A Small Trial of Skill

Chapter 8: A Small Test of Skill

Optical camouflage, nothing more.

It wasn't the omnidirectional kind, either.

Movement would stir the flow of air and trigger subtle sounds; these two points alone were enough! Fang Xiu traded blows with Scar time and again, predicting the elite warrior's position each time and sealing off his attack routes in advance based on his trajectory!

Relying solely on a kunai infused with non-elemental chakra to enhance its durability, he easily achieved total suppression! In the span of just two or three breaths, the two clashed dozens of times, fighting from their original position all the way to the end of the narrow corridor.

Sizzle!

Suddenly, the air seemed to be detonated by something. Scar jerked his head to the side, feeling something spread from his left cheek to the surrounding area, his entire face instantly going numb.

Yet he remembered clearly that the mysterious human's short blade had brushed past his cheek; according to the trajectory, it shouldn't have caused any damage...

Rewind to the previous moment.

Fighting with Uchiha Style Taijutsu for the first time, and also controlling this body for close-quarters combat for the first time, Fang Xiu had experimentally infused lightning-style chakra into the kunai.

In an instant, a violent, ghostly blue light flared slightly, extending the blade's reach and inflicting effective damage on Scar.

In truth, this Yautja should be secretly thankful that Fang Xiu intentionally suppressed his chakra output; otherwise, he would have vanished along with the kunai's lifespan—ordinary ninja tools do not possess excellent conductivity. In the Naruto World, weapons like the Kusanagi Sword, Kubikiribōchō, Kabutowari, and Kiba would be able to withstand the massive chakra infusion of a Kage-level powerhouse.

Drip, drip...

From the charred wound, drops of fluorescent green blood seeped onto the floor, and a hideous crack appeared on his high-tech mask.

Having experienced a pure taijutsu duel against a top-tier hunter, Fang Xiu saw this, hooked his finger, spun the kunai, and decisively jumped out of the combat circle.

Clearly, he had shown through his actions that the battle was over; the disparity was so vast that there was no need to waste words on who the winner was.

"Roar!" Regaining his senses, Scar let out a furious bellow.

This Yautja, who had killed multiple Drone Xenomorphs with cold weapons and successfully completed the ritual, seemed unwilling to accept defeat. He raised his weapon high and charged forward once more.

Bang! The attack was heavy and powerful.

With a thunderous strike, the spear pierced through the wall with ease, its momentum undiminished, driving straight into the floor tiles of the adjacent corridor and kicking up countless fragments and dust.

But, no smoke, no injury.

Without suspense, the strike hit nothing but air.

In fact, Scar knew very well in his heart that this mysterious human hadn't even used his full strength. Not to mention the terrifying energy source within his body, his physical prowess alone was enough to make one despair...

The seemingly spectacular battle just now reminded Cat-Face, who stood watching from the side with no intention of launching a sneak attack, of his childhood, when he was trained to exhaustion by the ancient elders of his clan.

BOOM!!

A massive force struck from behind. Scar was sent flying forward, his hard body slamming heavily into the wall, his head embedding into it! If not for the protection of his outer armor, he would likely have been severely injured...

This time, Scar was completely sober.

He finally accepted the gap between them.

"Hiss, hiss."

However, before he could make another move, a dense, rhythmic sound resembling hard objects tapping against the floor echoed from two ventilation shafts overhead.

Cat-Face and Fang Xiu looked up together, one looking to the left, the other locking onto the right.

Ignoring the pain, Scar, who was half-embedded in the shattered wall, immediately pulled himself free. Gripping his spear, he joined Cat-Face in guarding the left side.

Subconsciously, there was no danger on the right, because Fang Xiu had taken charge of that area.

"Big Brother, I'm on your side, I'm on your side! When the fighting starts, please don't forget about me..." During this, the newcomer Reincarnator, who had lacked presence, hurried over. He didn't get too close, nor was he too far, maintaining a distance of about ten steps.

In sight.

Three Drone Xenomorphs were crawling in the right-hand corridor, and behind them, the area was packed with countless Facehuggers, all birthed by the Queen right at the start of the trial.

"Roar!" The Yautja roared first; after all, Xenomorphs were the highest-priority prey in their culture. Without hesitation, they charged side-by-side toward the left corridor.

With the two of them working in tandem, even without their Plasma Shoulder Cannons, as long as they didn't run into a rigid plot-mandated death, there shouldn't be any problems.

Silently making this judgment, Fang Xiu also stepped forward, simultaneously raising his hands to weave signs, "Earth Style: Earth Style Wall."

His internal earth-style chakra connected with the rock, and a thick wall immediately rose up behind him.

It is worth mentioning that because the trial pyramid was buried deep underground, the effectiveness of earth-style ninjutsu was slightly increased, while the consumption was slightly reduced.

"..." The newcomer Reincarnator with the crew cut was speechless. The upper-right corridor, which had been filled with Xenomorphs and Facehuggers, was now blocked by an earthen wall.

But that wasn't the point!

The point was that the side of the wall facing outward was actually carved with a cat's head... and it even had a special piece of headgear hanging between its brows.

Of course, this was by no means intentional on Fang Xiu's part; it was just a small habit lingering in his memory fragments.

Since it didn't consume much chakra and mainly tested precise chakra control, he subconsciously felt it was better to just continue it as a personal style, much like how Kakashi liked to hang dog heads on his Earth Style Walls.

Meanwhile.

In the pitch-black, enclosed ventilation ducts, the Drone Xenomorphs swarmed forward.

Though called a duct, it was actually four or five meters high, enough room for combat! The first Xenomorph to rush up lashed its black tail, relying on its keen senses to strike precisely at Fang Xiu.

However, the small test of skill against the Yautja had given Fang Xiu an intuitive understanding of his own taijutsu, and he was gradually becoming more confident in his maneuvers.

A pair of Three-Tomoe Sharingan spun gently; by leaning back, he easily dodged the lethal strike, while the remaining two Xenomorphs did not stay idle, and even the Facehuggers crawling everywhere continued to close in.

"Bang! Bang!" Two long tails whipped over like lashes, locking onto Fang Xiu's head once again from both the left and right.

There were Xenomorphs in front, and Xenomorphs behind.

It seemed there was nowhere left to dodge! Yet, the scene of flesh exploding did not occur; as the Xenomorphs struck, Fang Xiu actually transformed into a puff of smoke.

"Gathered together again, have you."

The voice came from the ceiling in the furthest corner.

Snake-Ram-Monkey-Boar-Horse-Tiger, the hand seals were already complete; from the moment he decided to charge into the corridor and cast Earth Style Wall, the battle plan had already been drafted in his mind:

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique."

A scorching sphere surged forward, its terrifying shockwave tearing the Xenomorphs and Facehuggers to shreds, even vaporizing all of the acidic blood that Fang Xiu had been wary of.

Watching this scene, Fang Xiu's peripheral vision flickered toward his Main God Watch; while tallying his gains, he secretly pondered—in the Naruto World, when Jiraiya coordinated with Gamabunta to unleash the Toad Oil Flame Bullet, the hand seals he formed were the same as those for the Great Fireball.

Therefore, could the Flame Bullet be an improved ninjutsu formed by combining the Great Fireball with chakra-infused oil?

When he had time to study it, he could consider attempting to unlock another high-level Fire Style technique.