Children * Heitarō

The following battles were faster and more boring Chekku's.

At least for those in the stands who wanted to see a spectacular Ninja Duel, that was the case.

From Ansen of the Land of Birds to Chekku the Land of Lightning, and then to a series of unnamed challengers, Izuna's fighting style was outrageously simple.

Fire Style? He dodged to the side, struck her on the back with a palm, and sent her flying.

Water Release? Without even dodging, he charged straight into the water curtain, grabbed the opponent's wrist with one hand, and with a gentle twist, the person was forced to their knees.

Whether it 'Earth Release: Rock Fist or Earth Wall, Izuna always has only one way to deal with it.

He smashed the person with one punch and then threw them off the Arena.

Lightning Release? Chekku the Land of Lightning is already the most capable fighter; the other Lightning Release Ninjas aren't even worthy of his testing.

Genjutsu? Forget about it.

After a Ninja from Kirigakure went on stage, he immediately unleashed a B-rank Genjutsu, "Mist Servant Technique," without saying a word. People in the audience saw several phantoms wielding sharp blades appear around Izuna, slashing at him from all directions.

Without even blinking, Izuna walked straight through the illusion, grabbed the Mist Ninja by the back of the neck with one hand, and lifted him to the edge of the Arena like a kitten.

"Shall we continue?"

"No, I'm not fighting anymore!"

Put it down, move on to the next one.

People in the audience started yawning.

"This is so boring..." a young Uchiha Ninja muttered under his breath. "I thought I'd be seeing some exciting Ninjutsu duels."

"Yeah, he doesn't even use Ninjutsu, just punches and kicks. What's so interesting about that?"

"But... he really did win."

"We won, but this is just too much..."

Hikaku, sitting in front of them, turned around, his Sharingan flashing in the sunlight.

The two young men immediately shut their mouths.

But Hikaku didn't blame them.

In fact, he also found it boring.

Compared to the battle in the Training Ground that day, these one-on-one fights were simply not worth watching.

No matter who the opponent is, or what tactics they use, his response is always the simplest, most direct, and least strenuous.

Step to the side, throw a punch, and subdue the enemy.

The three movements have been repeated more than a dozen times so far.

Is this playing style efficient? Yes, it is.

Is it pretty? No, it's not.

And more importantly...

"He did it on purpose." Tadayo, sitting next to the Hikaku, suddenly spoke up, his voice low. "He deliberately didn't use Ninjutsu, deliberately held back his attacks, and didn't use those exquisite Taijutsu."

Hikaku glanced at him.

"He's hiding his true abilities." Tadayo's brows furrowed deeply. "But why...?"

He didn't speak for Setsuna, the bow still resting on his knee, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the bowstring.

Yes, why hold back? Although this method is indeed effective and efficient, didn't Lord Izuna say that new areas need to attract people to generate revenue?

If he acts like this, other people probably won't find it interesting. If it's not engaging, I doubt anyone will watch tomorrow's Ranking Matches.

Could it be that he's wary of someone? But who has the ability to be guarded against like this by Lord Izuna?

In another corner of the audience, Ōnoki sat in the Delegation's reserved area, his arms crossed over his chest, his expression growing increasingly solemn.

He didn't come to watch the battle; he came to gather intelligence.

But now, he feels like he hasn't seen anything at all.

Izuna's fighting style is too simple, so simple that it contains no information whatsoever.

He has no Ninjutsu attribute, no habit of using the Sharingan, no preference for a particular fighting style, and even his Taijutsu techniques are not obvious.

The only thing that's certain is that his Taijutsu are ridiculously strong.

Ōnoki recalled the battle between Chekku and Izuna.

Chekku had heard of it; its astonishing speed and dense electric net had claimed the lives of many Ninjas. Even he had to find a way to avoid such an opponent and use large-scale Ninjutsu to possibly counter it.

But Izuna easily kept up with the man's speed, even predicting his movements, and accurately attacked him.

If Izuna hadn't used his fist, but instead had unleashed a full-blown Fire Style attack, it would have been a different story.

