The "Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm" is a special long-range physical technique derived from the Hyūga clan's Byakugan-related abilities. It uses the form of a palm thrust to release high-density chakra shockwaves through the air to attack distant targets.
Now that Yuki had practiced the "Gentle Fist" quite proficiently, he could naturally use this kind of long-range attack—something Yin Snake and Ghost Face had not anticipated at all.
Whoosh!
Before Yin Snake could even process the shock of how easily this kid had resolved their assault, an even more terrifying scene unfolded.
The few crossbow bolts he had secretly shot from his mechanism first inexplicably halted in mid-air, then shot back towards him at an even greater speed.
What the hell?!
Seemingly stunned by this inexplicable phenomenon, Yin Snake only realized what he should do when the crossbow bolts were almost upon him.
He had applied the poison on the bolts himself. While it couldn't be said to be instantly lethal, being hit would certainly take half a life. On the battlefield, it would be a guaranteed kill.
I have to dodge! I can dodge this! Why do they seem to be homing in?!
However, just as Yin Snake tried to twist sideways to evade, his body inexplicably lurched forward, as if pushed from behind, actively meeting the incoming projectiles.
"Eeeeeeeek—!!!!!"
A piercing scream followed as the three crossbow bolts embedded themselves into Yin Snake's forehead, chest, and thigh. Yet, compared to the physical pain, the sheer horror of being manipulated without understanding how was the true root of his terror.
Of course, Yin Snake was completely blind to the cause. He couldn't see "Princess Kaguya," who, not far away, had wrapped her hair around the bolts, thrown them back, then flown behind him at incredible speed and shoved him forward.
Frankly, with "Princess Kaguya" being completely invisible, the scene truly resembled something from a ghost story—at least for Yin Snake.
As Yin Snake collapsed to the ground, wounded and poisoned, Ghost Face, hiding tens of meters away, also encountered the greatest crisis of his life.
"Damn it, the first shot got deflected. I have to hurry and prepare the next one."
After realizing his first "Corrosive Poison Spear" had been countered by the "Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm," Ghost Face couldn't help but complain and then began to inhale sharply.
Upon closer look, Ghost Face's body was tethered to a large tree with numerous hooks and locks—a necessary measure to prevent himself from being blasted away by the recoil of the "Corrosive Poison Spear."
Unlike other ninja, Ghost Face possessed lung capacity dozens of times greater than an ordinary human's. Supported by this immense volume, the amount of air he could inhale in one breath was naturally enormous. Combined with a chakra-infused exhalation, this resulted in the terrifying power of the "Corrosive Poison Spear."
"Hey man, need some help?"
"Hff-hff—N-No need! I-I-I can handle it m-myself!"
Due to the strenuous inhalation process, Ghost Face's speech was disjointed, but he still managed a "manly" gesture towards the "companion" who had suddenly appeared behind him.
...Hey, wait a minute. Companion? Where would I have another companion?
The moment he made the gesture, Ghost Face remembered: one of his three companions was still in the village, one was lying not far away (Yin Snake), one had already been sent for reincarnation (the monk)... so who was the one behind him?
"Ooooh! Ooooh!"
When Ghost Face quickly turned his head to see the figure behind him, the expression on his face cycled from white to red, then from red to green, his eyes filled with unmistakable fear.
"You're welcome." Seeing the look on Ghost Face's... well, face, Yuki—who had just used "Princess Kaguya" to deal with Yin Snake—flashed a friendly smile. Then, he slammed his palm squarely onto the man's bulging, ten-months-pregnant-looking belly.
Many people have probably done this silly thing as children: popping an air-filled balloon with a needle and watching it fly chaotically around the room like a headless chicken.
At this moment, Ghost Face had stored air in his stomach dozens of times beyond the normal human breathing limit. In this state, a sudden slap to his belly naturally resulted in...
Pffft! Pssssssssssssshhhhhhhhh—!!!!!!
Right before Yuki's eyes, Ghost Face performed a unique "human balloon" act. A massive amount of air was violently compressed and expelled from his belly, causing his mouth to temporarily become the jet nozzle of a supersonic aircraft. The resulting blast of air propelled his entire body flying backward, upside down.
Logically, Ghost Face, tethered by hooks, shouldn't have flown away like this. But Yuki had been "kind" enough to break all the hooks with his palm strike. So...
"Yo, he flew quite far."
A minute later, Yuki finally located the ace pilot using the wide field of view granted by the "Byakugan." By now, Ghost Face had already turned pale and lay fallen on the ground. There was obvious blood at the back of his head; it seemed he had only one breath left.
Unlucky guy. Did your head hit a hard tree while flying upside down? This isn't me trying to kill you; it's a traffic accident you caused yourself. Remember to get your driver's license before going out in your next life.
Shaking his head at the clearly doomed Ghost Face, Yuki returned to the clearing in front of the herb garden, where Yin Snake's body was writhing grotesquely on the ground.
"Is Ghost Face finished too? It seems... we've completely lost this time."
Looking at Yuki slowly approaching him, that not-particularly-burly frame loomed impossibly large in Yin Snake's eyes, forcing a bitter smile from him.
What does this mean? I've practiced ninjutsu for so many years, yet in the end, I can't even beat a twelve-or-thirteen-year-old kid. It's really not a funny joke.
In the last moments of his life, Yin Snake's eyes couldn't help but fill with despair. He wasn't from a famous clan; his parents were just ordinary people. The Grass Ninja Village he was born in was merely a third-rate ninja village with standard cannon-fodder disposition.
No Kekkei Genkai, no unique secret techniques, no outstanding teachers. Nothing. Just a heart full of passion that hadn't yet cooled.
But even so, since getting the chance to enter the Ninja Academy at a young age, Yin Snake had always worked harder, harder, and harder than his peers. He believed that as long as he worked hard enough, he would one day be able to declare proudly to the world, "I am not a nameless pawn."
But all that was over. Feeling the weakness spreading through his body, Yin Snake knew his life was about to fade to black.
"Hey, if you don't mind, how about making a deal with me? I'll let you live."
But at that moment, Yuki walked up, sat down beside him, and spoke with a smile.
"Hmph, if you want me to help you deal with the teacher, save your breath. No matter what, I am from the Grass Ninja Village. I will never betray my companions."
As if anticipating what this Hyūga boy wanted to say, Yin Snake snorted coldly, lowered his head, and prepared to welcome death.
"No, no. I can deal with that Jōnin myself. Actually, I plan to ask you to be an undercover agent for me—a mole, a traitor—and gather some information on the side. It's as simple as that."
Traitor. For a ninja, this was perhaps the most dishonorable title. It meant you could no longer walk openly in the world and had to bear the cross of betrayal every moment.
"I just said, I will never help you deal with my own—"
"Don't worry just yet. I'm not telling you to go back to the Grass Ninja Village as a mole. If it's a different ninja village, that's completely different from betraying your companions."
At this, Yin Snake couldn't help but freeze. This was the first time he'd heard such a strange request, but he soon seemed to grasp something.
"You... are you planning to send me into Konoha to help you secretly?"
"Konoha? No, no. You can't get in there, and it wouldn't be useful if you did. Actually, the place I want you to go is a small, emerging ninja village called... the Otogakure (Hidden Sound Village)."
When he uttered the last three words, a strange light flickered in Yuki's eyes.
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(˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶) ‹ (TL : Advanced Chapters @patreon.com/c/Gooberilla)