Konoha's Number One Genin

When the match was announced, several familiar faces appeared in the waiting area.

They were all jonin from the Senju Clan. One of them was an elderly woman who looked quite old. Before Konoha was founded, she had been First Senju Hashirama's right-hand woman: Senju Toka.

Senju Toka and Uzumaki Mito were known as the two pillars holding up the Senju Clan. With these two women around, the clan had managed to maintain a respectable level of combat strength even after carrying out the Civilian Integration Project three times in succession.

One had to know that this slightly stooped old woman had been able to suppress Uchiha ninjas with the Mangekyo Sharingan through genjutsu in her youth. Her title, Flower of Senju, was no empty boast; she had earned it through one victory after another.

In particular, the A-rank genjutsu Bringer-of-Darkness Technique, developed specifically to counter the Uchiha's ocular jutsu, had been created by Senju Toka herself. The Uchiha Clan had suffered no shortage of losses to it in the final years of the Warring States Period.

The older Uchiha watching from the sidelines also noticed Senju Toka's arrival, and suddenly realized this fight was not going to be peaceful.

Sure enough, as soon as the match began, the Genin facing Nawaki displayed taijutsu skills far beyond his rank. He pinned Nawaki down and launched a relentless assault.

The younger children watching from the sidelines might not have recognized the Genin's style, but Touma and the adult shinobi who had lived through the First Shinobi World War were certainly familiar with it.

It was classic Cloud Style Taijutsu: a swift, aggressive rhythm that seized the initiative, with side punches and palm strikes as its main attacks. He had clearly incorporated elements of Cloud Style Swordsmanship into his Hakuda.

Still, the Senju shinobi in the waiting area didn't stop the match right away. They watched to see how Nawaki would respond.

Say what you would about Nawaki's brash personality: when it came to taijutsu, he was exceptionally skilled, thanks to the special training he'd received from the clan since childhood.

Nawaki quickly adapted to the fast-paced assault of Cloud Style Taijutsu and began testing his opponent's strength with his chakra-coated forearms.

Once he had gauged his opponent's strength, Nawaki immediately leaped back to break off the engagement and began focusing on gathering chakra.

This was the Senju Clan's famous Senju Super Strength!

In truth, "super strength" didn't refer to any one particular technique. Any technique that allowed someone to wield strength far beyond the human norm could be called "super strength."

For example, Takigakure's Earth Style Nintaijutsu, Earth Style: Earth Spear; the Two-Tails' Earth Style Nintaijutsu, Earth Style: Rock Fist; and the Hozuki Clan's Water Release Nintaijutsu, Water Release: Hydrification Technique—all fell under the category of "super strength."

The Senju Clan's Senju Super Strength was, in essence, a matter of precisely controlling chakra. The user had to compress rapidly flowing chakra against the surface of the body and release it at the moment of impact, producing far more force than the usual method of channeling chakra through the body's tenketsu to enhance strength.

The principle sounded simple, but without the Senju Clan's accompanying training postures and secret medicines, it was impossible to even begin mastering it.

Orochimaru had once tried to learn it. Although he could use "super strength" that rivaled Tsunade's, he couldn't protect himself from the force rebounding off his target.

It was in these finer details that the Senju Clan ensured no one else could figure out their technique.

Seeing Nawaki build up his strength, the Genin, who was likely from the Cloud Village, couldn't just let him continue. In an instant, crackling arcs of electricity enveloped his body, and he charged toward Nawaki at top speed.

His Thunder Motion Fist was more than a cut above that of the Cloud Village Chunin who had died at Touma's hands.

According to the information Touma had obtained from his status panel, Thunder Motion Fist at this level was already enough to meet the initial requirements for training in Lightning Style: Lightning God Armor.

Sending such a talented Thunder Motion Fist user to Konoha to assassinate Nawaki was a clear sign of how seriously the Third Raikage took him.

But Nawaki showed no fear as the Cloud Village shinobi, electricity crackling all over his body, charged at him. He simply raised his fist and traded punches with him.

Senju Super Strength clashed with the Thunder Fist, and a terrifying shock wave burst from the point where their fists met.

The gusts carried by the shock wave knocked all the nearby spectators off their feet and sent them tumbling back into their seats.

The crowd erupted in cheers. When the shock wave faded, the Cloud Village shinobi had been driven back three or four steps. Nawaki, apart from a slight flush on his face, showed no visible injuries. The winner was clear!

Before the Cloud Village shinobi could recover, Nawaki unleashed a furious barrage of attacks—using the very same tactic his opponent had used to seize the initiative moments earlier.

Nawaki perfectly copied the rhythm of his opponent's assault. With Senju Super Strength behind him, even the Cloud Village shinobi's powerful physique couldn't keep him from growing flustered.

Suddenly, the Cloud Village shinobi changed his approach and retreated from the fight, hurling more than a dozen senbon at Nawaki.

None of the senbon struck him, but they all landed upright in the ground around him.

He formed Hand Seals and used Kumogakure's signature B-rank ninjutsu, Lightning Style: Heavenly Array Lightning Prison, a more advanced version of the C-rank Lightning Style: Lightning Prison Technique, with powerful binding effects.

Nawaki hadn't managed to dodge in time. A dozen lightning chains dropped from the sky and bound him in place, leaving him unable to move.

Yet even at this point, Senju Toka still showed no intention of intervening. Touma's chakra sensing revealed that the old woman's chakra hadn't changed in the slightest. Her eyes remained as calm as still water as she watched the fight.

The next moment, a powerful wave of chakra surged from inside Nawaki.

If Nawaki's chakra felt to Touma like the youthful energy and vigor of a young man, this chakra—so different from Nawaki's—was filled with an unquestionable, overbearing authority!

A faint black mark appeared on Nawaki's forehead, but it vanished in an instant. The spectators would have missed it unless they were watching closely.

The sudden burst of chakra shattered the lightning chains around him. Taking control of Nawaki's body, it sent him rushing straight to the Cloud Village shinobi. One punch to the chest sent the man flying out of the arena!

He moved so fast that the Cloud Village shinobi even produced a rare sonic boom as he soared through the air.

The scene had unfolded so abruptly that it took the spectators more than ten seconds to react. Then they erupted in a deafening roar of cheers!

But Nawaki wasn't distracted by the cheering. He stared blankly at his fist. He trusted his own "super strength," but he couldn't believe he'd thrown that punch himself.

The Cloud Village shinobi who had flown out of the arena had a completely shattered sternum. If the Intelligence Division shinobi hadn't wanted to extract information from his living brain, even a slight delay in emergency treatment would have been fatal.

Of course, the Cloud Village brute was tough enough to withstand it. Anyone else would likely have died on the spot from that punch—and if they'd been any less sturdy, the fist might have punched right through their chest!