Hozuki Mangetsu

The Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms is based on the number "eight," with almost every move containing eight variations; Kanna's strike was no exception. The space between the eyebrows, the eyes, the bridge of the nose, the temples, the crown of the head, and the ears—a total of eight vital points were all covered within the range of this single finger.

In a real life-or-death battle, this strike should have been held back, its force contained within to prevent the enemy from predicting the exact point of impact, only to be unleashed at the final moment for a fatal blow. However, this was merely a performance. Although Kanna found Ringo Ameyuri slightly annoying, there was no real enmity between them, so he delivered the strike openly and honestly; one look was enough to tell that he was aiming for the center of her forehead.

With a soft pop, Kanna's expression stiffened, and the nearby staff members were stunned.

Ringo Ameyuri had made no attempt to dodge, instead tilting her head back to take the strike head-on.

"Bastard! What are you doing?" the young staff member shrieked, preparing to rush over to stop Kanna, only to be held back by a middle-aged man beside him.

"Stay out of it! Their situation is special, so they must resolve their own conflicts. We don't need to intervene!"

"But—"

"Listen to me. Don't treat them like children; this is their own choice!" the middle-aged man said with a meaningful tone.

At this moment, Ringo Ameyuri finally spoke.

"I will return this finger to you."

Having said that, Ringo Ameyuri closed her eyes, her body went limp, and she collapsed backward.

Kanna instinctively stepped forward to catch her, his eyelids twitching uncontrollably.

Is it really that dramatic? Even for a performance, isn't this too fake?

I didn't even use any force! You didn't have to block it, but did you really have to go this far?

"Fainted? Take her to the infirmary," the middle-aged man said indifferently. "This child spent the entire night in the Security Force and is already exhausted. Congratulations, Kanna, you've defeated the strongest contestant of this year's Chunin Exams."

Kanna stood there in a daze, looking down at Ringo Ameyuri.

Exhausted? Could it be that she was interrogated all night?

The unconscious Ringo Ameyuri looked quite beautiful. Her usually tense face had relaxed, and the corners of her mouth were slightly upturned, which made Kanna's heart skip a beat.

"That... it was an accident, just an accident," Kanna muttered. He handed Ringo Ameyuri over to the middle-aged man and said awkwardly, "But I still accept the punishment. Please make sure to report this to the director."

"Your little act is too outdated," the middle-aged man glared at Kanna and led him into the director's office next door.

Three minutes later, Kanna received his punishment: his labor correction period was extended by three months, as was Ringo Ameyuri's.

Now, Kanna would have to spend a full half-year in the Juvenile Correction Center before he could leave. This amount of time should be enough for the Third Hokage and his old man to resolve those messy affairs.

After this incident, Kanna's impression of Kirigakure plummeted once more. If even the Mizukage and his aides couldn't protect him and had to bow to the whims of the powerful, would life here ever get any better?

It wasn't even the era of the "Bloody Mist" yet, and the infighting among the higher-ups was already this blatant. Once the Fourth Mizukage took power, wouldn't everything just turn upside down?

A week later, at noon, Kanna was pondering the newly acquired B-rank ninjutsu, Ninjutsu: Exploding Bubble, when he suddenly received unexpected news.

The Hayashinaka Clan still wasn't planning to let Ringo Ameyuri go; they had sent clan members to start a brawl in the downtown area, only to be brought into the Juvenile Correction Center under legitimate pretenses.

"Is that so? What does that have to do with me?"

On the playground, Kanna was conversing with Ringo Ameyuri.

"They're looking for you, aren't they?" Kanna chuckled. "What? Are you scared? Do you need my help?"

As "comrades-in-arms" to a certain extent, the relationship between Kanna and Ringo Ameyuri had improved compared to before; they could barely be considered friends.

"I don't care about the people the Hayashinaka Clan sent," Ameyuri sneered. "But do you think you're safe? I heard the Hozuki Clan has dispatched Hozuki Mangetsu. It seems he's here for you. Be careful not to get beaten to death by someone else!"

"Hozuki Mangetsu?" Kanna paused upon hearing this, his expression darkening as he said grimly, "Is that so? It seems they really are coming for me..."

