Life's encounters vary, but the most interesting is when two parties are enemies one second and comrades in the same foxhole the next.
Inoyue had only seen such encounters in movies and TV shows in her previous life. In this life, she didn't expect to experience it herself. But it was fine; she didn't dislike Karura.
As the saying goes, 'Fear not a god-like enemy, but a pig-like teammate.' Now, the enemy before her considers himself a god, and her teammate is definitely not pig-like; at the very least, she's a lioness.
"Then I'll go first, Sister Rura!" Inoyue chuckled. With her Mind's Eye balancing Asakura Myojin's Yin-Yang Release, Inoyue instantly felt full of confidence, changing her address from Karura to Sister Rura.
"Ah, ah..!" Inoyue's address caught Karura off guard, but then she fully relaxed: "Go! Be careful; defense and cover are on me."
"OK!" Inoyue was in high spirits, making an OK gesture, and charged out with her kunai. This was the first time since she came to the Hokage world that she faced a strong enemy, directly charging forward with her kunai, without hesitation.
"Bai Lu, use exploding tags and kunai to interfere with him as the situation dictates." Karura crouched low, constantly watching Inoyue who had charged out, and at the same time assigned Bai Lu's task.
Three women make a play; three women united in purpose are more than just a play—they can freely craft this play and make it unfold according to their ideas.
...
"This is nothing at all?"
"It's just a Kakuzu! You can kill him in minutes, what does that prove?"
"Besides, this life of mine is a bonus anyway, so what if I die?"
"I don't want to repeat the cowardly act of suicide from last time. No matter what happens, I will bear it. If I can't, then I'll just die."
"Suicide, truly idiotic!"
"Being idiotic once is enough; there's no need for a second time. Even if you are the true god of this world, so what?"
"If you want me to die, you'll have to break a few teeth."
Inoyue kept muttering to herself, that feeling of being suppressed and utterly frustrated, now under her constant murmuring, actually gave her a sense of throwing caution to the wind.
What's there to be afraid of! Kill him! The barefoot aren't afraid of the shoed. Inoyue's ruthlessness surged, and her speed increased by another third.
...
There are many types of people. One type directly collapses under pressure, like an ostrich encountering a wolf, burying its head in the sand, thinking that if it can't see, it's safe.
Then there's another type of person. When they are pushed to the brink, their ferocity and grit are unleashed. Perhaps they still can't beat you, but they might make you remember them for a lifetime.
Coincidentally, Inoyue is the latter type; she's the kind of person who dares to fight for her life when pushed into a corner.
And at such times, a person's potential is maximized. Whether it's agility in movement, perception of danger, or prediction of actions, all these basic abilities can achieve astonishing improvements.
Dynamic vision, a similar ability that only the Sharingan possesses, Inoyue now had it, having broken through her body's potential limits.
Sharp senses, seeing one thing and inferring three, being able to accurately judge the opponent's actions and intentions, like the 'brain burst' state of Newtypes in Gundam anime.
Originally, in high-speed motion, some movements were disjointed and uncoordinated after reaching extreme speeds. But now, it was as if she had practiced the moves a thousand times, feeling incredibly smooth.
The basic abilities of an Elite Jonin should be able to reach this stage, so abilities like dynamic vision are not exclusive to the Sharingan. Ordinary people can also reach this level through gradual training and the excitation of combat, though the difficulty is increased by countless levels.
...
Inoyue's attack was sharp and direct, using pure Taijutsu to fight.
She didn't know many Ninjutsu, and Genjutsu was predominantly mental. You wouldn't ask her to use mentally-dominated Genjutsu to fight an Onmyōji whose mental strength was absurdly powerful.
Isn't that just seeking death?
The Mind's Eye was a counter to Asakura Myojin's Yin-Yang Release, so fighting with the Mind's Eye activated gave her a huge advantage.
Inoyue wasn't stupid; she could still analyze that much. Karura also observed this point, which is why she assisted Inoyue in her attack.
Two soft 'thwack' sounds, the feeling of kunai penetrating flesh. Inoyue, holding kunai in both hands, continuously slashed Asakura Myojin's left leg twice.
Some blood splattered in the air, but it was Inoyue's own?
She clearly stabbed Asakura Myojin, so why was she injured and bleeding herself?
Inoyue was stunned because after hitting Asakura Myojin, a wound appeared on the same part of her own body, and it was bleeding.
Asakura Myojin was injured and retreated in a straight line. Inoyue stood rooted, momentarily not pursuing due to her confusion.
"Five-pointed star, celestial star, lock!" Asakura Myojin drew a five-pointed star in the air with his right hand.
As the incantation was uttered, identical five-pointed stars immediately appeared above Inoyue's head and on the ground where she stood. There seemed to be some inexplicable energy pulling between the two stars.
"Not good!" Karura exclaimed inwardly. With a wave of her right hand, a wave of sand surged from the ground, pulling the standing Inoyue backward.
Inoyue was pulled down by the sand wave, and although she moved, at least half of her body was still within the upper and lower five-pointed stars.
However, at this moment, the upper and lower five-pointed stars rapidly merged, and a loud "bang!" like the sound of an exploding tag, echoed out.
...
Inoyue was fine, but her momentary daze almost cost her her life.
If not for Karura's sand wave pulling her and the sand-formed fist striking her directly, knocking her out of the five-pointed star's covered range. If not for that, Inoyue might now be reduced to dust, like the sand particles crushed by the five-pointed stars.
The sand wave carried Inoyue to Karura's side.
Karura looked at Inoyue, who hadn't fully recovered, and asked with concern: "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine!" Inoyue replied calmly, but her face showed no sign of being fine.
"What's wrong with you?" Karura sensed that something was amiss.
"A slight injury to my left leg, it doesn't affect my movement." Inoyue answered indifferently, and it was clear she was thinking about something else.
Inoyue was in close combat with Asakura Myojin, so Bai Lu didn't dare to use powerful exploding tags to avoid friendly fire. Therefore, her support was very limited. Seeing Inoyue injured, she naturally quickly came over to provide medical treatment.
...
Inoyue was injured, very suddenly. This made Karura and Bai Lu somewhat disbelieving, because what they saw was Inoyue successfully attacking; she shouldn't have been injured.
But now, she was injured, and it was in the exact same spot where she had attacked Asakura Myojin.
Things were somewhat unexpected. Wounds could indeed be seen on Asakura Myojin's body, but there was no bleeding. And his movements didn't seem to be affected at all.
It seems the Yin-Yang Release of an Onmyōji is indeed a strangely mysterious existence.