Dai was stunned, and Nonou let out a sharp scream from the sidelines.
"Sensei Folken!"
Her shout startled Uchiha Mikoto, who was still pouring chakra into her Fire Release attack. She instinctively stopped, the flames at her lips fading as her dark eyes focused on the fireball slowly dispersing in front of her.
At that moment, Mikoto seemed completely unaware of the shadow moving rapidly from the left side of the fireball.
Folken lowered his gaze and noticed Mikoto forming a substitution technique. Naturally, he hurled three shuriken at high speed. The motion adjusted for his incredible speed, causing the afterimage effect of his movement to vanish.
Nonou finally spotted the black-haired youth appearing from the other side.
Folken was less than fifty meters from Mikoto. At the same time, Nonou saw three black arcs of shuriken approaching Mikoto from different angles.
"Watch out, Mikoto!"
Children tended to overreact when faced with overwhelming power.
Dai, however, remained calm. In his eyes, Folken's strength had clearly risen several levels this level of skill could rival a special Jonin.
But why…
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The crisp sounds perfectly "hit" Mikoto's body. The substitution dummy looked like Mikoto herself, frozen in despair as if struck by all three shuriken.
However, Folken, who had already read Mikoto's movements, knew she had just used the dummy to accelerate a perfect example of high-level misdirection and had moved above a tree to his right, catching his breath and waiting for the next opening.
This speed would seem ordinary to a Jonin, but to a Genin, it was astonishing.
Nonou, at a distance, couldn't make out the entire exchange. She panicked, unable to hear whether the shuriken struck wood with a thud or flesh with a thump.
With a puff of white smoke, the real Mikoto vanished, replaced by a wooden dummy holding three black shuriken.
Folken didn't attack further. Instead, he addressed the two spectators. "You should join in. It'll be tough if Mikoto's alone."
He tapped the three small bells at his waist, producing a light jingle.
"Damn! He's underestimating me!" Mikoto, hidden in the leaves above, clenched her teeth and fists. That speed… If Nonou hadn't shouted, she wouldn't have noticed Folken appearing from the side. Could this really be a Genin? She might have believed he was a Jonin skilled in Shunshin no Jutsu.
"Seems I can't hold back," she muttered.
"This is our third encounter, Folken. You're not the same as two years ago," Dai remarked from the sidelines.
Dai stood, and Nonou checked her ninja tool pouch, making sure everything was in place.
"Don't blame us for outnumbering you," Dai said, adjusting his stance.
"Fine," Folken replied calmly. "Let's see how well your teamwork has developed after all those months of D-rank missions."
"Don't underestimate us!" Mikoto's voice came from a tree, her figure landing on the ground. "Even when you were slacking off, we've been observing each other closely. Coordinated attacks won't be a problem!"
Folken remained indifferent. He was used to leading a team. A little idling while gaining experience was normal.
"I'll give you one minute."
"Got it!"
The three whispered strategy among themselves in front of Folken.
"Folken is so fast! I knew he was strong in taijutsu, but this is incredible! Dai, you tricked us!" Mikoto scowled.
Dai looked embarrassed. "I fought him two years ago. Back then, even winning was a struggle. I had no idea he'd develop this much in such a short time."
"Also," Nonou added, "Folken said his chakra nature was Fire, but just now he showed five natures. Could he have awakened some kind of bloodline ability?"
Dai tilted his head in confusion.
"That's mine, isn't it?" Folken interjected.
Both girls rolled their eyes, thinking, This guy who can't even use the Triple Body Technique suddenly has five chakra natures?
Dai realized Folken was intentionally reassuring him. This was Folken's low-key way of showing off for his teammate.
"This is what youth looks like! I can't hold back either!"
Dai decided to tell his teammates about a new taijutsu technique he had developed, still imperfect but powerful.
"I've been working on a technique that strengthens taijutsu users: the Eight Gates…"
His explanation went over the one-minute warning, but Folken didn't interrupt. A little team communication and bonding couldn't hurt.
Soon…
"Discussion's over. Follow the plan we just made."
"Understood!"
The three dispersed. Mikoto and Nonou vanished across the training ground. Dai approached the tree where his backpack and gear were stored. Folken watched him remove his weights.
"Getting serious, huh? Last time we sparred was two years ago. Let's see if you've improved."
"Compared to you, probably not much," Dai admitted, feeling light and free after removing the weights. He turned to Folken with determination. "But I've developed a taijutsu that might surprise you!"
"The Eight Gates…"
"First Gate: Open!"
Activating his Byakugan, blue chakra surged from Dai's head. His body overloaded, boosting attack power and speed.
Folken raised an eyebrow, impressed.
"Perfect opening!"
A girl hiding in the grass seized the moment, throwing a kunai directly at his side.
Folken glanced at it and easily dodged.
Dai capitalized on Folken's slight distraction and charged forward.
"Leaf Whirlwind!"
A powerful sweeping kick came at Folken's lower body. He jumped back to evade.
Then Dai attacked again the two engaged in a brutal, close-quarters clash.
Performance is also a skill.
From a higher vantage, one can see how easily certain things can be achieved.
For instance, Dai, opening the Third Gate, was hit and stumbled back, arms crossed, legs scraping dust across the ground.
"Impressive. This is your Eight Gates?" Folken analyzed. Dai, at this stage, could easily overpower ordinary Chunin. Unfortunately, he could only maintain it briefly.
After closing the Third Gate, Dai felt weak and exhausted but his goal was accomplished.
"Nonou!"