Soft Fist? Crippled in One Blow

# Chapter 19: Gentle Fist? One Blow Cripples

"Teacher, this is the Second Lord's jutsu, isn't it?"

"Yes. Since you're presiding over this exam, how will the third round proceed?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded.

Witnessing Kyoichi execute Water Severing Wave, he too was quite surprised. This brat had actually mastered a Water Release jutsu that no one had been able to learn since Tobirama Senju.

When the Senju Clan split back then, many things were scattered.

These weren't particularly surprising.

What was surprising was Kyoichi's jutsu talent—remarkably good. Not only had he mastered Water Severing Wave, but he had also improved the Body Flicker Technique.

Even without the Senju bloodline, Kyoichi was a talent.

Orochimaru licked his lips and smiled: "Teacher, there is no third round. I am the third round. Although you gathered some people for this exam, the only one who truly needs to be promoted through this method is this brat."

"Promoting a Chunin directly to Jonin, and he's also wounded, lacking in battle merits... But we're currently short on talent and urgently need personnel, so we have no choice."

The Third sighed.

During wartime, ninja promotions were often quick, without needing to go through exams.

But.

Kanda Kyoichi had come down wounded. Although his battlefield achievements were considerable, they weren't enough to reach the level of Jonin promotion. This was quite awkward.

"Since you're presiding over this, I can rest assured. For now, Kanda Kyoichi's strength is fully at Jonin level. It just depends on how he handles intelligence gathering and battlefield situation assessment."

The Third said.

At this moment, how could he know that Orochimaru was researching Hashirama Cells? He thought Orochimaru was merely interested in Kanda Kyoichi and had volunteered for this task out of appreciation.

Everyone had a love for talent.

Of course.

The Third was also well aware of Orochimaru's tangled connections with Danzo, so after speaking, he added: "Orochimaru, I trust your abilities, but regarding Root, keep your distance from them."

"Teacher, I only borrowed people from them to facilitate the exam setup. Besides, this kind of promotion will be more convincing."

Orochimaru said, his eyes narrowing.

Borrowing Hyuga Tao—it seemed he'd been seen through.

"You know what I mean."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded lightly, not stating it explicitly, but the meaning was clear. It just depended on whether Orochimaru was willing to listen.

Forest of Death.

Kyoichi was still playing cat and mouse with Orochimaru.

That bastard Orochimaru was a real sticky burr, clinging to him relentlessly. Kyoichi didn't want to fight him extensively—first, it didn't align with the mission objective; second, he suspected Orochimaru was after his blood.

He didn't want Orochimaru to obtain it for now.

But.

After a moment, he detected another figure approaching from ahead.

Hyuga Tao.

He was also one of Danzo's men?

How could that be!

A strange look flickered in Kyoichi's eyes.

However, one thing was certain.

Danzo and Orochimaru had set up this trap, likely intending to wound him and obtain his blood for further research on Hashirama Cells.

He pretended not to sense Hyuga Tao and continued toward where Aburame Hiyori was.

The other party had already obtained two scrolls!

Before long, Hyuga Tao appeared ahead, blocking Kyoichi's path.

"Sorry, I have a mission. I have no choice."

Hyuga Tao's words were brief and direct.

Kyoichi sneered coldly, ignoring him, and instead...

Swoosh!

Body Flicker Technique, slipping past him.

The next moment, Hyuga Tao activated his Byakugan and immediately attacked Kyoichi.

Gentle Fist!

He was fast. Under the Byakugan, he could precisely track Kyoichi's trajectory, confident he could keep up with the Body Flicker Technique and block him with pressure points.

The plan was flawless.

But.

Just as he caught up, he noticed Kyoichi's chakra spreading across his entire body.

This was?

Earth Spear!

Using Earth Release chakra to form a protective layer—trying to strike pressure points would be difficult now. He immediately knew something was wrong and struck backward with an open palm.

Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm!

However.

Kyoichi reacted extremely fast, dodging swiftly, then immediately forming hand seals. A water dragon soared into the air and charged at him.

