Pay the Price for Arrogance

"Whoosh."

Accompanied by a faint whistling sound, ten finger bones streaked across the sky like bullets, rushing toward Hyuga Taiyuan.

However, Hyuga Taiyuan was a Jonin after all; a few bullets formed from finger bones were not enough to pose much of a threat to him.

With a series of backflips, Hyuga Taiyuan easily dodged the Ten-Finger Drilling Bullets and used the opportunity to put a bit more distance between himself and Jun Tianlin.

After regaining his footing, Hyuga Taiyuan looked at Jun Tianlin with a gloomy expression, a hoarse voice emanating from his throat.

"Kid, I didn't expect you to have such bizarre power. Judging by its appearance, this must be your Kekkei Genkai, right? No wonder you became a bounty hunter at such a young age and are so arrogant—it turns out you're a Kekkei Genkai user! However, while such things are rare in the Ninja World, you aren't the only one who possesses one. If you're looking to pick on a soft target, you've clearly chosen the wrong opponent, kid!"

"Byakugan, activate!"

As he spoke, Hyuga Taiyuan let out an angry shout. Above his cheeks, the skin around his eyes bulged with jagged, protruding veins, looking extremely ferocious and terrifying.

With his Byakugan active, Hyuga Taiyuan seemed even more arrogant than before, as if he were the greatest in the world and looked down on everyone, his face filled with insolence.

"Heh heh, kid, shocked, aren't you? I am a member of the Hyuga Clan of Konoha, possessing the most powerful Kekkei Genkai in this world—the Byakugan, known as one of the three great ocular jutsu of the Ninja World. You, a mere..."

Hearing Hyuga Taiyuan rambling on like a disgruntled woman nearby, Jun Tianlin frowned. Not waiting for him to continue his self-aggrandizement, he launched another attack.

"Shikotsumyaku, Bone Spike!"

As Jun Tianlin rushed rapidly toward Hyuga Taiyuan, he let out a low shout, and sharp bone spikes suddenly erupted from the joints throughout his body, instantly turning him into a living bone hedgehog!

"They say the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist is peerless, and that their close-quarters combat is so powerful that few can rival it. I want to see how 'gentle' your Gentle Fist can be when faced with my Shikotsumyaku!"

A wild glint flashed in Jun Tianlin's eyes. He flipped effortlessly in the air, descending from above toward the still-boasting Hyuga Taiyuan with a powerful Bone Spike whip kick!

"Hmph, a sneak attack while I'm talking? Kid, didn't your elders teach you that when an adult is speaking, you must listen until they are finished?"

Anyone would be furious to have their proud introduction interrupted while they were in the middle of it, right?

A sinister look flashed across his face. Hyuga Taiyuan's voice was filled with rage as he coated his palm with chakra and met the whip kick head-on.

Clearly, Hyuga Taiyuan, who had been preoccupied with bragging and was caught off guard by the interruption, suffered for it because he hadn't had the time to properly assess Jun Tianlin's attack.

"Ah!"

Accompanied by a scream, Hyuga Taiyuan's chakra-covered right hand didn't even reach Jun Tianlin before it was pierced through by the bone spikes on his leg joint. The tragedy didn't end there; after his right hand was impaled, Kimimaro's powerful whip kick followed through.

Once again, the bone spikes on Jun Tianlin's leg joint drove directly into Hyuga Taiyuan's chest. Blood sprayed wildly from the wounds. In the end, having been pierced twice by the bone spikes, Hyuga Taiyuan was sent flying by the sheer force of Jun Tianlin's whip kick.

After flying a full several dozen meters, Hyuga Taiyuan's body slammed heavily into the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Plop."

After Hyuga Taiyuan landed, another faint sound followed. Upon closer inspection, it was an arm, still dripping with blood, lying alone on the ground.

"Cough, cough, cough."

Hyuga Taiyuan struggled to his feet, but due to the severity of his injuries, blood poured from his mouth in large gulps. Five or six bloody holes had been punched through his chest, and blood continued to spray out. Most tragically, the moment he was kicked away by Jun Tianlin, his right arm—which had been impaled by the bone spikes—was ripped clean off by the force, lying miserably on the ground.

In less than one exchange, Hyuga Taiyuan, already a Jonin, had paid a bloody price for his arrogance.

Not only was his chest riddled with half a dozen holes, but he had also lost his right arm in the clash!

It could be said that although they had only traded blows once, the battle had essentially come to an end. Severely wounded and missing an arm, Hyuga Taiyuan was no match for Jun Tianlin, who was currently at his peak.