Feng Xin stepped onto the arena.
The air shifted immediately.
Invisible currents gathered around his palm, compressing, layering, sharpening. When the Spirit fully manifested, it was no longer the Wind Sword he had once wielded, but something purer, more violent—the Wind Howl Sword, a top-tier Tool Spirit whose edge existed as much in pressure as in steel.
Since the battle against Uchiha Madara, none of them had remained the same. That encounter had not merely sharpened their techniques; it had forced their foundations to evolve. Feng Xin's Spirit was the clearest proof of that transformation.
He flicked his wrist. Green air spiraled outward, forming a controlled vortex that hummed with restrained lethality.
"Killer Bee, yo~"
Across from him, Killer Bee adjusted his stance, rhythm instinctively settling into his body. Outwardly relaxed, inwardly tense. Ning Rongrong's Flying Thunder God had already drained nearly thirty percent of his chakra. Against this opponent, recklessness would be fatal.
The moment Mo Jiao announced the start, both figures vanished.
Clang!
Metal screamed.
Green wind and white lightning collided at the center of the arena, compressing into a blinding knot of light before exploding outward. Feng Xin's long sword met Killer Bee's short blade head-on, wind pressure grinding against lightning-enhanced steel.
Fast.
Killer Bee's pupils shrank behind his sunglasses. His swordsmanship came from the White Fang himself, reinforced by Lightning Release stimulating every muscle fiber. By all logic, he should have held the advantage.
Yet Feng Xin's blade held.
So that's how it is.
Killer Bee grinned, lightning surging harder. Then I'll stop holding back.
Lightning Release surged violently through his body, and his slashes accelerated until each swing detonated the air itself.
Supersonic Lightning Blade.
The arena floor cracked again and again under the pressure of intersecting storms. Wind blades and lightning arcs shredded the space between them, neither side giving ground.
But disparity emerged.
No matter how refined Killer Bee's chakra-forged weapon was, it could not truly compete with a fully evolved top-tier Tool Spirit. Fine cracks began to spread across his blade, branching outward like veins.
Killer Bee laughed.
Instead of retreating, he shattered it himself.
The sword exploded into more than a dozen lightning-wrapped fragments, scattering outward like a storm of needles. Feng Xin was forced to withdraw, wind pressure flaring to deflect the barrage.
That instant was enough.
Lightning Release: Lariat!
Killer Bee surged forward, chakra roaring. Feng Xin raised his sword horizontally, air currents compressing in a desperate attempt to block—
Boom!
The impact hurled him backward, ribs screaming, internal organs rattling. Yet before Killer Bee could press in, the wind changed.
It howled.
As Feng Xin flew, countless nearly invisible wind blades erupted around him, spinning violently. He twisted midair, borrowing the pressure of the storm to force himself downward.
The moment his feet touched the ground, he vanished into the wind itself.
Swish.
A blade appeared at Killer Bee's throat without warning.
Even Minato and Yagyito stood abruptly.
"What's this?" Killer Bee murmured, curiosity outweighing shock.
"Self-created Spirit Ability," Feng Xin said calmly. "Absolute Shadow."
The wind dispersed.
Only then did the cost reveal itself.
Blood seeped through Feng Xin's sleeve in fine lines, his entire arm trembling. The winds he commanded had torn at him as much as they had at his opponent.
"This move," Feng Xin continued evenly, "can only be used after my Spirit evolved."
Killer Bee raised his hands slowly, eyes gleaming with excitement.
"Yo~ Breaking my Lightning Release Armor isn't easy~ But kid—your condition's worse than mine~"
Feng Xin wiped blood from his lips, breath unsteady but gaze unwavering.
"Next time, I'll control it completely."
Killer Bee chuckled and stepped back, conceding.
The score leveled.
2 : 2.
Shikaku's eyes flicked to the board, mind racing. Feng Xin had expended enormous stamina and sustained internal injuries. Advantage, narrowly, returned to the Ninja World.
Han rose without hesitation.
No rest.
No mercy.
As Han entered the arena, Boil Release activated instantly. High-temperature steam flooded the battlefield, swallowing Feng Xin's wind blades on contact. Each slash vibrated violently, sword qi dissolving into twisted vapor.
"It's useless," Han's voice echoed from within the mist, heavy and pressurized. "Boil Release counters wind."
Feng Xin retreated, chest burning. Red blotches spread across his hand.
Not ordinary steam.
"Your lungs are already being scorched," Han continued. "Stay longer, and the damage becomes permanent."
Feng Xin drove his sword into the ground.
A storm erupted outward, violent enough to shake the arena.
But the mist only wavered—then closed again.
"Boil Release combined with Hidden Mist," Han said. "Wind won't disperse it."
Each breath drained Feng Xin further.
His grip trembled.
One last storm—deviated, weakened.
He lowered his sword.
"I concede."
The score shifted.
2 : 3.
Cheers erupted from both sides, neither willing to yield momentum.
Ning Fengzhi's expression remained taut. He knew the danger better than anyone.
Yagura. Minato. Kushina.
None had entered yet.
Gao Feng, Huo Wu, Feng Xiaotian—if they faced those three, the match would collapse.
He turned to Qian Renxue.
"Use flight. Keep distance. Boil Release dissolves spirit power and explodes in close combat. Do not engage directly."
She nodded, wings unfurling as sacred light gathered.
"Their lineup lacks reliable anti-air. Rasa is likely next. Eliminate him."
The moment the match resumed, Qian Renxue ascended.
Her Angelic Domain spread outward, golden light suppressing the rising mist. Steam twisted, weakened, repelled.
Han frowned.
He layered Hidden Mist atop Boil Release, vision obscured.
Clones emerged.
Each shattered into vapor under her light.
Then—
Steam erupted beneath Han's feet.
Boil Release: Steam Impetus!
He launched skyward, fist condensed with boiling chakra.
For an instant, victory seemed certain.
Holy light detonated.
Han's vision vanished.
His punch grazed cloth and nothing more.
Six wings unfurled.
Light Storm descended.
Boil Release Armor collapsed under suppression. Feather blades tore through steam and flesh alike.
Qian Renxue's sword formed.
"You're not the only one who hides intent," she said softly.
Han fell.
Shikaku's expression darkened.
Qian Renxue remained airborne, reserves intact, trump cards unrevealed.
"I'll go," Rasa said.
Shikaku stopped him.
"Kushina."
Surprise rippled through the team.
"They expect Rasa," Shikaku said quickly. "We disrupt their rhythm. Trade if necessary. Take her out."
Kushina's fists clenched, chains rattling faintly.
"Leave it to me."
In this battle, open hands showed strength.
Hidden hands decided fate.