Secret Technique: Assault

The big move Hoshi spoke of was naturally his newly acquired skill, Secret Technique: Assault.

With defeat possible at any moment, he had no room to hesitate. Sakumo's White Fang was about to break through his defenses, so Hoshi gritted his teeth and activated Secret Technique: Assault.

At a thought, he felt the Chakra within his body begin to circulate beyond his control. It flowed through his limbs and bones, bringing him an unprecedentedly novel sensation.

His body went numb and tingly in an instant, as though it had undergone some strange transformation. The feeling suddenly made the entire world seem clearer.

This clarity was not visual clarity, but an entirely new experience brought about by a qualitative leap in his skin's pores' ability to sense changes in the surrounding environment.

His body could keenly detect shifts in the air's temperature and humidity, then adjust itself accordingly.

Just as Hoshi was experiencing the wondrous changes in his body, Sakumo before him and Jiraiya in the distance both wore expressions as though they had seen a ghost.

Jiraiya's eyes bulged wider than a cow's as he stammered, "Hey, wait, where's Hoshi? Where did that huge Hoshi from just now go? How did he just vanish?"

Sakumo was equally shocked. What he saw was simply too inconceivable. Even if Hoshi had used the Substitution Technique, there was no way he could have disappeared without a trace so suddenly.

Could I be under Genjutsu? But if he used Genjutsu, there's no reason Jiraiya would have fallen for it too. No, perhaps this Jiraiya was specifically created by Hoshi to confuse me.

His goal is to use Jiraiya's shouting to lure me into the trap of believing Hoshi has disappeared! With that thought, Sakumo hurriedly withdrew his blade and assumed a guarded stance. While cautiously scanning his surroundings, he repeatedly tried to create turbulent Chakra currents inside his body.

Yet after several attempts, he still could not break this damn "Genjutsu." Even Sakumo began to grow agitated.

No matter how composed and precocious he was, he was still only six years old. Faced with a technique beyond his understanding, it was inevitable that he would lose his composure.

A fine layer of sweat formed on the hand gripping White Fang tightly from sheer tension. The sticky sensation only made him more irritated, yet Hoshi, whose whereabouts were unknown, showed no sign of attacking.

Hoshi knew nothing of Sakumo's increasingly terrifying thoughts. The reason he had not attacked for so long was because he too had gotten carried away. Immersed in this wondrous feeling, Hoshi had even forgotten that he was still in the middle of a fight.

At that moment, he was admiring the horrified expressions on their faces while experiencing the peculiar changes his body underwent from different positions.

From his perspective, his body seemed to have been coated in a layer of shadow, making his entire figure hazy. He could see the scene beyond the back of his hand through his palm, which felt incredibly novel.

If he had not suddenly noticed that more than half his Chakra had been consumed in barely two minutes, Hoshi felt he could have played around for another hour.

Coming back to his senses, Hoshi refocused on the unfinished battle. Feeling the little Chakra he had left, he knew he needed to end things quickly.

He softened his footsteps as much as possible and silently circled behind Sakumo. Sakumo remained completely unaware. Seeing that the moment had come, Hoshi suddenly dispelled his invisibility.

He could have attacked while invisible, but that would have been far too dangerous. He and Sakumo were only sparring, not fighting to the death.

If Sakumo panicked and moved recklessly, or if Hoshi accidentally failed to hold back and injured him, that would not be fun at all. He had no desire to end up wanted by Konoha over something so muddled.

So Hoshi simply dispelled his invisibility to give Sakumo a warning.

His figure appeared behind Sakumo in an instant, startling Jiraiya into crying out. Sakumo also suddenly sensed Hoshi's presence.

Alarm bells rang in Sakumo's heart. He spun around as quickly as he could, only to see the blade in Hoshi's hand thrusting toward his throat at an unbelievable speed.

The thrust was like a bolt of lightning flashing before his eyes. Forget counterattacking—before Sakumo could even react, Hoshi's blade was already pressed against his throat.

Hoshi did not press the advantage. He made a symbolic gesture, then withdrew his blade. After hesitating for a long while, Sakumo suddenly gave a deep bow and said quietly, "I lost."

Beside them, the thick-skinned Jiraiya leaped into the air excitedly when he heard that. "Hahaha, Hoshi, you really did it! You actually beat that stuck-up Sakumo!"

Sakumo kept his head lowered, making it impossible to see his expression, but his tightly clenched fists revealed the turmoil in his heart.

No one would be in a good mood after being defeated with someone chattering nonstop beside them. Noticing this, Hoshi first gave Jiraiya a look to mind the situation, then helped Sakumo up and comforted him. "You're already very strong. If I hadn't used my Kekkei Genkai, I would have been the one who lost today."

Those words shifted both Jiraiya's and Sakumo's attention. Sakumo raised his head in surprise. So that sudden disappearance had not been Genjutsu, but a Kekkei Genkai?

Jiraiya could not restrain his curiosity either. Like an inquisitive child, he pressed on, "Huh? Hoshi, you have a Kekkei Genkai too? What kind of ability is it?"

Hoshi had intended to befriend the two of them, so he did not hide it and explained, "My Kekkei Genkai is called Transparency Release. It isn't as powerful as the Hyuga or Uchiha Clan's Kekkei Genkai. It can only make my body invisible for a short time."

At the word "invisible," Jiraiya's eyes lit up. He patted Hoshi on the shoulder, practically wearing the word envy across his face. "I think your ability is way stronger than any Byakugan or Sharingan. It's practically the strongest Kekkei Genkai in the world! If I had your Kekkei Genkai, then in the future, wouldn't I... Hehehe!"

As he spoke, Jiraiya's eyes had already gone vacant as he sank into his own little fantasy world. Seeing his lecherous grin, Hoshi could guess what he was thinking without even trying.

Hearing the words Kekkei Genkai, the heavy feeling in Sakumo's heart finally eased somewhat. It was not that he had failed to work hard—his opponent simply had cheats.

Still, he stubbornly said, "A loss is a loss. Even setting aside the Kekkei Genkai, I still couldn't have blocked that final strike of yours."

Hoshi clicked his tongue, feeling a little toothache at those words. Why is this kid so stubborn? I already said it was because I had cheats, so why are you still saying that? Have a little confidence, will you?

No wonder he wanted to kill himself after suffering a few setbacks later on. Even as he mocked him internally, Hoshi suddenly froze, because he had abruptly noticed his experience bar rise by a segment.

The words Introductory Swordsmanship 0/100 had been replaced by 5/100.

How strange. Can experience really just fall from the sky? Puzzled, Hoshi subconsciously glanced at the dejected Sakumo before his eyes suddenly lit up. Could fighting Sakumo increase my experience points?