Chapter 431: Lose To An NPC
High above the battlefield, Ryugetsu moved through his smoke form with calmness.
His body shifted seamlessly between vapor and solidity as he tracked the massive bird that the Animal Path commanded. When he saw it, the creature’s eyes flicked. Then it screeched and swooped toward him with its claws extended.
Ryugetsu responded with quiet focus; he shifted into a cloud of smoke, darting upward as the bird lunged. Its talons swiped through the air, narrowly missing him. But then the Animal Path, standing on top of its dark feathers, commanded it to turn around.
The bird’s beak then snapped shut just inches from Ryugetsu’s vaporous form. Having dodged, Ryugetsu reformed into his physical shape mid-air.
’Smoke style: smoke fist...’
Ryugetsu punched the air, sending a gust of swirling smoke that shot toward the bird’s face.
Swoosh! Direct hit!
The beast shrieked as its wings beat furiously to regain control. Then the Animal Path had the bird dive again, faster this time with its wings churning the air. Ryugetsu shifted into a dense cloud, then reappeared behind the creature, striking with another smoke fist that knocked the bird’s flight off balance.
The Animal Path hissed under his breath. So he made his giant bird twist mid-air, flapping desperately to stabilize itself. When it recovered, its drill beak spun wildly and tried to gouge Ryugetsu from above.
Konan watched as the two clashed again. Ryugetsu wove through the air with a quiet demeanour that seemed unnatural.
How could anyone face Pain so calmly, she likely wondered?
The bird suddenly lunged, aiming its beak for Ryugetsu’s chest, but Ryugetsu blurred into smoke just before impact. He reformed lower, to the side, and used another technique.