Eight Trigrams Gate of Life Burst!

A clear sky released a faint drizzle.

It spread from an area half a meter wide, quickly expanding to cover nearly a hundred meters.

Ordinary-looking raindrops fell in scattered patterns,

And the raging fire ignited by the Explosive Tag formation in the Nameless Forest vanished at a visible speed.

Water Style: Rain Cutter.

It was a secret Water Release technique used by Kirigakure's Anbu, capable of weakening every ninjutsu and chakra except Water Release Ninjutsu.

Ao's plan was meticulous. He had deliberately left an opening for Hyuga Yu, then seized his chance to land the Water Prison Technique. During that time, Ao had to maintain the prison with one hand, while his Jonin comrade cast Water Style: Rain Cutter.

As the secret technique continuously drained the enemy's chakra, it also kept laying the groundwork for the Water Release user's advantageous terrain.

In the end, it would put them in an unbeatable position.

However, the Eight Gates technique Hyuga Yu was using now was completely outside Kirigakure's intelligence network. Once again, he had become something impossible to predict or control—

[Information Black Hole]!

At that moment,

Hyuga Yu burst through the water sphere under the horrified gazes of Ao and Kensuke, leaping high into the air!

Before Ao could cast another Water Release technique,

"Thud!"

It was as if an elephant had stamped down!

Hyuga Yu spun through a 720-degree flip in midair, then landed in a deep kneel behind Ao!

Ao immediately twisted around and slashed backward at Hyuga Yu with a reverse-gripped kunai!

But—

What awaited him was a size-42 shinobi sandal, twisting at the waist as it came down in a high kick!

"Shadow Leaf Dance!"

It was the opening move for the Front Lotus and Reverse Lotus. The user moved in front of their opponent at a speed invisible to the naked eye, kicking them into the air to set up further Taijutsu moves.

The version Hyuga Yu was using now was the "Waiting by the Stump" version. He had no dynamic vision and had received no specialized Taijutsu training, so he couldn't precisely control his body's explosive speed. Naturally, he couldn't rely on this technique to land a direct hit on an opponent of Jonin rank with impressive Taijutsu.

Fortunately, Hyuga Yu still had the Byakugan!

By watching the direction Ao's eyes turned, he could predict which way Ao would twist and turn his head, then use Shadow Leaf Dance to kick the spot where his chin would be.

"Crack!"

Ao felt his jaw snap with a sharp pop. The specially timed kick sent him flying straight up more than five meters.

His heart lurched. This is bad!

Right after,

"Whoosh!"

Hyuga Yu planted one hand on the ground and sprang up, eyes wide as he swung his palms through the air. The green chakra surging through his body began to rush from every chakra point toward his palms!

Stepping on the air, he advanced, each step sending a palm strike toward Ao!

"Gentle Fist Style: Two Palms!"

"Four Palms!"

"Eight Palms!"

Three steps were done!

"Now for—"

Hyuga Yu's pupils suddenly narrowed. Inside him, the Byakugan's chakra drove the Gate of Life chakra to form a strange pattern before his palm, encircled by eight wildly spinning green trigrams.

He brought his hands together, clasped them into a fist, and punched through the eight trigrams, swinging his arm down like a sledgehammer toward Ao's face!

"Eight Trigrams Gate of Life Burst!"

"Thud!"

"Pfft! Ugh!" The fist struck Ao squarely in the face, caving in his skin and making him spit out a spray of blood.

Ao felt the three streams of chakra Hyuga Yu had previously struck into his body begin to run wild in response to that final punch, damaging his chakra pathways and making his chakra flow feel as sluggish as mud.

"Thud!"

At that moment,

The two of them nearly hit the ground at the same time.

The difference was that Ao, a Jonin held in high regard by Kirigakure's elders, was now kneeling on the ground, trembling all over. Even lifting a finger seemed impossibly difficult.

Hyuga Yu, meanwhile, landed steadily without even breathing hard.

Ao stared at Hyuga Yu with a deathly pale face. He forcibly drew chakra from his chaotic body, trying to move and immediately put some distance between them.

However,

The instant he tried to move, he discovered that his legs felt as heavy as lead, as if they weighed a thousand pounds. And within him, green chakra was mixed in with his own.

Eight Trigrams Gate of Life Burst—

It was a version of Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms that used Byakugan chakra fused with Gate of Life chakra. Unlike Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms, the principle behind the technique Hyuga Yu had devised was to forcibly use Byakugan chakra to drive the unruly Gate of Life chakra into the enemy's body. It damaged some of their chakra pathways while making their body feel dramatically heavier and difficult to move.

Now, the moment Ao tried to move his leaden legs, he exposed the gap between his intentions and his ability to act.

A cold glint flashed in Hyuga Yu's eyes. He ground his toe into the earth and launched himself forward like a lion pouncing on its prey.

A Shadow Leaf Dance followed by a Konoha Great Whirlwind kicked Ao flat onto the ground, leaving him unable to rise!

The entire sequence of attacks and counters had taken less than a minute!

Ao of the Mist had been defeated.

At the sight,

Nearby, Kensuke, the Kirigakure Jonin casting Water Style: Rain Cutter, stared in shock, his eyes wide.

Hyuga Natsu, who had been checking on Hyuga Genko, also noticed and lifted her head. Seeing Hyuga Yu standing tall in the middle of the field, her bright eyes flashed with a hint of wonder.

"Cough, cough... Damn..."

"What kind of technique is that!?"

Ao spat out two mouthfuls of blood on the ground and struggled to raise his head, looking at Hyuga Yu's impassive face.

A hint of fear flashed in his eyes. He tried to force himself up, but couldn't manage it.

Watching Ao struggle, Hyuga Yu slowly pulled a kunai from his weapon pouch. He turned it around into a reverse grip and was about to stab the throat of this future aide to the Fifth Mizukage, ending his life once and for all.

However,

Just then—

"Kid, you don't actually think you've won, do you?"

Ao gave up struggling completely and slumped onto the ground in a wretched heap. Yet a mocking, vicious grin appeared on his upturned face as he spoke, one word at a time:

"Now,"

"Your real opponent has arrived!"

At his words, Hyuga Yu furrowed his brow slightly, then lifted his head. His Byakugan's field of vision shifted rapidly, stretching vertically as he scanned the area.

The next instant,

Hyuga Yu's expression changed. He pushed off with his toes and sprang backward!

Where he had just been standing, several wires suddenly pulled taut from beneath the ground, tightening, twisting, and slicing through the air!

The soil was cut apart like blocks of tofu.

A needle-like Ninja Blade silently plunged from above, held by a freak standing 2.2 meters tall, with limbs and a torso as thin as sticks.

If Hyuga Yu had hesitated even slightly, the blade would have pierced straight through him, from the crown of his head to his rectum!

But that wasn't all—

"Kid, what are you looking at?!"

A strange cry suddenly came from the northern side of the forest.

"Bingo~! Bull's-eye!"

From another direction, a Ninja Blade as big as a door, fitted with a huge scroll, came spinning toward him!

As the blade spun, countless Explosive Tags spat out from its surface, all igniting at once in the next instant!

Midair, facing the incoming blade, Hyuga Yu immediately threw the kunai in his hand, then stepped on the air and flipped backward again!

"Clang!"

"—BOOM!!!"

A roar erupted, and a shock wave swept outward!

Amid the violent explosion,

Two figures, one tall and one short, made a fearsome entrance, their bodies wreathed in killing intent and terrifying chakra!