Chapter 118

In the spectator stand.

"What is going on?"

A ninja cat looked at the arena in confusion, at Ryosuke and Neko no Suke standing motionless in place, his eyes full of incomprehension.

And beside him, another ninja cat with quite a bit of vision gave an answer with a serious face.

"It's the shadow..."

"This human is too terrifying; Neko no Suke is no match for him at all."

The ninja cat muttered to himself, his eyes carrying a bit of solemnity.

At this moment, no matter how Neko no Suke moved, he could not move his body, and even moving a little bit, or blinking an eye, was impossible.

Even if his four sharp claws were one inch further forward, he could achieve victory, but he still couldn't do it.

Neko no Suke gathered all his strength; even if he used so much strength that his burly muscles trembled constantly, he still couldn't move even a fraction, as if there was an invisible "640" terrifying huge force in the air, limiting his movement.

In fact, it was not someone else who imprisoned Neko no Suke, but his own consciousness.

All of this was the influence of Yin Release.

In a place Neko no Suke didn't notice, his shadow and Ryosuke's shadow overlapped.

After his body reached five meters, not only did it make Neko no Suke's body look like a small mountain, but it also made the area of his shadow become extremely large.

With almost no effort, Ryosuke’s Shadow Secret Technique was activated with ease.

At this moment, Ryosuke’s shadow transformed into pitch-black chains, coiling around the shadow of Nekonosuke, restricting his joints and rendering him completely unable to move.

Yin Release: Shadow Possession Jutsu!

That’s right, this move was precisely the shadow secret technique of the Nara clan, which symbolizes the "Deer" in Konoha’s Ino-Shika-Cho.

The mystery of the Nara clan’s shadow secret technique actually lies in using the shadow as a medium to influence the opponent’s spirit, thereby imprisoning them.

In the original work, the older Nara Shikamaru was even able to use the shadow as a medium to directly kill an opponent’s spirit.

Whether it was the Monstrous Strength Jutsu from just now or the current Shadow Secret Technique, both belong to a type of Yin-Yang Release.

They all originated from the Yin-Yang Release inheritance passed down to Ryosuke by the Sage of Six Paths.

Although this inheritance is all-encompassing and basically covers all the Yin-Yang Release secret techniques in the entire ninja world, they all remain at a "foundational" level.

This situation was naturally not because Otsutsuki Hagoromo was stingy, but because the sliver of Six Paths consciousness Ryosuke encountered was the Six Paths who had only just invented Yin-Yang Release.

Naturally, what he could give Ryosuke were only some basics.

Subsequent specific, deep-level applications still required Ryosuke to develop and research on his own.

Including the current "Shadow Secret Technique," Ryosuke had only managed to grope his way to the basic Shadow Possession Jutsu; he had yet to develop more advanced shadow secret techniques.

If he were to compare shadow secret techniques with the Nara clan, who specialize in this path, Ryosuke was naturally still far behind.

After all, a secret technique that a clan has developed for hundreds of years is naturally not something Ryosuke can catch up to in two or three days, even if he is exceptionally gifted.

But using this move to deal with the "Crooked-Mouth War God" before him posed no problem at all.

Similarly, on the opposite side of Nekonosuke, Mizunuki Ryosuke smiled lightly, also remaining motionless.

This is because, restricted by the Shadow Possession Jutsu, both the caster and the target are unable to move while using this technique.

But this did not mean that Ryosuke had no other methods.

In fact, he had long anticipated the current situation.

On the ground behind Nekonosuke, a figure suddenly appeared from beneath the earth.

It was none other than another Mizunuki Ryosuke!

It turned out that the one currently locked in a stalemate with Nekonosuke using the Shadow Secret Technique was merely one of Ryosuke’s Ice Clones.

Ryosuke’s true body had long since used Earth Release to sneak underground before the battle began.

