A Certain Kill

"How about it, Zabuza? I wonder if my strength is enough to help you grow stronger?"

Lu Yu watched Zabuza's pale face with keen interest.

Zabuza's Adam's apple bobbed with difficulty. Suddenly, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes; he abandoned the Executioner's Blade and retreated at high speed.

"I don't believe it. I don't believe you can withstand this next move..."

"Oh? Still not giving up?"

Lu Yu rested his chin on his hand, watching with interest as Zabuza performed rapid hand seals.

"Ox-Monkey-Hare-Rat-Boar-Bird-Ox-Horse-Bird-Rat..."

"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"

The next moment, the calm surface of the water surged violently. In the blink of an eye, a massive water dragon over ten meters tall rose up behind Zabuza.

The water dragon circled in the air, opening its maw as if roaring toward the heavens.

Then, the colossal dragon lunged toward Lu Yu at breakneck speed.

BOOM!!!

The power of a B-rank ninjutsu was not to be underestimated; one only had to look at the seven or eight-meter-high splash to imagine its destructive force.

"Hmph, this kid really doesn't know the immensity of heaven and earth. Even if your offensive capabilities are strong, you're still just flesh and blood. To not even attempt to dodge..."

Asuma watched helplessly as Lu Yu was engulfed by the Water Dragon Bullet, having made no move to evade until the very last second.

Asuma had been genuinely worried at first, but then he remembered that this kid, Lu Yu, was from the Nara clan.

The Nara clan had always been famous for their superior intellect; how could he possibly put himself in such a dangerous position?

Thinking this, Asuma scanned his surroundings curiously, convinced that Lu Yu must have dodged at the last moment with incredible speed.

Thirty seconds later, the lake surface had barely returned to calm, yet the hearts of Zabuza and Asuma were churning with tidal waves of shock.

In the distance, Lu Yu was still standing calmly in the exact same spot, not having moved an inch, and was now looking at Zabuza with a smile...

Is this kid even human?

Zabuza and Asuma had never heard of anyone being able to withstand ninjutsu with their bare body alone.

Even the Raikage, with his astonishing physical constitution, would at least have to activate his Lightning Release Armor, yet this kid had clearly done nothing and simply taken it head-on.

To be precise, he hadn't just taken it; he was completely unscathed.

Lu Yu frowned, feeling his soaked clothes, and thought to himself:

Acting cool is truly not easy; this sticky, damp feeling is incredibly uncomfortable.

With that thought, Lu Yu couldn't be bothered to keep playing with Zabuza. His expression shifted slightly as he looked at Zabuza and said in a deep voice:

"Since you've been attacking for so long, it's my turn now..."

Zabuza's expression changed drastically upon hearing this, his eyes locked firmly onto Lu Yu.

The next moment, Zabuza keenly observed Lu Yu's body lean forward, and then—

Whoosh!

Lu Yu appeared before Zabuza as if he had teleported.

Zabuza didn't react in time; stunned for a split second, he hurriedly kicked toward Lu Yu.

However, the moment Zabuza kicked, Lu Yu vanished, reappearing behind him. His body coiled like a fully drawn longbow, all his strength concentrated into his right fist.

Zabuza turned his head instinctively, only to watch helplessly as Lu Yu's fist smashed toward him at high speed, the fist growing rapidly in his pupils...

In that moment, Zabuza felt the breath of the Grim Reaper, as if he were about to die in the next second.

Zabuza's mind went blank; even his heart stopped beating.

Then, Lu Yu's fist stopped steadily right in front of Zabuza's face. Zabuza's hair was blown back by the force for a full five seconds...

The terrifying wind pressure from the punch rippled outward in all directions. With Lu Yu as the center, the water level of the entire lake suddenly dropped by a full meter, the receding water rushing outward and instantly forming waves several meters high.

Asuma's jaw dropped in shock; the scene before him was truly horrifying.

The bridge behind Zabuza—the bridge that Tazuna had worked so hard to build for a month—had mysteriously vanished.

How could a perfectly sturdy bridge just disappear? Asuma performed a brief deduction and arrived at an unacceptable truth.

The bridge hadn't vanished; it had been destroyed by the wind pressure of Lu Yu's punch...

This... this... is this even human?

Asuma had thought Lu Yu was strong, but he hadn't expected him to be this strong...

If it had been a contest of taijutsu, Asuma might have felt it was something Might Guy could achieve if he opened the Eight Inner Gates, and he could have barely accepted it.

But destroying a bridge with the mere wind of a punch was simply too surreal...

And the most crucial part was that Zabuza, who was directly in front of Lu Yu, was completely unharmed.

How terrifying must his control over his own strength be?

Below, Lu Yu looked at the shell-shocked Zabuza, smiled faintly, and turned to walk toward the riverbank.

Then, the voice of Lu Yu reached the ears of the bewildered Zabuza:

"If you feel my strength is barely acceptable, then follow me..."

Zabuza trembled violently at these words, then followed the retreating figure of Lu Yu with eyes burning with newfound intensity...