Sasuke's Challenge: Catching the Great Fireball Technique Bare-Handed!

After giving it some thought, Sasuke turned his gaze to Chen Feng and stepped forward. "Taoist Chen, I'd like to spar with you."

Hearing this, Chen Feng smiled faintly. "With your current strength, I'm afraid you're not a match for me yet."

Sasuke replied, "I only want to understand the differences between the Dao School's methods and ninjutsu, and see how far I still am from the Dao Sect's finest successor."

Chen Feng did not refuse this request. He nodded gently. "Since you have such a wish, let's exchange a few moves."

As he spoke, he slowly rose to his feet.

"Spar?"

Sakura and the others were briefly taken aback, then became interested. Naruto, especially, looked thrilled, as though he wished he could get in there and stretch his limbs as well.

Even Kakashi, who had been lying atop a tree, put away his little yellow book and turned to look, curiosity in his eyes.

By then, Chen Feng and Sasuke had arrived at a spacious clearing. They widened the distance between them and exchanged a glance.

Chen Feng smiled slightly, placing one hand behind his back and extending only his left hand, clearly giving Sasuke a handicap.

Sasuke's eyes flashed at the sight. Without another word, he launched the first attack. His foot slammed against the ground, and he shot forward, throwing a punch without hesitation.

Chen Feng's expression did not change. He simply raised a hand and blocked the punch.

His first strike having failed, Sasuke was not discouraged. He immediately bent his right knee and snapped out a kick, his movements sharp, swift, and without the slightest excess.

Yet in the face of such close-range attacks, Chen Feng barely moved. He still blocked it steadily with just one arm.

At that moment, Sasuke blurred and appeared at Chen Feng's right side, launching another attack.

After another fierce roundhouse kick was blocked, he twisted his body and swiftly changed moves. He flipped through the air, and his other foot lashed toward Chen Feng's head in an instant.

Chen Feng directly reached out with his right hand and caught Sasuke by the ankle. With a burst of force from his arm, he threw him away.

That series of high-intensity attacks made Sasuke's chest rise and fall continuously. His expression was extremely solemn as he muttered inwardly, What incredible taijutsu!

He also knew that fists and kicks alone could not touch Chen Feng. He immediately pulled more than ten Shuriken from his ninja tool pouch and hurled them out in rapid succession!

Then his hands quickly formed seals: Snake—Ram—Monkey—Boar—Horse—Tiger.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"

In an instant, dense chakra gathered in his throat. His cheeks puffed out, and scorching flames erupted from his mouth.

The flames then transformed into a massive fireball that surged toward Chen Feng!

Chen Feng moved, evading the Shuriken. Looking at the Fire Style ninjutsu before him, however, he revealed a calm smile.

He then raised both hands and traced the path of twin fish before his body. Instantly, a faint Yin-Yang Taiji Diagram appeared.

At the very instant the fireball touched the Taiji phantom, an invisible ripple spread outward, instantly weakening the former's power.

Chen Feng's palms moved gently before him, and invisible ripples flowed and interwove layer upon layer. The fireball's violent energy was suppressed, rapidly shrinking at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Feeling the fireball's searing heat, Chen Feng used Taiji Soft Force to manipulate it in reverse, directly blocking its charge with his palm.

Then he took a step back and used Grasp Sparrow's Tail with his right hand. With a turn of his body, he guided it over.

The fireball was now only the size of a basketball, circling at his waist along with his true qi.

Then Chen Feng suddenly pushed his hand forward. The fireball shot out, hurtling back toward Sasuke at an even faster speed.

Sasuke's face changed drastically at this sight. He had not expected Chen Feng to not only catch the Great Fireball Technique with his bare hand, but also send it back at him.

He did not possess such skill. If he were hit head-on, he would definitely be seriously injured.

Thinking quickly, he hurriedly bent backward, narrowly dodging the strike. He could even clearly feel the scorching heat of the flames.

With a piercing howl, the terrifying fireball brushed past his face and slammed into a tree behind him.

With a loud boom, the thick trunk shattered amid the fireball's burning explosion. The towering tree, more than ten meters high, was snapped cleanly in two!

The spectators were all stunned by the sight, and even Sasuke could not help swallowing hard.

He knew very well how powerful his Great Fireball Technique was. It absolutely could not achieve this level of destruction.

Although the fireball Chen Feng had sent back was several times smaller in size, it was far more explosive. In terms of destructive power, it had already approached that of a B-rank ninjutsu.

Kakashi was also slightly surprised. However, as an experienced jonin, he could see some of what had happened.

Though the Great Fireball had appeared to shrink considerably after passing through Chen Feng's hands, it had actually undergone a form of energy compression.

That was why it unleashed such tremendous power after being released.

It seemed the Dao School's cultivation methods truly possessed something extraordinary...

With the sparring having reached this point, there was no need to continue. Even his signature technique had been broken by the other side; continuing would only bring humiliation upon himself.

Kakashi leaped down from the tree and said, "We still have to continue our journey tomorrow. Everyone should get some rest early."

Chen Feng nodded, then returned to his original spot and resumed meditating. A battle of this level had only been a warm-up for him; he had not taken it to heart at all.

After glancing at the charred tree, Sasuke clenched his fists slightly. His eyes showed even greater urgency, and he soon found a place to train.

After a night passed, the group continued onward. Several days later, they finally arrived at their destination: Konoha Village in the Land of Fire!

After passing through a forest, they could see the outline of the Konoha ninja village in the distance. At the same time, they entered its alert zone.

Chen Feng looked around and discovered at least three groups of people. They were likely guards stationed around the village's perimeter. If Kakashi had not been leading them, they probably would have encountered quite a bit of trouble.

A short while later, they arrived before the village gates. Tall, sturdy circular walls protected the entire village, with ninja guards stationed everywhere.

Kakashi greeted the guards as he led the group into the village.

After entering through the west gate, they still passed tightly defended security lines. To the left was the gathering point for the chunin forces, while to the right were warehouses storing documents and materials.

After passing the deserted Uchiha clan compound, the group entered the bustling streets of Konoha...