Konoha and the Rain ninja were locked in a fierce battle.
One of the Rain's main forces, Ye Zi's clone, was being held off by the Uchiha siblings.
Tendrils of lightning lingered around the clone's body, Ye Zi's parting trap, but Kōri hadn't noticed or thought much of it.
Seeing her brother block Ye Zi's advance with the Hiding in Ash and Dust Technique, Kōri quickly rejoined him.
"Did we manage to injure him?" Kōri asked. She now understood how troublesome Ye Zi could be; this wasn't even his real body, just a clone. Usually, breaking a clone would be relatively easy, but Ye Zi's clone proved far more challenging.
What they didn't know was that this wasn't a regular clone but a Wood Clone, a physical clone.
"I'm not counting on it," Ninashi replied, glancing at his sister with a slight frown. "But… that lightning on you…?"
"Huh?"
At her brother's words, Kōri finally noticed the lingering tendrils of lightning from Ye Zi's shattered clone still clinging to her.
Crackle!
At that moment, a lightning spear shot toward them.
It was a Lightning Release technique from Ye Zi's clone, who stood below them.
The lightning spear was fast, but with their Sharingan, the siblings dodged to the left and right as it approached.
Ye Zi's clone observed this with a cold smile.
Just then, the lightning spear abruptly turned and headed straight for Hyouka.
This strange turn caught both siblings off guard.
The spear, crackling with energy, illuminated Kōri's shocked face. She twisted her body to evade, but it was too late.
The spear slashed a deep wound along her side, and the remaining lightning connected with the tendrils on her body, transforming into a constricting web that tightened around her.
"Ah!"
The lightning net dug into her skin, emitting acrid black smoke as the electricity ravaged her body. In intense pain, Kōri let out a scream as she fell from the air.
"Kōri…!" Ninashi's red eyes trembled as he watched his sister fall.
Seeing Ninashi momentarily distracted, Ye Zi's clone smirked and prepared to finish off the siblings. But just then, a swarm of black insects fell toward him from behind.
Without looking back, Ye Zi's clone leaped forward, dodging the swarm.
The insects hit the ground, scattering in a dense, unsettling mass.
"He dodged."
From a distance, Shikuro Aburame, his arms and body crawling with black insects, observed Ye Zi's agile movements through his reflective sunglasses.
Barely having time to catch his breath after dodging, Ye Zi's clone saw another figure waiting for him—a Hyūga with pale eyes, Hizashi Hyūga.
"This just never ends," Ye Zi muttered, frowning as he saw Hizashi assume a combat stance.
"Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!"
A glowing blue Eight Trigrams diagram expanded from beneath Hizashi's feet.
With his Byakugan, Hizashi locked onto Ye Zi's clone, his fists turning into a rapid flurry of strikes directed at him.
Ye Zi summoned a wooden shield, placing it in front of himself.
Hizashi's strikes hit the shield, and within a dozen hits, the wood shattered. Undeterred, Hizashi continued his assault, his fists closing in on Ye Zi's clone.
Ye Zi's clone calmly raised his sword, intending to parry and counter Hizashi's attacks.
Clang, clang…
Surprisingly, although he accurately blocked Hizashi's fast punches, his strikes didn't harm Hizashi's fists.
Was the chakra from Hizashi's strikes creating both an offensive and defensive effect?
Ye Zi's clone parried each of Hizashi's punches with precise swordplay.
Seeing his Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms blocked so effortlessly, Hizashi's expression soured. With a growl, he sped up his punches, adding power.
"Eight Trigrams One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms!"
The increase in speed and strength was immediately noticeable to Ye Zi's clone.
Sword clashed with fists, and a rapid series of blasts resounded.
Within moments, Ye Zi's sword fractured, cracking under the force of Hizashi's punches.
Hizashi's eyes widened with determination.
Unfazed by the shattered sword, Ye Zi let go of the hilt, both hands now crackling with lightning as he engaged in hand-to-hand combat, matching Hizashi's strikes.
A storm of punches and shockwaves rippled outward, and Ye Zi's clone began gaining the upper hand.
"This can't be…"
As their fists clashed, disbelief flashed in Hizashi's eyes.
Despite the weakening of his own attacks, only a highly skilled taijutsu user could suppress him like this. Was Ye Zi really that proficient in taijutsu as well?
Bang!
With a soft impact, Ye Zi broke through Hizashi's defense, landing a solid punch on his chest. A crack echoed as Hizashi let out a groan, sent flying with likely broken ribs.
Their exchange had lasted only a few seconds, and as Hizashi fell back, a second swarm of insects attacked.
Ye Zi's clone glared coldly at the swarm and unleashed a Great Fireball toward it.
The insect swarm split into two but still suffered considerable losses from the flames.
The two remaining swarms closed in from the sides, while a shadow snaked along the ground, silently reaching for Ye Zi's feet.
Glancing briefly at Shikuro and the shadow technique, Ye Zi's clone dropped three explosive tags on the ground and jumped back, evading the swarming insects.
Realizing the danger, Shikuro hurriedly commanded his insects to retreat, but it was too late.
Shiozumi Nara's brow twitched, managing to pull only one of the tags away, while the remaining two exploded, wiping out about half the insects.
Watching this, Shikuro's face tensed, feeling the loss keenly. If not for Shiozumi's intervention, the damage would have been even worse.
"This guy's awareness is incredible!" Shiozumi sighed. His shadow attempts had missed multiple times, and if not for his help with the insects, he would have felt completely useless.
"These must be Konoha's elite forces."
Ye Zi's clone briefly scanned the battlefield. His side, the Rain ninja, had suffered considerable losses but still stood strong. He didn't mind if they all fell, as long as the enemy forces were worn down to improve his chances of wiping them out completely.
Shiozumi Nara, the Uchiha siblings, Shikuro Aburame, Hizashi Hyūga —these were Konoha's upper echelon of strength. Despite their combined effort, they hadn't been able to wear down Ye Zi's Wood Clone or deplete much of its chakra.
This was the strength of Ye Zi, standing before them like an impenetrable wall, an obstacle they might never overcome.
Once, Ye Zi had been one of Konoha's own, his sharp blade directed at their enemies. But now, he stood as their enemy, facing them directly.
Only through this true life-or-death struggle could they grasp the full measure of Ye Zi's overwhelming power.
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Currently on Chapter 373 - Kekkei Genkai