Chapter Seventeen: Recognition

Karui, as the person involved, didn't understand what happened, but the stunned onlookers around clearly saw everything that had just transpired. The saying goes, "The person in the midst of it is bewildered, but the bystander sees clearly." They now found it hard to believe their own eyes, only accepting the reality with disbelief after seeing Karui lying unconscious on the ground.

Moments ago, Moriyue's body emitted an incredibly dazzling lightning, which surged like a flood, engulfing both Moriyue and Karui. The blood-colored lightning struck both of them indiscriminately.

Moriyue had unleashed Rai'gyaku in its entirety. This was a new application Moriyue had discovered. Since his violent Chakra combined with Rai'gyaku's self-harming effect worked well, why couldn't he use this move against others?

Nintaijutsu: Rai'gyaku was inherently designed to temper the user's body. In theory, as long as Moriyue could endure it, he could keep electrocuting himself.

However, he was currently applying a bit too much force. It wasn't just electrocuting himself; everything around him was also being struck. He had somewhat grown accustomed to the pain brought by Rai'gyaku. As for whether others could withstand the enhanced Rai'gyaku amplified by his violent Chakra, he wasn't sure.

This was essentially a contest to see who would break first, him or his opponent. Other users of Lightning Release utilized lightning, neutralized it, and made it serve them. This approach ensured the stability of the ninjutsu and prevented self-injury, but controlled lightning lost its most natural and original state, inevitably reducing its power.

Moriyue's lightning, however, was different. He didn't control it at all, nor could he control it. It was as wild as it could get. Although it was indiscriminate, its power was far beyond ordinary lightning. It could be considered amplified lightning, akin to entering a powered-up state.

"This... this is a Forbidden Jutsu, isn't it!"

"You're telling me this is Nintaijutsu? Huh? Who classified it? Do you want to see it for yourself? Is this how your Nintaijutsu works?"

"Damn, this is incredible. My eyes have been opened today. Nintaijutsu can be used like this. I'm shocked for the entire year!"

After a moment of dead silence, the area erupted in heated discussion. It was too spectacular, truly too spectacular. Moriyue had exceeded everyone's expectations. This guy really tried everything and wasn't afraid of death.

The crowd's discussion was extremely enthusiastic, and they spared no praise for Moriyue. Their previous dissatisfaction stemmed from the belief that his strength was insufficient and that any position he held was undeserved. But after this battle, he had demonstrated his strength, and they naturally acknowledged him.

After all, the Hidden Cloud Village respected strength above all else. As long as you had strength, regardless of your status, we would respect you. Conversely, even if you held a high position and great power, without strength, we wouldn't listen.

"I disagree, he clearly cheated! This should be considered a Forbidden Jutsu! He violated the rules! Karui won!" The gamblers who had bet on Karui naturally wouldn't accept such a result.

"Shut up, gambler. Losing is losing, don't linger here. That guy is a true ninja, and you're not qualified to judge him."

After this battle, the surrounding ninjas had completely recognized Moriyue. They knew about Rai'gyaku and knew that Moriyue couldn't practice ninjutsu normally. Such a person, even if he became a ninja, wouldn't achieve great things. But the strength Moriyue displayed had thoroughly proven them wrong.

Was Moriyue strong? Perhaps very strong. Iruka's defeat certainly had an element of carelessness, but he did defeat Iruka, that much was undeniable. However, what made those ninjas more apprehensive wasn't Moriyue's current strength, but rather his combat frenzy and his unconventional training methods.

It had only been a short time; Moriyue had only officially gained power about a month ago, and he could already fight Iruka on even terms. If he were given more time, who knew what great things he might accomplish.

Karui lay on the ground, rolling her eyes, her body occasionally twitching. The lightning vanished, and Moriyue still stood straight in the center of the arena. Although his skin bore deep and shallow burn marks from the fierce lightning, his eyes remained bright. He had won.

Moriyue exhaled a breath, patting the "dust" off his shoulders.

"Everyone, I won. Anyone else want to challenge me? If not, I'll head to Captain Darui." Moriyue's voice was hoarse, not particularly loud, but no one present responded.

"Then I'm leaving. Please take Iruka to the hospital for me. Mention my name, and you'll get a 10% discount on the medical fees."

He grinned, appearing harmless. When he wasn't fighting, it was hard to tell how dangerous this guy was. However, now that everyone had witnessed Moriyue's strength, no one would easily provoke him again for a while.

Finding Yugito Nii in the crowd, Moriyue calmly collected his winnings from the boss who had organized the bets. Moriyue walked away with a sack full of money.

"It feels like a dream, like picking up money with a sack. Hahahaha, hey, what's wrong?" Moriyue laughed carelessly. He truly hadn't expected making money to be so easy. But as he reveled in the joy of earning, he noticed Yugito Nii's expression was a bit strange.

Yugito Nii looked at Moriyue with a peculiar gaze, a mix of anger, relief, confusion, and helplessness. For a moment, he couldn't understand what Yugito Nii was trying to convey.

"The Two-Tails said if you keep fighting so recklessly, you won't live much longer," Yugito Nii said in a low tone. If only Moriyue hadn't practiced Forbidden Jutsu. Is sacrificing the future for power really worth it?

Moriyue just smiled nonchalantly, not taking it to heart at all. What Yugito Nii didn't know was that he possessed the Dog Talisman, granting him immortality. As long as the Dog Talisman in his heart wasn't taken, he was immortal. Rather than practicing weak and ineffective ninjutsu, it was better to practice high-power, high-cost Forbidden Jutsu.

Moreover, the whereabouts of the other eleven talismans were unknown. His immediate priority was to gather the other talismans to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands.

"It's fine. Forbidden Jutsu is also very interesting. Don't worry about me. In this life, if you don't die today, you've made a profit."

Yugito Nii thought Moriyue was comforting her, but that wasn't the case. He genuinely believed that Forbidden Jutsu was profound and vast. When he had time, he would definitely study Forbidden Jutsu: Reverse thoroughly. Anyone who could devise Forbidden Jutsu was no fool; it was a realm for geniuses and madmen.

Moriyue also wanted to find a way to completely detach the talisman's power through Forbidden Jutsu. After all, integrating the talisman's power into oneself was the most stable approach. Studying Forbidden Jutsu was imperative for him.

"Thank you..." Yugito Nii's voice was very low. If Moriyue hadn't had sharp hearing, he would have thought it was a mosquito's buzz.

"Thank? Thank me for what?" Moriyue scratched his head, completely bewildered. He didn't seem to have done anything.

"No... nothing. Darui is inside. He's probably sleeping again. You should go find him. He'll arrange a mission for you later, and don't forget to go to the hospital."

Yugito Nii coughed lightly, patted Moriyue's shoulder, and turned to leave.

If Moriyue could defeat Iruka, then she, as a teacher, had no reason to be inferior to Killer Bee. She couldn't afford to slack off; she needed to train hard too.