After Konan finished speaking, she soared into the air.
Her Explosive Tags were more suitable for long-range combat. There was no need to fight Ye Liang head-on!
Ye Liang's current state actually worked well for long-range attacks. Since he didn't want to reveal his identity, outwardly, he was just a wandering ninja specializing in ninja tools.
Still, long-range required some skill.
[Ninjutsu: Thousand Needles Rain!] Ye Liang clapped his hands together. The space midair rippled slightly, then countless tiny senbon needles shot toward Konan in the sky.
[Tatatat!]
The senbon met Konan's paper shuriken midair, and after colliding, they surprisingly ended up in a stalemate!
[Impossible!] Konan exclaimed in shock.
She naturally knew Ye Liang was a master of ninja tools, but she had confidence in surpassing him in ranged attacks, which was why she quickly increased the distance between them.
This result was unacceptable!
Damn it! I didn't expect your proficiency with ninja tools to reach this level. Well then, don't blame me for not holding back anymore! She decided not to hold herself back any longer.
With a wave of both hands, a massive volley of paper shuriken flew toward Ye Liang.
Beside them, Princess Shaw's eyes went wide too. She was genuinely surprised by Ye Liang's strength. Initially, she thought no one could match Konan in long-range attacks, yet Ye Liang had done just that!
Perhaps if we recruit him, we can win this competition! I just wonder what power lies behind this guy, Princess Shaw muttered.
Ye Liang stepped onto a nearby rock and leapt upward. He acknowledged Konan's strength, so he remained alert despite their standoff. After all, even this draw was embarrassing!
Damn it!
If I could use real ninjutsu, I'd have turned you into confetti by now! Grumbling, he launched himself into the air. His taijutsu was remarkable—within mere seconds of acceleration, he jumped more than ten meters!
Even without using body flicker technique, this distance was terrifying!
Konan was startled. Ye Liang moved too fast; she canceled the hand seals for her shuriken just in time and hurriedly tried to dodge his charge—but while airborne, several shuriken blocked every escape route.
[Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!]
Ye Liang shouted as he flew forward, maintaining a cool pose with his throwing arm extended.
It was an extremely effective maneuver for sealing off escape routes!
Sister Konan, that's the one! Heiluyi was defeated by this exact jutsu! Princess Shaw explained beside them.
Do I need you to explain things...?
Konan felt speechless. Seeing no way to evade, she gritted her teeth and made a bold decision—she charged straight at Ye Liang instead!
She's got guts, alright. That kind of head-on collision could wreck someone without serious strength—ribs cracked, insides bruised.
Is this woman trying to kill herself! Ye Liang hadn't expected such a choice. In this critical moment, he quickly twisted his body.
Midair, he executed a full 180-degree turn, narrowly avoiding Konan. Then, from behind, he grabbed her waist and spun downward with her in his arms!
Below, Shaw was completely stunned!
Pervert! You're making a move on me again?!
Konan landed on the ground, her face clearly flushed. The moment Ye Liang's hand rested on her waist, she felt a strange warmth coil around her skin, and her body suddenly flinched away in unexpected sensitivity!
Perhaps it was because the girl was inexperienced, or maybe the previous one wasn't good enough—whatever the reason, Konan looked unusually shy.
"Konan big sister, are you okay?" Princess Shaw quickly walked over. She pulled Konan behind her and looked at Ye Liang with an excited expression.
"You've got some real skills! I'm sold!"
"Approve? Approve of what?" Ye Liang asked confusedly.
"Of course your abilities! Tomorrow is the last day of the martial arts contest. I've decided to let you represent Daimyo's mansion in the competition. Just win first place, and you can pick any reward from our Daimyo's mansion!"
At this point, Princess Shaw blushed slightly. "However, you know that this martial arts contest was originally held to prevent me from falling into Butsuma Jiro's hands. Even if you gain an advantage, don't get any ideas about me—we're only getting married temporarily!"
After finishing her words, Princess Shaw began checking Konan's injuries again.
Ye Liang blinked in mild confusion.
"What the heck?" He didn't feel like thinking too hard about it. Still, tagging along might give him a shot to get closer to Konan. Not a bad deal after all.
Ye Liang started thinking.
He moved forward with concern, gently pushing aside Shaw who was blocking his way, and checked Konan's injuries.
"Are you okay? If you're hurt, I'll feel terrible."
"Huh?"
Konan was completely confused.
What was going on? Had this pervert suddenly changed his personality?
Instinctively, she hid behind Shaw. Her usually strong personality now showed a hint of shyness. Maybe it was because Ye Liang was so handsome, or perhaps it was because Ye Liang had just saved her. Anyway, Konan was somewhat flustered right now!
Seeing her big sister hiding behind her strangely, Shaw Naizi sighed with exasperation, muttering, "Girls can be so high-maintenance."
"Yeah!" Ye Liang also nodded in agreement.
After leaving the Daimyo's mansion, Ye Liang followed behind Konan, remembering his promise to protect her for Shaw Naizi.
He didn't exactly know what benefits following her would bring, but he might be able to track down other Akatsuki members.
"Oh right? You said your name is Ye Liang, and I know someone else named Ye Liang too. He's from Konoha. Do you know him?" Konan suddenly asked.
He snapped to attention instantly!
When he heard Konan mention his name, he thought he'd been discovered. However, seeing Konan's completely relaxed posture, he realized he'd worried for nothing.
"What Ye Liang? I don't know anyone named Ye Liang who's handsome, charismatic, as charming as a bold blossom among refined blossoms, and even a little bit cute looking!"
He kept rambling endlessly, and Konan's expression gradually turned suspicious: "Why do I feel like you guys must know each other..."
"Eh, you're talking nonsense."
The two of them finally arrived at an inn.
Konan was supposed to stay with Ye Liang tonight.
Under the guise of protecting Ye Liang—though in reality, it was more like keeping an eye on him—they both walked inside.
"By the way, I see you're just a delicate young lady, yet you're always showing up in public. You don't have anyone with you? Traveling alone must be pretty dangerous," Ye Liang suddenly asked.
He feigned nonchalance as he walked up to the counter to pay his bill, all while taking out the ninja tools from his pocket and counting them, pretending it was just a casual remark.
"Companions?"
"There were some before, but we ran into a tough opponent a few days ago and got separated. Now those idiots probably don't even know where they're hiding."
"Got separated?"
Ye Liang smiled helplessly.
It seemed Konan was still lying to him. When she left, she had taken Nagato with her. Even if she hadn't reunited with the others, she couldn't possibly have left without Nagato!
"Looks like she's still keeping her guard up around me!"
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