Monster-like Performance

"Although I didn't see exactly what happened just now..."

"But Yugao, this kid's strength seems to be quite formidable."

Watching Yu land on the ground nearby, having taken down Kotetsu Hagane—who possessed impressive strength for a Ninja Academy student—in a single exchange.

At this moment, a strange radiance erupted in Anko Mitarashi's eyes, as if she had just discovered a fascinating new toy.

"It seems the two of us made an unnecessary trip today, Anko-senpai..."

Standing back-to-back with Anko Mitarashi, she watched Yu land with effortless grace.

The cool and beautiful Yugao Uzuki offered a faint, bitter smile, though a glimmer of intrigue could not help but flash through her large eyes.

"Watch out behind you!!"

But in the next second, as if she had sensed something.

Yugao Uzuki's expression shifted abruptly, and she suddenly called out to warn Yu.

"You're getting too carried away, brat."

Hardly had Yugao Uzuki's voice faded when a sinister tone sounded from directly behind Yu.

It was Hayate Gekko. Seeing Kotetsu Hagane instantly defeated by Yu, this future Special Jonin of Konoha had appeared silently behind Yu before anyone realized it.

Konoha Style: Dance of Sun and Moon!!

Witnessing the white-haired child's unfathomable ability.

Hayate Gekko's katana, carried on his back, instantly left its sheath, transforming into a sharp, cold flash of light as he slashed down toward Yu!

This was a one-hit-kill technique from the Konoha Style swordsmanship, blended with the samurai's iaijutsu.

Although he had not yet reached the level of using the Shadow Clone Technique to perform the Dance of the Crescent Moon as seen in the original story.

The fact that he could execute such Konoha Style swordsmanship while still in the Ninja Academy showed that Hayate Gekko's strength and talent were far from ordinary.

"Has he already reached the level of a Genin..."

Seeing Hayate Gekko, who had lurked behind him without a sound, unleash such a fierce Konoha Style technique.

Yu's calm expression remained unchanged; he activated the power of the String-String Fruit within him and turned, flicking his hand casually.

Clang!!

A crisp sound of metal clashing rang out.

Hayate Gekko, whose sharp katana had been mid-swing, widened his eyes in shock.

"Strings?!"

"He actually... blocked it with strings?!"

Yu, standing before Hayate Gekko, had a razor-thin thread extended from his hand, which had firmly held back the incredibly sharp katana in Hayate Gekko's grip!

"Your movements... are too slow!"

After using the strings he had manifested to block the katana Hayate Gekko had swung down.

A sharp, piercing glint instantly erupted from Yu's clear, amber-colored eyes.

Oh no!!

Sensing the stream of light radiating from Yu's eyes, Hayate Gekko felt a jolt of alarm, but his body felt as if it were encased in concrete, unable to react in time.

"Shadow Leaf Dance!!"

Yu, standing before Hayate Gekko, gave a light shout.

His body sank instantly, and his right leg whipped upward, unleashing a fierce gust of wind!

Bang!!

A dull, heavy sound of physical impact echoed.

To the horror of everyone watching, Hayate Gekko was struck squarely in the chin by the powerful kick Yu had unleashed!

Lifted clean off the ground by the force of the blow, Hayate Gekko felt his mind go blank as he was sent soaring a meter into the air.

In the blink of an eye, he was sent flying like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily onto the ground not far away.

"One move?!"

"He actually took down that kid Hayate Gekko in a single move?!"

"How old is this brat? Is he a monster?!"

Seeing Hayate Gekko—whose strength was on par with her own at the Ninja Academy—get sent flying by Yu in one strike.

Staring at this unbelievable scene, Anko Mitarashi's mouth hung slightly open, her shock plain for all to see.

"Hayate was actually..."

Yugao Uzuki was also stunned. As a childhood friend who had grown up alongside him, no one knew Hayate Gekko's strength better than she did.

If Hayate Gekko, while using the Konoha Style: Dance of Sun and Moon, could be knocked away by Yu in a single blow, then just how great was the strength of this white-haired boy who looked only five or six years old?

"Hayate!!"

Watching helplessly as Kotetsu Hagane was instantly taken down by Yu.

Now, even the stronger Hayate Gekko had been sent flying by a single kick from Yu.

At this moment, Izumo Kamizuki, who was standing to the side, was struck with sudden, utter terror.

"Damn it! What is going on?"

"My body... why can't I move?!"

He had been planning to draw a kunai and charge forward, but the next second, Izumo Kamizuki felt a numbness spread through his body.

Immediately after, he discovered with horror that no matter how he struggled, he could not move a muscle!

"Did I hit the pressure point? Looks like my luck is pretty good..."

At this moment, a playful voice rang out.

Izumo Kamizuki, standing frozen in place, widened his eyes in fear.

He saw that Yu's figure had appeared before him at some point, a fist growing infinitely large in his vision.

"Bang!!"

Without even a chance to cry out in pain, Izumo Kamizuki was knocked unconscious by Yu's punch.

This technique was called Rabbit Hair Needle—wrapping thin threads in chakra and firing them like needles to pierce the opponent's meridian system, rendering them immobile.

It was a skill Yu had practiced in his spare time, modeled after the technique used by Kaguya Otsutsuki in the original story.

The only difference was that Kaguya Otsutsuki used her hair, while Yu used thin threads.

Moreover, because he lacked the Byakugan, Yu could only fire this technique based on his own understanding of human anatomy.

In fact, the probability of accurately hitting the target's meridians and pressure points was not high, which was why Yu had made that remark earlier.

Silence reigned.

The sky was already at dusk.

Looking at Hayate Gekko and Izumo Kamizuki lying unconscious on the ground before him.

And Kotetsu Hagane, who was sitting on the ground nearby, clutching his lower leg and too afraid to make a sound.

The remaining people present—Itachi, the Pineapple-head Boy, and Yugao Uzuki and Anko Mitarashi, who were standing back-to-back—all fell into a deathly silence.

"A... monster..."

Staring blankly at Yu, who was two or three years younger than them, they couldn't believe he had taken down Hayate Gekko, Izumo Kamizuki, and Kotetsu Hagane—all upperclassmen from the Ninja Academy—in a matter of seconds.

The Pineapple-head Boy standing nearby seemed to have been stunned into a stupor, muttering to himself.

"If I'm not mistaken..."

At this moment, looking at the terrified Itachi standing to the side, the corners of Yu's mouth curled up in a playful smirk.

"You were the one shouting about teaching me a lesson just a moment ago; are you trembling now?"

He saw that Itachi's legs were shaking uncontrollably, and he seemed on the verge of wetting himself from fear.

"Mon... monster..."

"How can a monster like you exist! Don't come any closer!!"

Watching Yu slowly walking toward him, Itachi's voice trembled unnaturally.