The children flinched at his imposing presence.
But when they saw how much bigger their boss was than Zhou Cheng, their confidence returned.
They kept jeering.
"You're dead, punk! If I don't break your legs today, I'll take your surname!"
This time, all three of them attacked together.
Their boss was a boy who already stood 1.7 meters tall.
He had not said a word the entire time, simply holding Haku by his clothes and watching coldly.
The three boys surrounded Zhou Cheng, still mocking him.
Most of the other boys in the Thatched Hut turned away, afraid to watch.
They thought Zhou Cheng was bound to take a terrible beating, perhaps even have his legs broken.
Suddenly, all three boys flew backward like tattered rags.
Zhou Cheng had used more force this time.
They crashed into two beds, collapsing them!
Zhou Cheng quietly assessed his current strength.
If I channel chakra into my fists, the force of my punches should just about reach genin level!
With physical strength alone, I should be a little stronger than an ordinary adult!
From a scrawny boy who couldn't even truss a chicken to someone who can match a genin in strength.
All it took was a single drop of talent original liquid. Its power really is incredible.
I wonder how many drops of talent original liquid I'll get after fully refining Hiruzen Sarutobi's talent in a month.
While Zhou Cheng was still thinking, the burly boy who stood 1.7 meters tall flung Haku aside and walked toward him.
"You're strong, but you've run into me. Today, you're going to end up a cripple!"
He reached out to grab Zhou Cheng, intending to overpower him with his size.
But what happened next left him in disbelief.
Zhou Cheng reached out and caught the boy's hand.
He had acquired Hiruzen Sarutobi's insight and experience as a Shinobi.
How could a boy without even a trace of chakra possibly grab him?
The boy tried hard to pull his hand back, only to find it would not budge.
Refusing to believe it, he brought his free hand over to help pull.
To his horror, even with both hands, he could not pull free in the slightest.
Zhou Cheng sneered, channeled chakra into his palm, and squeezed hard.
With a crack, he snapped the boy's arm, which was twice as thick as his own.
"Aah!"
The boy screamed like a pig being slaughtered and fell to the floor, clutching his left hand.
He rolled around on the floor, screaming.
Zhou Cheng was not about to let him off that easily.
In this world, human lives were worth less than grass.
Only by making others fear you to their very bones could you eliminate future trouble completely.
Or you could simply kill them.
Zhou Cheng channeled chakra into his foot.
He kicked the boy in the head.
The boy flew away, spinning like a top.
He smashed straight through the wall of the Thatched Hut.
A large hole remained where he had struck.
Sharp gasps rang out.
The sound rose from all corners of the Thatched Hut.
Despite the enormous difference in their sizes, Zhou Cheng had kicked him away with ease.
After taking a kick to the head, the boy would be half-dead even if he survived.
Everyone else stared at Zhou Cheng as though he were a monster.
But Zhou Cheng did not stop there.
He walked toward the boy's lackeys.
They were already scared out of their wits, sprawled on the floor.
Their boss, whom they had believed invincible, had been sent flying with a single kick, his fate unknown.
"Y-you stay away! This is Konoha! Killing isn't allowed here!"
"If you kill us, Konoha's Shinobi will never let you get away with it!"
Zhou Cheng crouched beside the boy who had spoken and slapped him across the face.
The blow knocked out several of his teeth.
"You're the noisy one!"
Zhou Cheng stood and looked down at them.
"If you'd stopped when I told you to let him go, I could have spared you!"
"But you just had to ask for it. You wouldn't learn until it was too late!"
Then Zhou Cheng kicked them like balls, one after another.
He sent every one of the boys sprawled on the floor flying out through the hole.
The Thatched Hut fell deathly silent.
None of the other boys dared make a sound.
They feared Zhou Cheng might kick them around like balls too.
Zhou Cheng walked over to Haku and offered him his hand.
Haku took it, and Zhou Cheng pulled him to his feet.
Then Zhou Cheng returned to his bed and sat down.
He patted the space beside him, motioning for Haku to come and rest.
Once Haku climbed onto the bed, Zhou Cheng spoke so quietly that only the two of them could hear.
"You've actually extracted chakra too, haven't you?"
"You're perfectly capable of beating them!"
Zhou Cheng looked earnestly at Haku.
"You can trust me. I'm from Kirigakure too, and my parents also died in the civil war."
"You and I are the same!"
Having said that, Zhou Cheng did not wait for Haku's response.
He leaned against the wall of the Thatched Hut.
Then he began extracting chakra again.
What Zhou Cheng did not know was this.
There had already been Shinobi nearby when the conflict broke out.
They simply could not be bothered to intervene when nothing serious had happened.
Everything that had happened here had already been reported by the Shinobi stationed in the area.
Meanwhile.
In the Hokage Office beneath Hokage Rock.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had changed back into casual clothes, sat behind his desk with a crystal ball in his hands.
Images of Konoha appeared inside the crystal ball.
He used it like a surveillance system to watch over all of Konoha.
Every evening, after finishing his official duties, he would pick up the crystal ball.
As for what he secretly watched, one only needed to look at what his student Jiraiya liked watching to know.
But tonight, on a whim, he focused the crystal ball on the Temporary Settlement.
Then he witnessed Zhou Cheng overwhelming that boy.
Hiruzen Sarutobi's pupils abruptly contracted.
"When I visited them today, I looked very carefully. Not one of those boys showed any chakra fluctuations."
"These children aren't even genin. They couldn't possibly fool my eyes. They were just ordinary children whose talents hadn't been discovered yet."
"I was disappointed that there weren't any promising youngsters this year."
"This boy's talent is a little frightening!"
"He extracted chakra in just one evening."
"Talent like that is no less impressive than Orochimaru's or Tsunade's!"
"And the boy beside him has chakra fluctuations too. His reserves are a little low, but his talent is also quite good."
"Go and investigate these two boys' backgrounds thoroughly."
"If they really are war orphans, rather than spies planted by another ninja village, we've found a treasure!"
"With proper training, they'll surely become two excellent Shinobi in time!"
As soon as he finished speaking, an Anbu Ninja vanished with the Body Flicker Technique.
He had gone to investigate Zhou Cheng's and Haku's identities.
Elsewhere, beneath Konoha.
Inside Root headquarters.
Danzo sat upright in the seat of honor.
A Root Shinobi knelt on one knee before him.
"Are you sure you weren't mistaken?"
Danzo's low voice rang out, carrying a hint of excitement.
"He extracted chakra in a single evening?"
Ever since Zhou Cheng and the others had entered Konoha.
Root had been selecting suitable candidates.
At first, they had been very disappointed.
They had not found a single promising youngster.
But just now, the Root Shinobi watching the Temporary Settlement had arrived with a report.
He recounted everything that had happened.
Danzo's eyes lit up as he listened.
A genius who could extract chakra in a single evening.
And two of them had appeared at once.
"A genius like this must serve me!"