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Chapter 25 - CHAPTER 25

No, that's not right!

Watching Kawaki Aoba's movements, Kurenai Yuhi noticed something unusual.

And when Kawaki Aoba's right fist, emitting blue chakra, completed a circle and returned to strike him, he finally understood.

Bang!

The same force, the same counterattack, but with a difference. Compared to Kurenai Yuhi's pure taijutsu strength, Kawaki Aoba's fist was imbued with a penetrating chakra attack. The blue water-attribute chakra directly pierced through the layer of chakra armor he had applied to his body.

It was somewhat similar to the Hyuga clan's Gentle Fist, but also completely different. At the very least, the Hyuga clan's Gentle Fist wouldn't possess such destructive power in a single move.

Quickly creating distance, Kurenai Yuhi solemnly looked at the tattered sleeve of his left arm, ruined by Kawaki Aoba's earlier attack.

To be honest, if Kurenai Yuhi had wanted to dodge, Kawaki Aoba's fist would never have hit him.

As for just now, it was merely him, as a teacher, wanting to test the new skill his student had brought out.

But after personally experiencing it, Kurenai Yuhi felt utterly disheartened.

Why was it that his student always managed to come up with ninjutsu and taijutsu that he couldn't understand, yet were extremely effective?

Especially this fist technique. It clearly wasn't there during the previous mission.

Could it be that he just developed it? But wasn't he studying the Art of Hiding in Darkness with the Hokage's people these past few days?

Even if his talent was monstrous, there had to be a limit.

"Aoba, what is this fist technique? I've never seen you use it before?" While using taijutsu to attack Kawaki Aoba, Kurenai Yuhi didn't forget to ask.

From his relaxed demeanor, Kawaki Aoba could tell that Teacher Kurenai wasn't going all out.

Looking at Kawaki Aoba, he also used the newly acquired Rock-Smashing Fist of Flowing Water to deal with Kurenai Yuhi's attacks. Although there was a large difference in strength between the two, Kawaki Aoba was still able to cope by using various taijutsu techniques.

Finding a gap with less pressure, Kawaki Aoba took the opportunity to respond: "Teacher Kurenai, are you asking about the fist technique I'm using now? Of course, it's something I created myself. However, it's also somewhat related to the Hyuga clan. After I perfect the chakra armor, I'll talk to you in detail."

What a little rascal!

Kurenai Yuhi cursed inwardly, then stopped talking and began to use his full strength in taijutsu. He wanted to see how much substance Kawaki Aoba's self-created fist technique had.

Although Kawaki Aoba could create many hand-seal-less ninjutsu and taijutsu like Shave and Finger Pistol, those were all straightforward attack methods, completely different from systematic things like fist techniques. Kurenai Yuhi would never believe that Kawaki Aoba could create a complete set of fist techniques.

Sparring Between Teacher and Student

But as time passed, the Rock-Smashing Fist of Flowing Water that Kawaki Aoba displayed became more and more complete, and Kurenai Yuhi had no choice but to believe it. At the same time, he was completely numb.

But at the same time, Kurenai Yuhi's attacks became heavier and heavier.

This brat's talent is simply inhuman! It's truly envy-inducing! What's even more infuriating is that he dared to snatch my precious daughter! You little brat, come and receive the loving education of your future father-in-law!

Looking at Kawaki Aoba, although he was also willing to let Teacher Kurenai vent, he didn't expect Kurenai Yuhi to strike so heavily. This was also because he had taken medicine beforehand, directly eliminating Kurenai Yuhi's concerns about seriously injuring him. Also, the enhancement of the chakra armor on a ninja was exaggerated enough.

Even with the powerful Rock-Smashing Fist of Flowing Water, he was still being beaten miserably by his jealous father-in-law, who already possessed the strength of an elite Jonin with the chakra armor.

Although the Rock-Smashing Fist of Flowing Water is powerful, it also depends on who is using it. In Bang's hands, it's an ultra-powerful martial art that can rank among the top 3 S-class heroes, but in the hands of ordinary dojo students, it's just a slightly stronger fighting routine than ordinary karate.