The Hozuki Clan could be considered the most prominent family in Kirigakure. They had produced the Second Mizukage, Hozuki Gengetsu, and the current wielder of the Twin Blades: Hiramekarei among the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, Hozuki Senjin. Their status was equivalent to the Uchiha in Konohagakure; they possessed immense military power but were deeply feared, and they were also the representatives of the clans currently struggling against the Mizukage.

As for this guy Hozuki Mangetsu, Kanna had heard of him. At only twelve years old, Hozuki Mangetsu was an absolute genius. Although his rank was only Chunin, that was merely because he hadn't yet made enough contributions. In terms of raw strength, this guy was stronger than the average Jonin!

Gulp. Kanna thought to himself, subconsciously blowing a bubble.

Ringo Ameyuri frowned and swatted it away.

"You're a Genin of Kirigakure, yet you still like playing with these childish toys?"

"What childish toys?" Kanna snapped back to reality, only to see Ameyuri raising her hand to swat at the Exploding Bubble.

It was just like an adult walking down the street when a bunch of annoying bubbles suddenly floated by—without a second thought, they would just pop them!

"Wait!"

Kanna had just reached out his hand when he heard a bang of an explosion. Ringo Ameyuri flashed away, jumping three meters back, clutching her right hand and glaring at him.

"Misunderstanding!" Kanna said with a dry laugh, clarifying, "It's definitely a misunderstanding! I absolutely did not mean to ambush you!"

Ringo Ameyuri was squinting her eyes, about to speak, when a strange voice suddenly came from the side.

"Explosion Release?"

Kanna turned around in shock to see a white-haired youth who had appeared behind him at some point, muttering to himself.

"An interesting ninjutsu. To think it can cause such a violent explosion from a bubble—is this Explosion Release?"

Kanna's mind raced, and a name surfaced in his thoughts.

"You are Hozuki Mangetsu!"

"Oh? That is me." Hozuki Mangetsu looked over, his tone calm. "This Humble One is new here and would like to ask for your guidance, seniors."

"Hey! Hozuki Mangetsu! You guy, how did you get over there!"

In the distant corridor, a ninja emerged and beckoned to Hozuki Mangetsu from afar.

"Hurry up! Come with me to the director's office to register!"

"Coming." Hozuki Mangetsu replied, walking over at a leisurely pace.

As he passed by Kanna, he paused and let out a soft chuckle.

Kanna watched Hozuki Mangetsu's retreating figure, feeling a surge of suppressed anger in his heart.

Hozuki Mangetsu had seemingly only intended to provoke him, but he hadn't expected Kanna to remain silent, only for Ringo Ameyuri, who was standing ahead, to suddenly speak up.

"What are you laughing at!" Ameyuri pointed at Hozuki Mangetsu, saying coldly, "I've heard people call you a genius, so what? Is being a genius really that impressive!"

At this point, Kanna had no choice but to step forward. After all, this was his own affair; if someone else stood up for him and he still shrank back, it wouldn't be right. However, Kanna couldn't think of any good retort for a moment, so he simply repeated, "Yeah, is being a genius that impressive?"

"It's alright, I suppose." Hozuki Mangetsu's expression remained unchanged as he continued walking, saying, "Ringo Ameyuri, right? I know who you are. As someone who also bears the name of a genius, logically speaking, you should understand me. But even among geniuses, there are levels. I advise you: don't provoke me, otherwise..."

"Arrogant!"

Before Hozuki Mangetsu could finish, Kanna stepped forward, leveled his palm at him, and his chakra surged instantly.

"Get lost!"

The line of repulsive force connecting Kanna and Hozuki Mangetsu snapped, and an invisible, immense force crushed forward. With a loud boom, Hozuki Mangetsu was sent flying sideways, crashing through the corridor's railing and rolling several times on the grass before shakily standing back up.

"Hoo..." Kanna took a few deep breaths to steady his aura.

Just this single low-intensity Shinra Tensei had consumed half of his chakra.

"Hehehe..."

In the distance, Hozuki Mangetsu actually began to laugh. The surface of his body rippled like waves, washing over him from head to toe, and by the end, all his abrasions had recovered, leaving him completely unscathed.

The Hydrification Technique, huh? A special ability that grants immunity to most physical damage; truly troublesome, Kanna thought to himself, his brows furrowing.