Want to read ahead? Join my Patreon for just $7 to get early access to upcoming chapters!
> > Patreon.com/NegativeTranslations <<
----------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 48: The Ninja Fighting Style
Aokiji was punched face-first into the frozen swamp.
He lost consciousness instantly, lying spread-eagled on the shattered ice.
Tsunade, her fist still pressing Aokiji's head into the ground, slowly straightened up. She jumped off Aokiji's body, clenched her fist, and turned to look at Kizaru in the distance.
The Sannin silently watched Kizaru, the last enemy standing.
At this time, the people in the auditorium, as well as everyone watching from the two worlds, stood frozen.
The battle had shifted so suddenly; it was beyond everyone's expectations. Even the Yonko, Whitebeard and Big Mom, had no idea how it had happened.
That woman! When did she get into the sky?
A precise blow to the back of the head—obviously aimed to knock Aokiji unconscious.
That was an Admiral!
In the previous one-on-one battles, the Admirals had been evenly matched with the Sannin. Orochimaru and Aokiji had fought fiercely; Jiraiya and Kizaru were at a stalemate; Tsunade had suppressed Akainu, but only just.
If Akainu hadn't been knocked out of the field by a sudden burst of power, the battle wouldn't have become such a one-sided slaughter. The balance was broken, and the scales tipped violently.
A beam of light fell and enveloped Aokiji's body. The unconscious Admiral disappeared from the arena.
Orochimaru looked a little disappointed. "A pity! I planned to take some samples back for research."
Aokiji appeared in Marineford Plaza, joining Akainu. He looked even worse than his colleague.
Although angry, Akainu couldn't accuse Aokiji of anything. After all, if Akainu hadn't been eliminated first, Aokiji and Kizaru wouldn't have been in this situation.
Sengoku could only sigh silently. "When did that woman appear in the sky? Aokiji, didn't you even notice?"
The three Admirals were masters of Haki. Their Observation Haki should have sensed the enemy's movement. Yet, the enemy had appeared in the sky right under their noses, undetected.
This was too strange.
On the field, the 'Tsunade' standing in the distance suddenly disappeared into a cloud of white smoke.
Seeing this, Sengoku and the others were even more baffled. How can you conjure a person out of thin air?
Watching them, Yuichi smiled faintly.
It wasn't that the Admirals were weaker than the Sannin; the gap lay in cognition. It was an intelligence gap, compounded by wrong tactics. The Marines relied on self-defense and ignored the Light Curtain's advice to keep their distance, falling completely into the ninja's rhythm.
When strength is roughly equal, a lack of intelligence and poor tactics magnifies small gaps into gaping flaws.
"This is the ninja way of fighting." Yuichi's voice sounded.
Everyone in Marineford Square quieted down to listen.
Sengoku turned his head. "Yuichi, do you know how they beat Aokiji?"
Aokiji also looked at Yuichi suspiciously. Even he, who had experienced it personally, didn't understand.
Yuichi nodded. "I think I've guessed it."
Vice Admiral Crane became interested. She preferred intelligent people over brute strength. "Boy! Tell me."
Prompted by Crane, Yuichi began to explain.
"Ninjas seem to be experts at unconventional warfare. The flame used by the white-haired man (Jiraiya) competing with Aokiji's freezing ability—that had a specific purpose."
Aokiji blinked. "To create fog from the collision of fire and ice, blocking the line of sight?"
Yuichi nodded. "Correct."
"But the storm immediately blew away the fog," Aokiji argued. "The enemy didn't use the fog to do anything."
"Who said they didn't take advantage of it?" Yuichi smiled. "For that brief moment, it was enough time. As for the storm that blew away the mist... I think its real function wasn't just to clear the air, but to launch the blonde woman high into the sky, giving her massive acceleration for a strike powerful enough to knock you out."
Sengoku nodded slowly. That seemed plausible. But Aokiji should have been able to sense an attack from above.
Yuichi continued. "Then, the snakes released by the pale man (Orochimaru) immediately caught your attention. You blocked the attack, but the goal was achieved. You subconsciously saw 'Tsunade' standing on the other side of the field."
"Because you saw her there, you stopped looking for the real Tsunade, even if her aura felt a bit weird."
Aokiji recalled that moment. He had felt that the Tsunade on the ground seemed different, but the snake attack had distracted him. That Tsunade on the ground had been a clone or transformation.
"Finally," Yuichi said, "the white-haired man turned the ground into a swamp. I think everyone understands why now."
Sengoku took a sharp breath, his eyes trembling slightly. "To force Aokiji and Kizaru to focus on the ground and ignore the sky..."
Exactly. Jiraiya knew Aokiji could freeze the swamp. Why use a useless attack? To force Aokiji's attention downward.
Everything was a setup to help Tsunade land that one, decisive blow.
Under Yuichi's explanation, the Marines felt a chill in their hearts.
"What a terrifying enemy... Every step is calculated, designing traps within traps, just waiting for the prey to take the bait..."
Yuichi looked up at the light curtain.
"This is ninja. This is their fighting style."
.....
Support this fanfict by leaving a Review, Comments, and Power Stones.
For Advance Chapters:
> Patreon.com/NegativeTranslations