Konoha's Genius Youths

Haa... haa...

Having lost count of how many times he had thrown his fists, Might Guy finally stopped, unable to help but gasp for air.

Is it over?

Just as Might Guy assumed the Fourth Raikage had been defeated by his Morning Peacock, the dust settled to reveal a figure wreathed in crackling electricity.

The Fourth Raikage's hair stood on end, and his Lightning Release Armor surged with jagged, lightning-like energy. There was no doubt he had pushed his armor to its absolute limit; even with a chakra reserve comparable to a Tailed Beast, this was a state he could not maintain for long.

Watching the unscathed Fourth Raikage, Might Guy felt a wave of despair. His prized taijutsu technique hadn't even managed to break through the man's defenses; he felt like a complete failure.

Little did Might Guy know, if the Fourth Raikage had realized what he was thinking, he would have been absolutely livid. After all, the Fourth Raikage had intended to go on a killing spree here today.

To be forced into his strongest Lightning Release Armor state by some greenhorn who had appeared out of nowhere—given such a result, the boy should have felt that dying was a worthy end.

"Kid, it's my turn. Welcome the wrath of the Raikage!"

Without waiting for Might Guy to catch his breath, the Fourth Raikage used the Body Flicker Technique to appear at his side, raising a fist to strike.

Seeing the Fourth Raikage's iron fist, Might Guy desperately wanted to dodge, but having just used the Morning Peacock, his limbs were heavy and exhausted. He could barely move, let alone evade the Raikage's lightning-fast strike.

At the critical moment, the screeching sound of a Chidori erupted from behind Might Guy. Kakashi, wielding the Chidori, lunged past him to intercept the Fourth Raikage.

At the same time, another figure of similar age charged in, blade in hand, to meet the attack.

Bang! Bang!

The Fourth Raikage blocked the Chidori with one hand and the long blade with the other, his expression furious as he glared at the two youths before him.

The boy who dared to swing his blade at the Fourth Raikage was none other than the current genius of the Uchiha Clan, Uchiha Shisui.

Tap, tap...

The three figures separated, standing in a standoff.

"Kakashi, take Guy and get out of here. I'll hold him off."

With that, Uchiha Shisui charged at the Fourth Raikage once more, blade in hand.

As he moved, Shisui's image began to multiply—one became two, two became four, four became eight. Soon, dozens of Shisui figures appeared before the Fourth Raikage.

Is this a Shadow Clone Technique?

Just as he wondered, the numerous Shisui figures attacked simultaneously. Feeling the weight of the real strikes, the Fourth Raikage realized that this wasn't a clone technique at all, but a display of the Body Flicker Technique.

Even the experienced Fourth Raikage had never encountered such a miraculous, high-level Body Flicker Technique.

Relying on his unimaginable speed, Uchiha Shisui managed to hold the Fourth Raikage at bay, buying precious time for Kakashi and Might Guy.

Soon, after a brief respite, Kakashi and Might Guy rejoined the fray, entangling the Fourth Raikage once more.

With one Sharingan and the physical enhancement provided by the Chidori, Kakashi's speed was just enough to keep pace with the Fourth Raikage.

As for Might Guy, having opened the sixth gate—the Gate of View—of the Eight Inner Gates, his speed had increased several times over his base state, allowing him to compete with the Raikage as well.

As for Uchiha Shisui, his mastery of the Body Flicker Technique left even the Fourth Raikage feeling somewhat helpless.

And so, in a three-on-one battle, the trio actually managed to hold the Fourth Raikage back.

The Fourth Raikage was incredibly frustrated. He never imagined that with Jiraiya gone from Konoha, he would be stalled by three mere brats.

If he couldn't quickly dispose of these kids and break free, his plan to annihilate Konoha Village today might end in failure.

While the Fourth Raikage and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, Killer Bee, were being held back, the battles between the others grew increasingly intense.

