Having the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, Qingyun quickly figured it out. He was a Rumble-Rumble Fruit user, so Observation Haki would be even more effective for him.
Among the pirates, Enel could instantly detect everyone on Sky Island who spoke ill of "God." That showed just how much the Rumble-Rumble Fruit enhanced Observation Haki.
On top of that, Qingyun had the Sharingan, the Byakugan, and other sensory abilities. Once he learned Observation Haki, he would be practically unbeatable in battle.
Qingyun immediately focused on the nature and appeal of Observation Haki.
Before he knew it, dusk had fallen. Yoshihime used the Four-Pillar House Technique again and built them a house.
The three of them took turns keeping watch. When it was Qingyun's turn, he devoted himself completely to Observation Haki.
"Concentrate. Even with your eyes closed, you can still sense what's around you. You can avoid your opponent's moves with unconscious reactions." Qingyun was engrossed, and soon learned the theory behind Observation Haki.
"As for putting it into practice, I'll have to find time for that." Qingyun could already create quite a few Shadow Clones. Using them to study was undoubtedly one of the fastest ways.
Just as Qingyun was about to practice things like Hand Seals, he suddenly spotted a group of people rushing toward him from within two kilometers.
Qingyun immediately studied them closely. He noticed that the energy around their eyes was unusually strong.
"Who are they? The Hyuga Clan? Or the Uchiha?" For a moment, Qingyun couldn't tell.
He glanced back at the house, created a Shadow Clone, then headed toward the approaching squad.
Qingyun soon reached them and immediately threw his shuriken.
"Clang, clang, clang!" Qingyun had also learned excellent shuriken techniques from the Third Hokage. Every shuriken struck a vital point on one of the three opponents.
"Not bad at all. You really are the Third Hokage's student." As he spoke, the three men who'd been hit by the shuriken turned into wooden logs with a poof.
"Body Replacement Technique?" Qingyun hadn't expected to kill them with a single attack.
Though Qingyun had thrown the shuriken at tricky angles, his opponents soon located him.
"Whoosh!" A kunai with an Explosive Tag attached flew toward Qingyun.
Qingyun immediately used the Body Flicker Technique to dodge the tag. It ignited, and then—"Boom!"—the surrounding branches and tree trunks were blasted to pieces.
At last, the three ninjas revealed themselves.
"I see. I was wondering why you had such good eyesight. You're from the Hyuga Clan." Qingyun lifted his head and saw three ninjas with the Byakugan.
"We're all Konoha Ninja. Why are you hounding me? You're after me, too, aren't you? I can't believe Danzo sent so many people to kill me." Qingyun smiled calmly, as if Danzo's threats didn't bother him at all.
The Hyuga finally spoke. "Danzo? What does this have to do with Lord Danzo? You little brat, we weren't sent by Danzo. We just want to teach you a lesson."
"Do you remember how you humiliated my younger brother?" The Hyuga's words immediately reminded Qingyun of the Hyuga he'd clashed with earlier.
Qingyun said with a nervous smile, "I thought that was behind us. It was just a quarrel between kids. Why get involved?"
"It's simple!" the Hyuga said. "My younger brother belongs to the Hyuga Main Branch, while we're all from the Hyuga Branch Family!"
"As an outsider, you might not understand what that means. The Branch Family exists to protect the Main Branch. After what you did to that boy, he's been completely demoralized! So I'm going to help him get even!" the Hyuga ninja said.
"What, even being the Third Hokage's student won't make you back off?" Qingyun stared intently at the Hyuga.
Qingyun didn't want to fall out with the Hyuga Clan. It was one of Konoha's great clans, and the only major clan openly capable of standing against the Uchiha.
If Qingyun wanted to become Hokage one day, he would need to win the Hyuga Clan's support.
"Since you want to avenge your brother, I'll give you the chance. What about the other two?" Qingyun glanced at the other pair.
"They won't interfere. The Hyuga Branch Family doesn't gang up on someone." The Hyuga Branch Family ninja replied.
"I didn't expect you to have principles. In that case, try beating my Shadow Clone." Qingyun used the Shadow Clone Technique. A clone identical to him stepped forward, ready to fight the young man from the Hyuga Branch Family.
"A Shadow Clone?! Is this how you're insulting me?" The Hyuga Branch Family ninja's expression changed.
"The Shadow Clone has the same strength as I do. Beat him, then we can talk," Qingyun said. "What's your name?"
"Fine! You're underestimating me! I'll make you pay. My name is Hyuga Xinghuo!"
"Go!" Qingyun's mind raced through the theory of Observation Haki. He'd been ready to go to sleep, and then someone had practically delivered a pillow to him.
"An elite from the Hyuga Clan. What a perfect test subject!" Qingyun had agreed to spar with Hyuga Xinghuo purely to use the opportunity to hone his Observation Haki. Beating a Hyuga wouldn't be difficult.
The Hyuga Clan specialized in close combat. To take them down, Qingyun only had to keep using long-range ninjutsu.
Besides, Qingyun knew perfectly well that the Byakugan of the Hyuga Branch Family couldn't see in all 360 degrees.
There was a one-degree blind spot directly behind their first thoracic vertebra. It might sound tiny, but for a ninja, it was deadly.
If that one-degree blind spot could be exploited, it would become the greatest weakness of the Hyuga Branch Family.
Oddly enough, the Hyuga Branch Family tended to be stronger than the Main Branch. Perhaps the Caged Bird made the Branch Family more willing to fight to the death.
Hyuga Xinghuo had taken up his stance. Qingyun's Shadow Clone, on the other hand, closed its eyes.
He was trying to grasp that feeling—the feeling of Observation Haki.
Qingyun didn't put up any defenses. He poured all his focus into Observation Haki.
Hyuga Xinghuo roared, "There's got to be a limit to looking down on me! Now you're actually closing your eyes! You think the Hyuga Clan aren't even people?!"
"Eight Trigrams Mountain-Breaking Strike!" Hyuga Xinghuo struck out, sending a wave of air toward his opponent. Just as its name suggested, the Mountain-Breaking Strike used the Gentle Fist to unleash an air blast powerful enough to destroy a mountain.
It was one of the Hyuga Clan's few mid- to long-range attacks.
But none of that mattered. At just the right moment, Qingyun performed a nimble flip and dodged the seemingly powerful Mountain-Breaking Strike!
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