Chapter 290: Dust Release: Primordial World Peeling

The night was deep, and the Earth Shadow Office remained brightly lit.

It was evident that San Dai Tu Ying Da Ye Mu was a Kage who took his work extremely seriously.

"Earth Shadow Lord, you're working overtime again tonight…"

At the entrance of the Earth Shadow Building, two guards whispered about their Earth Shadow Lord, admiration flashing in their eyes.

With such a Kage leading them, they believed the Village would soon develop and then surpass the other ninja villages in one stroke.

Before the words finished, a dark silhouette swooped from the shadows behind them. The two men didn't even have time to turn around before darkness fell over their vision and they collapsed to the ground, not uttering a single scream.

The dark silhouette—Lian Ye gently pressed the fallen guards against the wall; his movements were clean and swift, and no one noticed the disturbance.

He vaulted forward, slipping silently into the interior of the Earth Shadow Building; at the end of the corridor, four members of the Dark Division were patrolling diligently.

Lian Ye held his breath and took several specially made shuriken from his Ninja Tool Bag.

"Swoosh— swoosh— swoosh—"

The shuriken flew at extreme speed, landing precisely on the walls behind the Dark Division members, emitting faint sounds.

"What was that?"

At the instant the Dark Division members instinctively turned, Lian Ye had already used the Instant Body Technique to appear before them!

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Four hand knives struck the back of their necks with precision; the Dark Division members didn't even see their attacker before feeling a sharp pain in their necks and collapsing into unconsciousness.

The whole process lasted no more than three seconds, and the corridor fell silent again.

Lian Ye glanced toward the Earth Shadow Office at the far end, lowered his steps to the doorway, and kicked the door hard.

Knocking? He would never knock in this lifetime!

Inside the office.

Da Ye Mu was bent over the desk correcting documents when he suddenly heard the door being violently forced open. Without looking up, he scolded, "Why didn't you knock when you came in…"

Before he could finish, a stranger's voice cut him off.

"Earth Shadow Lord, what a grand authority!"

Da Ye Mu raised his head in surprise at the words; standing in the doorway was a completely unfamiliar young man in black.

In his mind, he had never seen the young man before. Judging by his stance, the newcomer was probably hostile…

"Who are you?" Da Ye Mu's right hand quietly moved toward the alarm button under the desk.

Pressing the alarm would, in a moment, summon countless ninjas for support, and then the young man before him would have no escape.

The black‑clad youth at the doorway gave no answer, but turned and shut the door. The metallic latch sliding into its slot made a sharp "clack" that rang clearly in the silent office.

"Looks like you're confident," Da Ye Mu sneered as he pressed the alarm.

He changed his mind, intending to deal with the youth before the guards arrived.

It's not that he failed to recognize Lian Ye's identity; rather, Lian Ye had used the Transformation Technique before infiltrating the Earth Shadow Building to alter his appearance.

It's not wartime; if he attacked the Third Generation Earth Shadow with his true identity, successful or not, he would still incur massive trouble.

Konoha's "Deadly Poison Master" openly assassinated the Third Generation Earth Shadow; if this got out, that old brat Qianshou Feijian would literally explode on the spot and then angrily chop him into pieces.

In this scenario either Konoha and Iwagakure would start a war, or Konoha would hand over Lian Ye to settle the matter peacefully.

To prevent either outcome, Lian Ye simply used the Transformation Technique.

Anyway, he only needed this chance to give Da Ye Mu, that short‑skinned fool, a harsh lesson…

Lian Ye saw Da Ye Mu press the alarm and knew he had little time left.

He said no more, brandished his tachi, and launched an attack.

"Boom!"

The solid wooden desk shattered into pieces under the blade's flash; amidst the splintered wood, only a few drifting documents remained where Da Ye Mu had stood.

Da Ye Mu hovered in mid‑air, his hands rapidly forming seals.

"Earth Release: Rock Dormancy Collapse!"

The office walls suddenly came alive, countless sharp stone pillars erupting outward! Lian Ye weaved through the dense rock spikes, his black robes fluttering, and three shuriken formed a V shape, hurling toward the airborne Da Ye Mu.

"Earth Release: Stone Wall!"

A stone wall rose from the ground, blocking the shuriken, and Da Ye Mu formed another seal: "Earth Release—Rock Fist Technique!"

A massive stone fist surged toward Lian Ye; instead of retreating, he stepped onto the fist, using its force to spring upward, and his tachi swung down fiercely, the cold gleam racing straight at Da Ye Mu's face!

"Clang—!"

The tachi struck the hard rock, leaving a shallow slash.

"Not bad," Da Ye Mu sneered, "but you're not my opponent!"

Lian Ye gave no reply, his figure flashing as he closed in on Da Ye Mu again. To avoid exposing his identity, he couldn't even activate his Sharingan…

The two clashed, blade light meeting stone edge, sparks scattering everywhere.

"It's over," Da Ye Mu suddenly created distance, his palms facing each other as a white square materialized in his hand, then he thrust it fiercely at Lian Ye.

"Dust Release: Primordial World Peeling!"

Blinding white light erupted in the cramped space, the cubic Jutsu Barrier expanding at a terrifying speed; everything it passed—tables, chairs, documents, even walls—was turned to nothingness.

Lian Ye's pupils narrowed, and he quickly used the Instant Body Technique to dodge. The wall hit by Dust Release vaporized, leaving a huge gap.

"Quick reaction," Da Ye Mu snorted, "but next time, you won't be so lucky."

Lian Ye's expression soured; the office's confines limited his performance, and to keep his identity hidden he couldn't use his Sharingan, leaving him unable to gain an advantage in such a short time.

He could only admit that he had underestimated Da Ye Mu's strength; Dust Release truly was a hard‑to‑counter ninjutsu.

Amid the alarm, Iwagakure ninjas gradually rushed toward the Earth Shadow Building. From afar, the sound of countless ninja footsteps could already be heard.

Lian Ye knew he had little time left; once Iwagakure's support arrived, he would have to use the Flying Thunder God Run.

"Die!" Da Ye Mu looked down from his height at Lian Ye, "Dust Release: Primordial World Peeling!"

Lian Ye, seeing the situation, could only use the Instant Body Technique again to dodge, and a wall of the office vanished once more.

"Is this all the skill you have?" Lian Ye's voice dripped with sarcasm, "Even if Dust Release is that powerful, you still have to hit it!"

He no longer intends to keep fighting; after a taunt he uses Flying Thunder God Run, planning to come back for revenge later.

"Looking for death!" Da Ye Mu's forehead veins bulged, angrily using his ultimate move again, "Dust Release—Primordial Realm Severing Technique!"

A blinding white light shot toward Lian Ye at breakneck speed; this time Lian Ye did not use the Instant Body Technique to evade, but directly used the Flying Thunder God Technique Run.

Before the Dust Release could hit, his figure vanished.

But from Da Ye Mu's perspective, the black‑clad youth was clearly pulverized by Dust Release, leaving nothing but debris.

"Hmph, this is the consequence of provoking me!"

When Iwagakure's reinforcements arrived, they saw Da Ye Mu floating in the drafty office, hands on hips, sneering.

The Rock Hidden Ninja: "……"

No matter how you look at this scene, it feels eerie.

What exactly happened before they arrived?