaguya Clan leader—grinned wickedly, charging with Dance of the Larch.
Mei, caught off guard, reacted too late.
Even swapping with a Water Clone to dodge, she took a hit.
Meanwhile, Yoru Ryo faced his deadliest moment yet.
He could see the man's feral, vicious snarl.
But inwardly, he grinned: "Good thing I boosted my speed attribute!"
"Without it, I couldn't weave signs mid-flight!"
He roared: "Genjutsu: Paralysis Bind!"
When Mei reappeared, glancing worriedly at Yoru Ryo, she saw it—
The Special Jonin Kaguya's bone spear, frozen two centimeters from Yoru Ryo's chest!
Relief flooded her. Thank the heavens, Yoru Ryo was safe!
Others were floored by Yoru Ryo's seal speed.
They hadn't even seen him weave signs—too damn fast!
Yoru Ryo jerked back, snapping the bone whip, and started signing again.
But this Special Jonin was no pushover. The Paralysis Bind, which locked Chunin for six seconds, he broke in two.
He charged Yoru Ryo, disrupting his seals.
Yoru Ryo, cornered, drew his blade to fight.
But against the taijutsu-savvy Kaguya, his Chunin-level swordplay was outmatched.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
Yoru Ryo fell on the defensive, struggling hard.
Heavy, relentless, lightning-fast.
That was this enemy.
"Give it up, brat! Your only path is death!"
"Remember the name—Kaguya Yanagimura!"
Spikes erupted from the man's body. Yoru Ryo dodged back.
But Kaguya Yanagimura spun like a top, rolling at him.
Yoru Ryo wouldn't dare tank it. He wove signs: "Water Style: Water Formation Wall Jutsu!"
Boom!
A muffled explosion shook the ground.
The water formation wall held two seconds before collapsing. Yoru Ryo took another hit.
The spinning bone spikes tore him to shreds, blood and flesh flying.
But before Yanagimura could relax, Yoru Ryo melted into a puddle—a Water Clone.
Yoru Ryo's voice rang from behind: "Water Style: Hidden Mist Jutsu!"