Recognition

Karui, the person involved, had no idea what had happened. But the stunned onlookers around her had clearly seen everything. Those in the thick of it were blind, while spectators saw clearly. They could barely believe their eyes, and only when they saw Karui lying unconscious on the ground did they reluctantly accept reality.

Just now, Moriyue's body had erupted with an incredibly dazzling radiance. Lightning poured out like a flood, enveloping both Moriyue and Karui. Crimson lightning indiscriminately shocked them both, friend and foe alike.

Moriyue had completely unleashed Lightning Torment. This was a new use he had discovered. Since his violent Chakra worked well with Lightning Torment's self-harming effects, why couldn't he use this move against others?

Nintaijutsu: Lightning Torment had originally been intended to temper the user's body. In theory, as long as Moriyue could endure it, he could keep electrocuting himself forever.

It was just that he had turned up the intensity a little too much. It did not merely shock him—everything near him was shocked as well. He had somewhat adapted to the pain caused by Lightning Torment, but whether anyone else could withstand the enhanced Lightning Torment empowered by his violent Chakra, he did not know.

It was like seeing who would collapse first, him or his opponent. When others used Lightning Release, they harnessed the lightning, neutralized it, and made it serve them. That did ensure the stability of the ninjutsu and prevented self-inflicted injuries, but controlled lightning lost its most natural, primal state. Its power was inevitably reduced.

But Moriyue's lightning was different. He did not control it at all, nor could he. The more violent it became, the better. It recognized neither friend nor family, but its power was far beyond ordinary lightning. It could be considered enhanced lightning, somewhat like entering a berserk state.

"Th-this is basically a forbidden jutsu, isn't it?!"

"You're telling me this is Nintaijutsu? Huh? Who classified it that way? Why don't you come take a look yourself? Is this what Nintaijutsu looks like in your house?"

"Damn, this is insane! I really had my eyes opened today. Nintaijutsu can be used like this? I'm going to be shocked for the whole year!"

After a moment of dead silence, heated discussion erupted across the grounds. It had been too spectacular—truly too spectacular. Moriyue had completely exceeded their expectations. This guy would try anything. Was he really not afraid of dying?

The crowd discussed it fervently, sparing no praise or compliments for Moriyue. They had previously objected to him because they believed he lacked the strength, that any position he held would be undeserved. But now that he had displayed his strength in this battle, they naturally acknowledged him.

After all, Kumogakure revered strength. As long as you had power, they would respect you regardless of your identity. Otherwise, no matter how high your rank or authority, without strength, no one would listen to you.

"I object! He obviously broke the rules! That should count as a forbidden jutsu! He violated the rules! Karui won!" Naturally, the gambling addicts who had bet on Karui refused to accept this result.

"Shut up, gamblers. A loss is a loss. Stop making trouble here. That guy is a real ninja. You have no right to judge him."

After this battle, the nearby ninja had completely acknowledged Moriyue. They knew Lightning Torment, and they also knew Moriyue could not train in ninjutsu normally. Someone like that could not accomplish much even if he became a ninja. Yet the strength Moriyue had displayed had thoroughly slapped them in the face.

Was Moriyue strong? Perhaps very strong. Iruka's defeat had certainly involved some carelessness, but Moriyue had indeed defeated Iruka. There was no denying that. Yet what made those ninja more wary was not Moriyue's current strength, but the madness he showed in battle and his unorthodox method of training.

How long had it even been? Moriyue had only officially gained his power a month ago, yet he could already trade blows with Iruka. Give him a little more time, and who knew what kind of trouble he might cause.

Karui lay on the ground with her eyes rolled back, her body twitching now and then. The lightning faded, while Moriyue remained standing straight in the center of the grounds. Though his skin was marked with patches of burns from the raging lightning, his eyes remained bright. He had won.

Moriyue exhaled a breath of hot air and patted the "dust" from his shoulders.

"Everyone, I won. Does anyone else want to challenge me? If not, I'm going to see Captain Darui." Moriyue's voice was hoarse and not particularly loud, yet no one present answered him.

"Then I'm leaving. Please take Iruka to the hospital. Give them my name, and you can get a one-percent discount on the medical fees."

He grinned, looking utterly harmless. When he was not fighting, there was no telling where this guy could possibly be dangerous. But now that everyone had witnessed Moriyue's strength, no one would easily provoke him again anytime soon.

After finding Yugito Nii in the crowd, Moriyue calmly collected his winnings from the owner of the betting pool and left with a sack of money on his back.

"This feels like a damn dream. It's really like picking up money with a sack! Ahahahaha! Huh, what's wrong with you?" Moriyue laughed carelessly. He had truly not expected making money to be so easy. But while he was immersed in the joy of easy profits, he caught sight of Yugito Nii's strange expression.

The way Yugito Nii looked at Moriyue was strange. There was anger, relief, confusion, and helplessness in her gaze. For a moment, he could not understand what she was trying to convey.

"The Two-Tails says that if you keep fighting without regard for the consequences, you will not live much longer." Yugito Nii's tone was somewhat low. If only Moriyue had not trained in forbidden jutsu. Was sacrificing his future for power really worth it?

Moriyue merely smiled indifferently, taking the matter completely to heart. What Yugito Nii did not know was that he possessed the Dog Talisman. With Immortality Power within him, as long as the Dog Talisman in his heart was not taken away, he was immortal. Rather than train in weak and feeble ninjutsu, he might as well train in forbidden jutsu with great power and great costs.

Besides, the whereabouts of the other eleven talismans were unknown. His most urgent task was to gather the remaining talismans before they fell into someone else's hands.

"It's fine. Forbidden jutsu is interesting too, so don't worry about me. As long as I don't die today, I've made a profit."

Yugito Nii thought Moriyue was comforting her, but that was not the case. He truly believed the study of forbidden jutsu was broad and profound. Once he had time, he definitely needed to properly study that Forbidden Jutsu: Reverse. No one who could devise forbidden jutsu was stupid. It was a field belonging only to geniuses and madmen.

Moriyue also wanted to find a way through forbidden jutsu to completely strip away the talismans' power. After all, integrating the talismans' power into himself was the safest option. Researching forbidden jutsu was something he was determined to do.

"Thank you..." Yugito Nii's voice was so low that, if Moriyue's hearing had not been sharp, he would have thought it was a mosquito buzzing.

"Thanks? What are you thanking me for?" Moriyue scratched his head, utterly confused. It did not seem like he had done anything.

"N-no, nothing. Darui is inside. He's probably sleeping again. Go find him. He'll assign you a mission afterward, and don't forget to visit the hospital."

Yugito Nii gave a light cough, patted Moriyue on the shoulder, and turned to leave.

If Moriyue could defeat Iruka, then as his teacher, there was no reason she should be worse than Killer B. She could not slack off any longer. She needed to train hard as well.