True Power

Night had fully fallen, and a crescent moon gradually rose above the lingering clouds.

Across the boundless mountain wilderness, the cold wind howled. The Taketori Clan, who had been boiling with fighting spirit moments ago, now felt as though they had fallen into an icy abyss!

Just moments ago, a brat they had taken for nothing more than a reckless fool had suddenly blocked their path. Their leader had charged forward at once, and just as they expected him to crush the problem with ease, the scene before them utterly shattered their worldview!

In just a single exchange, their leader had suddenly collapsed to the ground. Then that brat had kicked him back like a dead dog, leaving him sprawled limply before them!

The entire field fell deathly silent. Every member of the Taketori Clan stood frozen in place. Fear came from the unknown; they were not afraid of death, but they could not accept dying in such a bizarre way.

"Mm..."

After a long while, a weak sound arose. Chikuma rubbed his head and forced himself back to his feet.

"Chief!"

"Hahaha, I knew the chief would be fine."

The clansmen behind him rejoiced, their suspended hearts finally settling. Just as they were about to step forward, Chikuma raised a hand to stop them.

Looking at the figure before him again, Chikuma barked, "Who the hell are you, brat? Which clan are you from?"

"The Taketori Clan, right? My name is Uchiha Yan Hong. After watching your little fight just now, it looked like children playing house."

"Huh?"

"Hey! What the hell did you say, brat? Got a death wish?"

"A brat whose feathers haven't even grown in yet—what do you know about fighting?"

His words stirred up a storm. The Taketori Clan erupted into an uproar, cursing furiously. To them, battle was life itself. Denying their fighting was the same as denying the meaning of their existence!

"Hmph. Uchiha Yan Hong? Never heard of him." Chikuma dug at his ear with his little finger. "That was genjutsu just now, wasn't it? You call using genjutsu fighting? That's an insult to sacred, hot-blooded combat!"

"Heh, is that so?" Yan Hong said noncommittally. "If you're not convinced, then let's fight again. I won't use genjutsu. If I win, you'll follow me from now on and become weapons in my hands. If I lose, do whatever you want with me."

"Hehehe, then I'll twist off your head and use it as a wine jug!"

Yan Hong stood where he was and crooked a finger at him.

"I'll kill you!"

Boom—

Chikuma stomped the ground, turning into an arrow loosed from its bow as he shot straight toward Yan Hong in the distance!

Clang—

A crisp blade ring echoed across the empty wilderness!

A red glint flashed through Yan Hong's eyes. The single blade at his waist slid from its sheath, its pale light carving an arc through the air as it swept toward Chikuma's neck!

As the blade closed in, a savage grin flickered in Chikuma's eyes. He made no move to dodge. Instead, he raised his left arm to block the blade while throwing a fist at Yan Hong's face with his right hand!

Clang—

The blade struck his arm with the roar of clashing metal. It cut three inches into flesh before being caught by hard bone, unable to advance another inch!

Yan Hong dipped low to evade the heavy fist. As his body leaned forward, his left leg whipped upward in a scorpion kick!

Bang—

The powerful kick lashed against Chikuma's cheek. Already airborne, Chikuma was instantly sent flying backward. He struck the ground, bounced back up, skipped across it several times, and only then came to a stop!

Crash—

Chikuma scrambled to his feet in a sorry state. A deep blade wound ran along his left arm, exposing the white bone beneath, while a clear shoeprint marked his face. Even so, Chikuma still wore a cruel smile. "Hehehe, that hurt, didn't it? This is what hot-blooded combat is!"

Drip, drip—

Yan Hong lowered his head and glanced at his left leg. His calf had long since become a bloody mess. The instant his kick struck Chikuma's face, sudden bone spikes had pierced through his own calf. Clearly, he had suffered a small loss.

"Your attacks may be completely unstructured, but you possess a Kekkei Genkai that makes you impervious to blades and spears. As expected, you were born for the battlefield."

Chikuma laughed wildly. "Hehehe, brat! Your head is mine!"

"The probing is over. You're qualified to join the Uchiha Clan." A sharp gleam flashed in Yan Hong's eyes. "Now, let me show you what real combat is!"

Yan Hong planted the blade in his hand into the ground, then rolled his neck twice, producing a series of crisp cracks.

"Hehehe, the brat's even throwing away his sword. You really are looking for—"

Before he could utter the word "death," Chikuma discovered in horror that Yan Hong had vanished from where he stood. When Yan Hong reappeared, he was already to Chikuma's right, throwing a fist at his right cheek at an almost terrifying speed!

"That's all? Useless!"

Whoosh—

Several vicious bone spikes instantly sprouted from his right cheek. The Shikotsumyaku allowed him to grow bones from any part of his body, hard as iron and capable of piercing anything!

The corners of Chikuma's lips curled up. Just as he was about to counterattack, his chin suddenly suffered a heavy blow!

Thud—

A feint!

Yan Hong's left fist rose in an uppercut that struck Chikuma's jaw. As he punched, his body sprang up after it. He bent his knee and drove it upward, landing another knee strike squarely in the chest and abdomen of Chikuma, who had just left the ground!

Bang—

The two consecutive heavy blows instantly dazed Chikuma. Like a kite with its string cut, he flew diagonally into the air!

Yan Hong also pushed off the ground. In an instant, he shot into the air, yet overtook Chikuma despite moving later. A glowing blue sphere had appeared in his right palm!

Chikuma's pupils contracted. At that moment, a powerful sense of dread suddenly gripped him. In the face of danger, his body finally reacted!

"Hah!"

Shhk—

In an instant, countless bone spikes erupted from his entire body, wrapping him securely within their protection. At the same time, Yan Hong's attack landed on him!

Rasengan!

Boom—

The high-speed spinning Rasengan directly tore away every bone protecting Chikuma's exterior before smashing into his body. Terrifying chakra erupted at once, blasting a ring-shaped shockwave through the air. Chikuma's eyes instantly bloodshot, blood spraying from his mouth as he became a falling meteor and slammed viciously toward the ground!

Rumble—

Dust surged several meters into the air, and a pit several meters deep instantly appeared in the ground. Chikuma lay embedded at its bottom, his clothes shredded and his chest caved in. If Yan Hong had not held back at the last moment, he would already have been a corpse!

Whoosh—

Yan Hong descended from the air and landed lightly at the edge of the crater, looking down at Chikuma below. "Looks like you lost."

"Cough, cough, cough..." Chikuma coughed violently a few times and wiped the blood from his lips. A mocking glint flashed through his eyes. "Hehehe, you want us to submit? I forgot to tell you—we of the Taketori Clan have never fought alone!"

Step, step, step—

As he spoke, dense footsteps rose from all around. The clansmen who had been watching were forming a loose encirclement, every pair of eyes filled with madness and bloodlust!

"Hehehe, brat! You can fight, but how many can you fight?" Chikuma threw back his head and laughed from the bottom of the pit. "Kill him!"

"Ah..." Yan Hong sighed. "So there really was no avoiding this. Fine, then let me show you the Uchiha Clan's true power."

The next instant, immense chakra surged into the sky, and heaven and earth changed color!