Chapter 168: The Art of Clones (Part 2)
Facing a life-and-death crisis, Ebisu could only put up a symbolic defense, utterly helpless against the wielder of the twin swords, Hiramekarei.
Ebisu's companions, Guy and Genma Shiranui, were so outmatched that they could only watch as Ebisu was about to meet his end at the hands of the twin sword user.
But in less than a second, just as the twin sword wielder was about to claim Ebisu's life...
Suddenly!
A dazzling and sharp wind blade sliced through the air. In Ebisu's widened eyes, the head of the twin sword wielder fell with a thud, accompanied by warm blood splattering onto the ground!
Silence!
In an instant, there was not a sound to be heard!
Especially when that familiar figure appeared, standing proudly in front of Ebisu at the moment the twin sword wielder died. Guy, Genma and Ebisu, who had just been facing a life-and-death crisis, were so overjoyed that they lost the ability to speak!
Because at this moment, the person standing in front of Ebisu was Koshino, who everyone thought was dead!
"Ebisu, I'm really sorry."
"I had to scare you to kill this guy just now!"
Koshino, who was supposed to be dead, appeared with a calm and confident voice echoing in Ebisu's ears. All Ebisu could do was nod vigorously and grin foolishly, not knowing how to thank Koshino enough.
If it weren't for Koshino, even without thinking, Ebisu knew what fate awaited him, Guy and Genma.
So, seeing the twin sword wielder dead before him, how could Ebisu blame Koshino? He couldn't thank Koshino enough, let alone blame him!
On the other hand, Fuguki, Akebino, Jinpachi, and Raiga were filled with panic as they stared at Koshino's frail figure.
What on earth was going on? Wasn't that Konoha Anbu brat supposed to be dead? How did he come back to life?
And why did that kid's remaining half body disappear just now? As the four members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist were filled with confusion, their eyes stayed on Koshino. Especially feeling the strong confidence emanating from Koshino, the battle-hardened members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy.
After all, Kushimaru and the twin sword wielder both died at Koshino's hands! Two whole members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist had fallen to this small Konoha Anbu!
But just as the four members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen were feeling the pressure from Koshino's aura, which overshadowed their own, suddenly, the sound of clapping echoed around Koshino, Guy, and the others!
When Guy, Fuguki, and the others looked around, they suddenly realized that the one clapping was none other than Jūzō!
"That kid with the codename 'Shadow,' if I wasn't mistaken just now..."
"The half body you left behind should have turned back into your shadow and returned to your feet, right?"
"Could that technique be a special clone jutsu from the Nara Clan?"
As the applause faded, Jūzō's voice echoed through the forest, leaving Guy, Fuguki, and the others even more shocked!
Was it really just a clone jutsu that allowed Koshino to toy with the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist?
Was it really just a clone that allowed Koshino to fight Kushimaru for so long, even severing his arm and cutting his tendons?
Juzo's words fell into the ears of Guy, Genma, and Ebisu, giving them a completely different feeling.
To Guy, Genma and Ebisu, Koshino's ability to use a clone jutsu to toy with the Seven Ninja Swordsmen was a terrifying display of power.
After all, Guy, Genma and Ebisu couldn't even put up a fight against the Seven Ninja Swordsmen!
On the other hand, Fuguki, Akebino, Jinpachi, and Raiga, upon hearing Jūzō's words, suddenly felt a sense of realization.
Almost at the moment when Zabuza Momochi exposed Koshino's "immortality" trick, the mindset of the others, like Fuguki , shifted, causing the advantage Koshino had painstakingly built to vanish instantly.
Even Koshino himself, listening to Zabuza's comments, couldn't help but think to himself:
"It seems that among the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, Zabuza understands me the best!"
"The unique mystery of the Shadow Clone Technique might not be a secret anymore!"
With this thought in mind, a wry smile appeared on Koshino's face, hidden under his Anbu mask.
However, when he saw the body of Kushimaru, the wielder of the Twin Blades, lying before him, the wry smile on Koshino's lips disappeared.
Because using the cleverness of the Shadow Clone Technique to exchange for the death of Kushimaru, the Twin Blades user, seemed like a very worthwhile trade to Koshino!
Now, speaking of the cleverness of the Shadow Clone Technique.
The time must be traced back to when Koshino came to rescue Guy and the other two! Guy, Genma and Ebisu went to chase Kushimaru. Knowing that Kushimaru had the title "Ruthless" and was a member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, Koshino knew he must have some hidden tricks.
At that time, Koshino never imagined that Kushimaru's real trump card was the gathering of all the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist.
So, when Koshino caught up with Guy and the others to confront Kushimaru, to avoid his trump card, Koshino used the Shadow Clone Technique!
Immediately, Koshino directed his shadow clone to engage with Kushimaru, gradually gaining control of the situation until he finally killed the Twin Blades user, at which point Koshino's true body revealed itself.
But why could Koshino's shadow clone last so long and use many of Koshino's secret techniques, even the Gale Style secret techniques, several times?
The ability of the shadow clone to perform many of the secret techniques that Koshino's true body could do was due to Koshino's mental energy reaching a half-step "qualitative" change!
When Koshino's mental energy achieved the half-step "qualitative" change, his strength took a leap forward. The breakthrough in the second stage of the wind chakra nature transformation allowed Koshino to create the Gale Style secret techniques, bringing him just a half-step away from entering the ranks of Shadow-Level.
However, the half-step "qualitative" change in mental energy didn't just allow Koshino to create the Gale Style secret techniques.
For instance, the Shadow Stitching Technique that severely injured Kushimaru, the Twin Blades user, wasn't that also a mutation that occurred under the half-step "qualitative" change in mental energy?
As Koshino gradually explored the benefits of the half-step "qualitative" change in mental energy, he realized it also brought certain changes to the Shadow Clone Technique. This change made the Shadow Clone Technique, mastered by Koshino, the second S-rank secret technique of the Nara Clan he mastered after the Shadow World Descent!
The change was that when Koshino used the Shadow Clone Technique, besides consuming a certain amount of chakra to use the technique, the shadow clone created didn't consume Koshino's chakra when using any secret techniques he mastered, but rather the chakra of the shadow clone itself!
Moreover, as long as there was still chakra within the shadow clone, the shadow clone created by Koshino was essentially immortal!
So, even when Zabuza decapitated Koshino's shadow clone, Koshino could still control the shadow clone to use the Shadow Clone Technique, turning the severed head into multiple shadow clones to launch an explosive tag attack.
Thus, when Koshino appeared before Zabuza and the others, aside from the chakra consumed by using the Shadow Clone Technique, he was almost at his peak condition!
However!
Even though Koshino, aside from using the Shadow Clone Technique, hadn't consumed much and was still at peak combat power, Zabuza and the others had each expended some energy under Koshino's control of the shadow clone.
But the disappearance of Koshino's shadow clone meant he lost a trump card!
Especially when facing Zabuza, Fuguki, Jinpachi, Akebino, and Raiga, a total of five members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, Koshino knew the moment he appeared that he was about to face another fierce battle!
Either the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist would continue to lose members, or he, Nara Koshino, would face death in this fierce battle!
"Next target..."
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