Tug-of-War

Electric light flickered at his fingertips, thunder tearing through the darkness—ahem, the air. A bolt of white lightning pierced the atmosphere, striking a Hyuga clan ninja with speed that truly lived up to the saying "lightning-fast."

This low-level Kido from the world of Bleach, once adapted, could be cast by consuming chakra. It was one of the skills Kawaki Aoba had acquired through his cheat, and its power was mediocre—roughly equivalent to a C-rank Great Fireball.

However, compared to a "kind" jutsu like the Great Fireball, which could never actually hit anyone, White Lightning excelled in its rapid activation. It required no hand seals, making it impossible for ordinary fodder to dodge, especially when facing close-combat opponents—it was a natural hard counter.

Yes, that was exactly the case for the two guys in front of him.

"You damn bastard! Not only do you dare to commit insubordination and defy the elders' orders, but you also dare to attack us? You deserve to die!" The Hyuga chunin struck by the White Lightning was furious, his eyes practically spitting fire. He looked as if he wanted to skin Kawaki Aoba alive and pull out his tendons.

Er, well, low-level Kido did have its drawbacks. While it could control these two pieces of fodder, the power was indeed too weak after sacrificing the incantation.

But that didn't matter. This wasn't a life-or-death struggle, and he didn't have any beloved friends or family held hostage by the enemy. He had plenty of time to wear these two down.

"Hey, hey, hey, I can't just let that slide. What do you mean by 'insubordination'? As a member of the vast Konoha civilian ninja population, our highest leader has always been the Hokage. Since when did it become the Hyuga clan?

Could it be that while I wasn't looking, the Hyuga clan became the masters of Konoha? Did they inherit the position of Hokage? If that's really the case, I'll have to find someone to verify that properly."

With these words, he once again placed himself on the moral high ground while simultaneously putting the two Hyuga fodder—and indeed the entire Hyuga clan—on the grill.

Such behavior would undoubtedly ignite their rage and make them even more hostile toward Kawaki Aoba, but if that was all there was to it, Kawaki Aoba couldn't care less.

The two Hyuga chunin, their anger completely ignited, began to launch a more ferocious pincer attack on Kawaki Aoba. Their Hyuga Gentle Fist was practiced and skillful, the connection between their moves seamless. At Kawaki Aoba's current level, it was absolutely impossible for him to easily defeat them in a head-on clash.

However, so what if he couldn't win? He, Kawaki Aoba, was not a taijutsu ninja; there was no need to go toe-to-toe with these two idiots.

"Way of Destruction No. 4: White Lightning. Way of Destruction No. 4: White Lightning..."

Using the Body Flicker Technique to dodge constantly, he kept them from catching him. Kawaki Aoba would occasionally turn back to reward them with a bolt of White Lightning. Having learned from their initial experience, the two idiots had wised up; every time Kawaki Aoba raised his hand, they would dodge in advance.

Truth be told, it was a fairly effective response. At least the frequency with which they were hit by the White Lightning had dropped significantly.

Still, being kited by a brat like Kawaki Aoba indefinitely wasn't a sustainable plan.

Having been struck multiple times, even by the weakened, incantation-less version of White Lightning, the two Hyuga chunin were left looking like they'd been electrocuted, their hair standing on end.

Their skin even seemed to have darkened a shade. If this continued, and one ignored those Byakugan eyes, they might actually be mistaken for spies from the Land of Lightning when walking down the street.

"Damn brat, do you only know how to run? If you have even a shred of pride as a member of the Hyuga clan in your body, then come and have a proper, head-on fight with us!"

Unable to take Kawaki Aoba down after so long, one of them tried to goad him, attempting to force Kawaki Aoba to stay and fight them face-to-face.

However, the only response he got was Kawaki Aoba's look of pure disdain.

"Proper," my ass. I'm a ninja, for heaven's sake. It's already generous of me not to hide in the shadows and stab you in the back; you expect a ninja to fight "properly"?

You must be living in the era of Uzumaki Naruto.

Kawaki Aoba's contemptuous gaze instantly let the two opposite him know exactly what he was thinking.

The one who had suggested Kawaki Aoba fight "properly" turned bright red, though it was unclear if it was from anger or shame—likely both.

"Don't waste any more breath on him. It's useless. Since that brat wants to drag this out, then let's drag it out. So what if his Body Flicker is fast? I want to see how much chakra a brat who just graduated from the Ninja Academy a year ago can possibly squander."

As he spoke, one of the Hyuga chunin deactivated his Byakugan. Since they couldn't even get close enough to engage Kawaki Aoba in melee combat, there was little point in keeping the Byakugan active; it was better to save some chakra.

The other followed suit, closing his Byakugan as well.

From then on, the two Hyuga chunin began a war of attrition, just as they had said. Compared to their previous goal of capturing Kawaki Aoba, their objective had shifted to pinning him down and draining his chakra.

A ninja without chakra was no different from a toothless tiger.

Beyond that, by stating their goal and battle plan aloud, they were also applying pressure to Kawaki Aoba—a dual game of physical and psychological warfare.

Yet, faced with this strategy, Kawaki Aoba remained calm and unhurried, showing no signs of anxiety at all.

They wanted to drag it out? Fine, he would grant their wish. He would make sure they experienced the true despair of what it meant to have "tons of chakra."

The battle remained a stalemate: one fleeing, two in hot pursuit.

The two Hyuga chunin had to drain Kawaki Aoba's chakra without letting him run to a crowded area and attract more attention; it was a delicate balancing act.

As the battle continued, the situation began to tilt in their favor, just as they had hoped.

"Heh, as expected of a brat who just graduated. How much chakra could someone your age possibly have?" Psychological warfare—another dirty tactic.

This time, faced with the mockery, Kawaki Aoba no longer remained silent. "Heh, is this the best the Hyuga clan has to offer? You have to use every trick in the book just to deal with a genin who graduated a year ago? Your combat methods are truly pathetic.

Oh, I almost forgot. You're from the branch family, loyal dogs raised by the main house your whole lives. You wouldn't be able to learn any advanced Gentle Fist techniques. I suppose this level of skill is to be expected.

Wait, calling you 'ninja' is my mistake. I should call you 'ninja dogs' instead."