The First Genin of Konoha

As the duel was announced to begin, several faces familiar to Touma appeared in the waiting area.

These individuals were all Jonin from the Senju Clan, including one elderly woman who looked quite aged; she was Senju Toka, the right hand of the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama, from before the founding of Konoha.

Senju Toka and Uzumaki Mito were hailed as the two pillars of the current Senju Clan; only with these two women present could the clan maintain a respectable level of combat power after undergoing three consecutive "Civilian Integration Projects."

It is worth noting that this slightly hunched old lady was, in her youth, capable of suppressing Uchiha ninjas who had awakened their Mangekyo Sharingan through genjutsu alone; her title, "Flower of Senju," was not mere flattery, but something earned through hard-won achievements.

In particular, the A-rank genjutsu "Bringer-of-Darkness Technique," specifically designed to counter Uchiha ocular jutsu, was developed by Senju Toka herself, and the Uchiha Clan of the late Warring States period suffered many losses because of it.

The older Uchiha clansmen watching from the sidelines also noticed the appearance of Senju Toka, suddenly realizing that this battle would certainly not be a peaceful one.

Sure enough, as soon as the fight began, the Genin acting as Nawaki's opponent displayed taijutsu prowess completely unbefitting his rank, entangling Nawaki and launching a frantic suppression.

The younger children watching from the sidelines might not have recognized the style of this Genin, but Touma and those adult ninjas who had experienced the First Great Ninja War were certainly very familiar with it.

This was classic Cloud Style Taijutsu, utilizing a rapid, aggressive tempo to seize the upper hand; the moves focused primarily on side-swings and palm strikes, clearly integrating the essence of Cloud Style Swordsmanship into Hakuda.

However, the Senju ninjas in the back did not immediately interrupt the duel, choosing instead to observe Nawaki's response.

It must be said that despite Nawaki's flamboyant personality, he was quite outstanding in terms of taijutsu, having received special training within the clan since childhood.

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

After gauging the level of his opponent's power, Nawaki immediately retreated to disengage, focusing all his attention on gathering chakra.

This move was the Senju Clan's renowned "Senju Super Strength"!

In reality, "Super Strength" did not refer to a single specific technique; many moves capable of unleashing power far exceeding human limits could be classified as such.

For example, the Takigakure Earth Style Nintaijutsu "Earth Style: Earth Spear," the Iwagakure Two-Day Balance Clan's "Earth Style: Rock Fist," and the Kirigakure Hozuki Clan's Water Style Nintaijutsu "Water Style: Great Water Arm," among others, could all fall under the category of "Super Strength."

The "Senju Super Strength" was, in essence, the precise control of chakra; it required compressing high-speed flowing chakra onto the surface of the body and releasing it at the exact moment of impact, allowing for power far greater than what could be achieved by merely enhancing the meridians with standard chakra!

The principle sounded simple, but without the accompanying guidance on physical posture and secret medicines provided by the Senju Clan, it was impossible to master.

Orochimaru had once attempted it, but although he could perform "Super Strength" no weaker than Tsunade's, he could not ensure his own body would be protected from the recoil of the target's impact.

And these subtle, critical points were exactly why the Senju Clan could ensure their techniques remained unanalyzed by others.

Seeing Nawaki begin to charge his power, the suspected Kumogakure Genin could not afford to let him continue, instantly wrapping his entire body in surging electric arcs and rushing toward Nawaki at high speed.

The level of this "Thunder Motion Fist" was more than a grade higher than that of the Kumogakure Chunin who had died at Touma's hands.

According to the intelligence Touma had obtained from the entries, this level of "Thunder Motion Fist" already met the prerequisites for initially practicing the "Lightning Style: Lightning God Armor."

Sending such a "Thunder Motion Fist" genius to Konoha to assassinate Nawaki undoubtedly showed how much the Third Raikage valued Nawaki.

However, facing the lightning-bathed Kumogakure ninja, Nawaki showed no fear, clenching his fists and initiating a direct exchange of blows.

As "Senju Super Strength" collided with the "Thunder Fist," a terrifying shockwave erupted directly from the point of impact.

The gale force carried by the shockwave blew all the nearby spectators backward, forcing them into their original seats.

Immediately following this, intense cheers erupted from the spectators outside the arena, for after the shockwave subsided, the Kumogakure ninja had actually been forced back three or four steps, while Nawaki, aside from a slight flush on his face, showed no obvious injuries—the disparity was clear at a glance!

Before the Kumogakure ninja could recover, he was met with a storm of attacks from Nawaki, identical in rhythm to the one he had used to seize the initiative earlier!

Nawaki perfectly replicated the attack tempo he had just faced, and under the enhancement of "Senju Super Strength," even a Kumogakure ninja with a powerful physique could not help but panic.

Suddenly, the Kumogakure ninja changed his attack pattern, retreating from the engagement and throwing over a dozen senbon at Nawaki.

The senbon did not strike Nawaki, but instead embedded themselves straight into the ground surrounding him.

He performed hand seals, utilizing the signature B-rank ninjutsu of Kumogakure, the highly restrictive "Lightning Style: Heavenly Array Lightning Prison," a superior version of the C-rank "Lightning Style: Lightning Prison Technique."

Nawaki, failing to dodge in time, was instantly bound in place by over a dozen lightning chains descending from the sky, unable to move.

Yet, even at this point, Senju Toka in the back had no intention of intervening; in fact, according to Touma's chakra perception, the chakra within the old woman did not fluctuate in the slightest, her gaze remaining as calm as an ancient well as she watched the battle.

The next moment, a powerful surge of chakra emanated from Nawaki's body.

If Nawaki's chakra, in Touma's perception, possessed the youth and vigor of a young man, then this chakra, so distinct from Nawaki's own, displayed a condescending and unquestionable majesty!

A faint black mark appeared on Nawaki's forehead, though it vanished in an instant; if the spectators outside had not been focusing intently, they would never have noticed it.

This suddenly appearing chakra shattered the lightning chains on his body, took control of Nawaki's movements, and instantly appeared before the Kumogakure ninja, striking his chest with a single punch that sent him flying out of the arena!

Because the speed was so immense, as the Kumogakure ninja streaked through the air, he actually created a rare supersonic shockwave!

This scene occurred so suddenly that it took the spectators over ten seconds to react before a mountain-shaking roar of cheers erupted!

However, Nawaki in the arena was not affected by the cheers; instead, he stared blankly at his own fist. Although he had confidence in his "Super Strength," he could not believe that the punch he had just delivered was his own.

One had to realize that the chest bones of the Kumogakure ninja who had flown out of the arena were completely shattered; had the intelligence department ninjas not hoped to extract information from his living brain, he would have been beyond saving had emergency treatment been delayed even slightly.

Of course, it was only because the Kumogakure brute's physique was sufficiently sturdy; otherwise, anyone else would likely have died on the spot from that punch, and had their constitution been any weaker, the fist might have even punched straight through their torso!