Sparks flashed at his fingertips as the lightning tore through the darkness... Cough, cough, I mean the air, as white lightning pierced the air and struck a ninja from the Hyuga Clan with truly lightning-fast speed.
Low-level Kido from the realm of the Shinigami, once adapted, could be cast by consuming chakra. This was one of the skills Kawaki Aoba had obtained through his cheat, and its power was just so-so, roughly on par with a C-rank fireball ninjutsu.
Yet compared to a kind-hearted ninjutsu like the Great Fireball that could never hit anyone, White Lightning had the advantage of a fast casting speed without requiring hand seals, making it impossible for ordinary fodder to dodge—especially when facing close-combat fodder, against whom it was practically a natural nemesis.
Yes, indeed, he was referring to the two fellows right in front of him.
"You damned bastard, not only do you dare to commit insubordination and defy the elders' orders, but you also dare to attack us. You simply deserve to die." The Chunin of the Hyuga Clan struck by White Lightning was consumed by fury, his pupils practically spitting fire; judging by his expression, he looked as though he couldn't wait to skin Kawaki Aoba alive and tear his tendons out.
Well, fine, low-level Kido also had its drawbacks. Although it could keep those two pieces of fodder under a degree of control, the power lost from omitting the incantation was indeed a bit too small.
Still, it didn't matter. This wasn't a battle of life and death, nor did he have any beloved friends or family falling into the enemy's hands as leverage; he had plenty of time to drag this out with the two of them.
"Hey, hey, hey, I simply cannot pretend I didn't hear that remark. What do you mean by insubordination? As a member of the vast body of Konoha civilian ninjas, our supreme leader has always been Lord Hokage. Since when did we belong to the Hyuga Clan?
Could it be that while I wasn't paying attention, the Hyuga Clan became the masters of Konoha and inherited the Hokage Position? If that's truly the case, I'll definitely need to find someone to verify it properly."
His words once again elevated him to the moral high ground while roasting the two Hyuga fodder, and indeed the entire Hyuga Clan, over a fire.
Such behavior undoubtedly ignited the fury of the two, making them even more hostile toward Kawaki Aoba. Yet if it was just this, Kawaki Aoba wouldn't care at all.
Thoroughly fueled by rage, the two Hyuga Chunin launched an even more ferocious encirclement against Kawaki Aoba. Their Gentle Fist strikes were executed with great skill, forming an unbroken chain of techniques; at least at Kawaki Aoba's current level, it was utterly impossible to achieve an easy victory under their combined assault.
Still, so what if he wasn't confident he could win? Kawaki Aoba was not a Taijutsu ninja, so there was no need for him to engage in a reckless head-on clash with these two idiots.
"Way of Destruction No. 4: White Lightning, Way of Destruction No. 4: White Lightning..."
Dashing continuously with the Body Flicker Technique underfoot so that the two could not catch up, Kawaki Aoba would also occasionally turn around to reward them with a bolt of White Lightning. Having learned from their initial experience, the two idiots had finally grown a brain; whenever Kawaki Aoba raised his hand, both of them would preemptively dodge the attack.
And honestly speaking, this was also a fairly effective countermeasure, as the frequency with which the two were struck by White Lightning visibly decreased.
Even so, letting Kawaki Aoba kite them indefinitely like this simply wouldn't do.
Having been struck by White Lightning multiple times, even though it was the weakened version lacking an incantation, the consecutive hits left the two Hyuga Chunin looking disheveled and charred.
Their skin even seemed to darken by a shade; if this continued, as they walked down the street in the future, ignoring those Byakugan eyes, people might actually suspect they were spies from the Land of Lightning.
"Damned brat, do you only know how to run? If you still have even a shred of pride as a member of the Hyuga Clan within you, then come and face us in an upright, straightforward battle!"
Failing to take down Kawaki Aoba for so long, one of them directly resorted to a provocation tactic, attempting to make Kawaki Aoba stay and fight them head-on.
Yet in response, Kawaki Aoba merely cast a look at him as if he were an idiot.
Upright and straightforward? What kind of nonsense is that? I am a ninja, you know. It's already generous of me not to hide in the shadows and slice your throat at the first opportunity; you actually expect a ninja to fight upright and straightforwardly?
You must be living in the era of Uzumaki Naruto.
Kawaki Aoba's look of utter contempt instantly let the two opponents know what he was thinking.
Especially the fellow who had proposed that Kawaki Aoba fight him straightforwardly; his face flushed red with anger, though whether it was from rage or embarrassment was hard to tell—probably a mix of both.
"Don't waste any more breath on him. It's useless. Since that brat wants to keep dragging this out, then we'll drag it out with him. So what if his Body Flicker Technique is formidable? 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 Chunin of the Hyuga Clan directly deactivated his Byakugan. Since even engaging in close combat with Kawaki Aoba was impossible, keeping the Byakugan active served little purpose; he might as well conserve some chakra instead.
The other man followed suit, likewise deactivating his Byakugan.
Next, the two Hyuga Chunin began a war of attrition against Kawaki Aoba, exactly as they had declared. Compared to their earlier attempts to capture Kawaki Aoba, their objective had now shifted to pinning him down and draining his chakra dry.
A ninja without chakra was no different from a tiger without teeth.
Beyond that, the two men explicitly stating their objective and battle plan was also meant to exert psychological pressure on Kawaki Aoba. This was a dual contest of physical endurance and psychological warfare.
Yet facing their combat strategy tailored specifically against him, Kawaki Aoba appeared unhurried and calm, without the slightest sign of panic.
Wasn't it just about dragging things out? Then he would grant their wish. From here on, he guaranteed he would make his opponents experience the despair known as a chakra tank.
The battle remained at a stalemate, with one fleeing and two pursuing and blocking.
The two Hyuga Chunin had to exhaust Kawaki Aoba's chakra while preventing him from running to crowded areas to attract unwanted attention; this was truly delicate work.
As the battle progressed, just as the two Hyuga Chunin desired, the scales of victory began to tilt in their favor.
"Heh, as expected of a brat who just graduated. How much chakra could someone of your age possibly have?" Psychological warfare, this was yet another dirty psychological tactic.
Facing the mockery this time, Kawaki Aoba refused to remain silent any longer. "Heh, are these the ninjas of the Hyuga Clan? They are truly nothing special. You have to pull out all the stops just to deal with a Genin who graduated a mere year ago—your combat methods are truly barren.
Oh, almost forgot, you're members of the Branch Family, loyal dogs raised by the Main Family for your entire lives, incapable of learning profound Gentle Fist techniques. It's understandable that you're only at this level.
Ah, come to think of it, calling you ninjas is indeed my mistake. I should be calling you ninja dogs instead."
Before you continue