Chapter 74

Chapter 74 - 74 To be fair, Rone and Megumi weren't lacking in talent. It only took them a single day to learn Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique). Afterward, they began using their clones to handle missions while focusing on tree climbing and water walking training—truly putting in the effort. As for Natsuki, he was called aside by Aoba. "Natsuki, let me test your real strength now. Show me everything you've got—your self-developed Rokushiki (Six Techniques), Hachimon Tonkō (Eight Gates), and the Hatake-ryū Kenjutsu (Hatake Sword Style). Come at me with full force—I want to see what level you've reached!" He was genuinely curious about his student. After all, if both Guy and Kakashi acknowledged him, Natsuki had to be something special. Natsuki naturally wouldn't let this chance to test himself go to waste. He wasn't planning to use techniques like Uzumaki Explosive Bullet, but seeing how Hachimon Tonkō and the Hatake Sword Style held up was more than worth it. And whether or not Rokushiki could hold its own against a jōnin's taijutsu also needed real testing. "Alright, Aoba-sensei, be careful. I might not hold back properly and accidentally kill you!" "Heh! Is that confidence or arrogance? Just come at me with everything you've got!" The moment Aoba spoke, Natsuki vanished. He used Soru (Shave) to flash behind Aoba with a whip-kick tearing through the air—but Aoba's taijutsu was excellent. He had already anticipated it and leaned aside, dodging as he launched into a quick series of punches. Natsuki countered with Tekkai (Iron Body), hardening both fists, and exchanged blows with Aoba—sending numbing shocks through Aoba's arms. "Your Tekkai punches are seriously annoying. I can't brute-force through this." Aoba jumped back to create distance, but Natsuki raised his leg and unleashed a Rankyaku (Storm Leg), sending a slicing shockwave his way, forcing Aoba to dodge again—only to realize Natsuki had already used Soru to close in. "Shigan! (Finger Gun!)" Pfft! Pfft! Pfft! His fingers pierced the air like drills. Aoba didn't dare take it lightly. He immediately drew a kunai to block. Clang clang clang! The Shigan strikes were as sharp as iron nails. Fortunately, Aoba's taijutsu was top-notch. He not only blocked all of Natsuki's attacks but even managed to find openings to counterattack—though Natsuki slipped away each time. "This Rokushiki is something else... You've already got five of the six techniques down for both offense and defense. I've heard there's one more called Geppō (Moon Step), which lets you run through the air. I'd like to see that." Just as he thought this, he launched into a sweeping leg kick. Natsuki instinctively leapt—but Aoba followed up with a fierce rush, forcing Natsuki to dodge mid-air with Geppō. Aoba pushed up his sunglasses, smiling. "So this is Geppō, huh? Running freely through the air—it's as practical as I thought. Guess I'll have to shamelessly ask my student to teach me later." After half an hour, Natsuki had refined his Rokushiki, but still hadn't gained the upper hand against Aoba's combat style. So he took a deep breath. "Hachimon Tonkō—Third Gate: Seimon, OPEN!" BOOM! A surge of energy exploded from him. Even his hair stood up from the chakra surging around him. Although he only opened the third gate, it was enough for sparring—no need to harm himself by going further. SWOOSH! He vanished again—much faster than before. Aoba didn't dare take it lightly, raising his arms to block—but still got blasted back several steps from the sheer force. Natsuki's speed had reached a whole new level, his figure blinking in and out, practically impossible to track. If Aoba didn't have sharp instincts and vast experience, he would've lost on that very first kick. "Heh... Natsuki, you keep surprising me!" Aoba smiled brightly, fully focused on the fight now. Natsuki didn't hold back either—leveraging the power and speed of Hachimon Tonkō to launch a relentless assault using Rokushiki. For a while, he actually managed to suppress Aoba. But Hachimon Tonkō couldn't be maintained long. Even the third gate consumed a lot of stamina. If they kept fighting, Aoba would eventually win. Sensing this, Aoba spoke up. "I've got your Rokushiki moves figured out. Even with the added speed and strength from the Eight Gates, you won't beat me. Come on—where's your sword?" Clang! A short sword was drawn. Lightning danced across the blade—and the next second, it was right in Aoba's face. Startled, Aoba barely managed to block—but Zzzzt! His kunai was cut clean in half, and his shoulder got slashed. "So fast! No wonder they say White Fang's swordsmanship is legendary!" In Aoba's eyes, even if Natsuki had only mastered ten percent of the Hatake Sword Style, he already had jōnin-level strength. If he hadn't reacted in time, Natsuki might've accidentally slit his throat. Then what? He'd become a missing-nin just for killing his teacher in training? Not daring to be careless, Aoba quickly formed hand seals and summoned a flock of crows: "Ninpō: San Sen U no Jutsu! (Ninja Art: Scattering Thousand Crows Technique!)" A dark swarm of crows engulfed Natsuki. But Natsuki relied on the speed granted by the Eight Gates and maneuvered through the crows like a phantom. His short blade danced with lightning, cutting down dozens of birds in his path—though it was difficult to get close to Aoba. Aoba kept moving outside the crow swarm's radius, wary of Natsuki's Raiton (Lightning Release). He knew Natsuki's sword wasn't yet fully mastered. If it were, he wouldn't be relying so heavily on Hachimon Tonkō for speed. In truth, Aoba's assessment was spot on. Natsuki had only trained in the Hatake Sword Style for under a year. He understood the essence of the technique but hadn't yet mastered it. Right now, he was only able to make the blade move faster. But his own body wasn't fast enough—so he needed Hachimon Tonkō to compensate. The mismatch between his speed and the sword technique meant he couldn't use it to its full potential. Natsuki suspected that Sakumo's speed came from Lightning Shunshin (Lightning Instant Step), which was why he was so fast. But learning Lightning Shunshin wasn't easy. He was still studying it. Once he could combine it with the sword technique, he might be even faster than the original. For now, he was barely able to fight Aoba to a standstill. Of course, if he opened the fifth gate—or used Uzumaki Explosive Bullet or Sky-Piercing Spiral Kick—he might actually win. But there was no need to go that far. After several hours, Natsuki collapsed onto the ground in exhaustion. Aoba was looking worse for wear too—it was clear Natsuki had pushed him hard. Still, he smiled. "To fight me to this level, your strength is already at elite chūnin, maybe even tokubetsu jōnin level. Among genin, you're probably the strongest." "But you do have a weakness—your combat experience is still lacking. You need more real fights to grow." Natsuki immediately seized the moment. "Then I'll rely on you to be my sparring partner from now on, Aoba-sensei! Thank you!" Aoba was speechless. This kid just thanked him outright—how was he supposed to say no after that? (End of Chapter) [Check Out My Patreon For +20 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!][/zaelum] [+500 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter] [Thank You For Your Support!]