There exists a kind of disparity so profound that it leaves an indelible mark.
This strike, Danzo stabbed at emptiness itself.
He couldn't accept such a gap, and his face was filled with bewilderment.
Izanagi activated. As the boundaries between reality and illusion blurred, Danzo, with a sword piercing his chest, twisted and vanished like a mirage. The next moment, he reappeared, unscathed, 200 meters away from Ye Zi.
By using Izanagi, he nullified all adverse conditions, including injuries and death. However, the confusion stemming from his perceived inadequacy lingered on his face.
Was Ye Zi too strong, or was he too weak?
Ye Zi was no longer the "blade" that Danzo had once thought he could wield.
If Ye Zi was still a blade, then it was one capable of cutting Danzo down.
When Ye Zi noticed that a third Sharingan on Danzo's arm had closed, his hypothesis was confirmed: Danzo was using a technique that sacrificed a Sharingan to negate lethal damage.
If this understanding was correct, Ye Zi would need to kill Danzo five more times. Only after every Sharingan on Danzo's body had closed would he be truly vulnerable. However, by then, the Sharingan would be useless, leaving Ye Zi with nothing to claim.
While this felt like a loss, the chance to kill Danzo was too precious to pass up.
Ye Zi had long wanted to eliminate Danzo but had never had the opportunity due to Danzo's constant evasion.
So, with five lives remaining...
The lightning coursing over Ye Zi's body gradually weakened and disappeared. His chakra reserves were too depleted to maintain the Lightning Release armor any longer. Now began the real challenge. Until his chakra recovered slightly, he had to conserve it.
After all, he still needed to kill Danzo five more times, this wasn't a battle that could be resolved quickly.
Having sorted out his strategy, Ye Zi charged at Danzo again. This time, without the Lightning Release armor, his speed was noticeably slower.
Seeing Ye Zi's Lightning Release armor fade away, the confusion on Danzo's face gave way to focus, though the fury in his heart remained undiminished. Without the armor, Danzo thought, this time Ye Zi wouldn't escape his Wind Release attacks.
Danzo refrained from using Shadow Clone Jutsu again, knowing it would split his chakra. Izanagi was already an extraordinarily chakra-draining technique. Since his kenjutsu couldn't overpower Ye Zi, he relied solely on ninjutsu.
Wind Release: Vacuum Serial Waves!
Dozens of spinning wind blades flew toward Ye Zi.
Without the Lightning Release armor, even with his right eye's capabilities, Ye Zi couldn't entirely evade the wind blades.
Despite knowing at first glance that complete evasion was impossible, Ye Zi continued charging toward the storm of wind blades without any intention of retreating.
He couldn't dodge them all, but if he could endure minor injuries to close the distance, it would work in his favor for the upcoming battle.
Shhk! Shhk!
Through agile sidesteps, Ye Zi dodged most of the wind blades, though two left deep gashes on his body.
Seeing Ye Zi avoid the majority of the attack at the cost of injuries and close the distance, Danzo's expression tightened. He decided against using more Wind Release techniques; continuing this pattern would deplete his chakra to the point where he wouldn't be able to activate Izanagi.
Danzo threw a few kunai at Ye Zi to stall him, then retreated further.
Ye Zi dodged the kunai and, seeing Danzo retreat, didn't overthink it, he simply pressed forward.
Without using ninjutsu, Ye Zi quickly forced Danzo back into close-quarters combat.
With the Lightning Release armor gone, Ye Zi's speed had decreased significantly, making it easier for Danzo to parry his attacks.
Izanagi required a cooldown period and couldn't be used consecutively. During this downtime, Danzo had to hold out as best he could.
After dying three times, Danzo realized he couldn't kill Ye Zi with his current abilities. His only option was to exhaust him.
Throwing weapons were ineffective. His kenjutsu was completely outmatched. Using ninjutsu drained too much chakra. If his chakra ran out before Ye Zi was defeated, he wouldn't be able to activate Izanagi again, leaving him truly vulnerable to death.
Clang! Clang!
Without the Lightning Release armor, Danzo faced far less pressure and managed to parry Ye Zi's attacks. The two exchanged blows, but as the fight wore on, Ye Zi gradually regained the upper hand.
This highlighted the difference in their swordsmanship and perhaps also reflected the toll that age and reduced combat experience had taken on Danzo.
In close combat, once caught by a master swordsman, escape was nearly impossible.
Danzo's fate was sealed once more as Ye Zi's blade pierced his heart. Activating Izanagi, Danzo vanished and reappeared, unharmed, before Ye Zi once again.
