Wind blades filled the sky, grazing past his clothes and hair, shredding the sand, stones, and broken grass on the ground, leaving countless fine grooves in the earth.
"Hm? He actually dodged all of them?"
Baki's pupils contracted slightly. The contempt on his face faded somewhat, replaced by genuine gravity in his eyes.
"The insight of a two-tomoe Sharingan can reach this level? It far surpasses that of an ordinary Konoha Genin, even rivaling some Chunin."
Kawaki Aoba used the momentum to leap into the air, his body suspended overhead as he coldly looked down at Baki and spoke.
"So this is all a Sunagakure Jonin can do."
"Provocation won't work on me."
Baki's expression remained unchanged. His left hand slipped quietly into the scroll at his waist, and with a light flick of his fingers, a roll of specially made gray-white ninja cloth unfurled and wrapped around his palm.
"I admit that your predictions and evasions exceeded my expectations, but you can never defeat an opponent through dodging alone."
"Constantly defending passively will only drain your chakra and leave you at someone else's mercy."
The instant Kawaki Aoba landed, the tips of his feet touched the sand. Without pausing in the slightest, he charged straight at Baki, his speed suddenly surging.
"Then let's see whether I can fight back."
"A taijutsu charge? You're courting death."
Baki snorted coldly. Rather than evade, he stepped forward as well. His legs drove him forward in precise strides as he rushed directly at Kawaki Aoba, his right hand clenched into a fist and wrapped in Wind Release chakra as he slammed it down.
Bang!
Their fists collided, and the air exploded. The powerful impact sent sand and dust flying into the air around them.
Kawaki Aoba's arm went slightly numb, and he involuntarily