Impregnable

The snowstorm is still weakening.

Fine snowflakes, mixed in with my hair, melted silently, leaving a tingling, numbing sensation in my head.

"Boom!!!"

With a whip-like kick that stirred up wind and snow, the Third Raikage's imposing figure crashed into them in the blink of an eye, like a locomotive rolling down a mountain, its violent momentum surging and turbulent. The burly man frowned.

His whip kick was blocked.

Katsuki raised his elbow and blocked the Third Raikage's whip kick. The difference in height meant he didn't even need to bend over; his slender, fair arm instantly became like a pillar cast from molten iron.

The ground cracked open with a loud crack, and the aftershocks of the collision whipped up a fierce wind. The shallow snow around them billowed up and flew in all directions, while the snowflakes in the air swirled and flew far away.

The Third Raikage was filled with astonishment. It had been a long time since he had encountered someone who could withstand his kick with sheer force. Although his attack was merely a test, using only half of his strength, it was still quite impressive. After all, the enemy before him was not one of those long-established powerhouses, but just a rising brat.

There was a time difference of more than twenty years between them.

Perhaps it's been thirty years. He wasn't quite sure of Katsuki's age. Getting a photo of Katsuki was already difficult enough, and obtaining more information was extremely difficult. But she looked to be about the same age as his own son.

The first strike was merely a probe.

Although Katsuki is currently enjoying immense fame, his glorious achievement of destroying half of Sunagakure has created an aura of immense prestige for him. He is a natural disaster for Konoha and a rising superstar. However, all of this ultimately comes from books and other people's accounts. Only by personally testing him can one confirm whether he is a true genius or just a shining statue that Konoha has erected.

The test yielded results; the Third Raikage's expression remained as rugged as ever, with only his contracted pupils revealing the turmoil within him.

"It's been so long since I've met such an amazing little guy like you!"

The Third Raikage naturally withdrew his leg, coldly watching as Katsuki's right palm, crackling with blinding silver lightning, pierced his chest, seemingly oblivious, offering only praise.

Pain!

A pain I hadn't felt in a long time shot through my fingertips; my nail had flipped up, leaving a bloody mess.

Katsuki felt as if he had pierced not a human body, but something harder than steel. His current White Lightning Strike was powerful enough to cut through steel, yet it had failed against the Third Raikage ...

"Oh shit!"

A flash of lightning appeared beneath her feet, and she abruptly retreated. Looking at the tall figure that was relentlessly pursuing her like a leech, Katsuki cursed.

After a few drops of blood fell from Lin's bloodied fingertips, they began to heal. The broken nails fell off, and the newly formed keratin layer protected the tender flesh. Then, silvery-white lightning began to flash, and his two hands, like two knives, flashed with lightning, sharp and intimidating, and slashed out like a storm.

In the pine forest, two shadows wreathed in lightning raced swiftly, so close that from a distance they appeared to be intertwined. Only by getting close could one witness the perilous struggle between them.

The relentless clash of fists and palms was like a series of muffled thunderclaps, causing the old trees in the pine forest to tremble and the snow to scatter. Katsuki's hands were covered in blood, flesh and blood splattering everywhere, dripping crimson blood that melted the ice and snow with its scalding heat, like red plum blossoms blooming in the snow.

"Commendable courage! You're the first brat who dared to fight me head-on."

The Third Raikage praised, pressing closely in front of Katsuki, neither getting any closer nor moving any further away, maintaining this perfect distance.

This burly man's mastery of Lightning Release Technique was truly astonishing.

"Kid?"

Katsuki twitched the corners of her mouth, looking at the relentless Raikage with an exaggerated smile.

Since the ten fingers are connected to the heart, the constant tearing and healing of the fingers is an extremely unbearable torture. It is already very difficult for him to show such a smile.

"Screw the brat! I'm not a brat to be slaughtered anymore!!!"

Katsuki roared.

"White Lightning Strike."

He straightened his chest and launched another ferocious attack with his two bloodied hands raised.

Instead of summoning the Thunderclap Chariot, Katsuki stubbornly engaged the Third Raikage in a Taijutsu battle where he was at a disadvantage, even at the cost of broken tendons and bones in his hands.

His hand was indeed in excruciating pain, the kind that cuts to the bone, but Katsuki had more important things to do, and enduring the pain was the price he had to pay.

What he had to do was very simple: observe.

Observe the strength of the Third Raikage, study this Lord Raikage closely, and research this number one expert in the Shinobi World when it comes to physical training.

In the Shinobi World, no one can surpass the Lord Raikage in terms of physical training. His powerful physique allowed him to engage in hand-to-hand combat with the Eight-Tails, a fact that Katsuki greatly admired. Before mastering the technique of materializing his soul after consuming the Hito Hito no Mi, he struggled with this for a long time.

Physical training is not something that can be accomplished overnight. Even though he ate the Hito Hito no Mi and had the advantage of his innate bloodline, it still requires time to accumulate. The difference is that he needs less time than ordinary people. And if he could have a master to guide him, he believed he could further shorten this time.

However, it is regrettable that Konoha did not have anyone who focused on training their physical body. The Third Hokage was not one, Sakumo was not one, the Sannin were not one, and even Might Duy, who is still unknown and diligently practicing the Eight Inner Gates, could not do it. The Eight Inner Gates is a technique that explosively increases physical strength by overdrawing one's resources. It can be learned as a technique, but it cannot fundamentally improve physical strength. For this reason, it took Guy twenty years to be able to open the Seventh Gate.

Therefore, Katsuki could only learn through trial and error on her own.

It must be said that self-study is extremely difficult. Even after numerous attempts, one may achieve some success, but the process is truly arduous.

Now that the Third Raikage has suddenly appeared, how could Katsuki let this opportunity pass? Such a close encounter would allow him to observe and study the Raikage most directly. Even if he couldn't get guidance from the Third Raikage, a successful model in itself would be the best guidance.

Therefore, he endured the pain and refused to engage in Ninjutsu combat at a distance, instead resorting to Taijutsu to fight.

"Ha!"

Exhaling and exerting force, Katsuki bent her right leg and kicked backward, striking a pine tree as thick as a millstone behind her. The ancient pine tree, which had lived for countless years, snapped in two with a crack.

Using the recoil, Katsuki leaped up, swirling in the wind and snow, and crashed headlong into the Third Raikage's arms. His left elbow, which was the tip of a spear hidden in the wind and snow, slammed hard into the Third Raikage's broad and sturdy chest.

"Bang--!!!"

The muffled sound was clearly unpleasant. The Third Raikage swayed slightly, but his expression remained calm and unchanged.

Like a kite with a broken string, Katsuki flew backwards, plunging headfirst into the thick snowdrift, carving a long and deep furrow.