Chapter 82: Kurenai Yuhi's Crisis
Chapter 82: Kurenai Yuhi's Crisis
After leaving Orochimaru, Feng Ye ventured alone from the camp towards the front lines of the Wind Country.
However, this time he did not rush towards the Wind Country battlefield at full speed but took his time, cultivating as he traveled, unconcerned about his arrival time.
By traveling at four times the normal speed, he could save several days for cultivation.
During the three days he had remained in the camp, he had also been cultivating non-stop, adapting to the transition from a short dagger to a longsword, familiarizing himself with the characteristics of the Tenpu-ryu sword style, and modifying Hatake Kenjutsu into his very own Hatake Swordsmanship.
The difference between a short dagger and a longsword ultimately lay in their dimensions, not a change in weapon form, and the critical point of this dimensional difference was the point of force application.
The point of force application differed between a short dagger and a longsword.
Wielding a longsword in the manner of a short dagger would result in awkward force exertion, and the resulting slashes would lack power. Hence, adjustments were necessary.
...
In a certain patch of forest:
"It seems like a minor difference, but it's actually quite significant. Fortunately, making improvements isn't as difficult as I imagined..."
Feng Ye gripped the Kusanagi sword and practiced the most basic of sword swings.
During his three days of cultivation in the camp, he had completed about eighty percent of the improvements to Hatake Kenjutsu. The remaining twenty percent proved more challenging, and it took him two days after leaving the camp to reach approximately ninety percent.
What remained was purely a matter of proficiency, which required him to return to the most fundamental sword swings to better adapt to the sword's cleaving nature and gradually push his proficiency to its peak.
This mechanical practice was, in fact, the simplest for Feng Ye.
With the presence of time acceleration, he could cultivate at four times the normal speed, which meant that two days of cultivation equated to eight days' worth of training for an ordinary person.
In the past, when he had first started cultivating Hatake Kenjutsu, it had taken him about a million practice swings and nearly a month to progress from a complete beginner to a certain level of proficiency.
Back then, he could only achieve a time acceleration of 1.5 times, and his physical strength and chakra were meager, equivalent to that of a genin-level ninja. But now, he was vastly different.
A million sword swings.
At four times the speed, he could complete this amount of practice in less than a week.
Moreover, this number was just a rough estimate, as Feng Ye had calculated it based on his average number of sword swings per minute. Thus, it might not even take that long, especially since he had already begun his training while still in the camp.
"Three thousand two hundred and eighty-one, three thousand two hundred and eighty-two..."
"Seven thousand seven hundred and seventy-six, seven thousand seven hundred and seventy-seven..."
"Twenty thousand... Wait, what number was I at? Ah, never mind..."
Feng Ye soon gave up counting.
All he knew was that he had been practicing the most fundamental slashes relentlessly in this patch of forest for three whole days. During this time, he had devoured two deer and three sheep and finally reached a point where his sword swings felt completely natural, allowing him to execute slashes with the same power as Hatake Kenjutsu.
Swish!
At four times the speed, Feng Ye suddenly swung his sword towards the distance.
A white gleam flashed along the blade, and a tree over a dozen meters away was instantly cleaved in two, the cut extending to seven or eight trees behind it, which crashed to the ground with a loud clatter.
"The power has increased by at least twenty percent compared to when I was using White Fang."
"If I were to face Yecang again with this power, I should be able to directly slash through her fire-style defense without needing to engage in a battle of attrition or rely on time reversal..."
Feng Ye exhaled softly.
Seeing the fruits of his cultivation, a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
While he was not yet able to open the fifth gate of the Eight Inner Gates in a short period, he was glad to have improved his strength in other ways, especially since this improvement pertained to his attack power.
For Feng Ye, who possessed more than sufficient speed and the ability to reverse time, defense and evasion were non-issues, making attack power his most crucial attribute.
...
Fire Country.
In a certain patch of forest:
Two groups of ninjas had encountered each other and were engaged in battle. One group consisted of ninjas from Konoha, while the other was from the Sand Ninja Village.
"..."
Kurenai Yuhi's expression was somewhat gloomy.
He had only come to this area for reconnaissance, but he had unexpectedly encountered the Sand Ninjas who were lurking here. Although he wasn't in any danger, he was entangled with an opposing Jonin-level ninja.
On the other side were three Genin-level ninjas, including Kurenai Yuhi, and a special Jonin-level ninja who had accompanied him on the reconnaissance mission. They were facing another Jonin from the Sand Ninja Village.
Even though it was a four-on-one situation, the special Jonin from Konoha was a reconnaissance-type ninja and didn't possess strong combat abilities in direct confrontations. Kurenai Yuhi and the others were still only Genin-level, barely approaching the level of a Chunin, so even combined, they were at a disadvantage and could only barely hold their ground.
"This is getting troublesome..."
Kurenai Yuhi frowned.
He now had two choices. One was to continue fighting. If he defeated the opposing Jonin first, he could immediately go to support Kurenai Yuhi's group. However, it was difficult to ensure which side would emerge victorious first—him or Kurenai Yuhi's group.
The other choice was to use a wide-range genjutsu to temporarily restrain the two Jonin-level ninjas from the Sand Ninja Village, allowing Kurenai Yuhi and the others to safely retreat.
"Let's retreat."
Kurenai Yuhi finally made a decision.
On one hand, Kurenai Yuhi was his daughter, and her safety affected his performance. Continuing the fight would be extremely risky. On the other hand, the mission this time was reconnaissance, not combat, and this level of battle was still too early and too dangerous for Kurenai Yuhi and her team.
Whoosh! Whoosh!!
After blocking an attack from his opponent, Kurenai Yuhi leaped and landed near Kurenai and her team. He said in a low voice, "Red, Akagi... Retreat!"
"Yes!"
Upon hearing Kurenai Yuhi's words, Kurenai and her team immediately began to back away, while Kurenai Yuhi performed hand seals on the spot, casting a wide-range genjutsu to affect the two Jonin from the Sand Ninja Village.
At this moment, although Kurenai was already an excellent Genin-level ninja, she still felt immense pressure when facing a Jonin-level opponent, even with her companions. Her right shoulder garment had been slashed, revealing a bloody gash. If not for her teammates' timely rescue, her injury might have been more severe.
"He's indeed an upper-level ninja just like Father..."
She took a deep breath, her back soaked in cold sweat. During the previous encounter with the Jonin, she had been mentally strained to her limit.
Her companions were in a similar state, with the strongest among them also drenched in sweat, indicating their extreme tension.
Out of the blue.
She thought of Feng Ye.
Although they were classmates, if Feng Ye were here, he probably wouldn't be as beleaguered as they were, would he?
Just as her thoughts flickered with a slight disturbance, an urgent voice reached her from behind. It was Kurenai Yuhi's voice.
"Red!!!"
This voice instantly snapped her back to attention.
Kurenai was startled, sensing a chill coming from her right side. From the corner of her eye, she saw a figure that had somehow sneaked up next to her. The kunai in their hand was stabbing toward her, and it was one of the two Jonin from the Sand Ninja Village!
Damn!
Kurenai's heart froze. At this distance, she had no way to dodge, and that momentary lapse of focus was nearly a fatal mistake!
(End of Chapter)
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