As for Kawaki Aoba's use of it, although it was no match for Kurenai Yuhi, who had chakra armor and the strength of an elite Jonin, and he was still being beaten miserably, he could barely defend himself.

Well, the self-defense mentioned here simply means not being killed.

But that was enough for Kawaki Aoba. As long as he wasn't killed and could continue to fight with the enemy, he had nothing to fear with the constant replenishment of potions.

Just like now, as time passed, Kurenai Yuhi's medicine wore off, and the effect of the chakra armor was gradually weakening.

The scene of Kawaki Aoba struggling to support himself with the Rock-Smashing Fist of Flowing Water was much better than before.

However, he wasn't foolish enough to really counterattack after Kurenai Yuhi's medicine wore off. That would only create trouble for himself, with no other benefits.

After letting Kurenai Yuhi vent the resentment in his heart, he wasn't a bad captain and future father-in-law.

He shared all the insights he had gained from developing the chakra armor these days with Kawaki Aoba.

At the same time, he also inquired about the Rock-Smashing Fist of Flowing Water.

"Brat, now you should properly tell me what's going on with your strange fist technique, right? Such a powerful fist technique could never have been concocted out of thin air in just these few days. And don't try to feed me some lies about having created a prototype before. Your previous taijutsu routines didn't have any semblance of this fist technique at all."

"Cough."

With a light cough, Kawaki Aoba didn't hesitate and directly took out a book from his ninja pouch and handed it to Kurenai Yuhi.

"Is this a fist manual? Could it be that you, kid, had a stroke of luck and picked up a manual that some old senior once…"

While speaking, Kurenai Yuhi opened the book, but before he could carefully examine it, he was stunned by what was recorded on it.

Greatly shocked, he slammed the book shut and looked at Kawaki Aoba with a shocked expression: "The Hyuga clan's Gentle Fist manual! How did you get this thing?"

"Of course, it was given to me personally by someone from the Hyuga clan."

While speaking, Kawaki Aoba shared with Kurenai Yuhi his recent experiences and his detailed thoughts on the situation.

Kurenai Yuhi listened attentively, her face showing clear signs of concern.

"These so-called great clans are truly vicious. They've even devised such underhanded methods," Kurenai muttered in frustration. "I was careless. Aoba, why don't you move into my house for a few days? Although I don't have the influence of the Hyuga clan, I'm confident that, with my current strength, I can protect you."

To her surprise, Kawaki Aoba shook his head. "Teacher Kurenai, do you really think that, with my current strength, I would be afraid of them resorting to such petty tricks in private?"

Upon hearing this, Kurenai Yuhi finally understood. She had been so caught up in the situation that she nearly forgot that Aoki Kawaki's strength was nearly on par with hers. If he used his chakra cloak, he could even compete with her in her normal state.

Moreover, Aoki Kawaki was as cunning as they come. With his planning skills and his enemies unprepared, it would be as difficult as ascending to heaven for the Hyuga clan to defeat him.

Aoki Kawaki then added, "Speaking of which, I must thank the Hyuga clan. If they hadn't provided me with this Gentle Fist manual, I wouldn't have been able to create this Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist while bathing in the river, using the force of the water."

Kurenai Yuhi thought to herself, "Of course..." and twitched her lips slightly. While it seemed outrageous, she could just about accept his explanation.

What else could she do? After all, besides Aoki Kawaki, it was likely no one else in the entire ninja world knew of this Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist. It would be difficult to find another taijutsu style even remotely similar.

No matter how unbelievable it seemed, she had no choice but to believe that Aoki Kawaki had indeed created this fist technique while bathing in the river.

But no, thinking more carefully, this was not just an ordinary fist technique. It could mobilize the water attribute chakra in the body for attacks and adhesion. This already fell under the category of nin-taijutsu.

Now that the Hyuga clan had made an enemy of such a monstrous talent, and considering Aoki Kawaki's personality…

The Hyuga clan would likely face a major upheaval in the future.

"Kurenai-sensei, what do you think of this Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist?" Aoki Kawaki asked as they stood in the Yuhi residence courtyard. Without hesitation, he demonstrated the technique for her.