And this was only the first killing move.

The real key was—

Hyuga Tao had barely dodged the Water Dragon Bullet when he saw Kyoichi moving at incredible speed, appearing directly behind him.

Shadow Leaf Dance.

Then, a kick!

Hyuga Tao was sent flying, crashing through several trees along the way. If Orochimaru hadn't used Earth Release to soften the impact at the last moment, he might have flown even farther.

By now, Hyuga Tao was unconscious, severely wounded.

Beaten to a pulp?

Orochimaru was astonished, staring at Kyoichi in surprise.

Hyuga Tao was an elite from the Hyuga Branch Family who had joined the Anbu, temporarily borrowed by Orochimaru. His strength was not weak, yet Kyoichi had faced him head-on and taken him out with a single kick. That blow was terrifying!

He had definitely used some kind of special taijutsu.

Another new technique!

"Lord Kyoichi, you truly give me... so many surprises."

Orochimaru was thrilled.

He felt a certain sense of meeting a kindred spirit.

"You're Lord Orochimaru, aren't you?" Kyoichi said.

"Knowing it's me, yet you only leave a Shadow Clone? Lord Kyoichi, I am still one of the Sannin." Orochimaru smiled.

Kyoichi had seen him on the battlefield before. With enough attention, it wasn't hard to notice some of his habits, like...

Licking his lips.

A damnable habit!

But.

Recognized was recognized.

He wasn't too discouraged.

Compared to a mere mission, he was far more impressed by Kyoichi's innovative ability and talent. This was a genius just like himself!

A massive serpent appeared.

It carried Hyuga Tao on its back and quickly slithered toward a certain part of the Forest of Death.

"I'm very curious about that technique just now. Care to enlighten me?" Orochimaru knew that Kyoichi had activated some kind of special taijutsu, making him much faster than usual. There was no way to catch up now, so rather than waste time, he might as well satisfy his curiosity.

"That one wasn't my own creation. I learned it from someone else—the Eight Gates." The Shadow Clone smiled.

Orochimaru didn't want to fight, and Kyoichi was happy to oblige. Why not just sit down and exchange ideas?

Besides.

He was certain the Third Hokage was watching. This was a perfect chance to spread Might Duy's fame.

"Eight Gates? Indeed, indeed... interesting. I didn't expect Konoha to have a genius researching such taijutsu, but surely it's not limited to just this one?" Orochimaru's eyes burned with excitement.

Across all of Konoha, when it came to research, even the Third Hokage couldn't surpass him now.

He naturally knew the theory of the Eight Gates.

Though Kyoichi's technique was subtle, using the aura of the Eight Gates to mask it, he could still deduce that Kyoichi had at most opened the Gate of Opening. Based on the Gate of Opening's capabilities...

It simply wasn't enough to defeat Hyuga Tao in a single blow.

"Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm? Earth Spear, perhaps?"

Orochimaru muttered to himself.

He sorted through his thoughts, continuously deducing, and found it highly likely to be an Earth Release ninjutsu.

Earth Spear.

"Nothing escapes Lord Orochimaru."

"Impressive. To open the Eight Gates while simultaneously maintaining the Earth Spear state, your chakra control must be exceptionally strong."

Orochimaru sighed in admiration.

He had to admit that Kyoichi was the most talented young man he had encountered in recent years—Minato Namikaze was also gifted, but not the type Orochimaru favored.

Kanda Kyoichi was.

He vaguely sensed that Kyoichi's repertoire of techniques went beyond even this.

"I truly wish I could fight you for real. Unfortunately, as the chief examiner here, going all out against you would be too unreasonable."

Orochimaru remarked.

He revealed his true face and made no further moves.

The next moment.

He spotted a swarm of black insects in the distance—clearly, Kyoichi was engaging the Aburame clan member.

Passing by Kyoichi's Shadow Clone, Orochimaru said in a low voice, "Lord Kyoichi, next time we have a chance, let's have a proper talk."

Aburame Hiyori was no match for Kyoichi.

Of that, he was certain.

"Yes!"