Chapter 73

Kamizuru Ishigawa's vision was instantly flooded with blinding light as Hui's attack struck. 

His eyes instinctively snapped shut in response to the painful flash, and in that brief moment, a cold chill of danger shot through him—a primal fear of death.

Without thinking, he trusted his body's instincts. 

As the searing pain in his chest confirmed, his enemy had landed a solid blow. Blood sprayed from the wound as Kamizuru staggered back, desperately forming hand seals mid-air.

"Earth Release: Earth Wall!"

A thick earthen barrier erupted from the ground in front of him, shielding him from any follow-up attacks. Kamizuru tried to pry his eyes open, but all he could see was a giant white orb still burning into his retinas, obscuring his vision completely.

Panic set in as he realised, he couldn't see.

He quickly adjusted, focusing all his senses on detecting any movements around him, his body poised defensively.

Whoosh!

The sound of something cutting through the air caused him to sidestep just in time, narrowly avoiding Hui's blade as it slashed down from above.

"Earth Release: Rising Stone Spears!"

Kamizuru guessed Hui's position based on the trajectory of the previous attack and sent a series of sharp stone spikes shooting up from the ground. 

Hui reacted swiftly, his sword cleaving through the stone projectiles as he kicked off one of the spears, propelling himself away to land at a safe distance.

Kamizuru forced one eye open, still fighting through the pain and blurred vision. 

The bright afterimage of Hui's previous light attack continued to haunt him, making it difficult to focus. Tears streamed from his eyes, clouding his view further.

"Damn it!" Kamizuru cursed. He hadn't expected his opponent to possess such a technique—one that didn't even require hand seals to execute.

What made it worse was that he couldn't sense Hui's chakra during the attack. The realization hit him like a wave of disbelief: 

'Is this some kind of jutsu that doesn't rely on chakra?'

It was absurd, breaking all the rules of ninjutsu Kamizuru knew. Yet, there it was—something that defied his understanding of the shinobi world.

Meanwhile, Hui pressed the attack, dashing towards Kamizuru once more. Now was the perfect time to strike, with Kamizuru's vision compromised and his defenses weakened. 

Though it might have been wise to unleash a large-scale ninjutsu, Hui knew better. Any use of chakra would immediately alert Kamizuru's sharp sensory abilities, negating the advantage of his stealthy movements.

As Hui closed in for another round of close combat, Kamizuru had no choice but to rely solely on his remaining senses. 

Without his sight, he was forced to defend by reacting to the slightest changes in the air and sound. 

His years of experience as a sensory ninja allowed him to narrowly avoid most of Hui's strikes, but it was clear that the tide was turning against him.

Despite Kamizuru's impressive defensive maneuvers, the numerous wounds accumulating on his body were taking their toll. 

His breathing grew ragged, and the sharp pain in his chest from Hui's earlier sword strike still hadn't subsided. Every time Kamizuru blocked a blow, Hui found another opening to exploit.

In one swift movement, Hui landed a solid kick, sending Kamizuru crashing into the earth wall he had created moments earlier.

Hui didn't waste the opportunity. With all his strength, he lunged forward and plunged his sword deep into Kamizuru's abdomen.

"I did it," Hui thought, victory in sight.

But then, Kamizuru's lips curled into a wicked grin.

Before Hui could react, Kamizuru's hand shot forward, grabbing onto his wrist with an iron grip.

"What?!"

Hui's instincts screamed at him, but it was too late. 

A massive stone fist materialized from behind him, powered by Kamizuru's Earth Release: Rock Fist Jutsu. 

It slammed into Hui's back with crushing force, sending him flying across the battlefield, his body carving a deep groove into the ground before he collided with a large boulder.

Cough!

Blood sprayed from Hui's mouth as his body crumpled against the rock. His mask had been shattered in the process, revealing his young but battle-hardened face, contorted in pain.

But despite the agony, Hui forced himself back onto his feet, gripping his sword tightly. He had no time to recover fully as Kamizuru was already on the move again.

Slice!

Hui swung his sword, unleashing a wave of sword energy that cleaved through the rock fist and forced Kamizuru to retreat a few steps.

"What terrifying slashing power..." Kamizuru muttered, casting a wary glance at the remnants of his jutsu.

His vision had begun to recover, and as he squinted through the pain. He realized that the shinobi before him, who had managed to wound him more severely than he thought possible, was younger than he could've possibly imagined.

"That jutsu... It must be the Second Tsuchikage's Splitting Technique," Hui said, finally piecing together Kamizuru's trick.

The Splitting Technique allowed Kamizuru to divide his body and chakra into separate entities—an advanced form of cloning that created physical duplicates without the need for hand signs.

"I underestimated you," Hui admitted. "You're the Iwagakure Anbu Commander, after all. I should've expected you to have a few more tricks up your sleeve."

Kamizuru smirked through the pain, his gaze fixed on Hui. 

"And I never expected the one responsible for slaughtering so many of my men would be a mere child—what are you, twelve? You've mastered so many techniques... Chakra suppression, stealth, swordsmanship... What a prodigy."

The reality of Hui's age and skill unsettled Kamizuru deeply. If someone this young could pose such a threat now, the danger he would represent in the future was unthinkable.

"I can't let you live. Even if it costs me my life, I'll drag you down with me!" Kamizuru's eyes flashed with murderous intent, the pressure of his killing intent flooding the battlefield.

"You think you'll kill me?" Hui smirked, brushing the blood from his lips. 

"You're the one who's in danger. Your strength has halved after using the Splitting Technique. You should be worried about surviving this encounter."

The two shinobi locked eyes, the tension thick with the promise of death. Both knew that only one of them would leave this battlefield alive.

[Tl/n: I'm leaving the chapter title's out cause, well, they're too spoily. Of course, if you want them back, you can leave a comment.

Anyway, Have a great DAY/NIGHT!]

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