“Secret Technique: Ice Crystal Shattering!”
Boom, boom, boom…
A series of explosive sounds shattered half of the ice mirrors, making the previously impenetrable barrier much sparser. However, neither Sakura nor Tazuna showed any joy; instead, their expressions were filled with terror.
The shattered ice mirrors turned into a rain of sharp ice shards, forming a dense semicircle around the three of them. The countless sharp points glinted coldly, making their blood run cold.
Thinking about the consequences of those ice shards falling on them, Tazuna and Sakura broke into a sweat. Even Yukigetsu would be turned into mincemeat…
Yukigetsu quickly formed hand seals and shouted urgently, “Sakura! Grab Tazuna and escape from under the bridge! Don’t ask me how to get under it; you’ll know in a moment!”
Sakura shivered, then immediately grabbed Tazuna’s wrists.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…
The sharp ice shards rained down in an instant, with a momentum that seemed to intend to kill them all in one strike!
Boom!
At the same moment, Yukigetsu stomped his right foot, instantly creating a large hole in the bridge beneath them. Sakura and Tazuna fell through while Yukigetsu clung to the hole’s edge, completing his final hand seal.
“Water Release: Water Wall!”
A fierce torrent roared at the hole’s entrance. However, Haku shook his head slightly upon seeing this, “Though unexpected, a water wall can’t stop this technique. Even if it does, those two will surely die from the fall.”
Sure enough, the numerous ice shards pierced through the water wall, raining down on them.
Yet Yukigetsu remained calm. The water wall had significantly weakened the impact of the ice shards, so they would only cause minor injuries.
As for Sakura and Tazuna, they couldn’t forget about Sakura’s abilities. Though she might not be as strong as Sasuke or Naruto, she was still an excellent genin. In the moment they fell, she grabbed Tazuna’s wrists, ran horizontally along the bridge wall, and landed on the backside of the bridge, heading towards the shore. Tazuna was utterly terrified…
An extreme reaction under pressure… Decisive and swift, Sakura’s actions were seamless with his own. For the first time, Yukigetsu recognized her as a true ninja…
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…
The relentless ice shards continued to cut into Yukigetsu, adding more wounds to his already needle-pierced body. He smiled bitterly. He had never been so battered. This opponent was truly strong. But in the next moment, his eyes sharpened as he gazed coldly through the hole.
Unfortunately for Haku, Yukigetsu had already seen through him!
Yukigetsu’s expression turned cold as he leaped from the hole, landing back within the circle of ice mirrors, slowly standing upright.
Haku frowned, puzzled, “With such a good chance, why didn’t you escape from under the bridge?”
“Because it wasn’t necessary.” Yukigetsu spread his hands and smiled lightly, “Now it’s your turn to escape!”
“Me?” Haku chuckled under his mask, “Though I don’t like boasting, I take pride in my technique. It has never been broken, and I don’t believe you can do it!”
He seemed to recall something, adding, “You might think that without burdens, you can dodge my attacks completely like before. But that wasn’t my full strength. When my attacks are so fast that I can’t even think, how will you have time to predict?”
Yukigetsu pulled out the needles from his body one by one, while Haku waited without intervening.
When all the needles had clattered to the ground, Yukigetsu straightened his blood-stained coat, his eyes suddenly sharp, “I still say… From now on, you won’t hit me even once!”
Whoosh!
Haku’s eyes narrowed as he darted forward, a black line through the air piercing through Yukigetsu’s figure. But just before he struck, Yukigetsu sidestepped, leaving an afterimage.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…
The entire ice mirror space was filled with black lines and blood-stained figures, interweaving and shifting constantly.
Moments later, the battlefield returned to calm.
“How… How is this possible? How did you do it…” Haku’s voice was filled with disbelief.
The blood-stained Yukigetsu stood calmly, with a faint smile, “You are powerful… If not for my rapid recovery ability, I wouldn’t have had enough time to analyze your flaws before dying.”
Haku asked blankly, “What flaw did you find…”
“The flaw is… you’re too fast!” Yukigetsu declared.
“What… does that mean?” Haku pondered, confused, unable to comprehend.
Yukigetsu shook his head and sighed, “Speed is your greatest advantage but also your greatest flaw. Because you’re too fast, completing seventy-two movements in a blink, your brain can’t keep up. Your attack routes are almost fixed in each round.”
“If that’s the case, I only need to memorize all your movement routes. Then I can design corresponding evasion routes. I know all the subsequent evasion routes once I predict the first attack’s direction.” Yukigetsu spread his hands confidently.
Haku thought for a moment, incredulous, “Memorizing all seventy-two routes… That’s impossible!”
“But I’ve done it.” Yukigetsu shrugged.
Haku was silent for a moment, then raised his head, “If that’s true, why tell me this? Aren’t you afraid I’ll change my routes?”
Is he trying to mislead me… to make me change my strategy?
Yukigetsu didn’t mind, laughing lightly, “No, you can’t change it anymore! Your body has memorized it, and your mind can’t keep up with such speed!”
Haku shook his head, still unable to accept that his prized technique had been broken. He said solemnly, “I still don’t believe you can do something so incredible.”
“Then let’s continue… this time, for the final outcome!” Yukigetsu extended his hand.
Haku gazed deeply at the blood-stained boy. His confidence made Haku doubt whether his technique had truly been seen through.
No… impossible… I don’t believe there’s such a genius in this world…
The final round!
Whoosh!
Haku’s real body shot out from one of the ice mirrors, piercing through Yukigetsu in a fraction of a blink.
Simultaneously, Yukigetsu appeared beside his afterimage, his right fist striking an odd direction.
In that fleeting moment, Haku’s brain sent a clear command to change routes. Simultaneously, a sliver of doubt emerged—if he had enough time, he’d realize he was puzzled about why Yukigetsu was attacking in such an odd direction…
Bang!
In the next moment, Haku was struck in the mask by Yukigetsu’s fist!
As he flew back, disoriented, blood spilling from his mouth, Haku sighed inwardly.
I really couldn’t change my predetermined route…
He truly saw through all my attack trajectories…
Amazing!
It… hurts…
Zabuza-sensei…
I can’t beat him…
Sorry…
Crack!
Haku’s mask shattered and fell, revealing an extraordinarily beautiful face…
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