Even if that person doesn't die, the burning pain will render them unable to fight.

The subsequent duels were also like that, focusing on Taijutsu.

It is a pure, simple, yet outrageously efficient form of Taijutsu.

"Just how strong is this person..." Ōnoki muttered to himself.

One of the Rock Ninja next to him looked at the leading Jonin and whispered, "Should we continue observing?"

"Of course." The Jonin's gaze never left the Arena. "He can't hide forever. Someone will eventually force him to make a move."

The Rock Ninja opened his mouth as if to say something, but ultimately kept it closed.

What he meant was: what if no one can force him to take action?

Just then, the atmosphere of the Arena Match suddenly changed.

They are children.

When the children came on stage, the atmosphere in the entire Dueling Arena finally came alive.

The girl who came up was a five-year-old girl from the Uchiha Clan. She had two little pigtails and was holding a Shuriken that was longer than her arm. She wobbled as she climbed onto the Arena.

Izuna crouched down to be at eye level with her.

Are you ready?

The little girl nodded vigorously, gripping the Shuriken with both hands, her face tense.

Then she took short strides and rushed towards Izuna.

Izuna stepped aside, and the little girl missed her target and almost fell. Izuna reached out and caught her.

"Good, let's do it again."

The second time, the little girl learned her lesson and suddenly changed direction halfway through her run, sweeping her Shuriken horizontally.

Izuna leaned back, the tip of the sword grazing his knee.

"Great! Let's do it again!"

The third time, the fourth time, and the fifth time.

Izuna stayed with her on the Arena for several minutes, dodging more than ten attacks, and finally deliberately let the Shuriken lightly touch his sleeve.

"Ouch, I got hit!" Izuna raised his hands, his expression exaggerated. "Wow, that was amazing!"

The little girl paused for a second, then blushed with excitement and turned to shout towards the audience, "I beat Lord Izuna!"

Good-natured laughter and applause erupted from the audience.

Children are always adorable, and adults always smile when they see those hardworking Little Bean. What's more, now that the Konoha Special District has been established, children of all races will receive kind applause and encouragement from adults.

Next, several more children of similar age came up, and Izuna treated them all in a similar manner: gentle, patient, and offering a few comments on each move.

Can't beat them? No problem, try again.

If he hits, that's even better! He'll exaggerate, clutching the spot where he was hit and saying, "Ouch, ouch!" making the children giggle.

Those who had been yawning in the audience earlier were now watching with great interest.

"I didn't expect Lord Izuna to be so good with kids."

"Don't you even look at how many child actors there are in the Theatre Troupe? He hangs out with those kids Tenten, how could he not know?"

"That's true..."

But the atmosphere changed when the older children went on stage.

Some of the thirteen- or fourteen-year-old Ninja boys were already almost as tall as adults.

Their skills are far superior to those of the Little Bean.

Their Shuriken weren't thrown, they were nailed.

Every shot was aimed precisely at Izuna's vital points.

His Swordsmanship was not just for show; it was clean, crisp, and carried the killing intent found only on the battlefield.

A twelve-year-old boy from the Shimura Clan threw three Shuriken in succession, blocking Izuna's left, center, and right sides. At the same time, his body slid along the ground below, thrusting Short Sword straight at Izuna's abdomen.

This combo is something many adult Ninjas might not be able to execute.

Izuna jumped up, did a somersault in the air, landed behind the boy, and gently patted the back of his head.

"Not bad, but the finishing move was too slow."

The boy bit his lip, then turned and stabbed again.

This time, Izuna didn't let it go. He pinched the tip of the knife between two fingers, twisted it gently, and the Short Sword slipped from his hand.

He continued, "If you had rushed forward to dodge immediately just now, I wouldn't have been able to catch you. But your all-out thrust made it impossible to control your momentum, and the large recovery time made it easy for someone to exploit your opening. You should hold back a bit when you make your move."

The boy blushed, picked up the knife, and ran off the Arena.

Next up was a girl from a small family, who surprisingly used Water Release.

