For a moment, the tension on the field skyrocketed. One spark and it would explode into an all-out brawl.
Twelve of Konoha's strongest genin against three from Kumogakure—there was no doubt how that would end. The Cloud-nin would be flattened.
Just then, another voice rang out from the distance.
"Ah, so everyone's here. What's with all the excitement?" came the familiar voice of Hyuga Gakuya.
"Mokushū-kun!"
"Mokushū!"
Gakuya greeted each of his friends one by one, and the hostile atmosphere quickly began to ease.
But this world is never short of fools who don't know when to back off.
Another one from Konoha? Atsui thought, narrowing his eyes. Then he shouted, "You just another lapdog for Konoha? Pathetic little villages always suck up to them the moment they show up."
He had hoped his words would shame Gakuya into leaving. Clearly, he'd picked the wrong tactic.
"What the hell did you just say!?" Naruto's face turned red with rage, his eyes flaring as he snarled. That Cloud-nin had dared to insult someone Naruto deeply respected.
Sasuke's Sharingan flared to life. He drew a kunai, body coiled like a spring, ready to strike.
Hinata activated her Byakugan, eyes glowing with power. "Don't you dare speak that way to Mokushū-kun."
Lee struck a pose, eyes serious. "Insulting your opponent is not the way of youth!"
All twelve of Konoha's genin moved into stances. They turned their eyes toward Hyuga Gakuya. At a single signal from him, they'd rush in and teach these arrogant Cloud-nin a painful lesson.
The three from Kumogakure could feel the shift in atmosphere. Atsui had expected Gakuya to slink away in shame. Instead, his words had only made things worse.
Omoi crunched down on the lollipop in his mouth and muttered to his teammates,
"Nice going, idiots. We're seriously screwed now."
Gakuya stepped forward and raised both arms, stopping the furious Konoha genin in their tracks. He turned slightly and smiled gently.
"Leave it to me."
In a blink, Gakuya vanished—reappearing right in front of Atsui. The Cloud-nin reacted fast, slashing his blade toward Gakuya's neck.
But Gakuya lifted his right arm, and with a sharp metallic clang, the blade struck his armored gauntlet and lodged in it.
"Shock," Gakuya whispered.
With the barest twist of his arm, the blade shattered in Atsui's hands, fragments scattering across the floor.
Before Atsui could even process what happened, Gakuya's hand snapped up and closed around his throat, lifting him into the air. Atsui's limbs flailed as he pulled out a kunai and drove it into Gakuya's arm.
But the impact was absorbed by the steel gauntlet. A shockwave burst outward from the contact point, and Atsui's eyes rolled back as blood spilled from every orifice on his face.
His two teammates finally reacted and lunged at Gakuya with their weapons drawn.
But Gakuya casually tossed the unconscious Atsui like a bag of meat—straight through a window.
They were in a tall tower. A fall from that height would almost certainly kill.
Omoi didn't hesitate. He threw down his sword, leapt after his teammate, and caught him mid-air. Drawing a kunai, he stabbed it into the tower wall and slowed their descent until they landed safely below.
Karui let out a breath of relief, but seeing Gakuya actually attempt to kill Atsui lit a fire in her eyes. With a roar, she drew her lightning-charged blade and slashed down hard.
Gakuya moved first. In the blink of an eye, he was in front of her.
His fist sank into her stomach with brutal precision.
"AH!"
Karui crumpled to the ground, coughing blood and bile, her body wracked with pain.
"That's just a warning. Next time, watch your mouth."
At that moment, Uzumaki Karin and Uchiha Hikari appeared, having heard the commotion. Seeing Gakuya, they ran over immediately.
After quickly getting the rundown of what happened, Karin looked ready to explode. If Hikari hadn't held her back, she might've gone and kicked Karui a few times herself.
Gakuya turned and waved to the Konoha group. "I'm heading back to rest. See you all later."
"Bye, Mokushū-kun..." The group waved him off, still stunned.
As they watched his retreating figure, the Twelve realized something.
Those who hadn't seen him fight now had a vague idea of his strength.
One thing was clear: they wouldn't stand a chance against him.
Tenten nudged Neji. "Hey, Neji... You saw how he fought. How do you compare?"
The question caught everyone's attention. Neji was widely acknowledged as the strongest among them. If even he admitted Gakuya was out of his league, then there was no hope for the rest.
Neji thought back to Gakuya's speed and power. "He's faster and stronger than me. I wouldn't win."
"Even you can't beat him? Then in the second round, whoever faces him is screwed!" Tenten said.
Lee clenched his fists with determination.
"To celebrate passing the second test, I'll do a thousand push-ups! One day, I'll surpass Mokushū-kun!"
...
Meanwhile, Omoi carried Atsui back to their rest quarters and summoned a Konoha medic.
Both Atsui and Karui received emergency treatment. Karui's injuries were lighter, and she was able to stand soon after.
Furious, she stormed into the surveillance room where the head proctor, Jiraiya, sat watching the monitors.
"That Chiba Mokushū tried to kill my teammate! Why didn't you stop him?!"
Jiraiya didn't even look up from his book. "He didn't die, did he?"
"What if he had!?"
"But he didn't."
"You—! What about the fact that he hurt my teammate?!"
Jiraiya still didn't spare her a glance. "Then go hit him back. We won't stop you. Even if you kill him, we'll call it even."
"You!" Karui's fists trembled. If she could beat Gakuya, she wouldn't be here complaining.
"You lot started this whole thing. You deal with the consequences. Even if you report this to the Raikage, he's not going to say a damn thing."
And that was the truth. Karui knew the Raikage's temper well. If he heard they were beaten down by someone their age without landing a single hit, he'd probably just curse them out for being weak.
"Fine. If this is how Konoha wants to play it, then we in Kumogakure will remember this." She spat the words and stormed off without another word.
Jiraiya yawned and closed his book over his face.
"You don't speak for Kumogakure. I'll let the Raikage know what really happened. Bye now."
Once the Cloud-nin were gone, Jiraiya sat up again and rewound the surveillance footage to watch it carefully.
...
Back in their team quarters, Karin was checking Gakuya from head to toe, worried he might have gotten hurt while they were away.
She nestled up beside him and held out her arm. "Gakuya, go ahead. Bite."
"I'm fine, I told you. You really think those guys could hurt me?"
He gently pushed her arm away, but Karin insisted.
"You could still have internal injuries! Just bite me!"
Unable to resist her nagging, Gakuya finally gave in and sank his teeth gently into her pale, soft arm.
"Mmm..." Karin let out a soft moan.
A sweet burst of energy flooded Gakuya's mouth. The pure vitality rushed through his body, washing away his fatigue and leaving him feeling lighter.
"That feels... a lot better."
Just one bite and he could already feel it: an addictive rush, a high that made it hard to stop. He almost didn't want to let go of her arm.
To be honest, it was his first time biting someone with Uzumaki blood to recover his strength. When he was with Yukari, he usually held back to avoid triggering bad memories for her.
The full-body euphoria was intoxicating. He forced himself to stop, resisting the urge to pull Karin into his arms and take a few more bites.
...Maybe he should wait until they got back to the Land of Rain and ask Yukari.
Or maybe... Hikari wouldn't mind either.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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