So fast!His speed had actually increased again. Watching Killer Bee draw near, the female Iwagakure shinobi's pupils shrank. She hurriedly gave up forming hand signs and quickly pulled out a kunai to block his attack.
"Ding!"A sharp clang echoed once more.
Damn brat!Even without using ninjutsu, I can still take you out. You want to fight me in close quarters with your level of experience? You're just wasting my time.
With a wave of her hand, the kunai darted like a serpent, striking out from a tricky angle toward Killer Bee.
Killer Bee's eyes narrowed. He thought to himself,"As expected of a jōnin who survived the battlefield… what a strange attack."
The moment he raised his blade to block, the kunai suddenly twisted direction at high speed, thrusting toward his chest.
"Pshh!"
A spray of scarlet blood splattered from Killer Bee's chest. Yet, he remained expressionless as he raised his blade again and charged forward.
Perhaps because this was his first real battle, even though he was injured, he stayed incredibly calm, his eyes locked firmly on the enemy. Not even a blink when wounded.
"Ding, ding…"
The battle raged on. The two figures constantly shifted positions through the forest.
Despite being under pressure, Killer Bee felt his blood boiling with excitement. More than that, even his eyes were filled with thrill.Even though he was clearly on the losing end, he could feel it—his battle instincts and reflexes were rapidly adapting to the enemy's tempo.
Time flew. Whether due to being a sensory-type ninja, or simply because she was a woman, the female ninja was already breathing heavily before even half an hour had passed.
Of course, Killer Bee was no different. In fact, if not for his monstrous constitution, his five-year-old body would've collapsed already from the intensity of the prolonged battle.
It was only then that Killer Bee truly realized—The stamina drain in battle is several times faster than during regular training.Back when he used to run for hours, he never got this tired!
"He's insane. Didn't even land a hit on me from start to finish, and he still looks so excited," the female ninja thought warily.
"A madman?"That's actually a fitting title. Killer Bee grinned and said,"Yeah, it's true. I haven't hit you once since we started, and I've taken a lot of cuts. But haven't you… noticed yet?"
"Ding!"The female ninja blocked his attack again, sneering,"Notice what? I already told you—there's no way you'll ever hit—"
Before the word "me" could leave her lips—
"Pshh!"
A thin line of blood suddenly trickled from her cheek.
"Well, what do you know? Got you, didn't I? Even if I started with no experience, fighting you gave me plenty." Killer Bee chuckled.
"My… face?"Feeling the sting from her cheek, the female ninja froze.She couldn't believe it. She had been hit. And in a direct confrontation, no less.
Only then did she realize—his attacks, which were clumsy at first, had become smooth and natural.
Touching her face, she suddenly wore a twisted expression."You little brat… die!!"
"Body Flicker Technique!"
Reading her intent, Killer Bee instantly vanished from his original spot. Not even a second later, she landed where he had just stood.
So fast!Standing on the ground, Killer Bee looked up at her cautiously.If he hadn't anticipated her attack, the speed of that technique would've split him in two.
"Impossible…"Now it was the female ninja's turn to be stunned.That was a Body Flicker, a move only jōnin typically master—and he actually evaded it?!
Damn it!This has gone on too long. Even if I kill him now, the other two will catch up.
I need to end this—fast.With a determined look, she leapt down from the two-hundred-meter-tall ancient tree, spinning mid-air as she descended, kunai pointed toward Killer Bee.
"Ding!"
Such power!In an instant—"Pshh!"—the sheer force embedded Killer Bee's feet into the ground.
As blade met kunai, the woman, seeing Killer Bee rooted to the spot, grinned triumphantly.
But just then, Killer Bee, still grounded, looked up at the airborne opponent——and smiled faintly.
"Wind Blade."
A voice rang out from the dark shadows to the left.A crescent-shaped gust surged forth with deadly force.
"What?! No way—!"The woman's face turned pale.
It was already too late."Pshhh!"Blood erupted from her torso. Her eyes widened in disbelief as her pupils began to lose focus.
Even in death, she didn't know—When did Killer Bee create a shadow clone?!She had sensed the area carefully at the start—there had been no one else.He actually used his real body as bait and sent the clone to sneak attack her from the shadows.
"Huff… huff…"
"Thud!"
Sitting down, Killer Bee wiped the sweat and blood from his body as he gasped for air.What a brutal battle.After resting a while, he began searching the enemy's body.
"Got it—this is it!"He beamed as he pulled a scroll from her belongings.
"Poof!"On the other side, his shadow clone dispelled itself.
"Boom!"A signal flare exploded high in the air.
Having fired the flare, Killer Bee quietly sat back down and began reviewing the fight.
First—he truly lacked combat experience.Second—his attacks were messy and easy to block.
Though he was smooth during training, combat was a different beast.During training, moves are practiced one by one—of course it feels smooth.But in battle? Killer Bee had to read the enemy's attack and counterattack angles, decide which technique to use, and when and where to strike—all at once.
This complexity meant that throughout hundreds of exchanges, he was mostly the one getting chased and hit.If it weren't for his mind-reading ability, he would've lost within 10 or 20 moves.
That's the gap experience creates.Their physical attributes were roughly equal—but the difference in judgment, timing, and adaptability was vast.
Even if he could anticipate her moves, putting together an effective response was another matter.But little by little, as he got hurt, he learned.By the end, he could finally respond in a seamless flow—attack, defend, counter, all in an instant.