Kazan Beat Someone Up Again

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

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

Before Kazan reached him, the wind from his fist 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 shouted as his hands shot out like blades, stabbing toward the points on Kazan's body.

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

Asuka Hyuga held nothing back. His hands struck like raindrops, hitting different points across Kazan's body.

He truly deserved to be called a genius of his generation in the Hyuga Clan.

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

And yet...

Not one strike achieved what he wanted. He never once cut off the flow of Chakra inside Kazan's body.

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

"Iron Body!"

Only after all thirty-two strikes had landed did Kazan speak those two words.

It was the second of the Six Powers he had mastered: Iron Body.

In the world of pirates, Iron Body had always been dismissed as the least useful of the Six Powers.

That was especially true after Haki was introduced and expanded upon.

Viewers had found that Iron Body, which required its user to stand still and take a beating, offered almost no advantage over Armament Haki.

But the truth was different.

Armament Haki was energy coating the body's surface. Iron Body trained the body from the inside out.

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

Through Iron Body, he intended to hone every inch of his body to its limit, inside and out.

As for Asuka Hyuga—or rather, the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist Technique—it was completely countered by Iron Body.

"What kind of technique is this?" Asuka Hyuga's confidence wavered.

Even the Hyuga Clan's secret Gentle Fist couldn't break through Kazan's defense. It was unthinkable.

"Iron Body. If you train your body until it's as hard as steel, you can do it too."

Train a body until it was as hard as steel?

What a joke.

Humans were flesh and blood. How could they compare to steel?

Even the Raikage of Kumogakure owed his seemingly indestructible body to Ninjutsu. How could an ordinary person do the same?

But Asuka had no time to think. Kazan's fists were already raining down on him.

Asuka Hyuga blocked in a panic, pushing his Byakugan to its limit in an attempt to read every move Kazan made.

It was no use.

"Infinity!"

"Fist Bone!"

Kazan roared. His fists fell like a downpour, and he put his full strength behind every punch.

Asuka Hyuga held out for only a moment before his defense collapsed.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Kazan's fists slammed into Asuka Hyuga one after another. Even defending with Chakra did him no good. He was sent flying through a roadside house, smashed out the other side, and kept going toward the next one...

"Ugh!"

Asuka Hyuga spat a mouthful of blood. By the time he stopped flying, he had lost consciousness.

Fortunately, Kazan had pulled his punches as soon as he realized Asuka couldn't withstand them. Otherwise, that barrage could have beaten him to death.

The fight was over.

Sure enough, a crowd of villagers had gathered nearby, pointing and whispering.

They had known Kazan, that little menace, wouldn't behave himself. After beating up an Uchiha, how could he possibly leave the Hyuga Clan alone?

But Kazan's strength surprised them even more than the spectacle itself.

"First the genius Kakashi, then an Uchiha and a Hyuga. That little devil Kazan is something else!"

"Was he always this strong?"

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

"Since when was Taijutsu this powerful?"

"..."

The villagers kept talking.

The Uchiha and Hyuga Clans commanded too much respect in Konoha.

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

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

The Hyuga Clan was renowned for its scouting ability. Its members could spot traps and danger in advance, so many Ninja Squads hoped to have a Hyuga Ninja on their team.

The two strongest Shinobi Clans in Konoha had earned their reputations.

Yet Kazan had knocked out geniuses from both clans with his bare fists.

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

"Make way! Military Police Force business!"

The Uchiha arrived quickly. When they saw it was that little brat Kazan again, they nearly ground their teeth to dust.

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

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

The Uchiha felt much better.

Proud as they were, they couldn't stand hearing people call them all talk.

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

It wasn't that the Uchiha were weak. This brat was a monster who could sweep through his entire generation with his fists alone.

Still, the wretched kid caused far too much trouble, picking fights in the village every few days. If the Third Hokage hadn't protected him, they would have dragged him to the Military Police Force and made him pick up soap.

When they reached the scene, they didn't rush to arrest Kazan.

Sure enough, ANBU Ninja 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 left the Ninja Academy when she heard Lord Hokage roar. She didn't have to think to know Kazan had caused trouble again.

She wasn't the only one who guessed. Rin Nohara and Mitaraishi Anko did too.

"I wonder who got beaten up this time."

"I bet it was Asuka Hyuga!"

Anko blurted it out. The answer was obvious.

Kazan had already beaten up an Uchiha. Of course he wouldn't spare the Hyuga.

"Will he be all right after offending both the Uchiha and Hyuga Clans at once?" Rin Nohara asked worriedly.

Both clans held high standing in the village. They were pillars of Konoha.

Someone had beaten their geniuses for no apparent reason. Surely they would want to save face.

"You two head home. I need to go."

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