He spat out a thin but sharp jet of water, aiming it at Izuna's face.

It is Water Release: Water Severing Wave.

The slender water column emitted a mist that only appears when the water flow is highly concentrated. When it ran out of steam, it even managed to cut a gash in the wooden stake as it grazed it.

Although its power is far inferior to that used by adults, its Chakra control is already quite precise.

After dodging, Izuna gave a thumbs up. "Impressive, impressive! You can even Water Severing Waves at such a young age."

Before Izuna could say anything more, the girl blushed and ran downstairs.

"Oh my, so this person likes Izuna."

"Little girl, grow up quickly! Otherwise, handsome Lord Izuna will be snatched away by someone else~"

The girl, embarrassed and angry, yelled, "Shut up!"

Everyone burst into laughter.

Several more children came on stage after that, each with their own strengths and using Eight Gates techniques.

One of the Nara Clan children even used his wits to actually grab Izuna with his shadow, but unfortunately, his Chakra was insufficient to support his next move, and Izuna was too strong to break free of his shadow in one go, so he could only admit defeat in the end.

In the audience, the Ninjas from other countries exchanged a glance.

These kids are already as Strength as their Chunin level.

"That child... is Sarutobi's? He's really good at using Fireball Technique."

"The one behind him is no slouch either; his Wind Release: Shuriken technique is... most Ninjas couldn't dodge it."

"If this happened on the battlefield..."

"Why go to the battlefield? Isn't it peaceful now?"

"Too..."

Izuna was still giving instructions from above.

"When you drew your sword just now, your center of gravity was too far forward."

"You were a fraction of a second too late with the Shuriken; you were too tense."

"The angle of the 'homemade gun technique' can be made a little more tricky, so it's harder for the opponent to dodge."

The atmosphere in the audience gradually changed.

"He's not here to fight, is he? He's here to teach the kids, isn't he...?"

"No one else has ever managed to turn Arena Challenge into this mess..."

"Isn't he being incredibly generous? All his guidance is based on combat experience, and he's just passing it on to the children of his tribe like that?"

"It's none of your business."

"Ugh~ I'm so envious of those Little Bean ~"

Hinata watched as Izuna squatted by the Arena, patiently explaining the power techniques of Shuriken to a little girl.

The corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up slightly.

The children around me all had the same little expression.

Kids aren't stupid; when Izuna was singing, he didn't actually attract many children.

While everyone was attracted to Izuna's clean and peaceful demeanor, singing was not a necessary skill for them to learn.

Most children have already developed the ability to weigh the pros and cons; only a small number of children who genuinely find singing interesting or admire Izuna's peaceful aura will gather around him.

What truly attracted them was Izuna's guidance.

Izuna did the same thing back then, squatting down, looking them in the eye, patiently explaining and demonstrating.

They were never fooled by children.

I never act superior just because I am strong.

However, at that time, Izuna had to teach a group of children, so he couldn't have one-on-one matches. Now, this Arena Match is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! He has to go up on stage and compete against him!

By the way... cough cough, could you please give me some pointers?

Suddenly Lian spoke up, "Oh? That child is here too."

Hinata looked at her.

"Over there," Rei pointed in that direction, "That Senju Clan child."

Hinata followed his gaze.

A fourteen-year-old boy was called by name and stood up from the audience, walking expressionlessly toward the Arena.

Senju Heitarō.

Hinata frowned slightly.

He remembered the name.

This child was one of the children who harbored hostility towards Izuna from the very beginning.

He had attacked Izuna many times, but he never laid a hand on the children, and since Izuna didn't object to it, they had no way to retaliate.

"He looked menacing..."

"Is there some past grudge between you and the Uchiha?"

Senju Ichiyo sat among them and sighed; he knew what was going on.

This child lost both his parents during the Warring States Period, and the person who did the deed was the Uchiha.

When Heitaro stepped into the Arena, the atmosphere around him noticeably changed.

It's not because he has Senju.

It was the expression on his face that drew my attention.

