In the forest, Yūhi Shinku and Nara Yūji hurried along the path, finally reaching the range where Moku Kairen was fighting the Sunagakure shinobi Koshikawa.
At the base of a large tree, the two discovered Kairen's shadow clone along with Yūhi Kurenai.
Yūhi Shinku instantly flashed forward, supporting the already unconscious Yūhi Kurenai. Seeing that she was unharmed, he finally let go of the anxiety weighing on his heart.
He looked up at Kairen's shadow clone, his expression complicated as he said,
"Thanks. If it weren't for you, I don't even dare imagine what would've happened to Kurenai."
On the battlefield, the worst possible outcome was a kunoichi falling into enemy hands—that sort of scene would need to be censored a hundred times over.
Kairen's shadow clone spoke carelessly, with a hint of irreverence:
"No big deal, we're family after all."
"What did you just say?"
The shadow clone grinned even more brazenly:
"Kurenai is my future wife, you're my father-in-law. If that doesn't make us family, then what does?"
"You—!" Shinku's eyes bulged. Why was everyone obsessed with his daughter?
Nara Yūji stepped closer and shook his head.
"Sensei, he's just a shadow clone. Turn and look."
Yūhi Shinku turned his head and, about 300 meters away in the night sky, a massive black eagle circled. One by one, white shadow clones shot up from the ground like cannonballs into the sky.
Looking closely, each shadow clone wore the same white outfit modeled after Kairen's.
The clones soared skyward, spitting out Fire Release techniques, launching wave after wave of attacks against the black eagle.
Atop the black eagle was a Wind Release shinobi, also unleashing jutsu to wipe out Kairen's shadow clones.
"Black eagle? A Sunagakure Jōnin—Koshikawa." Yūhi Shinku quickly recalled the list of Sunagakure's Jōnin.
Among them was one who possessed the black eagle as a contracted beast, specializing in infiltration and intelligence gathering—Koshikawa.
Nara Yūji froze. "Moku Kairen is fighting a Jōnin?"
What was wrong with this world? Did a Genin really have to be this insane?
Yūhi Shinku said to Nara Yūji,
"Stay here and keep watch. I'll take a closer look."
...
On Kairen's side, in fact, before Yūhi Shinku and Nara Yūji had even arrived, he had already been fighting Koshikawa and his contracted beast for about ten minutes.
From battling the Jōnin and his high-level summoned beast, Kairen had racked up around 1400 experience points. Koshikawa was of no further use to him. It was time for Kairen to finish it.
"Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"
"Roooar—"
From the ground, a massive dragon-shaped head of fire roared upward toward the sky. Koshikawa commanded his black eagle to swerve, narrowly dodging the Great Dragon Fire Technique.
Next, several shuriken flew out, trailing long steel wires behind them, binding around Koshikawa.
Kairen smirked coldly from below, his hands forming seals.
"Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique!"
"Whoosh!"
Flames surged upward like shooting stars, racing skyward, about to engulf Koshikawa in the blink of an eye.
Koshikawa slashed with his ninja blade, severing the steel wires, but the flames riding along them still shot straight at him.
"Caw—!"
The black eagle climbed sharply, avoiding the flames.
Kairen released his hand seal, looking at the man and beast above. He knew he had to deal with Koshikawa's summoned beast first.
"Eight Gates Release—First Gate: Gate of Opening, Open! Second Gate: Gate of Rest, Open! Third Gate: Gate of Life, Open!"
Kairen opened three gates in succession, green energy flaring faintly around him. With a sudden stomp of his foot, he rocketed upward toward the sky.
"Come on then, brat!"
Koshikawa and his black eagle weren't pushovers. Even with their chakra reserves diminished, they weren't about to flee in disgrace.
"Dive!"
Koshikawa commanded the eagle into a nosedive, and the two executed a combination jutsu.
"Secret Technique: Hundred Feathers Shatter the Sky!"
Hundreds of feathers infused with Wind Release nature transformation shot toward Kairen. He charged straight through, uncaring, letting the feathers pierce his chest.
As he closed in on the black eagle, Kairen activated his Byakugan. All 361 chakra release points across his body flared.
"Fire Release: Ash Pile Burning!"
The chakra extracted through burning three gates' worth of body energy surged to elite Jōnin levels. Black, gunpowder-like smoke filled half the sky.
"Retreat now!"
Koshikawa caught the acrid scent of gunpowder and hurried to command his eagle to escape the spreading smoke.
Suddenly, sparks flickered at Kairen's lips.
"Rumble—!"
The gunpowder ignited in a chain of explosions, massive fireballs lighting up the night sky.
Yūhi Shinku arrived just in time and instantly recognized the technique.
"Sarutobi clan's Ash Pile Burning!"
"Poof!"
Amid the thunder of explosions came a puff of smoke—the black eagle, grievously wounded, was forced back to its summoning realm.
Through the smoke, a figure tumbled down. His clothes charred, hair a frazzled mess, it was Koshikawa.
Fortunately, he hadn't been fatally injured. During the blast, the black eagle had shielded him, absorbing most of the explosion's force.
...
After reviving, Kairen plummeted straight down from the sky. With three gates open, his impact blasted a crater into the earth.
Slowly, he climbed out of the pit. His white robe hung loosely behind him, revealing his sturdy torso—completely unscathed.
The astonishment in Yūhi Shinku's eyes only deepened. Between Kairen and the Sunagakure Jōnin Koshikawa, it looked like Koshikawa was the one falling behind.
Kairen's Byakugan suddenly caught sight of Yūhi Shinku observing from 150 meters away. Pulling back some of his recklessness, he grew more focused.
Spinning his blade in a flourish, Kairen formed a one-handed seal and instantly blurred forward.
"Clang!"
Koshikawa reacted quickly, their blades colliding. Kairen's weapon gradually pressed the other down.
With his Chūnin-template strength pushed to its peak, Kairen's full development now rivaled that of a strength-specialized Chūnin. Koshikawa was not built for raw power and could only be suppressed.
From Yūhi Shinku's perspective, the sight was bizarre: Kairen, a head and a half shorter, was forcing down a grown Jōnin.
Yūhi Shinku made note of Kairen's remarkable physical strength.
"Where did you get this kind of power?"
Koshikawa looked on in disbelief at being overpowered by a child.
Without thinking further, Koshikawa drew a kunai with his free hand, thrusting it suddenly at Kairen.
If not for having spectators, Kairen would've simply taken the blow and charged headlong. But with Yūhi Shinku watching, he chose otherwise.
He vaulted into the air, flipping aside to evade the kunai.
Mid-leap, Kairen pressed two fingers together into the one-handed Tiger Seal.
"Fire Release: Demon Lantern!"
Around him, twenty horned ghostly fire heads materialized, shrieking as they rushed at Koshikawa.
Koshikawa clapped his hands together, releasing chakra from his body.
"Wind Release: Gale Palm!"
A violent gale erupted from him, blasting away more than half of Kairen's Demon Lantern flames.
But the remaining flames swept in from behind. Koshikawa retreated sharply—directly into Kairen's path.
"Stick your neck out nice and easy!"
Kairen swung upward with his blade.
Flames at his back, Kairen before him—Koshikawa leapt skyward to dodge both.
Kairen grinned. A shinobi mid-air had an obvious weakness.
"Eight Gates Release—Third Gates Open!"
With a fierce bite of his teeth, Kairen forced all three gates open again. His body overloaded, unleashing unimaginable energy.
He kicked off the ground toward the sky. To others, it was a flash of green light—so bright it froze their hearts with dread.
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
+100 chapters and support me on Patreon(.)com/Jixo