With a whoosh, a gust of sea breeze swept through, raising waves over half a meter high.
The white mist in the arena, sustained by Ao's chakra, quickly dissipated under the force of the wind.
Ao stood silently, staring at Terumi Mei without uttering a word.
In turn, she cautiously sized him up, trying to find a flaw in his demeanor.
Time ticked away, and the atmosphere between them grew increasingly tense.
The air around them felt almost solid, pressing down on the injured Ao and Uchiha Tetsuka, making it difficult for them to breathe.
With a whoosh, another gust of wind blew by.
Terumi Mei's hair was tousled by the wind, obstructing her line of sight.
Now's my chance!
Ao's thoughts raced as he unleashed the chakra gathering beneath his feet, propelling himself forward at an astonishing speed.
The sea beneath him abruptly caved in.
In an instant, he became a blur, appearing right in front of Terumi Mei.
Whoosh—
A flash of steel cut through the air.
Ao swung his long blade, infusing it with wind chakra, causing a layer of green light to shimmer along the edge.
An extremely sharp aura surged from the blade, aimed directly at Terumi Mei's slender neck.
So fast!
Seeing Ao suddenly appear in front of her, Terumi Mei was taken aback.
When she sensed the lethal energy radiating from Ao's blade, her expression changed drastically.
Instinctively, she wanted to dodge.
However, upon catching a glimpse of the severely injured Ao behind her, she quickly abandoned that thought.
She knew she could evade the attack, but it would undoubtedly spell disaster for the injured Ao.
That was something she absolutely could not allow.
Grimacing, she lifted her kunai, positioning it defensively in front of her.
Ao noticed this and smiled slightly, secretly exerting more force into his strike.
Clang—
The long blade and kunai clashed, producing a clear metallic ring.
Despite being underage and smaller in stature, Ao's explosive power far surpassed that of an average adult ninja, thanks to his 16 points in "Physique."
Additionally, the long blade allowed him to exert his strength more effectively than Terumi Mei could with her kunai.
Yet surprisingly, Terumi Mei did not budge an inch.
Ao narrowed his eyes, observing that her arm wielding the kunai appeared subtly more muscular, her muscles defined, clearly utilizing some kind of enhancing technique.
Moreover, the water beneath her feet was also significantly displaced.
It was evident she had managed to absorb a considerable amount of force into the sea.
Just this alone made Ao realize that her physical skills were certainly formidable.
Previously, when he fought her shadow clone, she had gone to great lengths to avoid close-quarters combat, seemingly lacking in physical prowess.
But now...
Ao shook his head internally.
There was no doubt that she had been concealing her true strength all along.
Or rather, her intel!
Ao could practically guarantee that her physical abilities were at least on par with an average jōnin who specialized in that area.
It made sense; as a potential future Kage, how could she afford such a glaring weakness?
Everything about her had been a facade.
As these thoughts flitted through his mind, Ao suddenly exerted his strength, pushing Terumi Mei back.
Indeed, her physical skills were not to be underestimated.
But Ao's physical skills—or rather, his swordsmanship—were also not something a typical jōnin could rival.
With renewed determination, Ao swung his long blade again, this time aiming directly at Terumi Mei.
She did not dare be careless, quickly preparing to defend herself.
Clang, clang, clang—
The sounds of kunai and blade clashing echoed through the air as Ao and Terumi Mei exchanged blows fiercely.
Unconsciously, the surrounding mist ninjas and Konoha ninjas reduced the intensity of their battles, each diverting a portion of their attention to the clash unfolding between the two.
They clearly understood that the outcome of this battle, which had a comparable number of fighters and power, would ultimately hinge on the performance of their respective leaders.
If Terumi Mei triumphed over Ao, the Konoha ninjas would undoubtedly retreat.
Conversely, if Ao emerged victorious, the mist ninjas would be forced to withdraw.
Clang, clang—
Five minutes passed swiftly.
The battle continued!
Just as everyone anticipated that this skirmish would prolong further, a sudden sound pierced through the air.
Slicing through flesh, the distinct sound of steel rang out, accompanied by a spatter of blood.
"Ugh—"
Terumi Mei emitted a muffled groan, abruptly creating distance between herself and Ao.
A fresh wound appeared on her right arm, a deep gash.
Glancing at the blood seeping from her forearm, she gritted her teeth against the fiery pain and fixed her gaze on Ao's long blade, muttering inwardly, What just happened?
Moments earlier, during their heated exchange, Ao had suddenly altered his strategy. His blade work shifted from the grandiose, powerful strikes at the beginning to a more sinister and elusive style.
This unexpected change left her feeling disoriented, and as a result...
She had been struck!
She had clearly seen Ao's blade coming, yet when she instinctively attempted to block, she realized that his attack had only just begun.
This momentary lapse forced her to halt her defense and reevaluate her response.
That brief pause created an opening in her guard.
Had she not reacted swiftly and adjusted in time, she might have ended up as badly injured as Ao.
Even so, the injury she sustained was no trivial matter.
If Ao continued to attack with such deceptive feints, no matter how quick her reflexes were, she would eventually expose herself to a more serious injury.
And was this truly swordsmanship or some form of genjutsu?
Without clarity on this matter, she could not form a targeted defense, and future complications would only escalate!
While Terumi Mei contemplated these issues, Ao, now at the edge of the battlefield, suddenly called out, "Watch for the blade's glint! He's using it to cast genjutsu on you, affecting your senses!"
Indeed, as the saying goes, "Those in the game are confused, while onlookers can see clearly."
Caught in the midst of the battle, Terumi Mei could not perceive Ao's Illusory Sword Technique, but Ao, observing from the sidelines, had discerned its intricacies through his Byakugan's meticulous chakra observation.
Moreover, he had just recently suffered a severe injury from Ao's technique.
Therefore, he quickly understood Terumi Mei's predicament and hastily offered his warning.
What he said was true; over the past week, thanks to the foundation laid by his lv7 (0/0) Swordsmanship, Ao's Illusory Sword Technique had progressed from lv4 (701/2000) to lv5 (1150/5000)!
While the typical C-rank skill reaches its full potential at lv5, though Illusory Sword Technique isn't a C-rank skill, lv5 is still a crucial milestone.
Having reached this level, Ao could now perform many more advanced techniques.
For instance, he could now employ the glimmer of his blade to cast genjutsu.
Indeed, Ao's Illusory Sword Technique could now be executed through the gleam of his blade during combat, significantly enhancing its stealthiness compared to before.
This was precisely why both Ao and Terumi Mei had fallen prey to it.
It wasn't that they lacked vigilance or skill; rather, Ao's methods were simply too refined.
Likewise, this Illusory Sword Technique was not something the opponent could easily avoid, even if they understood the principle behind it.
After all, during a battle, one couldn't afford to ignore the opponent's attacks and angles, could they?
Thus, Ao had ample opportunities to deploy his Illusory Sword Technique, and just now, it had merely been a trial of his skills.
Now, it was up to Terumi Mei to see if she could endure it.
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