Naruto: Echoes of a Distant Home

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Rustle, rustle, rustle…

As if thousands of birds were chirping, the lightning around Ye Zi gradually thickened from the size of a thread to that of a little finger, raging and shooting through the air. After a moment, a faint burnt smell began to fill the atmosphere.

The stinging sensation all over his body made him frown slightly. He immediately realized that the lightning generated from his chakra was too powerful, even burning his cells and skin. He consciously attempted to reduce the output of his chakra. The lightning, once thick as a little finger, gradually returned to a thread-like form, still stimulating his cells without scorching them due to excessive energy.

The burnt smell in the air alerted Kyocho. Watching Ye Zi, whose entire body was wrapped in lightning threads similar to his own, Kyocho was filled with shock and astonishment.

The ability to stimulate cell division by transforming chakra into lightning to activate the body is not something everyone can master. Even among the cloud ninjas adept at Lightning Release, only a few can skillfully use this technique, with the Raikage of the Cloud Village being a notable example.

Yet, the young Leaf Village ninja before him, having only seen a rough template, managed to learn and apply it almost perfectly. This reality was too incredible for Kyocho, but the lingering burnt smell forced him to acknowledge it.

In a span of just ten breaths, Ye Zi had not only attempted and applied the technique but had also quickly corrected his mistakes to nearly perfect execution. It was terrifying.

Thinking of this, Kyocho's killing intent surged. Such a junior was too frightening and would certainly become a formidable enemy in the future. Now, however, it might be the only chance to kill him easily.

"Stimulating cell division can indeed improve speed, but it requires a massive amount of chakra. After all, he's just a kid ninja with a limited chakra supply. Even if my quick attacks can't kill him, as long as I suppress him and exhaust his chakra, he'll fall."

Kyocho thought silently, treating Ye Zi as a genuine opponent for the first time and becoming more serious in all aspects.

Unaware of how many Leaf ninjas might come to support, Kyocho knew he couldn't delay any longer. His figure flashed and appeared directly in front of Ye Zi, his short blade wrapped in lightning aimed straight at his face.

Ye Zi could see the blade and react, sidestepping the thrust.

Kyocho seemed to have anticipated he would dodge the thrust. The moment his attack missed, he turned the blade horizontally, aiming for his neck with a slicing motion.

Even before the blade reached, the fierce wind from it had already made contact with Ye Zi's neck.

Seeing the cold light in his peripheral vision, Ye Zi suddenly lowered his head, narrowly avoiding the blade aimed at his neck. He then moved his arm, directing his kunai toward Kyocho's wrist. Kyocho's gaze sharpened as he swiftly kicked Ye Zi's wrist away, then turned and used the momentum from his waist to slash diagonally at Ye Zi's side, as if intending to slice him in half from the shoulder.

The strike was powerful and forceful.

Quickly reacting, Ye Zi adjusted his posture, retracting his arm and precisely blocking the blade with his kunai. However, the immense force from the blade immediately caused pain in his wrist.

He frowned, realizing the difference between his kunai and the standard weapon. If he had a blade like Kyocho's, even if his swordplay was lacking, he could use his superior reflexes and body coordination to defend against an expert in blade techniques.

Despite managing to block Kyocho's attacks, the strain on his wrist was accumulating.

"Even if my body can keep up with the reaction, do I still not win against him?"

The fleeting unwillingness in his heart vanished. Ye Zi pushed Kyocho's blade away with force, but as Kyocho's short blade was repelled, it immediately returned with greater speed toward his face.

His expression changed. He stepped on the ground, leaned back, and took a quick step back.

Slish!

Blood splattered!

A deep wound appeared on his chest and abdomen.

Despite his timely reaction and evasion, he couldn't avoid this blade.

The smell of blood filled the silent night. Ye Zi, enduring the pain, staggered backward. This wound was enough to overwhelm him with the upcoming assault.

"How can I win? How can I win?"

His eyes were filled with madness as he focused on Kyocho and the bloodstained short blade. How could he win against an opponent who was overwhelming him in all aspects?