Kurenai Yuhi felt a bit embarrassed to practice a fist technique created by her student, but after trying it once with Aoki Kawaki's method, she couldn't resist.

"This Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist… although my knowledge isn't as profound as the Hokage's, its effects are clear," she said thoughtfully. "At the very least, it can be called an S-rank nin-taijutsu. It could even rank among the village's treasured techniques."

She believed this without exaggeration and was being conservative. In fact, even Aoki Kawaki agreed. As Kurenai Yuhi practiced the technique, he once again noticed another hidden effect of the Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist—it could also serve as a method for training water attribute chakra while performing the technique.

Kurenai Yuhi's intuition told her that if one practiced the Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist for a prolonged period, it could serve as a solid foundation for developing water attribute chakra nature transformation, even without exceptional talent.

This effect was truly astounding.

The Bottom Line Being Touched

In simpler terms, even if someone didn't achieve extraordinary results through this technique, they would still see gains.

Furthermore, this technique wasn't like other S-rank ninjutsu with impossibly high thresholds, which many people without talent couldn't even learn. In other words, this was an S-rank ability that could potentially be popularized.

However, neither Aoki Kawaki nor Kurenai Yuhi had any plans to make this fist technique widely known just yet, as it wouldn't benefit them at the moment.

Instead, when Aoki Kawaki became more influential in Konoha, he could use this technique to benefit those who followed him.

After discussing the Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist, Aoki Kawaki gained an even deeper understanding of it.

As their conversation ended, Aoki Kawaki habitually scanned the entire Konoha with his Observation Haki.

There are many instances when peeking goes unnoticed, and Aoki Kawaki was no exception.

In these past few days, he had developed the habit of scanning Konoha whenever he had time to spare, hoping to discover something unexpected. However, this "routine check" didn't reveal any major findings. Instead, he saw something that made him furious.

A second ago, Aoki Kawaki had been smiling due to his recent accomplishments, but now his face darkened immediately.

Kurenai Yuhi noticed this sudden shift in his demeanor and felt a sense of unease.

"What's wrong? Looking at your ugly face, did something embarrassing happen?" Kurenai Yuhi asked with curiosity, though her expression quickly changed as she listened to Aoki Kawaki's words.

"Kurenai, she's being cornered on the street and chased by someone in public."

"What? Who did you say?" Kurenai Yuhi's expression froze, and her eyes became cold. She started recalling who might have the audacity to chase her daughter in public. Could it be someone familiar?

Asuma? Kakashi?

But before Kurenai Yuhi could think of a possible culprit, Aoki Kawaki's next words struck her like a bolt of lightning.

"It's someone from the Hyuga clan's branch family," Aoki Kawaki said grimly.

In that instant, Kurenai Yuhi's once-casual demeanor vanished. Her eyes were filled with murderous intent.

The Hyuga clan's branch family had the audacity to pursue his daughter?

They were beyond unforgivable.

Without hesitation, the two exchanged glances, their faces grim.

"Lead the way."

"Okay."

Fueled by anger and killing intent, they rushed out of the Yuhi residence, heading straight for the scene of the incident.

On the street, Yuhi Kurenai's face was not amused. She had been cornered by a man who dressed like a rich young master. The street behind her was blocked by curious onlookers.

The man, holding a bouquet of flowers, gazed at her affectionately, then took a step forward.

"Kurenai, be my girlfriend. If you agree, everything I have will belong to you. I am at…"

Before he could finish his proposal, a roar echoed through the air. Aoki Kawaki leaped down from the rooftop of a nearby wooden building.

His Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist was already prepared, and he was determined to teach the pretentious fool a lesson.

However, just as Aoki Kawaki's roar and furious attack drew the crowd's attention, a Byakugan user in the crowd stepped forward, blocking Aoki Kawaki's path. The ninja positioned himself between the two, preparing to deliver a Gentle Fist strike.

But what shocked him was that when his Gentle Fist collided with Aoki Kawaki's fist, which was enveloped in blue chakra, it was he who was defeated in a single blow.

Crack!

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