Afterwards, Ryosuke condensed a kunai formed of ice in his hand and gently placed it against Nekonosuke’s lower ribs—commonly known as the kidneys.

Of course, Mizunuki Ryosuke didn't want to do this, but Nekonosuke was five meters tall, and Ryosuke had no way to place this kunai on any of Nekonosuke’s other vital points.

He couldn't possibly...

Ryosuke’s gaze shifted downward slightly, immediately causing Nekonosuke, who was restricted by the Shadow Possession Jutsu, to break out in a cold sweat.

A cold breeze blew past Nekonosuke’s crotch.

A devil! This man is a devil!

Nekonosuke screamed internally, but his fractured jaw made it impossible for him to speak; he could only look at Ryosuke with terrified eyes, his gaze even carrying a hint of pleading.

At this point, the situation needed no further words.

Nekonosuke had been utterly defeated.

"First match, Mizunuki Ryosuke wins."

At this moment, the Cat Elder on the side said slowly in a low voice; his voice also spread throughout the entire arena.

As the Cat Elder’s voice rang out, Ryosuke immediately dispelled the Ice Clone and the Shadow Possession Jutsu.

"Snap."

Instantly, Nekonosuke’s hulking body collapsed to its knees, and his form returned to normal.

"Lost..."

"And lost in a crushing defeat."

Nekonosuke’s mind was a blank; in two rounds, Nekonosuke had been "one-shotted" almost directly...

This made the genius ninja cat, who had always had smooth sailing within the ninja cat clan, feel a wave of discouragement.

Just as Nekonosuke was dazed on the spot, a hand reached out before him.

Nekonosuke raised his head to see the human who had just fought him wearing a gentle smile.

But for some reason, the moment he saw this smile, Nekonosuke suddenly felt a chill in his crotch.

Instinct made him want to flee this arena, but...

"Devil!!!"

Seemingly having suddenly thought of something, Nekonosuke swallowed hard and tremblingly placed his paw into Mizunuki Ryosuke’s hand.

Subsequently, Ryosuke pulled Nekonosuke up.

Off the arena, countless ninja cats erupted into earth-shattering cheers.

Of course...

These cheering cats were all male.

But there was no doubt that Mizunuki Ryosuke’s performance had won the respect of the ninja cats.

The strong will receive extra respect anywhere, and coupled with the fact that Ryosuke used the Yin-Yang Release that the ninja cat clan is most proficient in, the ninja cats held Ryosuke in even higher regard.

Ryosuke’s victory was undoubtedly extremely fast; at this moment, other squads were still in the midst of fierce fighting.

Even now, the ninjas were still at a slight disadvantage when facing the ninja cats’ strange and peculiar Yin-Yang Release; it looked like the outcomes of the other squads would still take a while to be decided.

Not paying too much attention, Ryosuke left the arena and returned to his squad.

What came next was the most important part.

Thinking of this, a sharp glint flashed in Ryosuke’s eyes.

2.2...

At this moment, Ryosuke’s performance had not only won over the ninja cats on the scene, but most of the Mist jonin were also full of praise for Ryosuke’s performance.

There were no flashy ninjutsu, nor were there any protracted brawls.

There was only crushing strength and surprising combat wisdom and hidden cards.

In terms of strength alone, Mizunuki Ryosuke was impeccable.

Many jonin, upon seeing Nekonosuke, who was like a "little monster," knew that such a ninja cat possessing secret techniques was definitely not someone they could deal with.

But soon, the jonin also broke into a cold sweat for Ryosuke.

Because they knew clearly in their hearts that the next opponents for Ryosuke’s squad were basically all a grade higher in strength than the members of Ryosuke’s squad.

Although Ryosuke could win easily, it was almost foreseeable that Mizunuki Ryosuke would inevitably be dragged down by his teammates.

Everyone even understood that the upcoming battle was the main event for Ryosuke’s squad.

I wonder how Mizunuki Ryosuke will overcome this difficult hurdle?