That youthful face was filled with a ferocity beyond its years.

"Uchiha Izuna." Heitaro stood on the Arena, calling out his name directly, his voice as cold as ice, "I will defeat you."

Izuna looked at him, her eyes calm.

"Name."

"Senju Heitarō."

"Alright, Heitaro." Izuna straightened up. "Come on."

Heitaro did not hesitate.

He rushed over almost instantly, his fist aimed straight for Izuna's face.

This punch was imbued with Chakra, its force fierce, delivered with all-out effort.

Izuna did not avoid him like he would with the other children.

He raised his hand and caught the punch steadily.

"Bang."

Their fists and palms collided, producing a muffled thud.

Heitaro's fist was firmly locked in Izuna's palm, remaining completely still.

Heitaro gritted his teeth and threw another punch.

Izuna still didn't dodge and caught it again.

With his fists restrained, Heitaro remained calm and kicked Izuna in the head.

This kick was fast and ruthless, carrying a clear killing intent.

Izuna's eyes turned cold for a moment.

He released Heitaro's fist, slid back a step, and barely avoided the kick.

Heitaro landed and immediately pounced on him again.

Punches, kicks, elbows, knees—every move was aimed at vital points.

It wasn't like a friendly sparring match; it was like murder.

Someone in the audience gasped.

"This child..."

"He wanted to kill Lord Izuna?"

"Look at his eyes, is that the look a child should have?"

"Perhaps there's a grudge? He seems to be a Senju..."

Izuna did not treat the other children the way he had done before.

He did not dodge, did not hold back, and did not offer any instructions during the battle.

He punched Heitaro in the stomach.

Heitaro grunted and bent over.

Then he slammed an elbow into Heitaro's back.

Heitaro was forced to kneel on one knee.

The final kick landed on Heitaro's waist.

Heitaro was sent flying, rolled twice on the Arena, and came to a stop at the edge.

The audience was completely silent.

Izuna stood still, looking at Heitaro who was lying on the edge of the Arena.

"Shall we continue?" His voice was flat, devoid of any emotion.

Heitaro lay on the ground, panting heavily.

His lip was cut, and blood dripped down his chin onto the Arena.

But when he looked up, there was no fear in his eyes, only an even stronger hatred.

"I... I won't give up..."

He braced himself against the ground and stood up unsteadily.

They charged at us again.

This time he was slower, and his fist went limp.

But he still wouldn't stop.

Izuna looked at him, a complex expression flashing in her eyes.

Then he made his move.

A clean and crisp side kick landed squarely on Heitaro's chest.

Heitaro flew out like a kite with a broken string, this time flying directly off the Arena and crashing heavily to the ground.

Izuna stood at the edge of the Arena, looking down at him. "You can't beat me."

Heitaro lay on the ground, panting heavily.

His eyes reddened, but he didn't shed a tear.

He just stared intently at Izuna on the Arena, gritting his teeth, without uttering a word.

Several members of the Senju Clan rushed over and helped him up from the ground.

"Heitaro! How are you?"

"Let me go! I can still fight!"

"Enough!" An older, Senju pressed down on his shoulder. "You've already lost."

Heitaro struggled a few times, but was eventually dragged away.

But he kept his eyes on Izuna in the Arena, and then he saw Izuna turn his head.

Say to him:

"The spring night is fleeting, so move forward, young man."

Heitaro was taken aback for a moment, then disappeared into the crowd.

A buzz of discussion arose from the audience.

"Izuna went way too far..."

"It's a child."

"Didn't you see? Every move that kid makes is a killing blow! He wants Lord Izuna dead!"

"But he's still a child..."

"A child who has been to the battlefield is no longer a child; he is a soldier."

In the audience, Senju Yūki watched Heitaro being carried away and sighed.

"This child..." He shook his head. He had clearly told the child not to register, but the child still filled in his name.

But Yūki also understood that if he hadn't gone through this experience, Heitaro would have regretted missing this opportunity for the rest of his life.

Being defeated now is actually a relief.