Just as Sosuke was immersed in deep joy!
Might Duy, who had been standing in the distance, suddenly vanished from where he stood!
In an instant!
A fierce gale erupted, howling through the area.
Behind Sosuke!
A shadow came with the whistling wind, its fierce punches and kicks sweeping toward his back!
Feeling the powerful pressure caused by such incredible speed, Sosuke's pupils narrowed slightly!
He was too fast! Could his eyes no longer keep track of his movements?
In this situation, Sosuke's eyes couldn't follow Might Duy at all. All that appeared on the field were his afterimages.
Even so!
Within the range of the Slash Path, Sosuke could still easily sense the attack coming from behind!
Facing this fierce strike from behind!
He suddenly turned again and firmly blocked the attack with his left arm.
"Bang!"
The violent impact made it difficult for Sosuke to keep his balance, and he was kicked into the air.
In midair, just as Sosuke's eyes widened slightly in shock at the terrifying force!
A shadow suddenly appeared at his side!
"As expected of you, Sosuke. You managed to block my attack again. But what about this one!?"
At Might Duy's low murmur!
A storm of fists came crashing down!
If an ordinary ninja had been in his place, they would probably have already been knocked to the ground by that swift barrage of punches!
But Sosuke had considerable fighting ability. Though his physical prowess still couldn't match Might Duy's, after mastering Hakuda techniques, he wasn't at all outclassed in their current exchange.
And so the two traded attacks in midair, every punch landing solidly!
To an onlooker, their movements were almost impossible to follow.
However!
In this standoff, Sosuke was beginning to fall behind.
After all, his physical abilities were nowhere near as formidable. Might Duy, who had opened two of the Eight Gates, was far superior to him in both punching speed and physical strength!
Sosuke had held his own this long only by relying on his refined Hakuda techniques, cleverly deflecting the force of each straightforward attack.
Just then!
Sosuke caught a momentary stiffness in Might Duy's body as he overextended himself with a punch!
A glint flashed in Sosuke's eyes, and the corner of his mouth lifted into a faint smile!
Here's my chance! Dai, you've lost.
"Whoosh."
Sosuke lightly pushed off the ground with one foot, and his body vanished from where he stood.
Seeing this, Might Duy, his body still slightly stiff, was shocked!
This is bad! I'm in trouble!
Sosuke suddenly appeared behind him!
A smile played on Sosuke's lips. Beneath his dark frames, his deep eyes held a faint smile as he murmured softly.
"Dai, you've lost..."
"Crack!" "Crack!"
One hand clamped down hard on Might Duy's left arm from behind, while the other gripped his throat tightly. A white gleam reflected off Sosuke's thick lenses!
The raging wind died down, and the dust slowly settled.
On the field, Might Duy and Sosuke stood one behind the other.
Might Duy had already released the Eight Gates state. His forehead was covered in cold sweat, but he didn't dare move.
When Sosuke's slender hand had lightly closed around his throat just moments ago, Might Duy had felt the thick presence of death. He couldn't help but feel afraid!
As his body trembled slightly, Sosuke's gentle voice came softly from behind him.
"Dai, you've lost..."
With that, they let go of each other.
Though he'd expected this outcome, Might Duy still felt a little disappointed.
His expression was somewhat dejected, too.
Even after using the Eight Gates Technique he'd kept hidden all this time, he still hadn't been able to make Sosuke draw his sword.
But then he reassured himself.
After all, his opponent was Sosuke, a perfect genius! Losing to him was nothing to be ashamed of. He should be happy that his friend Sosuke was so strong.
Once he'd thought it through, Might Duy no longer felt down about losing the fight, and his expression brightened.
Youth!! You must never doubt yourself!! Believe in your path of training! That is youth!
"Sosuke, I didn't realize just how much I'd underestimated you. Even after I opened the Eight Gates, I still couldn't make you show your true strength."
Might Duy spoke with heartfelt admiration, his eyes drifting toward Kyoka Suigetsu at Sosuke's side.
As far as he was concerned, Sosuke had held his own against him for so long with nothing but Taijutsu, without even drawing his sword—and had even defeated him!
This made him feel deeply humbled, but it also made him admire Sosuke even more! Perhaps this Sosuke, so outstanding in every way, was the kind of ninja he truly respected deep down!
Sosuke naturally had no idea how much Might Duy had been thinking about. Seeing that Might Duy hadn't lost his fighting spirit after losing to him, Sosuke felt reassured that he'd judged him correctly.
Might Duy would surely become a great ninja in the future!
Thinking this, he felt the pain left by their hand-to-hand fight and discreetly drew his left arm slightly behind his back. A thoughtful look entered his eyes as he gazed deeply at Might Duy.
A slight fracture in his left arm... What a monster... You've cast everything else aside to devote yourself entirely to Taijutsu... You'll surely earn your place among the strongest in the future...
If Might Duy could have heard Sosuke's assessment of him, he would probably have been thrilled out of his mind!
Although the fight had ended in Might Duy's defeat,
he'd proved himself thoroughly in that battle. If his opponent had been anyone other than Sosuke, they might well have been killed instantly without getting the chance to fight back!
After all, once he'd removed all his protective gear and opened the Eight Gates,
Might Duy's terrifying speed was something few ninjas could easily withstand.
After hearing what he said, Sosuke murmured softly in reply.
"The Eight Gates?"
Might Duy had already put his disappointment behind him. Catching Sosuke's quiet words, he couldn't help asking in confusion.
"Yes, the Eight Gates Technique. That's the move I used earlier. What's wrong, Sosuke? Are you interested?"
Hearing Dai's words, Sosuke's face naturally lit up with interest. He didn't bother being polite to Might Duy and asked eagerly,
"Yes. I'm very interested in that technique you used earlier. If you're willing, I'd like to trade some of my own techniques for its training method."
Might Duy blushed at this offer and waved his hands repeatedly.
"You don't have to, Sosuke! If it's you, then of course there's no problem with learning the Eight Gates Technique!"
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