Chapter 105: The Enemy Retreats?

Usually, when victory is assured, villains tend to say a few theatrical lines. However, this was not the case with Kakuzu. As soon as the black threads drained almost all of Ye Zi's chakra, he eagerly drove them toward Ye Zi's chest, intending to dig out the high-quality lightning-attribute heart he was lacking.

At that moment, even White Zetsu, who was observing from the shadows, believed that Ye Zi was doomed. None of them noticed the calmness in Ye Zi's eyes.

Ye Zi released the Shadow Clone, causing his chakra to return...

Lightning Release: Thousand Currents!

Blinding lightning suddenly erupted from Ye Zi's body without warning. The black threads tightly wrapped around him instantly shattered. Thousands of lightning streams, each as thick as a thumb, danced like silver snakes, dazzling to the eye.

Ye Zi's previously calm black eyes now seemed to carry a trace of lightning.

Zzzzt! Zzzzt!

At such a close distance, this was his domain.

In a flash, Kakuzu couldn't even react before Ye Zi, who had broken free from the restraint, gripped his blade, Raiga, and slashed down diagonally.

The blade's glow swept from the upper left side of Kakuzu's mask down toward his waist, cutting through his heart, splitting it in two.

One mask shattered, and Kakuzu's body was severed in two. His expression remained one of bewilderment, unable to comprehend how Ye Zi, who was seemingly out of chakra, could release such a powerful lightning-nature transformation.

Even though Ye Zi was certain that he had cut the heart in two, he didn't lower his guard. To ensure Kakuzu's death, he reversed his grip on the hilt and stabbed toward Kakuzu's head, whose eyes were wide open.

Crack!

A mass of black threads surged up to block Ye Zi's blade, while at the same time, countless black threads erupted from Kakuzu's severed body, reconnecting the two halves.

Ye Zi hesitated for a moment but quickly responded with another stab toward Kakuzu's head. However, Kakuzu had already adapted, and a curtain of water suddenly materialized, blocking Ye Zi's Raiga.

In no time, Kakuzu's severed body was reconnected, though his expression was sour. Carelessness had cost him two hearts, and not just any hearts, but the ones combining his fire and wind masks, which formed his most potent attack combination.

He had to admit, this was a significant loss. He had always been cautious, yet today he had underestimated the enemy. Konoha's Little White Fang was far more careful than he had anticipated. Kakuzu's plan had been to fake his death and strike with a fatal blow, but even after his heart was cut in two, Ye Zi ruthlessly followed up with another stab, ruining his plan.

Kakuzu leaped back, putting distance between himself and Ye Zi. The scene from moments ago still made him break into a cold sweat. If Little White Fang had known about his abilities and aimed for his head with the first strike, not even his five hearts would have saved him.

Kakuzu couldn't fathom how Ye Zi suddenly had so much chakra, while Ye Zi couldn't understand how Kakuzu survived after having both his body and heart severed. He was truly a monster.

Despite having fought many battles, this was the first time Ye Zi had encountered such a creature. Since perfecting the Spirit Transformation Technique, he had slain many powerful opponents, and his confidence had unknowingly inflated. He believed that even if he couldn't defeat Orochimaru, he wasn't far off. However, Kakuzu taught him a vivid lesson today, showing him that the world was far bigger than he had imagined.

"Whew."

Ye Zi gripped Raiga tightly and exhaled slowly, his demeanor subtly shifting.

Still far from enough...

He thought to himself as he kept a fixed gaze on Kakuzu. Lightning crackled all over his body, and the release of his shadow clone had returned a significant amount of chakra to him.

Seeing Ye Zi seemingly filled with chakra again, Kakuzu was speechless. The roles had reversed in an instant, leaving him struggling to accept the situation.

This had been a huge loss for him. However, Kakuzu was pragmatic. Knowing the fight was no longer in his favor, he made several backward leaps, disappearing into the forest, leaving Ye Zi stunned.

He ran away after showing off?

Ye Zi didn't know how to react. This battle had shattered the arrogance he had accumulated over the years, changing his mindset. Kakuzu had become a hurdle for him to overcome.

