Attacks targeting acupoints are extremely precise. The slightest deviation can greatly reduce their power or even render them ineffective.
After seeing the changes in Diavolo's palm, Yūki realized what this guy had just done.
Clearly, when Yūki used the "Eight Trigrams Four Palms" to strike the four death points on Diavolo's head and neck, Diavolo had swiftly switched between his internal and external personalities, replacing his own body with that of the other personality, "Tobio"!
Because this change happened in the blink of an eye, Yūki hadn't noticed whether the one being struck was Diavolo or Tobio. But the former and the latter had different body structures. In other words, the acupoint attacks meant for Diavolo's body had no effect on Tobio's body!
Is this guy a natural counter to the Gentle Fist? He really is.
Looking at Diavolo's sinister grin, Yūki felt he was rather unlucky to encounter such a troublesome opponent right after going out.
Individuals with split personalities switch their bodies when alternating between personalities, which also causes changes in their acupoints. This was undoubtedly the most difficult opponent for the current Yūki, as his Gentle Fist couldn't inflict substantial damage.
"Tch... your turn is over. Now it's my turn."
"No, we're not playing Pokémon; there are no turns—"
A-rank rogue ninja Diavolo activated "High-Speed Movement"!
A-rank rogue ninja Diavolo threw "Poisoned Shuriken"!
A-rank rogue ninja Diavolo used "Crimson Mist"!
Before Yūki could finish his complaint, Diavolo's vigorous body vanished from sight, followed by three shuriken glowing with a green sheen and a burst of blood-red mist that exploded like a bomb!
Hey! Didn't you say it's your turn? How come there are three moves in a row!
Instantly, Yūki rolled to the side at high speed, picked up a piece of wood from the ground, and threw it in the direction the shuriken were coming from!
You see, Yūki currently had no way to dodge a professional's shuriken with his dynamic vision alone, so he could only rely on such unorthodox methods.
Thud! Thud! Thud! With three dull sounds, the flying wooden board was directly knocked aside by the shuriken's force. But at that moment, an intense murderous aura suddenly erupted beside Yūki!
That Diavolo guy is here!
Sensing the murderous intent, Yūki quickly turned to face that direction, ready to meet the enemy's attack.
Whoosh! But at that moment, "Princess Kaguya" heard an extremely faint sound coming from a direction different from the murderous aura!
For safety, Yūki usually kept "Princess Kaguya" floating about half a meter behind him. His senses were connected with "Princess Kaguya," meaning something had appeared behind him!
What the hell! Damn, it's too late to defend!
The thing that appeared from behind was too fast. Before Yūki's body could react, a sharp, knife-like force had already pierced through from behind!
Thump! Struck by this force, Yūki felt as if his internal organs had been twisted into a ball. His entire body flew forward involuntarily, and he coughed up a large mouthful of blood mid-air!
Ugh! As he was about to hit the wall, Yūki hurriedly dragged his left hand against it, trying to reduce the impact as much as possible, then collided with the wall and fell.
Seriously injured. There was no doubt that Diavolo's strength far surpassed Hyūga Yūki's, hence the latter's tragic outcome from a direct hit.
But even so, Diavolo couldn't help but let out a "Huh?" as if he found the earlier scene somewhat strange.
No, what's going on? That blow just now didn't pierce through him? And it didn't feel like hitting flesh and blood.
Diavolo's hobby was chest-piercing, so his hands were honed sharper than blades, and his chakra far exceeded Yūki's. No matter what, that blow should have resulted in an exit wound through the chest.
But in reality, although Yūki took the heavy blow, he only vomited a mouthful of blood and wasn't pierced to death as Diavolo had imagined.
Hey, hey, this guy... What did he do just now? Why did his real body come from a completely different direction than the murderous aura?
Although Diavolo was puzzled, Yūki was also deeply confused. Beside him, the petite figure of "Princess Kaguya" floated weakly in the air, half of her originally floor-length long hair severed.
That's right—the reason Yūki survived that blow was largely due to the defensive capabilities of "Princess Kaguya."
Unlike the main body, which focused on the front, "Kaguya's" reaction and movement speeds were much faster. She had almost immediately prepared to defend the moment Diavolo thrust his right hand.
Her long white hair, reaching the ground, overlapped like a cocoon, and then she drew upon the royal lineage's chakra to reinforce these strands, forming a relatively sturdy shield.
Of course, "sturdy" was only relative to Yūki's flesh and blood. Under Diavolo's offensive, the shield was directly pierced, and the one who ultimately took the hit was the already materialized "Kaguya," not the main body.
But even so, when the Stand was injured, the user suffered the same damage. Thus, Yūki was also seriously wounded by that blow.
"You brat, what did you do just now?"
"Is this blood mist your ultimate technique?"
Just as Diavolo was about to speak, Yūki calmly observed the faint, drifting blood mist in the alley.
Although it didn't fill the air densely like Zabuza's "Hidden Mist Technique," this faint blood mist still obstructed vision to some extent. But clearly, that wasn't Diavolo's main purpose.
"Just now, I sensed murderous intent in a direction completely different from your real body, which made me misjudge your position. That murderous aura must have been released by this blood mist."
Yūki's perception was very sharp. Although his eyes couldn't keep up with Diavolo's speed, he could clearly locate his opponent through the direction of the murderous intent.
However, the presence of this blood mist turned his keen perception into a liability. After all, defending in the wrong direction during battle was simply asking for death, right?
"Hmph, so what if you figured it out? Can you block the next strike?"
With Diavolo's cold words, his figure vanished into the blood mist like a ghost.
So, this guy is a rogue ninja from Kirigakure? Such a skilled and bloody Water Release assassination technique is truly terrifying! This is really troublesome.
After Diavolo disappeared, Yūki felt as if a blade were hanging over his head, ready to fall at any moment. One misstep, and he'd be cleaved in two.
What to do? I can't see his shadow, and my dynamic vision can't keep up with his speed. If I rely solely on sensing murderous intent, I'll be misled by the 'blood mist.' Can I really block the next attack?
To prevent a back attack, Yūki quickly pressed his back against the wall, eliminating the risk of a 180-degree assault from behind.
The 90-degree angle in front could be defended with his eyes, and "Kaguya" was tasked with watching the area above his head.
Although leaning against the wall reduced the risk of a back attack, the downside was it limited his dodging space. It would be fine if he could block the opponent's attacks, but if he couldn't, he'd die on the spot.
Damn it! I have to see his movements clearly, or I'll die! This is no joke!
At this critical life-and-death moment, Yūki focused all his attention on his eyes. His cataract-like pupils stared straight ahead, alert to any possible attack.
But then, Yūki noticed something very strange: the scene before him suddenly began to flow in extremely slow motion.