The Morning Peacock?

When Might Duy opened the Sixth Gate, chakra surged through his body like a mighty river, flowing at incredible speed. The blood beneath his skin boiled, putting pressure on his blood vessels and giving him an eerie blue-and-red appearance.

"Argh!"

Might Duy roared, the veins bulging across his face. He kicked off the air and shot forward. He was moving so fast that he pierced through the air, shattering it with a piercing sonic boom.

"Leaf Great Whirlwind!"

Boom!

At that very moment, his incredible speed transformed into something extraordinary. Duy's leg rubbed violently against the air, igniting red flames. Accompanied by a terrifying sonic boom, he slammed into Crow Ghost.

Beneath his mask, Crow Ghost's face was already stricken with horror. The strength this Eternal Genin had unleashed was already close to that of an Elite Jonin!

How is this possible?!

Crow Ghost gritted his teeth. His dark experiences in Root quickly brought him back to his senses. He caught sight of Duy's eyes and immediately unleashed two interfering Genjutsu strengthened by his Sharingan.

"Mist Servant Technique!"

"False Surroundings Technique!"

The Mist Servant Technique made the target see one black phantom after another, while the False Surroundings Technique made them mistake one place for another. Used together, they were powerful enough to ensnare even another Jonin!

At the same time, Crow Ghost activated the Body Flicker Technique. If Duy hesitated for even half a second, he could escape!

But Duy didn't hesitate for even 0.1 seconds!

By then, the chakra within him was flowing faster than the human body's limits could withstand. There was no way he could fall for such Genjutsu.

Bam!

Boom!

Red flames accompanied by a piercing sonic boom slammed into Crow Ghost's lower torso. He shot away like a bullet fired from a gun, skidding fifty meters across the snow before crashing through a tree as thick as a bowl and finally coming to a stop.

Crackle!

Red flames burned in the snow like a peacock spreading its tail, blazing without end!

"Cough! Pfft!" Crow Ghost spat out a mouthful of blood. It trickled slowly down the edge of his mask.

Might Duy kicked hard against the air, turning into a blur once more as he shot toward Crow Ghost.

"You!"

Crow Ghost gritted his teeth. His Three-Tomoe Sharingan spun wildly, but the wound in his lower torso was devouring his life force. He couldn't keep fighting.

Bam!

Might Duy kicked out again, his foot wreathed in flames. Boom! Countless wood chips and flames burst from the spot, streaking into nearby tree trunks like a meteor shower.

At the critical moment, Crow Ghost used the Substitution Technique to escape.

Might Duy panted heavily. The speed of his chakra flow felt as if it might burst his blood vessels. Only after seeing Crow Ghost leave did he slowly "close the gates."

Not far away, Houka stared with his mouth agape. Whether from fear or excitement, his whole body trembled slightly.

That was definitely the Eight Inner Gates! That move just now must have been the Morning Peacock—no, the prototype of the Morning Peacock! I actually got to see it!

While Houka was still stunned, Might Duy had already come over and scooped him into his arms.

"Houka, I'm sorry for letting you get caught up in danger!" Might Duy apologized with great sincerity. "This will never happen again. I promise!"

Houka froze again. He was the one who had attracted the enemy, and had nearly gotten Guy dragged into it, too. Yet Might Duy was apologizing to him?

Huff, huff!

Might Duy kept taking deep breaths. Opening the Sixth Gate had clearly taken a heavy toll on him, too.

"Uncle Duy, you... No, I'm the one who got you and Guy caught up in this. I'm the one who should apologize!" Houka hurriedly said. "Uncle Duy, you're hurt. Let me take a look!"

Houka wanted to use the Mystical Palm Technique to treat Might Duy's injuries, but Duy stopped him.

"Don't worry. I've only overexerted myself. The Mystical Palm Technique won't help." Might Duy smiled as he patted Houka's head.

Just then, a figure moved so quickly that it seemed to appear out of nowhere. White hair swayed slightly in the snow.

"Duy, so it was you!"

The person who appeared was none other than Hatake Sakumo, the famed White Fang of Konoha and head of Konoha's Anbu!

Less than ten seconds had passed from the moment Might Duy opened the Sixth Gate to the moment he drove Crow Ghost away. The small woods were secluded, and even an ordinary Jonin wouldn't have been able to reach the scene quickly, no matter how fast they reacted. Yet Hatake Sakumo had made it!

Houka stared wide-eyed at this legendary shinobi from the original story, his heart sinking.

"Lord Hatake!" Seeing that it was Hatake Sakumo, Might Duy breathed a sigh of relief.

"What happened just now? There was quite a commotion over here." Hatake Sakumo glanced at Houka. It was hard to imagine that the peerless shinobi who had made the entire Ninja World tremble with fear had such a calm, steady gaze. He seemed like a kind uncle from next door, putting people at ease.

Might Duy said, "A Jonin from the Uchiha Clan showed up and tried to abduct Houka. I stopped him."

Hatake Sakumo smiled. "A Jonin from the Uchiha Clan, huh? Duy, your strength certainly hasn't disappointed me."

Might Duy gave a wry smile.

"Let's leave first. Anbu will take over the investigation later," Hatake Sakumo said.

Guy was still asleep in the Small Woods. Might Duy didn't wake him; he simply lifted him onto his back.

"So you're Uchiha Houka?"

Once they had left the Small Woods, Hatake Sakumo suddenly took an interest in the boy beside him.

"Yes, Lord Hatake!" Houka replied a little stiffly. After all, this man was a legend!

"Do you know who I am?" Hatake Sakumo asked with a smile.

Houka hurriedly glanced at Might Duy, then replied, "Uncle Duy called you that just now."

Hatake Sakumo nodded, then asked, "What do you think about what just happened?"

Houka was at a loss. I'm only seven years old! You important people can't keep asking me what I think about everything. I don't have any thoughts—I just want to follow you guys!

"Lord Hatake, I don't know," Houka said, playing up his innocence.

Hatake Sakumo gave him a meaningful look but didn't ask anything else.

In fact, the Third Hokage had already taken an interest in Houka's talent and had asked Hatake Sakumo to keep an eye on him. Otherwise, he wouldn't have spoken to Houka.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Under the dim moonlight, three shinobi wearing animal masks raced through the woods, following a trail of blood.

At last, they reached a small river.

"Target found!"

"Confirmed dead!"

"Both eyes have been gouged out. We can't confirm whether he was from the Uchiha Clan!"

After discussing it, the three decided to take the corpse back with them.

"This is... Watch out!"

Boom!

Three Explosive Tags were tied to the corpse. A brilliant burst of flame completely destroyed it!

"Damn it! Are you all right?"

"I'm fine."

"We've lost the trail. How are we going to explain this to the captain?"

These three shinobi belonged to Anbu. Hatake Sakumo had sent them to track Crow Ghost, but by this point it was clear that someone was interfering from behind the scenes, destroying every clue.

After the three shinobi left, the river fell silent.

Half an hour later, the three shinobi appeared there again like ghosts. They searched quietly for a while before finally leaving.

Another half hour passed. Suddenly, a crack opened in the riverbed, and a shinobi wearing a Cyan Crow Mask emerged. The flesh around his lower torso was mangled, and his injuries were severe!

Within a few breaths, his blood had stained the river red downstream.

"Damn you, Might Duy. I won't forget this!" Crow Ghost struggled out of the river, the three Tomoe in his Sharingan spinning wildly!