Just when Ye Zi was about to overcome this obstacle, the obstacle ran away.

After this fight, he understood that his strength was still far from sufficient. There were far more powerful individuals in the world than he had imagined. At his current level, he couldn't act recklessly. How ridiculous it was that he had thought it didn't matter whether he stayed in Konoha or not. Today, he had been forced into such a desperate situation by an unknown ninja. What if another one came along? Wouldn't he have no choice but to run?

At the same time, Ye Zi realized a critical weakness in his supposedly invincible Spirit Transformation Technique—when his vision was obstructed, its effectiveness significantly diminished. He needed to find a way to address this flaw.

In that instant, what crossed his mind was a pair of eyes—the Rinnegan.

If he possessed those eyes and combined them with the Spirit Transformation Technique, wouldn't he be truly invincible in one-on-one combat?

He quickly suppressed these thoughts. It was good that Kakuzu ran. With one less distraction, he had a better chance of protecting his employer.

Determined, Ye Zi leaped onto a tree and set off in the direction that Guy and the others had taken.

White Zetsu, who had been observing Ye Zi's departure, remained expressionless, lost in thought.

Elsewhere, Gai and the others had been intercepted. Despite Ye Zi's shadow clone and Shokui cleaning up the small fries, there were too many enemies, and some inevitably slipped through.

If not for Kotoe's strength and Guy and Kurenai, who had just graduated from the academy, they wouldn't have been able to hold back these bounty hunters, who were as fierce as wolves.

Even with Kotoe there, they were struggling to fend off so many enemies. After all, she was an assassination specialist, and her frontal combat abilities weren't as strong as Ye Zi's.

It didn't take long for everyone to sustain some injuries, mainly due to their need to protect Moko.

With fifty million in front of them, every bounty hunter had gone mad, their eyes bloodshot.

"Captain Ye Zi, if you don't come soon, we're all going to die."

Kotoe frowned as she flicked two senbon, killing two unlucky enemies.

Her venom-tipped senbon were difficult to craft, and she didn't have many left. If this continued, and she ran out of this instant-kill method, everyone would be done for.

Although she could escape when the time came, she couldn't bear to abandon Kurenai and Guy. She had formed a bond with them over the past month, especially with Kurenai.

Among the three, Kurenai was the weakest, with the least self-defense ability. She was the first to show signs of exhaustion, and in an unguarded moment, she was kicked into the air by an enemy, letting out a cry of surprise.

Hearing the cry, Kotoe and Guy turned, their faces changing. An enemy with a wicked grin raised his sword, preparing to slash at the airborne Kurenai. The two of them wanted to help, but they were too far away.

Facing the approaching blade, Kurenai's youthful face filled with despair. Once confident in her abilities, she never imagined her first mission would end in her death.

Caught between life and death, she didn't have time to think, but for some reason, she thought of that irritating Ye Zi.

His obvious disdain, his clear lack of regard, everything about him had ignited a desire within her to change. However, there was no longer any chance.

Zzzzt! Zzzzt!

A bolt of lightning descended from the sky.

As the lightning faded, a familiar figure stood between Kurenai and her attacker. Her ruby-like eyes widened in shock.

Clang!

The lightning-imbued blade sliced cleanly through the enemy's sword and, in the same motion, ended his life.

"You..."

The enemy's face froze in surprise as he clutched his charred throat and collapsed, dead.

After killing the enemy, Ye Zi dispersed the lightning around him and turned, catching the falling Kurenai in his arms.

Kurenai lay against Ye Zi's firm chest, her relief at surviving had yet to sink in before her heart began to race, her face inexplicably flushing.

In less than a moment, Ye Zi, showing no sign of tenderness, pushed Kurenai aside and turned to continue the fight against the enemies.

"Jerk!" Kurenai, stumbling a few steps from the push, stared at Ye Zi's retreating back. The mix of emotions in her heart quickly turned into a deep resentment.

Seeing that Kurenai was safe and Ye Zi had arrived, Kotoe and Guy finally relaxed.

Ye Zi's arrival had officially marked the end for the bounty hunters.

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Currently on Chapter 154 - The Proof of His Existence