Chen's kunai was a special Flying Thunder God kunai inscribed with a technique formula. The Star Ninja easily dodged it, but that was exactly what Chen wanted. The moment the kunai passed the Star Ninja, Chen immediately activated Flying Thunder God. He vanished from where he stood and appeared beside the kunai—right behind the Star Ninja. Using Moon Step, he kicked against the air to keep himself aloft, his right hand still crackling with Chidori.
"What are you so happy about? Mind telling me?" Chen asked grimly, right beside the Star Ninja's ear.
The Star Ninja had only just realized what was happening and tried to flee in terror, but he was no match for Chen's speed. The instant the thought of escape crossed his mind, the Chidori in Chen's hand was already embedded in his back. The violent Lightning Release tore through the Mysterious Peacock Method surrounding the man called Shizang, then pierced his back, Chen's hand bursting out through his chest.
"How... could this be..." Shizang stared blankly at the hand protruding from his chest. It was stained with his blood and wreathed in violent lightning. Unable to believe what he was seeing, Shizang spoke. Then his awareness began to fade, and he could no longer maintain the Mysterious Peacock Method. It dissipated. Chen pulled his arm back, and Shizang's body plummeted from the sky.
It had all happened so quickly that the entire fight, from beginning to end, was over in an instant. The Chunin named Yoru and the Jonin named Hong Xing hadn't even reacted. They only snapped out of it when Shizang's body—no, his corpse—hit the ground.
"Shizang..." Yoru cried out in grief. They had worked together for years and forged a deep friendship. Now he had watched his closest companion die right before his eyes, powerless to do anything. How could he not be overcome with grief and rage?
Hong Xing, meanwhile, stared at Chen in the air, thinking in horror, What just happened? I definitely didn't imagine it. That man vanished out of nowhere, then appeared behind Shizang. What kind of technique was that?
Horror gave way to rage. Shizang and Yoru were his trusted men. He had never truly considered either of them a confidant, but they had followed him for so long. And that man had come for the "Star." No matter what, he had to kill him.
"Mysterious Peacock Method: Bear Demon!" The Star Ninja named Hong Xing unleashed the Mysterious Peacock Method. It was far more powerful than the versions used by the two Chunin; his took the form of a giant bear. Once formed, the bear roared and lunged at Chen in midair. After killing Shizang, Chen had intended to finish off Yoru next. Distracted, he failed to notice Hong Xing's sneak attack. Caught off guard, he was seized in the Bear Demon's jaws and dragged to the ground, pinned fast and unable to break free. Yoru seized his chance, shaping his Mysterious Peacock Method into a series of spears and sending them hurtling toward Chen.
"Die!" Yoru roared at Chen, his voice filled with hatred. Seeing the chakra spears bearing down on him, Chen quickly used Shadow Snake Hand to conjure five or six giant snakes to block them. But even that wasn't enough to stop the spears. One by one, the giant snakes were cut apart. Just as Yoru's attack was about to pierce Chen, Chen vanished from in front of them again, and Yoru's strike hit nothing.
Chen reappeared almost immediately. He was now standing far away from the two Star Ninjas, with the technique kunai beneath his foot—the very one he had thrown to kill Shizang.
"That move again. He can vanish out of nowhere and reappear somewhere else. Could it be the legendary... Space-Time Ninjutsu? If so, we're in trouble." Seeing Chen reappear in the distance, Hong Xing felt uneasy.
"Hmph! I let my guard down, but it won't happen again!" Chen stood at a distance, watching the two Star Ninjas coldly without immediately attacking. The two in the distance likewise held their ground, eyeing him warily. The two sides faced off.
Just then, a boy about Chen's age came running from afar, shouting as he ran, "This is bad, Lord Red Star!" In moments, he reached Hong Xing.
"Ang! What are you doing here? What happened?" Hong Xing demanded of the boy who had just arrived.
"Lord Red Star, the... the Star was... stolen!"
"What did you say? The Star was stolen? What happened?" The moment Hong Xing heard that the Star had been stolen, he anxiously fired off several questions at Ang.
"We were training around the Star in the training room when a powerful ninja suddenly burst in. We were no match for him. He knocked all of us down in an instant, took the Star, and escaped!"
"You useless fools! You—"
Hong Xing was about to scold the boy when he suddenly realized something. He glared furiously at Chen. "Damn it, you have a helper too? No matter. If I capture you, your companion will have no choice but to show up!"
A companion? When did I ever have a companion? What's going on? From what that guy said, someone stole the 'Star.' Is someone else after it besides me? Damn it, someone beat me to it. That person must have made their move while I was keeping the Star Ninjas occupied. Bastard, you dared to use me. Whoever you are, I'll make you pay. Though they had mistaken him for someone with a companion, Chen said nothing. He knew they wouldn't believe him anyway, and he had no interest in explaining himself to these Star Ninjas.
When Chen looked at the boy from the Star Ninja village, he froze. Something suddenly came to mind. I almost forgot... Natsuhi!
Natsuhi had always made protecting Hoshigakure her responsibility. In the Original Story, the villagers who trained with the Star suffered severe side effects. She and her husband had once wanted to hide the Star so the villagers would stop using it to train, but the Third Hoshikage had stopped them. The Third Hoshikage had also declared that the villagers were forbidden to train with the Star. Later, however, the Third Hoshikage was killed by Hong Xing, and he once again had the villagers train with the Star. In the end, Natsuhi stole the Star to protect the village.
"If it's her, this should be easy to handle." Chen watched Ang, the Genin before him, lost in thought. Then he looked back at Hong Xing and thought, For now, I should just deal with these two pieces of trash!
Just as Chen was thinking about how to take them down, Hong Xing suddenly made a move. He controlled his Bear Demon, formed through the Mysterious Peacock Method, to lunge at Yoru's Mysterious Peacock Method. The bear swallowed the tail-shaped, Tailed Beast-like construct Yoru had conjured in a single bite. After devouring it, Hong Xing's Bear Demon grew even larger. Yoru, meanwhile, collapsed to the ground as his chakra was drained. It was unclear whether he was dead or alive.
"Lord Red Star, you..." Ang, the Genin, stared in disbelief as Hong Xing did something so unthinkable.
"Don't worry. I only borrowed Yoru's chakra; he'll be fine! That guy over there is dangerous, so I had no choice!"
"Oh! You're swallowing your companion's chakra to make yourself stronger? You've got some nerve! But even so, your fate won't change." Chen paid no mind to the Bear Demon, now even bigger than before.
"I'm done wasting time with you. I'll finish you in one move!"
"Hmph! I should be saying that." After absorbing his companion's chakra, Hong Xing had grown swollen with power. He sneered at Chen, then sent the Bear Demon charging at him. "Die!"
"Hmph! This Mysterious Peacock Method is a real nuisance. I'll just tear it apart!" Chen dodged the Bear Demon's attacks as he thought.
System, exchange for Rasengan!
Rasengan. Item rank: A-rank. Item type: Skill. Exchange cost: 5,000 Points. Exchange?
Exchange!
Ding! Exchange successful. 5,000 Points deducted. Current Points: 35,000.
After a warm current swept through him, Chen instantly mastered the A-rank jutsu, Rasengan!
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