Because his chakra was limited—or perhaps Kakashi had deliberately restricted the Yellow Springs Marsh's range—the jutsu that should have covered nearly a hundred meters had only spread around Nara Dan, mainly to restrict his movements,
It was true that for a taijutsu ninja, speed-reducing jutsu like the Yellow Springs Marsh were rather troublesome.
Before Nara Dan could react, a rush of wind swept past his ear. The blow made his body stiffen, and he staggered half a step backward,
"Eight Trigrams, Air Palm!"
Hyuga Nana was still paralyzed, half-sprawled on the ground. Her right hand hung limply, but she thrust out her left palm, chakra visibly surging around it.
"Did she learn Air Palm on her own? Or did the Main Family arrange it?"
Though he appeared to be pinned down by their successive attacks, Nara Dan wondered why Hyuga Nana knew Air Palm, a secret technique the Main Family never passed on,
"And there's one person left. I've made the bait so obvious."
Sure enough, a moist pulse of chakra came from nearby,
"Water Release! Water Prison Technique!"
It was Ino Rinya, the one they'd ignored from beginning to end. He had appeared beside them at some point, using Water Release—a nature transformation he wasn't especially skilled at—to deliver the final blow to Nara Dan.
"Not bad. With teamwork like that, an ordinary Special Jonin really might get overwhelmed by your attacks."
Seeing the Water Prison already rise to his waist, Nara Dan remained perfectly calm and evaluated them at his leisure,
It was true that they'd quickly joined forces to target Nara Dan's weaknesses,
and, realizing ordinary ninjutsu couldn't directly harm his body, had rapidly changed tactics to focus on restraining and trapping him.
They'd even tried to 'drown' Nara Dan with a jutsu like the Water Prison Technique. They certainly showed a decent amount of tactical sense.
"But today, I'm going to teach you not to underestimate any Jonin based on hearsay."
"The formula for victory is complete."
"Daring to stand in the sunlight when facing the Nara Clan. How bold."
At the penultimate sentence, Kakashi's two visible eyes widened as if he'd realized something,
He abruptly looked at Nara Dan's hand and saw that, at some point, he had formed a hand seal.
"Shadow Possession Technique, Black Spider Lily!"
The three of them shared a perfect understanding. All at once, their expressions changed as they looked down at the shadows beneath their feet,
At some point, their shadows had connected to Nara Dan's, then rapidly climbed up their bodies.
The three of them immediately began groaning in pain. They struggled to breathe, unable to move at all. The sensation of a solidified shadow squeezing their throats was unbearable.
Naturally, the jutsu the three of them had cast couldn't be maintained,
The ground around Nara Dan returned to normal, and the Water Prison burst apart with a crash, leaving puddles everywhere.
Just as the three of them felt they were about to black out and meet the Reaper, Nara Dan released the Shadow Possession Technique,
"Being bad at ninjutsu doesn't mean I can't use it."
Nara Dan walked up to the three of them as they gasped for air, unable to fight back, and said,
To be honest, as a transmigrator who had lived two lives, Nara Dan had far greater mental strength than ordinary members of the Nara Clan. That made learning the Shadow Secret Technique twice as effective for half the effort,
It was just that, to Nara Dan, the Shadow Secret Technique had limited potential and poor value for the effort. Its power was also low,
Most situations in which the Secret Technique could be used required help from teammates. It simply wasn't worth it,
Naturally, using his Cheat System was much more satisfying.
That didn't mean Nara Dan's mastery of the Shadow Secret Technique was poor. On the contrary, he was absolutely no weaker than any Jonin in the Nara Clan. He simply used it very rarely, usually as an extra trick in battle.
"Facing a ninja from the Nara House without even basic caution around the Shadow Secret Technique? You've fallen into a foolish blind spot in your intelligence."
The three of them rolled their eyes inwardly. Who could've guessed that Jonin Nara looked like such an honest fellow but was actually a real schemer?
They knew there was no way they could truly defeat a Jonin-level ninja. Even against an ordinary Special Jonin, they had considered all sorts of ways Nara Dan might counter their moves,
including overpowering them with brute force, or simply seeing through them. Maybe the Nara Dan they'd been fighting all this time wasn't the real one, but a Shadow Clone,
They'd never imagined they'd be beaten by the Shadow Possession Technique. It was both laughable and frustrating.
"But in terms of ability, you've just barely passed my test."
Hearing that, the three of them secretly breathed a sigh of relief,
"But."
Nara Dan's tone changed. He looked at them sternly, his fierce presence flaring up once again,
"In terms of the fight just now, you're still too green."
"Hatake Kakashi, when facing an enemy you can't overcome by force, you showed no teamwork at all,"
"Your Kenjutsu was full of openings. You haven't inherited even a fraction of White Fang's skill."
Kakashi lowered his head deeply. His fists dug into the ground, and his heart was in turmoil.
It wasn't because Nara Dan had criticized him. It was because he'd mentioned his father, White Fang.
"Hyuga Nana, your Gentle Fist is passable, and your combat instincts are decent."
"But as a taijutsu ninja, even taking into account that you're a woman, your body is far too weak."
"The foundation of taijutsu is the body, not technique or the Byakugan,"
Nara Dan towered over Hyuga Nana, using his muscular frame to drive the point home. She didn't dare argue with him at all.
You've got the bigger fist, so you must be right.
"Finally, Ino Rinya. It's true that your foundation is poor as a civilian ninja, but that's no excuse to run from a fight!"
"Your Water Prison Technique showed some tactical sense, but you lacked the courage a ninja needs,"
"That's why you can't go any further."
Ino Rinya had been feeling rather pleased with himself when Nara Dan praised his tactical sense, but at the mention of courage, his spirits sank.
For a while, Nara Dan left all three of them speechless. They could only lower their heads and admit their mistakes.
"That's enough for today."
"I'm not like those Jonin who let you waste your days. Under me, you have only two choices."
"Get stronger, or..."
Nara Dan gave them a murderous smile. It made his rugged face look a little savage. The three of them felt a chill run through them, sensing that something bad was about to happen,
"Die."
"I'm not interested in taking you on low-level missions, either. I don't even have enough time to train."
"Same time every day. Meet here for training. Any questions?"
Nara Dan swept his gaze over them. The invisible pressure made their exhausted bodies straighten involuntarily,
"None!"
"Then you're dismissed."
Nara Dan didn't waste another second. He turned to leave,
"Teacher Nara!"
Hyuga Nana's voice rang out, as clear as a nightingale. She forced her weary body to her feet and walked over to Nara Dan,
"Aren't we going to celebrate?"
"Newly formed teams usually go out for a meal, right?"
Hyuga Nana blinked her clear white eyes, looking at Nara Dan's puzzled expression,
"Then let me treat everyone!"
Only then did Nara Dan notice how delicate Hyuga Nana's features were,
Though she was still young, children in the ninja world matured early. There was a mature woman's air about her every glance and smile. And while she wasn't exactly a busty child with a youthful face, she certainly had curves.
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