The fourth Sharingan closed.
"My chakra is almost depleted," Danzo muttered, his breathing uneven as he stared at Ye Zi.
Ye Zi was also panting heavily, his chest rising and falling, showing signs of physical exhaustion. However, years of high-intensity combat had conditioned him to persevere. Gritting his teeth, he charged at Danzo again.
Four more times. He needed to land four more fatal strikes to end this.
Seeing Ye Zi rush toward him, Danzo's expression grew tense. For the first time, he no longer felt in control of the situation.
During Izanagi's cooldown period, Danzo had to stop Ye Zi at all costs. With no other options, he continued using Wind Release techniques, burning through his chakra reserves in an effort to keep Ye Zi at bay.
Once again, Ye Zi forced his way through the Wind Release attacks, accumulating several more wounds but closing the distance to Danzo.
This time, Danzo was finally beginning to panic.
Ye Zi was like a relentless, starving wolf, and Danzo was his prey. No matter how thorny the path ahead, the wolf would stop at nothing to claim its target.
With Izanagi still on cooldown, if Ye Zi managed to land a fatal strike now, it would be over. Forced into a corner, Danzo could no longer worry about conserving chakra for Izanagi. He unleashed one Wind Release attack after another, desperately trying to keep Ye Zi at bay.
Sshk! Sshk!
Pushing forward relentlessly through the Wind Release attacks, Ye Zi gained several more wounds.
Sshk! Sshk!
With the second wave of Wind Release, even more wounds appeared on his body, yet his pace remained unbroken.
By now, Ye Zi bore 11 or 12 deep gashes from the Wind Release techniques, each one significant. His body was soaked in blood, with half of it drenched in crimson.
Yet another Vacuum Serial Waves was on its way.
Forcing through this third Wind Release would likely mean collapsing from the effort.
And yet, Ye Zi chose to push through once more. Lightning suddenly surged across his body, and a flash of electricity flickered in his eyes.
Demonstrating resilience in its purest form, Ye Zi's face remained grim as he used the effects of Lightning Release armor to cross through the Vacuum Serial Waves unharmed.
"Chakra..." Danzo's expression turned utterly grim, and a wave of intense danger engulfed him.
The cooldown for Izanagi hadn't yet ended, and even if it had, his current chakra reserves weren't sufficient to activate it again.
"Damn it, I've been pushed to this point by Ye Zi when I'm supposed to have the upper hand!" Danzo still couldn't comprehend how things had come to this.
Ye Zi advanced with his blade, arriving before Danzo, who braced himself and raised his sword in defense.
Clang!
From the very first clash, Danzo realized he was utterly defeated.
Ye Zi gave it his all, forcing Danzo's blade to the side. Then, with a deft slide along Danzo's blade, he raised his sword and plunged it directly into the center of Danzo's chest. It was a clean and decisive strike.
Danzo's eyes widened in unwillingness as blood spurted from his mouth, his hand gripping the sword slackening.
Without enough chakra to activate Izanagi again, the excruciating pain in his chest served as a relentless reminder of his impending death.
After delivering this fatal blow, Ye Zi withdrew his sword and calmly stepped back to maintain distance. He wasn't aware that Danzo lacked the chakra to activate Izanagi and that its cooldown period hadn't yet elapsed.
Danzo collapsed to one knee, one hand braced against the ground, gasping heavily for breath.
When Danzo didn't disappear like a mirage, Ye Zi's expression remained impassive, his cold gaze fixed on him.
"You… plan to use my corpse after your death, don't you?" Seeing Ye Zi cautiously keeping his distance, Danzo's eyes filled with despair.
"Are you referring to Edo Tensei?" Ye Zi's longsword remained poised for both offense and defense as he coldly watched Danzo, who could no longer rely on techniques to evade death.
Danzo didn't respond, only glaring at Ye Zi with hatred, his face growing ashen.
"Sorry, but your soul is the last thing I'd ever consider manipulating," Ye Zi said coldly.
"Ye Zi!" Danzo's eyes trembled as he mustered all his remaining strength to angrily shout Ye Zi's name. Then, he collapsed to the ground, his breathing growing faint.
Ye Zi maintained his distance. Even if Danzo had a technique for a mutual kill, he no longer had the chance to use it. That said, such a technique wouldn't have destroyed his own body.
Watching Danzo fall and his aura fade, Ye Zi still didn't lower his guard, observing coldly as the scene unfolded.
He wouldn't move until Danzo's aura was completely extinguished. This cautious attitude only deepened Danzo's despair in his final moments.
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Currently on Chapter 493 - Potential Obstacles