Instant Defeat

Hinata Hyuga was not a suitable choice for testing Kiba Inuzuka through actual combat.

Although Shino Aburame would have been a good fit, he clearly had not let down his guard around Ye Fan yet, much less allowed him to reveal his strength on the spot.

"No choice, then. In that case, I'll let my 'Dark Shadow' spar with you."

Faced with Kiba Inuzuka's expectant gaze, Ye Fan spoke leisurely.

Woof, woof!

As though responding to Ye Fan, the little Ninja Hound Dark Shadow, which had been lying on the ground, suddenly stood up and barked excitedly.

It was clear that the little Ninja Hound loved showing off its strength in front of Ye Fan.

"Brother Ye Fan, are you serious?"

This time, even Kiba Inuzuka wore an incredulous expression.

Unlike the others, he knew that Dark Shadow had only been following Ye Fan for a short time and had never learned any of the Inuzuka Clan's ninja techniques.

How was it supposed to fight?

Hinata and Shino, standing nearby, both cast curious looks at the little Ninja Hound Dark Shadow as it wagged its head.

Hinata thought, Since this little Ninja Hound defeated my younger sister, it must be very powerful.

As for Shino, his focused gaze watched the little Ninja Hound through his sunglasses, as if trying to uncover some secret from it.

"Kiba, from the sound of it, you seem to be looking down on Dark Shadow." Ye Fan smiled faintly.

Kiba reached up and scratched his hair.

He did not hide it, saying directly, "Brother Ye Fan, although Dark Shadow has high potential, it probably can't even beat Akamaru..."

Akamaru was his Ninja Hound. It had trained in the Inuzuka Clan's ninja techniques alongside him since childhood and could fight together with him in perfect sync.

As for Ye Fan's Dark Shadow...

Well.

Even Ye Fan, its owner, no longer had chakra. Who would expect too much from his Ninja Hound?

Awoof!

Akamaru, perched atop Kiba's head, seemed to be responding to Kiba's words.

It proudly raised its little head and looked down at Dark Shadow with the air of a senior.

"Haha!"

Ye Fan laughed, then said in a half-joking, half-serious tone, "Kiba, if you can defeat Dark Shadow, you'll be considered outstanding even among Genin."

Although Ye Fan's little Ninja Hound could not compare in potential to those sentient demonic beasts, under his guidance, its strength had still improved by leaps and bounds.

If anyone underestimated it merely because of its small appearance, they would suffer badly for it.

At that moment, Ye Fan intended to teach Kiba and Akamaru a lesson.

He would make them understand that they should never underestimate any opponent.

Kiba looked brimming with confidence. He crouched down and reached out to rub Akamaru, which was already prepared for battle.

He encouraged it, "Akamaru, show Brother Ye Fan what you can do!"

Awoof!

Akamaru answered with a posture that seemed to say, Just watch me.

On the other side,

Ye Fan was also giving his Ninja Hound, Dark Shadow, instructions before the fight:

"Dark Shadow, don't overdo it. Don't hurt Akamaru."

Dark Shadow wagged its tail as if to say, I know how to hold back.

And so, the match between the two Ninja Hounds was about to begin.

Akamaru and Dark Shadow stood several meters apart, while Hinata Hyuga acted as the temporary referee.

"Begin!"

As Hinata's words fell, Akamaru launched the first attack.

Whoosh!

Akamaru vanished from where it stood, kicking up a fierce gust as it charged straight at Dark Shadow.

Dark Shadow remained where it was.

Facing the rushing Akamaru, it did not dodge. Instead, it raised its front paws and struck out with one claw like a cat rearing up.

Whoosh!

With a single blow from Dark Shadow, the charging Akamaru was sent flying off at a ninety-degree angle.

Bang!

Akamaru's body slammed into a tree trunk ten meters away.

Just as gravity pulled Akamaru's body down along the trunk, Dark Shadow appeared beside it in an eerie flash.

So fast!

Bang! Another strike.

Akamaru's little body flew back along the same path like a ball that had been hit away.

At the same time,

Dark Shadow's four chakra-infused paws suddenly erupted.

Crack!

They stomped a crater directly into the tree trunk.

Using the recoil, it actually overtook the backward-flying Akamaru.

When Dark Shadow landed on the ground again, Akamaru had flown right in front of it.

Dark Shadow raised a front paw and pressed down.

Boom!

Poor Akamaru was slammed straight into the earth.

For that instant, Akamaru's body could clearly be seen folding in half at the stomach.

This was an instant kill!

An utterly indisputable instant kill!

Other than Ye Fan, no one had expected the fight between the two Ninja Hounds to end so quickly.

Nor had they expected the gap in strength between them to be so enormous.

Kiba, who had been waiting outside the arena to watch Akamaru show off its skills, stood frozen like a wooden statue.

His Ninja Hound Akamaru had actually been pinned to the ground and crushed by the smaller Dark Shadow...

The shock and blow were anything but small.

After the battle ended, Dark Shadow scampered over to Ye Fan with a look that clearly said it was waiting for praise.

Instead, Ye Fan scolded it, "Didn't I tell you to watch your strength?"

Dark Shadow immediately looked aggrieved, whining in explanation. Only Ye Fan understood what it was saying:

I didn't expect one of my kind to be so weak!

Well, it really could not be blamed for that.

Ye Fan did not pay any more attention to Dark Shadow. Instead, he ran over and pulled Akamaru out of the dirt.

Only then did Kiba come back to his senses. Calling out "Akamaru," he hurried over as well.

Ye Fan silently injected a thread of True Qi into Akamaru.

After examining it, he learned that Dark Shadow had indeed held back. Otherwise, Akamaru would not have merely been unconscious right now.

By the time Kiba rushed over, Akamaru had awakened under the effects of the True Qi. It howled twice, then burrowed straight into Kiba's clothes.

"Don't worry. Akamaru was just frightened. Its injuries aren't serious," Ye Fan said to the worried Kiba.

Kiba felt much more relieved.

But—

The way he looked at Dark Shadow had completely changed.

He had never imagined that this little fellow he had always overlooked would be such a monster!

"Brother Ye Fan, Dark Shadow... how is it so strong?" Unable to suppress his curiosity, Kiba hurriedly asked.

This was also what Shino Aburame and Hinata Hyuga, standing nearby, wanted to know.

After all, Dark Shadow was still in its puppy stage. Judging from its current strength, would it not possess power comparable to a Jonin once it grew up?

Ninja Hounds matured far faster than humans.

"With proper guidance, rapid progress comes naturally."

Ye Fan changed the subject and continued, "Kiba, do you still think my Dark Shadow is unworthy of being your opponent?"

Kiba gave an embarrassed smile.

This was no longer a question of whether it was worthy.

He believed that with the strength Dark Shadow had just displayed, defeating him would not be difficult either.

The blow of being weaker than a dog made him want to ram his head into a tree.