Grandmaster Body Flicker Technique

Grandmaster Body Flicker Technique!

Kyohiko let go of the sword and sat down, absorbing the insights.

"Precise, perfect control, and experience handling all kinds of combat situations..."

All kinds of memories flooded into his mind.

Kyohiko's head throbbed with pain.

He endured it for a long while.

Gradually, the pain subsided.

Then Kyohiko felt a little lost.

The improvement described doesn't seem all that obvious?

What use is experience handling situations if I can't react in time?

After a moment's hesitation, he got to his feet and began testing it.

First, the basics...

Body Flicker Technique!

Whoosh!

In an instant, his figure appeared somewhere else.

Kyohiko carefully sensed the difference.

It was very fast—probably as fast as his body and chakra-enhanced physical strength could manage. But that alone wasn't enough to feel much of a difference.

Wait...

Let's try again!

He took the cloth he used to cover his eyes and blindfolded himself. Then he created a Shadow Clone and had it attack him.

After training for so many days, he could already locate people by sound to some extent, and his body's instinctive reactions had improved considerably.

The instant the Shadow Clone charged at him...

Kyohiko heard it.

In that split second, he reacted and dodged with the Body Flicker Technique.

What?

Kyohiko was astonished.

He could feel that his body had undergone countless rounds of training and practice with this technique. In the blink of an eye, the moment he heard a sound, he knew where the enemy was and instinctively responded.

He tried several times.

Then Kyohiko was sure: his ability to locate people by sound had indeed improved, and his body's instinctive reactions had grown stronger, too.

Even...

At times, his body had already moved before he'd even formed the thought.

This was an all-around improvement!

However...

Kyohiko understood perfectly well.

It meant he couldn't control that extreme speed himself, so he needed his body's instincts and various techniques to react in an instant.

What if he had Minato Namikaze's natural physical ability to react at that speed? What direction would his evolution take then?

Perhaps something like Shisui's, but for now, he had no way of knowing.

"It's fine. I can train the combined technique myself. Combat experience and reaction speed are what matter most!"

Kyohiko exhaled.

Then he thought about what to focus on in his training next.

The Grandmaster Body Flicker Technique wasn't invincible.

It needed to gather information first, then let his mind respond, with his body reacting almost simultaneously.

If an enemy could create complete silence and launch a sneak attack, his body couldn't dodge on its own.

At its core, it was still a technique, not an automatic bodily response.

Even so...

Even a simple improvement in his awareness when dodging had brought him enormous benefits.

Kyohiko let out a soft breath, tamping down his excitement as his thoughts gradually cleared.

The next step—

Keep training and strengthen his physique!

What he lacked right now was a stronger body.

If he improved his physical strength, the Body Flicker Technique's upper limit would rise, too.

"Next, I'll keep running and practicing with the sword."

Kyohiko packed up.

He put away the racks and other things in the courtyard.

Then he went outside to run!

Konoha. Kyohiko hadn't gone out much in a long time, and he really wasn't used to it.

Wearing weights, he ran laps around the village perimeter using only his own strength.

Before long, someone familiar caught up from behind.

"Hey! My eternal rival! You're finally back!"

After running alongside him for a while, Guy quickly overtook him, running backward. "Why aren't you answering me?"

Kyohiko looked confused.

"Are you talking to me?"

"Damn! I mean, it really is true that you're on the same team—you two even have such similar ways of speaking!"

Might Guy sighed.

"Isn't Kakashi your eternal rival?"

Kyohiko was surprised.

Might Guy grinned. "Do I only get to have one rival? You and Kakashi are both my eternal rivals!"

Then he suddenly turned around and resumed running normally.

"By the way, are you taking part in this year's Chunin Ninja Exams? This year's a little special, so I wanted to ask if you were going to participate."

"The Chunin Ninja Exams are special?"

Kyohiko paused.

Guy nodded.

"Yeah. Didn't Lord Jiraiya tell you?"

"I haven't seen Teacher in days."

Kyohiko hadn't seen Jiraiya even by the hot springs. He guessed he had left Konoha to handle the "alliance."

Guy froze for a moment, then understood.

"No wonder! Lord Jiraiya must be pretty busy. Anyway, my teacher said that this year's Chunin Ninja Exams would be held jointly with Kumogakure and Kirigakure. The Mist Village's envoys have already arrived."

As he spoke, a cold snort came from nearby.

"Kyohiko Yoshimine, I've finally found you!"

The voice sounded vaguely familiar.

Kyohiko looked toward it, raised an eyebrow, and smiled faintly.

