"Thud! Thump!"
Dust and smoke billowed across the ground. Amid the swirling leaves, a long leg swept through the air with a fierce whoosh and slammed into a thick tree trunk. The lush tree, heavy with green leaves, swayed before slowly toppling over.
The ground was shrouded in another cloud of dust.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Several kunai pierced the air and shot into the thick haze, only to be slapped away by a pair of delicate hands.
"Not a chance!"
A fierce wind howled as a slender figure burst out of the smoke, charging straight at the small figure crouched on a branch.
"Tch!"
Qing Xuan gave an annoyed snort. Facing those clear, pale eyes head-on, he flipped off the trunk and fled.
The Byakugan really was useful!
He thought to himself as his single-tomoe eye darted from side to side, analyzing the surroundings.
The Hyuga branch family's genius was terrifying. Her execution was incredible; no wonder she had the makings of a Chunin at such a young age.
But this was as far as she'd get!
His legs stopped abruptly as he sprinted. Qing Xuan leaned aside to dodge the soft strike sweeping toward him from behind, then braced one hand against the ground and slid through a graceful arc.
A strand of long hair drifted past his eyes, carrying the faint fragrance of some unknown flower.
Just as the two passed each other, several blue Chakra Threads suddenly sprang up. Like a fish's tail snapping shut in an instant, they swiftly contracted, about to wrap the girl before him completely.
"Chakra Threads?"
Hyuga Kikyo's heart tightened. In their fight so far, Uchiha Qing Xuan had already shown impressive throwing skills and hand-to-hand combat, but she hadn't expected him to have another trick up his sleeve.
But don't think you're the only one with a hidden trump card!
The veins bulging around her pale eyes, the girl stopped herself in midair and struck the opening stance of the Hyuga Eight Trigrams Palms.
Even the two Jonin watching from the side couldn't help marveling at her control over her own body.
The Gentle Fist focused Chakra in the palms, and combined with the nearly unstoppable speed of the Eight Trigrams Palms, it was a fearsome attack. If Qing Xuan had no way to counter it, a storm of blows would rain down on him in the next instant!
"It's over..."
At that moment, Kakashi shook his head with a sigh, then lowered his forehead protector to cover his left eye, where three tomoe revolved.
He sounded so certain that Asuma, watching beside him, was taken aback.
Was it over? Who was going to lose? Why hadn't I noticed?
Could you not just spring that on me? Now I look like an idiot...
As soon as he finished speaking, the Chakra Threads tightened swiftly, binding Hyuga Kikyo, who was still suspended in midair in her opening stance.
The anticipated Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms never came. In fact, the moment she was bound, Hyuga Kikyo looked utterly bewildered. Her dazed expression made the usually aloof young lady seem rather cute.
"You..."
Even after Qing Xuan used the Chakra Threads to lower her back to the ground, the Hyuga branch family's genius still hadn't recovered.
At that moment, she really had been about to use the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms. With one flurry of attacks, she could have cut through the Chakra Threads in an instant. She'd even been confident she could land the remaining dozens of strikes on Qing Xuan and secure her victory!
But just as she was about to strike, her Chakra had suddenly stopped flowing!
"What exactly did you do?"
Hyuga Kikyo didn't understand. Throughout the entire fight, she hadn't given Qing Xuan a single chance to touch her.
Qing Xuan smiled faintly and casually tossed out a small, pale purple porcelain bottle.
"Ah!"
Shizune, watching from the side, cried out in alarm and hurriedly checked her Ninja Tool Pouch.
"I used Chakra Threads to sneakily steal her poison."
Qing Xuan grinned like a mischievous kid who'd just pulled off a prank, then began lecturing her at an unhurried pace. "You should know that making full use of your opponent's teammates is one of the essential qualities of a ninja!"
Essential my ass! Ninjas didn't need any such quality!
Kakashi scratched his tousled hair, no longer feeling like commenting.
The shock and disbelief in Hyuga Kikyo's eyes gradually faded, replaced by calm.
So she'd lost because of her teammate?
If this had happened before, she would have been furious, wouldn't she?
But after completing a series of missions, she agreed with Qing Xuan. Ninjas would use any means necessary in battle. A straightforward, head-on fight was the stupidest approach of all. It could get you killed, or even drag down your entire squad!
"I lost."
She said it plainly, admitting her defeat in the fight.
Her composure only made Shizune feel worse.
She loved medical ninjutsu and enjoyed experimenting with various poisons, but today someone had used her poison against her teammate. Who wouldn't feel guilty?
"That's a potent neurotoxin! The Hyuga Clan is very sensitive to Chakra flow, you know, but I didn't notice a thing earlier."
A cool voice sounded beside Shizune. There was no hint of blame in it, only sincere admiration.
This girl really knew what to say!
Qing Xuan watched her quietly win Shizune over and sighed to himself. She seemed cool and distant, but she actually knew how to handle people.
"What are you spacing out for?"
The faint smell of stale cigarette smoke drifted over from beside him. Asuma's easygoing figure appeared in front of Qing Xuan.
"Now that we're done fighting, we should find somewhere to practice the Three Basic Ninjutsu Techniques."
Qing Xuan ducked to avoid Asuma slinging an arm over his shoulder, but Asuma's arm was so long that he couldn't dodge it.
Like I need you to teach me the Three Basic Ninjutsu Techniques! Anyone you pick at random from the Uchiha Clan would take it more seriously than you do.
In the face of Qing Xuan's disdainful look, Asuma wasn't the least bit bothered. This scruffy-looking guy seemed to have plenty of patience for kids.
He looked up at the sun, which was growing hotter by the minute, and grinned. "It's almost noon, isn't it? How about I treat you to lunch?"
Qing Xuan immediately perked up.
"I want Ichiraku Ramen!"
On the other side, under the two women's direct stares, Kakashi showed no gentlemanly manners whatsoever.
The lazy slacker seemed not to notice their looks. He gazed at the sun too. "Is it that late already? Then let's call it a day. Don't forget to meet at the Anbu headquarters tomorrow!"
With that, he ran off.
The two girls rolled their eyes at him.
Something unexpected happened on Qing Xuan's side too. Just as Kakashi took off, someone came to take Asuma away.
The charge was deliberately setting fire to the Hokage Rock!
Good grief!
When Qing Xuan heard that, he was dumbfounded. Only the Hokage's dim-witted son would pull off such a hardcore way of ditching the bill.
Kakashi was nowhere near Asuma's level when it came to methods!
It was just one meal. Did you really have to go that far?
Before you continue