Hyuga Lan was currently locked in a fierce struggle against a group of Cloud Village ninja, finding himself surrounded. A barrage of kunai, shuriken, and even Lightning Release ninjutsu rained down upon him. Seeing this, Hizashi felt his eyes nearly burst with rage.

When he saw Lan about to be swallowed by the Cloud ninja's onslaught, he let out a desperate cry.

"Lan!"

He rushed toward the boy's position, desperate to save him.

At that moment, Lan, who had his Byakugan activated for 360-degree vision, naturally saw the attacks converging on him.

Just as the projectiles were inches away, Hyuga Lan began to spin rapidly in place.

A massive amount of chakra erupted from the tenketsu points all over his body. As he spun, the chakra condensed into a sphere, shielding him within. This was the absolute defense of the Gentle Fist.

"Eight Trigrams Palms—Heavenly Spin!"

Bang, bang, bang...

Under the protection of the Heavenly Spin, every attack directed at Hyuga Lan was deflected away. The sheer defensive power left the surrounding Cloud ninja stunned.

Hizashi, who had arrived just in time to witness Hyuga Lan deflect all the attacks using the Heavenly Spin, felt a mix of shock and delight wash over his face.

One had to understand that the Heavenly Spin was a technique only the Main Branch was permitted to learn; the Branch Family had no right to it.

The fact that Lan could perform it meant he had mastered it entirely on his own.

He had already tried to overestimate Hyuga Lan's talent and strength, but today he realized that the boy's power had reached such a formidable level without anyone noticing.

He knew that if he had been caught in that same barrage, he would have been powerless to stop it and would have surely met his end.

If Hyuga Lan could block it and survive unscathed, did that not mean he was already far stronger than Hizashi himself?

Hyuga Lan was still so young, yet he had already grown into a force to be reckoned with; perhaps even Hyuga Tenji in his prime would have been no more than this.

After parrying the group's attacks, Lan charged into the ranks of the Cloud Village ninja like a tiger among a flock of sheep. Relying on the Byakugan's formidable insight, he dodged strikes from all directions before unleashing the Gentle Fist's pressure-point techniques upon the Cloud ninja.

By striking the vital points on their bodies, he neutralized a great number of Cloud ninja without expending much chakra.

Hyuga Lan delivered a heavy strike with his finger to the heart of a Cloud man before him, then curled his fingers into a fist and struck the same spot with a one-inch punch, sending the man flying.

At that very moment, another man who had been hiding behind the first, waiting to ambush him, revealed himself. Thinking Lan would be caught off guard, he raised his blade and lunged with all his might.

Little did he know that his sneak attack had been anticipated by Hyuga Lan all along. After all, the Byakugan possessed 360-degree vision; attempting to ambush a ninja with a Byakugan was truly a pipe dream.

Hyuga Lan sidestepped the man's thrust, reached out with his left hand to seize the attacker's wrist, and forced him to drop his blade in agony, causing the man to double over and shriek in pain.

Ignoring the man's wails, Hyuga Lan reached out with his right hand, gripped his throat, and slowly lifted him into the air.

"Do you wish to dance as well?"

As he held the Cloud ninja by the throat, the surrounding Cloud ninja dared only to watch from a distance, not venturing to attack him again.

As for the Cloud ninja held in his grip, his face turned a deep, flushed red—a sign of restricted breathing.

Hizashi, who had witnessed Lan's display of Kamui throughout the ordeal, sighed inwardly, lamenting how wonderful it would have been had Lan been born into the main branch.

It was precisely because of Hyuga Lan's outstanding performance that someone from the Cloud Village soon broke away from the fray, prepared to deal with him.

"Let him go, or I swear you will pay with your life today."

Faced with the threat, Hyuga Lan tightened his grip and decisively sent the Cloud ninja in his hand to the afterlife, then looked calmly at the person who dared to bark orders at him.

Under the insight of his Byakugan, he discovered that the chakra within this person was distinctly different from those around him, surpassing them significantly in both quantity and quality.

Could he be a bloodline limit ninja?