No, there was no chance of winning. The only advantage he could hope for… was to drag the opponent down with him.

"Is this the only way… is this the only way?"

A grim smile appeared on Ye Zi's lips, and the madness in his eyes grew more intense, accompanied by a strong unwillingness.

"I won."

Kyocho coldly watched the deep and long wound on Ye Zi's chest, slightly relieved. Then, his eyes trembled slightly as he realized he was momentarily relieved about a decisive attack against a mere child…

He lifted his head slightly, took a deep breath. He had never experienced such a moment, even after stepping over countless corpses with a short blade. For a fleeting instant, he felt a heart-pounding sensation, as if it were a hallucination.

"Regardless of anything, just kill him."

Kyocho paused for a moment, and the lightning on his body surged. The lightning threads on his short blade thickened.

Slish!

A faint sizzling sound echoed through the air.

Kyocho's figure instantly vanished, and the next second, he appeared in front of Ye Zi. This was the speed unleashed by his remaining chakra. He didn't believe that, in this state, Ye Zi could evade once more. However, he was unaware that Ye Zi had no intention of dodging this time.

The blue lightning illuminated the area as if it were daylight, deeply reflected in Ye Zi's mad eyes. The lightning-wrapped short blade easily pierced his left chest, where his heart was located.

The sensation of the blade effortlessly penetrating his body reached Kyocho's palm. Almost pressed against Ye Zi's body, Kyocho's lips curled into a cruel smile.

"Go to hell."

The cold whisper slowly reached Ye Zi's ears. His expression twisted slightly, and his lips trembled.

"You're the one going to hell…"

Slish!

The look of satisfaction on Kyocho's face suddenly froze. The pain from his heart caused a moment of fear and disbelief.

With no time to ponder the questions that flashed in his mind, he howled in agony and kicked Ye Zi with all his remaining strength.

Ye Zi was thrown backward. The blade piercing his body was pulled out, causing additional damage. The intense pain made him scream in mid-air. Even so, he never let go of the kunai sliding out of Kyocho's heart.

Bang!

Ye Zi's battered body crashed into a tree trunk, leaving a thick red blood stain as he slid down to the ground.

"You… how is this possible?!"

With all his strength draining away like a tide, Kyocho glanced at the blood pouring from his left chest. As darkness encroached on his vision, he saw Ye Zi, head bowed, leaning against the tree trunk, clutching the kunai.

"I actually… in a certain victory situation, was dragged to hell by a kid?"

His eyes filled with confusion before solidifying. His robust body hit the grass heavily, and the crimson blood quickly stained the green grass.

Ye Zi, head lowered, looked ahead and saw Kyocho's face filled with unwillingness and confusion before death. He couldn't help but smile silently.

"My heart isn't on the left side… I won."

Blood continued to pour from his wound. With such injuries, no matter how good his constitution, he wouldn't survive for long.

Although he won in the end, he too must face death.

Feeling his strength gradually fading and the weakness clinging to his limbs like a creeping parasite, he could almost distinctly sense the despair of his cells and the waning of his life force.

A deep sadness appeared on Ye Zi's face…

"I don't want to die, I can't die, I can't die…"

The approaching aura of death seemed to suffocate the air, making breathing more difficult.

A frantic will to survive filled his mind.

"I can't die, I can't die, I can't die…!"

Ye Zi slowly raised the blood-stained kunai and suddenly looked at his arm, eyes flashing with the only remaining hope.

Cut and swallow.

This was a primal instinct triggered by the encroaching death. This thought was the plank Ye Zi could rely on in his desperate situation.

Using his remaining strength, Ye Zi cut off a large piece of flesh, tremblingly brought his face close, and, without chewing, swallowed the chunk of flesh stuck to his arm. Then, he lost all his strength as darkness consumed him.

Minato, carrying Kushina, arrived just in time to see Ye Zi leaning against the tree trunk, his head suddenly tilting.

That movement struck their hearts instantly.

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