"Lord Mangetsu, you came looking for me. Don't tell me you're here to thank my teacher for inviting you to stay in Konoha?"

"Hmph!"

Hozuki Mangetsu snorted.

He stared at Kyohiko with a cold gaze.

"You're taking part in this Chunin Ninja Exam, aren't you?"

"Who knows? Maybe I will, maybe I won't."

Kyohiko shrugged. "Have you been enjoying yourself lately?"

A cruel smile lifted the corner of Hozuki Mangetsu's mouth. "Thanks to you, I've been keeping busy. If you don't take part in the Chunin Ninja Exams, I'll make sure to repay Konoha's other participants!"

As soon as he finished speaking, his figure blurred.

But—

The moment Hozuki Mangetsu appeared, Kyohiko swung his fist behind him.

Crash!

Hozuki Mangetsu's head burst apart, but he still swung a punch at Kyohiko.

The Hydrification Technique made him immune to punches!

However...

The next moment, Hozuki Mangetsu's punch hit empty air.

What?

For an instant, he couldn't hide his shock.

By the time Hozuki Mangetsu reacted, the figure before him had vanished.

Was that the Clone Technique?

No!

It wasn't a clone. The other guy was simply moving so fast that his eyes couldn't keep up, leaving an afterimage!

Hozuki Mangetsu's breath caught.

The next moment, his head and lower body were blown apart again.

Guy had kicked him from above.

As for his lower body...

Kyohiko had kicked it.

Guy was astonished to discover that Kyohiko had somehow ended up behind Hozuki Mangetsu.

What incredible speed!

And...

The Mist Village shinobi hadn't even reacted...

"You attacked a Konoha ninja. Are you planning to be our guest in Konoha for a while longer?"

Hozuki Mangetsu didn't answer.

It wasn't arrogance. He was completely stunned.

This guy!

His reactions and the speed of his attacks were even faster than before!

After being studied by that maniac for over ten days, this guy named Kyohiko Yoshimine had somehow gotten even stronger!

How is that possible?

Is this guy even human?

For the first time, Hozuki Mangetsu felt as though his talent had been surpassed.

The one thing he was grateful for was that no matter how powerful his opponent's techniques were, he couldn't kill him—

If not for the Hydrification Secret Technique, he would already be dead!

At that moment, on a raised platform at Konoha Hospital not far away...

"Tsunade."

"Hmm?"

"That person tangling with the Mist Village in the distance looks like your junior."

Orochimaru's voice was hoarse.

Tsunade immediately looked over, then laughed in surprise.

Kyohiko!

That kid...

Hmm?

Tsunade suddenly took a closer look, her gaze sharpening.

She sensed a powerful surge of chakra from Kyohiko. In the next instant, he blew apart Hozuki Mangetsu's upper body with a punch as Mangetsu used the Body Flicker Technique to appear behind him.

That speed!

No way.

Could he really have improved that much?

She was shocked, unable to hide her astonishment.

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes.

"For someone his age, that speed is already remarkable. This boy can't help but remind me of the Second Hokage."

"The Senju Clan's bloodline and talent are shining through him once more. It's both astonishing and nostalgic! No wonder you chose to return to the village and even want to compete for the Hokage position!"

Even Orochimaru couldn't help praising him.

No wonder Jiraiya often bragged that his student was practically another Second Hokage.

What truly frightening talent!

"What bloodline? He's simply worked hard enough. Talent played only a tiny part."

That said, Tsunade couldn't stop smiling.

Then her smile stiffened, and she snorted. "As for competing for the Hokage position, if it weren't for the old man and the others, this boy's talent would have been recognized much sooner! I'm competing for Hokage to protect them and help them grow up healthy!"

"Back then, Tokah Senju's genjutsu was renowned throughout the Shinobi World. The texts she left behind were just as worthy of study as those of the Second Hokage."

Orochimaru said.

Tsunade gave a cold laugh. "After all these years, what have you learned? You've spent years studying the genjutsu texts left by my great-uncle and great-aunt together, yet you still don't have a single person who can use the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique!"

Orochimaru fell silent.

Because as things stood, Konoha truly didn't have a single shinobi who had mastered the Bringer-of-Darkness Technique.

Tsunade was about to mock their incompetence again when she suddenly stopped and vanished from the spot with the Body Flicker Technique.

There was some debate over the skill choice in the previous chapter. After thinking it over, I realized I hadn't considered it carefully enough, so I've changed it to "Body Flicker Technique." I've also revised and rewritten this chapter accordingly.

I hope you'll understand. Thank you!