"What do you think, Mr. Zabuza? Do you think someone as strong as me can make you stronger?"
Lu Yu watched Zabuza's pale face with interest.
Zabuza's Adam's apple bobbed with difficulty. Suddenly, a glint flashed in his eyes, and he abandoned Kubikiribōchō, retreating at top speed.
"I don't believe it! I don't believe you can withstand my next move..."
"Oh? Still not giving up?"
Lu Yu rested his chin in his hand, watching with interest as Zabuza rapidly formed Hand Seals.
"Ox—Monkey—Rabbit—Rat—Boar—Rooster—Ox—Horse—Rooster—Rat..."
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
The next moment, the calm surface of the water suddenly churned violently. In the blink of an eye, a giant water dragon over ten meters tall rose behind Zabuza.
The dragon circled through the air, opened its jaws, and seemed to roar at the sky.
Then the enormous water dragon lunged at Lu Yu at incredible speed.
Boom!!!
The power of a B-rank ninjutsu was not to be underestimated. The spray alone shot seven or eight meters into the air, giving some idea of the technique's power.
"Hmph, that kid really doesn't know his limits. Even if your attacks are powerful, you're still only human. And you didn't even try to dodge."
Asuma had watched helplessly as the Water Dragon Bullet swallowed Lu Yu. Lu Yu hadn't made the slightest attempt to dodge, not even at the last moment.
At first, Asuma had been genuinely worried. But then he remembered that Lu Yu was a member of the Nara Clan.
The Nara Clan had always been famous for their intelligence. There was no way Lu Yu would put himself in danger.
With that thought, Asuma curiously looked around. He figured Lu Yu must have dodged at the last second with astonishing speed.
Thirty seconds later, the lake had more or less returned to calm. But Zabuza and Asuma were in turmoil.
In the distance, Lu Yu still stood in the same spot, perfectly calm. He hadn't moved an inch, and now he was smiling at Zabuza...
Was this kid even human?
Neither Zabuza nor Asuma had ever heard of anyone whose body could withstand a ninjutsu attack.
Even the Raikage, with his astonishing physical strength, at least needed to use Lightning Release Armor. But Lu Yu hadn't done anything at all. He had simply taken the hit head-on.
More precisely, he hadn't merely withstood it—he was completely unharmed.
Lu Yu frowned as he felt his soaked clothes and thought, Showing off really isn't easy. This sticky feeling is awful.
With that, Lu Yu decided he'd had enough of playing around with Zabuza. His expression shifted slightly as he looked at him and said in a low voice:
"You've been attacking for a while now. It's my turn..."
Zabuza's expression changed dramatically. He stared intently at Lu Yu.
The next moment, Zabuza saw Lu Yu lean forward slightly, and then—
Whoosh!
Lu Yu seemed to teleport, appearing right in front of Zabuza.
Zabuza didn't react in time. He froze for a moment, then hurriedly kicked at Lu Yu.
But just as Zabuza's foot struck, Lu Yu vanished and reappeared behind him. His body was bent like a fully drawn bow, all his strength focused in his right fist.
Zabuza instinctively turned his head, only to watch helplessly as Lu Yu's fist shot toward him. The fist rapidly grew larger in his pupils...
At that moment, Zabuza felt the presence of the Grim Reaper, as if he were about to die the very next instant.
Zabuza's mind went blank. Even his heart seemed to stop beating.
Then Lu Yu's fist stopped steadily right in front of Zabuza's face. Zabuza's hair was blown back for a full five seconds...
The terrifying gust of the punch swept in every direction. Centered on Lu Yu, the lake's water level suddenly dropped by a full meter. The displaced water rushed outward, forming waves several meters high in the blink of an eye.
Asuma was so stunned that his mouth hung open. The sight before him was simply unbelievable.
The bridge behind Zabuza—the one Tazuna had worked so hard to build for a month—had mysteriously vanished.
How could a perfectly good bridge just disappear? Asuma only had to think it through briefly to reach an impossible conclusion.
The bridge had been destroyed by the wind from Lu Yu's punch...
Th-this... was he even human?
Asuma had known Lu Yu was strong, but he hadn't imagined he was this strong...
If Lu Yu's earlier Taijutsu had been all there was to it, Asuma could at least have accepted it. Might Guy, with the Eight Inner Gates open, could probably do the same.
But destroying an entire bridge with nothing but the wind from a punch was almost too fantastical to believe...
And the most important thing was that Zabuza, standing right in front of Lu Yu, was unharmed.
Just how terrifying was his control over his strength?
Lu Yu looked at Zabuza, who seemed to be questioning everything he knew, smiled faintly, then turned and walked toward the riverbank.
Then Lu Yu's voice reached Zabuza's ears as he stood there in a daze:
"If you think my strength is good enough, then come with me..."
Zabuza shuddered violently. Then his eyes lit up, and he followed Lu Yu, who was already some distance away...