The Explosive Punch

By now, the sky was full of stars. Chiba darted through the dense forest. In Gate of Life Mode, he moved swiftly among the trees, leaping from branch to branch. He could already vaguely make out a black figure ahead.

Who is that? Is someone watching me? That made sense. After all, he was the descendant of a traitor. Even if the Third Hokage had allowed him to remain in the village, he must have kept him under surveillance.

But if they were watching him, why expose themselves? Chiba had a feeling that this person was most likely not friendly.

As he thought this, two drops of water suddenly drifted over from ahead and struck Chiba's face. He instinctively wiped them away.

His fingers came away bright red.

He was injured!

By then, Chiba could clearly see the ninja ahead. He could even see that the man had a young girl tucked beneath one arm.

Chiba was certain that this man was no ally, but an enemy. The child's clothing belonged to one of Konoha's prestigious clans—the Hyuga Clan.

As Konoha's oldest clan and the possessors of the Byakugan, one of the Three Great Dojutsu, the Hyuga Clan had always been coveted by other ninja villages. There had been many cases of pure-blooded Hyuga heirs being abducted.

Clearly, this man was a ninja from an enemy nation.

Chiba knew that he had stumbled into a struggle over a Kekkei Genkai.

If he helped the Hyuga Clan recover their kidnapped pure-blooded heir, the clan's favor toward him would naturally rise. Besides, throughout every Ninja World War, the Land of Fire and Konoha had ultimately emerged victorious. He had no reason to leave Konoha.

However, his position in the village was far too awkward. As the Traitor's Son, he was despised by everyone. If a Ninja World War broke out, Chiba felt certain that he would be the first one sent out as Cannon Fodder.

The ancient and noble Hyuga Clan of Konoha were descendants of Hagoromo Otsutsuki. Though they had rarely appeared in the original story, that did not mean they lacked influence in Konoha.

With their favor, Chiba's standing in the village should improve. Even if he could not change the attitudes of ordinary villagers, he could still gain favor with the Konoha High Command, making things much smoother in the future.

Moreover, the abductor was already injured. Judging by his speed, his injuries were not light. This might actually be possible.

After a brief calculation, Chiba quickly made his decision. He needed to save this pure-blooded member of the Hyuga Clan! Having made up his mind, he pushed off hard, Chakra flowing through his body as his flying speed increased once more.

Iwaki Shin panted heavily as he struggled to race through the forest. Four of his chakra points had been sealed by the Hyuga Clan's Pressure Point Strike, disrupting his Chakra flow and severely affecting his speed.

But that was not his most serious injury. A bone-deep wound slashed across his chest, running from his upper right chest to his lower left abdomen. Though it had received emergency treatment, blood still seeped from it continuously, gathering into droplets that scattered through the air as he raced onward.

As an experienced Jonin, he knew that the blood would leave a trail and allow others to track him. But he could not stop.

He looked at the little girl in his grasp. She was unconscious, her long hair spilling down and concealing her face.

Yet he knew that she was the pure-blooded heir whom their group of ten Jonin had risked their lives to seize from the Hyuga Clan—the pure bloodline of the Byakugan, the Kekkei Genkai their village had long coveted.

If they could study the Byakugan, they might uncover the secrets of this ancient clan. A clan whose history could be traced back to the era of the Sage of Six Paths was certain to yield something extraordinary.

For this bloodline, all nine of his companions had died.

He himself had also been grievously wounded.

Damn that white-haired brat! If he hadn't interfered, how could I have been injured this badly?

And that short blade glowing with white Chakra... What does that brat have to do with the Konoha White Fang? Just as he was thinking this, his dulled senses, slowed by his grave injuries, suddenly detected someone rapidly closing in from behind!

Damn it, is it that white-haired brat? If that brat is here, then Konoha's main force must be on its way too! He did not look back. Looking back at a time like this would only slow him down.

Iwaki Shin reached into his Ninja Tool Pouch and grabbed two round black pellets.

At that moment, starlight appeared before his eyes. He was almost out of the forest. The person behind him had also caught up, closing in fast.

A cruel smile curled across his lips. He flung the two black pellets behind him, then suddenly accelerated and shot forward.

Go die, brat! Taste the special explosives of Iwagakure! Silver moonlight poured down as Iwaki Shin burst from the forest. The view before him opened up to reveal a river. Beyond it lay a flat plain. Once he crossed that plain, he would be out of Konoha's territory and not far from the border of the Land of Fire.

"Boom!"

The instant Iwaki Shin burst out of the forest, an explosion erupted behind him. Fire and black smoke billowed up, while shattered wood rained down. The two outermost trees of the forest were blasted straight away.

Iwaki Shin did not stop. The moment he landed, he broke into a run.

Suddenly, he saw a shadow growing larger as it fell over his own.

Above me! He jerked his head up and saw a handsome boy of around seven, chest thrust out and fist clenched, charging out of the smoke. It was Chiba! Not that white-haired brat!

That was the only thought that flashed through Iwaki Shin's mind. Chiba came whistling down from the air, trailing wisps of smoke as he drove his fist down with savage force!

The punch struck him squarely in the face! "Bang!"

On the flat ground outside the forest, stones flew everywhere as a huge crater was blasted open, dust and smoke surging into the air.

When the dust settled, the Jonin from Iwagakure lay sprawled at the center of the crater, his face almost smashed into the ground.

Chiba held the girl firmly in his arms and retreated several times in quick succession, swiftly putting distance between himself and the ninja. Beads of sweat had already formed on his forehead.

That was close!

Chiba had been accelerating in pursuit of the Jonin and was just about to catch him when the two black pellets suddenly shot toward his chest, nearly striking his body.

Fortunately, he had reacted quickly. He explosively released Chakra, accelerating upward in a sudden burst to escape the center of the explosion. Then, using the blast wave, he stepped on flying branches to adjust his direction and descended from above, striking the Jonin head-on.

Chiba felt a burning pain across his back. He must have been injured by the explosion. As for the Jonin, he lay face-down on the ground without making a sound.

He had concentrated nearly all his Chakra into his right fist. Thanks to his absolute, precise control over Chakra, that punch had consumed almost half the Chakra in his body, but its power was enormous. It had directly blasted a crater a meter wide into the ground.

He should be dead, right? Chiba took a breath. That punch had been an all-or-nothing gamble. Although he had mastered Gate of Life Mode and multiplied his Chakra reserves several times over, he did not know any ninjutsu. He had mastered the Three Body Techniques, but against a ninja capable of infiltrating Konoha and abducting the Hyuga Clan's heir, the Three Body Techniques were nowhere near enough. That much was obvious.

The only thing he could rely on was the taijutsu he had trained in every day! And his absolute, precise Chakra control!

At that time, there had only been one thought in his mind: gather all his Chakra into his fist, release it in an instant, and decide the battle with one punch!

Give him no chance to attack or counterattack! Wait a second! A thought flashed through Chiba's mind.

Was that Monster Strength? Tsunade's Monster Strength?

Wasn't the principle behind that punch just now the same as Tsunade's Monster Strength?

Chiba was thrilled. By accident, he had actually grasped the trick to Monster Strength.

Remember it, remember it! The feeling of that punch just now—when I get back, I need to practice it immediately.

Just then, the girl in his arms let out a soft groan. The girl in white slowly awakened and opened her pale eyes.

Hearing the sound, Chiba instinctively looked down.

The moment he did, his pupils contracted. A slender hand suddenly shot out, striking straight at his face.