However, the moment of tranquility was short-lived. Just as Gen was trying to regain his balance, Killer B's crimson chakra slightly withdrew, only to explode with even greater speed the next instant.
He advanced like a leopard, slashing toward Gen, who reacted instantly and leaped back.
Boom
The ground beneath Killer B's feet shattered like glass, and a suffocating heat swept through the area. At the same time, a lotus flower made entirely of fire suddenly bloomed in the air.
Killer B's slash missed. His target was no longer there.
Due to inertia, he moved forward more than ten meters before managing to stop, his eyes scanning the forest, alert.
!
Suddenly, another fire flower bloomed just a few meters away. The small flame, the size of a palm, flickered for an instant before extinguishing, and then, a figure appeared right beside it.
Boom
Gen emerged from nowhere. Without giving him time to react, he charged his fist with the Strength Jutsu and launched a direct punch.
Killer B, in a Three-Tails state, had improved tremendously in all aspects, but faced with Gen's sudden appearance and attack, he barely had time to turn and cross his arms.
The fist struck his forearms, and the astonishing force not only shattered the red chakra covering him, but the impact pushed his arm back and catapulted him through the air.
He was sent flying like a projectile, soaring dozens of meters before landing with difficulty. His body wobbled slightly before stabilizing.
Breathing heavily, he lifted his gaze toward the spot where he had been just seconds before.
But once again, in his field of vision, another fire lotus appeared, burning with a dangerous glow.
And then, he felt the presence.
From his side, a murderous pressure engulfed him.
Boom
Turning in the air, Gen appeared again beside Killer B and unleashed a Leaf Whirlwind, sweeping a fierce kick toward the back of his neck.
Crack
The scarlet chakra cloak shattered upon impact, and Killer B was sent flying once more.
But this time, mid-air, the three tails swaying behind him crashed into the ground like rakes, digging in forcefully to slow his momentum and stabilize his body.
'Fire Release: Great Flame Flower'
Before Killer B could react, three enormous fireballs, each between 20 and 30 meters in diameter, descended from the sky like meteors. The air vibrated with their searing heat as they plummeted toward him at terrifying speed.
Boom
Boom
Boom
Three deafening explosions shook the forest. Fire spread across the area in an instant, consuming everything in a chaotic eruption of flames.
The heat was suffocating. The ground beneath the explosion cracked and charred, leaving behind a sunken, scorched landscape.
But then—
From the heart of the flames, an even more terrifying crimson light burst forth in fury.
Fwoosh
The fire was torn apart from within. A monstrous storm of chakra erupted violently, expanding like a devastating tempest, sweeping away everything in its path.
From above, Gen watched as the crimson storm raged. Without hesitation, he activated the "Fire Lotus Step" once again, retreating over a hundred meters in an instant, as if he had vanished into thin air.
This speed-based Ninjutsu was the culmination of his arduous training over the past few months.
Its basic principle was founded on the Strength Jutsu, which involved concentrating Chakra and releasing it explosively to generate devastating force. Naturally, this Jutsu could serve not only for striking but also for movement.
At the same time, Fire-natured Chakra possessed explosive properties.
The "Fire Lotus Step" was born from the combination of both concepts: the force explosion of the Strength Jutsu and the destructive energy of Fire Style.
Of course, in practice, its development was far more complex. The Fire Style knowledge alone required to perfect it had forced Gen to spend countless hours reviewing his clan's archives.
And that was despite his talent constantly evolving. Had he relied solely on information provided by others, it would have taken him years, or even decades, to create a technique like this.
The reddish storm continued expanding at an alarming rate, forcing Gen to retreat nearly two hundred meters before escaping its range.
Sensing that there was significantly more Bijū Chakra in the storm than before, Gen cast a deep look at it and then turned around, quickly moving away.
The Bijū Chakra had increased once again, indicating that Killer B had unleashed even more of the Eight-Tails' power—and might have even advanced from the Three-Tails state to the Four-Tails state.
Although, up until now, his speed with the "Fire Lotus Step" had allowed him to maintain pressure on B, the reality was that under the dense Chakra protection of the Tailed Beast, his strikes had barely inflicted any real damage.
And that was while they were still at Three Tails.
If Killer B advanced to the next level, his defense would become even more impenetrable—and worst of all, Gen's speed advantage might completely disappear.
He didn't know how much control Killer B had over the Eight-Tails, but even if he hadn't fully mastered it, facing him in that state would only lead to one outcome: a completely rampaging Jinchūriki.
And in a one-on-one fight, that wasn't something Gen could face without going all out.
The fight with Killer B had been partly coincidence and partly a test to confirm whether B had already become a Jinchūriki. Additionally, it was an opportunity to strengthen himself through battle.
It wasn't a fight to the death.
That's why, when the situation started spiraling out of control, retreating was the most logical decision.
However, there was another reason as well.
The "Fire Lotus Step" had flaws.
Despite its incredible explosive speed, the Ninjutsu was still incomplete.
Its inspiration came from the Strength Jutsu, and although he had already mastered it to a certain extent, he had yet to perfect it. Even with his natural talent, refining a Ninjutsu of this caliber took time.
Besides, his standards were high.
For him, the final version of the "Fire Lotus Step" had to be at least a Super A-Rank Ninjutsu, and in its ideal state, something close to S-Rank.
The biggest issue remained the overload generated by the Chakra explosion.
Even the Strength Jutsu placed considerable strain on the body when used, but the "Fire Lotus Step" took that burden to the extreme, as it combined the explosive Chakra of Fire Style.
Not even with his superior physique could he afford to overuse the technique in its unfinished state. If he did, his legs and feet would end up in critical condition.
________
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