"Die, brat!"
"Shira!!" Rani's eyes widened in fury. He tried to help, but four bandits kept him tied up.
At that critical moment, Shira sensed deadly killing intent behind him. His reflexes in the first activation state allowed him to react at the very limit.
He threw himself forward and kicked backward with all his strength.
It was no technique, just an instinctive burst at the edge of life and death.
Scarface had not expected Shira to react so quickly. His thrust missed, and Shira's feet slammed hard into his stomach instead!
"Ugh!" Scarface grunted and staggered back half a step, his attack faltering.
In that half-step opening, Fūi's puppet finally arrived. Its mechanical arm launched steel wires that coiled toward Scarface. Rani also seized the chance to drive back the four men around him and formed Hand Seals again. "Earth Release: Headhunter Jutsu!"
The ground beneath Scarface's feet suddenly softened, and a pair of earthen hands reached out, grabbed his ankles, and dragged him downward!
The bandit chief was restrained in an instant.
The tide of battle turned in an instant. When the remaining bandits saw their leader captured, their morale collapsed, and they threw down their weapons and begged for mercy.
The battle was over.
Only the uneasy panting of the pack animals and the groans of the bandits remained in the canyon.
Rani and Fūi panted heavily as they stared in disbelief at Shira, who stood in the middle of the clearing.
Shira had deactivated his first activation state. His face was somewhat pale, his breathing slightly quick, and his fists and legs were covered in scrapes and bruises.
But he stood straight, his gaze resolute, and a fierce aura that had yet to fade still radiated from him.
He had just taken down three adult bandits with his bare hands, and had even gone through a dangerous exchange with a Chunin-level bandit chief.
"You little rascal..." Rani walked over and patted Shira on the shoulder, his face full of shock and delight. "You really kept that hidden! Your Taijutsu is incredible! What was with that speed and strength just now?"
Fūi also walked over and carefully sensed Shira's condition, his eyes full of amazement. "What violent Chakra! But instead of flowing toward a jutsu, it was all used to burn and strengthen your own cells?! Incredible, you're only seven! Just what kind of Taijutsu is that?"
Shira steadied his breathing and did not answer their questions directly. He simply shook his head. "I'm still a long way off. I just train a little more than usual, that's all."
Seeing that Shira did not want to say more, the brothers let the matter rest. After all, it was his secret.
The people from the caravan gathered around, looking at Shira with gratitude and amazement. Shira's parents rushed over and hugged him tightly, shaken by the danger he had faced but proud of him.
Rani and Fūi exchanged a glance, each seeing the shock in the other's eyes. They had always known Shira trained hard, but they had never imagined that this boy, who could use neither Ninjutsu nor Genjutsu, already possessed such terrifying combat ability!
"Looks like if anyone calls you 'trash' again, I'll be the first to object!" Rani laughed and patted Shira on the shoulder again.
Fūi silently tied up the bandits. Looking at Shira, he thought, This boy's future achievements might exceed everyone's imagination. Sunagakure might be about to produce one extraordinary Taijutsu monster.
Shira looked at the subdued bandits, then at his own fists.
In his first real battle, the power of the Seven Heavens Breathing Method had begun to show.
It strengthened his resolve to find the path to the pinnacle of Taijutsu.
Just do it. Let's go!