Kazan Hit Someone Again

"How was this possible? Could a human body really be that strong?"

There was no Chakra behind it. Kazan's punch wasn't the Monster Strength Fist he'd suspected. It was just a punch.

Kazan's fist hadn't reached him yet, but the wind from it struck first.

Asuka Hyuga hurriedly raised his arms to block Kazan's Iron Fist, then immediately counterattacked.

"Gentle Fist!"

"Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms!"

He roared and thrust both hands forward like blades, aiming for the points on Kazan's body.

Guanyuan Point, Shanzhong Point, Neiguan Point, Yongquan Point, Baihui Point...

Asuka Hyuga held nothing back. His hands struck in a relentless flurry, hitting different parts of Kazan's body.

He truly deserved to be called a genius of the Hyuga Clan's generation.

Gentle Fist Technique: Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms was an incomplete version of Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, only one step short of the full technique.

And yet...

Not one strike produced the result he wanted. The flow of Chakra through Kazan's body was never severed.

Worse, every palm strike felt as though it hit solid steel. By the time he finished all thirty-two, his palms had turned red.

"Tekkai!"

Only after Asuka Hyuga had finished all thirty-two strikes did Kazan speak those two words.

It was Tekkai, the second of the Six Powers he had mastered.

In the world of Pirates, Tekkai had long been dismissed as the least useful of the Six Powers.

That was especially true after Haki was introduced and developed further.

Audiences saw almost no advantage in a technique that required its user to stand still and take hits when they compared it with Armament Haki.

But the truth was different.

Armament Haki was energy coating the body's surface. Tekkai came from training the body inside and out.

Kazan didn't consider Tekkai useless. On the contrary, he took its training seriously.

Through Tekkai, he intended to temper his body to its limits, inside and out.

Asuka Hyuga—or rather, the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist Technique—was completely countered by Tekkai.

"What technique was that?" The confidence in Asuka Hyuga's face wavered.

Even the Hyuga Clan's secret Gentle Fist Technique couldn't break through Kazan's defenses. It was unbelievable.

"Tekkai. Temper your body until it's as hard as steel, and you can do it too."

Temper the body until it was as hard as steel?

That had to be a joke.

Humans were made of flesh and blood. How could they compare with steel?

Even the Raikage of Kumogakure had Ninjutsu reinforcing his seemingly indestructible body. How could an ordinary person achieve that without it?

But Asuka Hyuga had no time to think. Kazan's fists were already coming down like a violent storm.

Asuka Hyuga blocked in haste, pushing his Byakugan to its fullest as he tried to read Kazan's every move.

It was useless.

"Infinity!"

"Fist Bone!"

Kazan roared, and his fists poured down like rain. He put everything into every punch.

Asuka Hyuga lasted only a moment before his guard gave way.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Kazan's fists struck Asuka Hyuga again and again. Even defending with Chakra did him no good. Kazan sent him flying straight through a house beside the road, and he kept going toward the next...

"Blech!"

Asuka Hyuga coughed up a mouthful of blood. By the time his body finally stopped flying, he was unconscious.

Fortunately, Kazan had pulled his punches the moment he realized Asuka Hyuga couldn't withstand them. Otherwise, that one attack could have beaten him to death.

The fight was over.

Sure enough, villagers had gathered nearby and were pointing and whispering.

They'd known Kazan, that little menace, couldn't stay out of trouble. After beating up an Uchiha, how could he possibly leave the Hyuga Clan alone?

But they weren't just there for the spectacle. Kazan's fighting ability had stunned them.

"First the genius Kakashi, then an Uchiha and a Hyuga. That little monster Kazan is unstoppable!"

"Was he always this strong?"

"He beat geniuses from the Uchiha and Hyuga clans using only Taijutsu?"

"Since when was Taijutsu that powerful?"

"..."

The villagers kept talking.

The Uchiha and Hyuga clans still commanded immense respect in Konoha.

With the Byakugan and Sharingan as their Kekkei Genkai, their members had an easier path to power than ordinary Ninjas from birth.

The Uchiha in particular could practically reach Jonin level as soon as they awakened the Sharingan.

The Hyuga Clan was renowned for reconnaissance. Its members could spot traps and danger in advance, and many Ninja Squads wanted a Hyuga Ninja on their team.

The reputation of Konoha's two strongest Shinobi Clans was backed by results.

Yet Kazan had knocked out the geniuses of their generation with his fists.

Before long, the villagers were naming Kazan alongside Kakashi as one of Konoha's two strongest geniuses of their generation.

"Move aside! Military Police Force business!"

The Uchiha arrived quickly. When they saw that brat Kazan again, they gritted their teeth in fury.

But when they spotted Asuka Hyuga unconscious against a wall, their expressions softened at once.

"Let's see anyone look down on the Uchiha now. That brat beat up a Hyuga too!"

The Uchiha felt much better about it.

Proud as they were, nothing angered them more than hearing people say their reputation was undeserved.

Now the Hyuga Clan had suffered the same fate. Let's see who dares run their mouth after this.

It wasn't that the Uchiha were weak. This brat was simply a monster who could take down his whole generation with his fists.

Still, the damn brat caused far too much trouble. Every few days, he picked a fight somewhere in the village. If the Third Hokage weren't protecting him, they'd have hauled him into the Military Police Force and made him pick up soap.

After arriving, they made no move to arrest Kazan.

Sure enough, ANBU Ninjas soon arrived after hearing the news. Acting on Hiruzen Sarutobi's orders, they took Kazan to the Hokage Building.

Then...

"Kazan!!!!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's roar seemed loud enough to reach every corner of Konoha.

Kurenai Yuhi had just finished classes at the Ninja Academy. The moment she heard Lord Hokage roar, she knew Kazan had caused trouble again.

She wasn't the only one. Rin Nohara and Mitarashi Anko guessed it too.

"I wonder who got beaten up this time."

"My bet's on Asuka Hyuga!"

Anko blurted it out. The answer was obvious.

Kazan had already gone after the Uchiha. Of course he wouldn't leave the Hyuga alone.

"Will he be okay? He's made enemies of both the Uchiha and Hyuga clans at once." Rin Nohara looked worried.

The Uchiha and Hyuga were both powerful clans in the village, pillars of Konoha.

Someone had beaten up their geniuses for no apparent reason. Surely they'd want to reclaim their pride.

"You two go on ahead. I need to take care of something."

Kurenai decided to go home for help and ask her pops to put in a good word for Kazan.